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Nick Pollaro

 

Nick is the owner and head instructor of Pollaro’s Martial Arts, which was established in 2009. 

 

Nick is a graduate of St. Joseph’s College where he majored in Communications and minored in Psychology.  Nick has dedicated himself to helping and training others.  Nick is a retired police officer of 20 years, and was the lead physical tactics instructor for over 15 years.  He is currently the Director of Physical Tactics at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy where he trains, on average, over 425 police officers per year. 

 

Nick is a 2nd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Patrick Robinson, through Octavio Couto.  He is also certified by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), the most recognized organization in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the United States Jiu-Jitsu Federation (USJJF).  Nick is the only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt in Plainfield, IN that is certified by the IBJJF and USJJF.

 

Nick is also an instructor in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do Concepts and holds the rank of Lakan (instructor) in the Filipino Martial Arts.

 

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Nick has competed in Gi and No Gi tournaments, both in his weight division and in the Absolute/Open divisions.  His tournament accomplishments include:

 

Black Belt

 

  • 2014 – Five Grappling:  Masters Division – Gold (Gi) / No-Gi – Bronze

  • 2014 – IBJJF Chicago Open:  Master Division (Gi) – Silver in weight division / Gold in Open Division

  • 2014 – North American Grappling Association (NAGA), Cincinnati, OH:  No Gi Directors Division – Gold

 

Brown Belt

 

  • 2012 – IBJJF Chicago Open:  Master Division – Silver in Open Division

  • 2011 – NAGA (Midwest Grappling Championship), East Chicago, IN:  No-Gi Directors Division – Gold, Gi Directors Division – Gold

 

Purple Belt

 

  • 2011 – IBJJF Pan Championships – Bronze

  • 2010 – IBJJF Chicago Open:  Master Division – Bronze in weight division / Silver in Open

John Glover

 

John has trained in martial arts for many years, starting from the age of six.  John has competed in Kickboxing, MMA, Boxing, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitions.  He has accumulated a record of 10-2 in his professional MMA fights.

 

John holds black belts in Jeet Kune Do, Taekwondo, and a first degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

 

John was an instructor and part of the Emergency Response Team for the Indiana Department of Corrections, where he trained correctional officers working in the prison system.  John also worked as an instructor for the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in the training division, where he trained officers in physical tactics.

 

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Karl Therrian

 

Karl started his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey in North West Indiana in 2002, where he earned his brown belt in 2009.  In 2007, Karl was involved in a motorcycle accident which required him to have surgery.  Eleven months later, Karl was cleared to return to the mat. 

 

In 2008, Karl and his wife moved to Indianapolis and he received his Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.  Karl is now a critical care nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Saint Vincent in Indianapolis. 

 

After moving to Indianapolis, Karl heard about Nick from a former police officer, and he started training at Pollaro's Martial Arts in March 2016.  Karl received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt in late 2017. He received his first degree black belt in 2020.

 

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Travis Sims

 

First and foremost, Travis is a proud father of 3 young men.  He's dedicated his life to his family and his art. 

 

Travis has a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do, Wrestling, Boxing, and Muay Thai.  He started training at Pollaro's Martial Arts in 2010.  Currently, he holds the rank of black belt in JKD and black belt in BJJ.  Travis is a student instructor, assisting with kids and adult BJJ and JKD classes.  He is also an instructor for Combat Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (classes held on Thursdays at 5:30).

 

Travis is a Project Manager at Textron Aviation, a profession he has held for over 22 years.    

 

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Jacob Padgett

 

Jacob started training at Pollaro’s Martial Arts in 2010. He was Nick Pollaro’s first student to receive his black belt in Jeet Kune Do (2015), and currently holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

 

Jacob is a student teacher; assisting with kids and adults for both classes. Professionally, Jacob is an RN working in dialysis, a field in which he has worked for 17 years.

 

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Rob Prichard

 

Rob is a United States Marine with over six years of active service.  While in the Marines, Rob served as Marine Corps Martial Arts Program black belt instructor. 

 

Rob is currently a police officer and a canine handler for the Plainfield Police Department, where he works alongside his best friend, Jocko.  He has held that position for over five years.

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Rob is currently a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

 

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Dillon Robinson

 

Dillon began training at Pollaro’s Martial Arts late in 2014.  He holds a black belt in Jeet Kune Do and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

 

Dillon teaches no-gi classes, assists in teaching the kids and adult classes, and is also an active competitor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

 

Dillon works as a maintenance technician at a water treatment company.

 

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Derek Donelson

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Derek is our Wrestling/Takedown Instructor.  He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in Wrestling, both as a competitor and as a coach.  Derek started wrestling at the age of 10.  He won every major tournament for his age group as he was coming up through the ranks, and has been a member of multiple National Teams representing Team Indiana.   

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Derek graduated from The University of Indianapolis in 2004 with a BS in Communications.  He was a starter on the U of I wrestling team and won many tournaments while qualifying for the NCAA wrestling championships twice.  He is also the former Plainfield High School wrestling coach.

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Derek represented the United States and the Plainfield Fire Territory at the 2015 World Police and Fire Games, where he won the bronze medal, placing third in the world.  Derek and his family are residents of Plainfield.  He is an active member of his church.  He also enjoys staying active outside and doing activities with his family.

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Derek assists with teaching the kids classes where his two boys train regularly.  Derek is an active competitor and his ultimate goal is to be a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion one day.

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Derek has always had a deep love for being on the mats, and his goal is to help everyone practicing at Pollaro's to become the best version of themselves that they can be, on and off the mats.

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Derek's accomplishments include:

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  • 2015 World Police and Fire Games Bronze Medalist

  • Two-Time NCAA National Qualifier

  • Starter for the University of Indianapolis Wrestling Team

  • ISWA State Wrestling Champion

  • ISHAA State Runner-Up

  • Super Ego Tournament Champion

  • NAGA Expert Nogi Champion

  • NAGA Gi Champion

  • Hoosier Open Tournament Champion

  • Grappling Industries Tournament Champion

  • FUJI Indianapolis Open Champion 

  • FUJI Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Indiana State Champion

  • IBJFF Indianapolis Division Champion

  • IBJFF Indianapolis Open Absolute Champion

  • Guerilla Warfare 2 Invitiational Champion

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