Demian Maia will be visiting ZenQuest in August.  The UFC veteran and Jiu-jitsu legend will provide several days of instructor training for his affiliate schools in North America.  This will be a continuation of annual trainings conducted before the COVID pandemic. 
The instructor training will consist of three days of intensive training between August 11th and 14th.  This is a great way to insure consistency and high quality instruction in Demian’s affiliated schools.  The exact schedule will be made available as soon as more detailed plans are firmed up.
In addition to the instructor training Demian will offer a three hour seminar open to all.  This will be held on Saturday, August 13th with a preregistration costs of $120. 
Demian recently added another win to his illustrious career competing on the Jiu-jitsu mats.  This latest victory came via a Superfight against another MMA veteran and Jiu-jitsu Black Belt, Benson Henderson, at Polaris 20.  The full 20 minute time limit was used in a very strategic match. Overall Demian was more dominant in positioning and threatened submissions, earning the nod from the judges.
The original plan was to have Silvio Moraes  accompany Demian on this training but, unfortunately, he is dealing with a knee injury at this time.  Professor Silvio was going to provide a special clinic for law enforcement officers on this trip, but that will need to be pushed to this fall when he is healthy again.
For information or to reserve a spot at the open seminar please contact ZenQuest at 413-637-0656 or train@zenquestmac.com.

October of 2021 saw the start of LEJJ or Law Enforcement Jiu-jitsu training at ZenQuest.  The program focuses on optimizing safety in the physical interactions required of law enforcement officers.  Strategies in LEJJ are primarily based on the principles and techniques of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, but also incorporates defensive tactics from other martial arts.
The program has already proven itself to help officers perform their duties while reducing risks for them and their communities.  This is based on data and feedback from the Pittsfield Police Department, where the bulk of LEJJ participants are employed.  The training has also shown to improve things like officer confidence and stress levels, improving their overall health and well being.  All of this leads to better overall law enforcement service.   This is consistent with the trend with new programs like this around the country. 
With the positive feedback and results stemming from the first LEJJ session, the Pittsfield PD is expanding their commitment for a new session beginning in August of this year.  PPD will now increase their enrollment from 12 officers in the nine month pilot program up to 18 officers for a full year.  This is also partly possible due to grants provided by the liability insurance company covering the department.  These are all strong indications of the importance and effectiveness of LEJJ.
With the expansion of the program, ZenQuest will soon add another LEJJ class on Friday mornings (before our regular No-Gi class.)  This will help accommodate the officers’ busy schedules and provide them with additional training when possible.
Thanks to all of the participating officers and supporting students for helping to make LEJJ a success.  Special thanks to Chief Mike Wynn for his support in the continued development of the LEJJ program at ZenQuest.