James “300” Foster, 4th Degree Black Belt
James began his martial arts journey in 1987 at the age of 10, studying a form of American Karate called Aam-Ka-Jutsu. He trained with the Aamerican Colleges of Karate (ACK) in Kent, Washington for nearly 10 years earning the rank of 1st degree black belt in Aam-Ka-Jutsu.
In 1996, James had his first experience training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) at Mohler Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts in Irvine, Texas. It was at this time that he met his life long friend and mentor Allen Mohler, and decided to shift his focus to training BJJ. At the time the seeds of BJJ were just being planted in the Seattle area. Steady instruction was hard to find for more then 1-2 years at a time. Fortunately, this turned into a blessing in disguise for James, who gained the opportunity to train and/or hold rank under several world class instructors from many different BJJ affiliations including Allen Mohler (Alliance Jiu-Jitsu), Marcelo Alonso (Carlson Gracie Team), Marcio “Mamazinho” Laudier (Gracie Barra), Giva Santana (formerly Lotus Club Jiu-Jitsu now co-founder of One Jiu-Jitsu), and Juliano Prado (Brazilian Top Team).
In 2003, James became an affiliate of Lotus Club Jiu-Jitsu and began his career as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor at the rank of purple belt. At a seminar in March of 2004 James was promoted to the rank of brown belt under Lotus Club Jiu-Jitsu. In October of 2005, he achieved the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is the proud owner and head instructor of Foster Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Kent, Washington and currently holds the rank of IBJJF & USBJJF certified 4th Degree Black Belt under Giva Santana and One Jiu-Jitsu.
While James’ main focus has always been his academy, students, and giving back to the community, he is a 3x Black Belt Master World Champion and has remained an active competitor over the years. Here are his accomplishments in black belt competition:
- 2006 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships: Black Belt Bronze Medalist
- 2007 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships: Black Belt Bronze Medalist
- 2010 US Open Tournament: Black Belt Bronze Medalist
- 2013 Master & Senior World Championship: Black Belt Silver Medalist
- 2014 Five Grappling: Black Belt Master Heavyweight Champion
- 2014 Five Grappling: Black Belt Master Absolute Champion
- 2014 Five Grappling: Expert Master Heavyweight No Gi Champion
- 2014 IBJJF Seattle International Open: Black Belt Master 2 Gold Medalist
- 2014 IBJJF Seattle International Open: Black Belt Master 2 Absolute Gold Medalist
- 2015 IBJJF Worlds Master Championship: Black Belt Master 2 Gold Medalist
- 2018 IBJJF Worlds Master Championship: Black Belt Master 3 Gold Medalist
- 2018 IBJJF Worlds Master Championship: Black Belt Master 3 Absolute Division Bronze Medalist
- 2018 Fight to Win 86 Super Heavy Weight Superfight vs Foster Bailey: Win via Decision
- 2019 IBJJF Worlds Master Championship: Black Belt Master 3 Gold Medalist
Coach Rick, 2nd Degree Black Belt
Rick is a life long martial artist who holds the rank of 4th degree black belt in Aam-Ka-Jutsu, second Kyu brown belt in Aikido (USAF), and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (One Jiu-Jitsu). Rick also wrestled for 6 years and is a practitioner of boxing. He also holds certificates of completion for referee training under the IBJJF and CNP.
Rick is an avid competitor and his most notable competition credentials include a bronze medal in the 2005 Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships, double gold medals in the 2010 Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships, two silver medals at the 2011 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships, a gold and silver medal at the 2012 Master & Senior World Championships, a gold and silver Medal at the 2013 Master & Senior World Championships as a black belt, and two gold medals at the 2014 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships.
Rick is a cornerstone of Team Foster, instructing and mentoring students in classes throughout the week and holds the rank of 2nd degree black belt under Coach Foster and Professor Giva Santana.
Coach Michelle, 4th Degree Black Belt
Michelle is a long time pioneer of the local BJJ scene and was one of the first women to be promoted to black belt in the Pacific Northwest and she was 13th American female to achieve black belt. She currently shares her passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the adults in the Sunday morning BJJ class.
Michelle holds the rank of 4th Degree Black Belt under Professor Giva Santana and Coach Foster.
Coach Trevin, 2nd Degree Black Belt
Trevin is one of the founding students of Foster BJJ, starting with us back in 2003. He wrestled in high school and has a decorated martial arts foundation including 3.5 years of Goju Ryu Karate, 1.5 years of Shorinji Kempo, a few years of Aikido and 5 + years in Aam-Ku-Jutsu Karate receiving his black belt in 2003.
Trevin has competed in 20+ tournaments and medal’d every time. Most notably he won the IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2008 as a blue belt, took bronze as a purple belt in 2009, and became a father for the first time the weekend of Pans in 2010.
Coach Trevin currently teaches the 7:30 p.m. Monday class.
Coach Jason, Black Belt
Jason is one of the most dedicated students of the art you will ever come across. He normally trains 5-6 times per week and is always trying to make improvements to his Jiu-Jitsu. He currently teaches the Friday morning class.
Coach Tyy Withrow, Black Belt
Coach Tyy came to us in the mid 2000s as a teenager and though life took him away from our academy for a few years he made his way back to us and earned his rank of black belt in 2019. He leads our no gi classes with his wife Katie.
Outside of the gym, Tyy is a professional photographer who you’ll often see at IBJJF Tournaments throughout the country and around the local PNW BJJ scene. See his work at www.tyywithrow.com
Coach Katie Egan, Brown Belt
Coach Katie came to us from Texas as a blue belt, devoted competitor and single mother. You’ll find her competing and reffing at IBJJF competitions across the nation, as well as Fight 2 Win and other pro events. Katie is a huge advocate for women in BJJ and you can find her on Instagram (@womenwhorollbjj) and facebook (@womenwhoroll) as well as read her blog at womenwhoroll.com.
Katie is a huge support to Team Foster and coaches the Women’s Class with Coach Becca, the No-Gi Classes with her husband Tyy, a No-Gi afternoon class, and many of the kids classes.
Coach Becca, Black Belt
Coach Becca teaches the women’s class alongside Coach Katie. She came to us from Texas with her husband Scott as a blue belt and lifelong soccer athlete. Becca is a huge advocate for women in BJJ and is the Northwest Ambassador for Girls in Gis. She’s an active competitor and you’ll see her at local, IBJJF and Fight 2 Win events.
Coach Scott, 2nd Degree Black Belt
You’ll often see Coach Scott leading the Competition Team class and covering both gi and no-gi classes. He came to us as a brown belt from Texas with his wife Becca. His passion for BJJ is infectious and if you’re having trouble with any aspect of your game, Scott’s your man to unlock the details that are giving you trouble. Scott is an active competitor and has experience in MMA.
Coach Ehren, Brown Belt
Coach Ehren has an encyclopedia of knowledge for BJJ and you’ll often see him taking notes in his trusty leather notebook. He is a huge supporter of the BJJ community and you’ll see him filling his notebook at seminars across the country. He’s also a referee for local tournaments and is always up to date on IBJJF rules. Ehren is a family man whose wife and two children also train. He shares his wealth of knowledge at our Saturday Kids class, as well as hosts the Saturday open mat.
Coach Doug, Blue Belt
Coach Doug is a dedicated BJJ practitioner and an active competitor. You’ll find him assisting Coach Foster and Coach Ehren with kids’ classes. Outside of the gym Doug is an educator, business owner and father of two. All skills that translate very well into coaching kids.