GARTH’S STORY

Garth Perkins was born in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1983.

By the age of nine, Garth had already found his true calling: training in the art of Tang Soo Do under Henry Seo.

Between 2000 and 2005, he focused on a more competitive arena - traditional and sport karate tournaments. During this time, he competed in over one hundred tournaments across the United States, Europe, and Canada.

In 2006, Garth was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and found an instant connection to it, and started training in 2008 under Mike Sager.

His extensive interest in, and passion for BJJ resulted in rapid absorption of knowledge and he earned his blue belt in April of 2010, after placing second out of twenty competitors at the NAGA World Championships. 

After 2010, Mike Sager retired from teaching, which allowed Garth to focus and be more engaged in his academy. Garth decided to take his business to the next level and expanded in May of 2013.

During this search for a new teacher, he was led to contact Professor Roy Dean. After flying out to meet him, he applied for affiliation and was accepted in 2019. In March of that year, he celebrated ten years in business, and in October, he was awarded his purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu under Professor Dean.

Currently, Garth’s interest’s lay in the overlaps and connection between Karate and Jiu-Jitsu. A deeper understanding of one art gives him a richer perspective on the other.