UNITED
TO
COMPETE
Big vision. We unite schools to share techniques, coordinate guest instructor swaps, and connect through an open mat network — showing up to local tournaments as one unified force and taking home trophies the big associations thought were theirs. No fees. No politics. Just jiu jitsu.
NO
POLITICS.
NO
COST.
JUST
COLLABORATION.
Collab Lab was built for all gyms — whether you're affiliated elsewhere, flying solo, or just getting started. We bring schools together, share what's working on the mat, and show up to local tournaments as one unified force. No one's in charge — we're all just collaborating so our students get better, faster.
COLLABORATE
Share the techniques that actually work. Every school brings something different — together we accelerate every student faster.
SCHOOLS ONLY
We affiliate with schools, not individuals. If your gym wants in, bring the whole team.
COMPETE TOGETHER
Hit local tournaments as one unified team. Show up with more depth, more weight classes, more firepower.
SHARED WINS
Every medal belongs to the collective. Gyms that never had a shot at the podium start winning.
100% FREE
There is no association cost. The only thing we ask is that members of the association can train at your open mats at no charge.
HOW WE OPERATE
A safe mat, accelerated development, and fair representation for smaller gyms. These aren't aspirations — they're the baseline for every school in this collective.
SAFETY-FIRST SCREENING
Every school we affiliate with is screened for sex offenses before joining the collective. Full stop. We are committed to keeping the training environment safe for every man and woman on the mat — no exceptions, no shortcuts.
SCHOOLS ONLY — NO INDIVIDUALS
Collab Lab affiliates with schools, not individual practitioners. If you train at a gym and want to be part of the collective, bring your school. We build teams, not rosters of solo competitors.
KEEP YOUR CURRENT AFFILIATION
Already affiliated somewhere else? That's not a problem. You can be part of Collab Lab and maintain your existing affiliation simultaneously — as long as your current affiliation is OK with it. We are designed to complement, not replace.
PROMOTION ASSISTANCE
Are you a smaller gym without an affiliation and unsure about promotions? We can help. After a thorough evaluation of your students and curriculum, Collab Lab is happy to assist with belt promotions — done right, done fairly.
ACCELERATE YOUR STUDENTS
Our passion is student development at the fastest honest rate. That's exactly why we collaborate — to share proven techniques across schools so every student benefits from a wider pool of knowledge than any single gym can offer.
OUR COMMITMENT: A safe training environment for every person on the mat is non-negotiable. We screen every affiliate school, support student growth at every level, and only work with schools — because real development happens in a team environment.
TWO WAYS TO WIN AS A TEAM
YOUR POINTS, YOUR TROPHY
Each affiliated school earns team points based on their own competitors' individual results at a tournament. When your school racks up enough points to claim a team trophy, that banner goes home with your gym — earned by your students, celebrated by your team.
LIFT UP THE NEW GYM
Already have multiple team banners from the same tournament? That's multiple chances to change someone's story. If a new affiliate is just getting started, we can gift those extra trophies to them — because this collective is about collaboration, not stockpiling hardware. The whole point is to lift each other up.
THE COLLAB LAB DIFFERENCE: Big associations hoard trophies because they're built on competition between schools. We're built on the opposite. A banner on a new gym's wall means more practitioners get inspired, more students train harder, and the entire collective gets stronger. That's a win for everyone.
INSTRUCTOR
SWAP
One of the most exciting parts of the collective — affiliated schools host each other's instructors for a guest session. You send yours, you host theirs. Simple, effective, and a genuinely great time.
FRESH EYES ON THE MAT
A guest instructor brings techniques and perspectives your students have never seen. New approaches break bad habits and spark breakthroughs.
SHARED KNOWLEDGE
Every school in the collective has something unique to offer. Instructor swaps are how that knowledge spreads — school to school, mat to mat.
BUILD REAL RELATIONSHIPS
Training together as instructors builds the kind of trust that makes the collective actually work. It's more than technique — it's community.
Set Up an Instructor Swap
Already in the collective or thinking about joining? Reach out and we'll coordinate a swap date with a nearby school.
BRING YOUR
SCHOOL INTO
THE COLLECTIVE
Fill out this form and we'll reach out to get you set up. No fees, no contracts — just collaboration.
THE FOUNDERS
Collab Lab Jiu Jitsu Association was founded by two black belts affiliated under Ricardo Cavalcanti Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association — built from a passion for the art and a belief that smaller gyms deserve a seat at the table.
Derek Lemos
Shelby Anderson
Open Mat Network
This collaboration was designed for local tournaments and an expanding network of open mats across the US and abroad. Collab Lab schools are always welcome to attend — drop in, roll, share knowledge, and grow together.
IBJJF Competition
For IBJJF tournaments specifically, competitors represent their primary affiliation as required by IBJJF rules. Collab Lab is a local tournament and open mat collective — not an IBJJF team affiliation. Everything else? We compete together as one.
THE MULTI-SCHOOL
POWER GRID
Collab Lab
Alpha MMA
Veritas Jiu Jitsu
SMALL SCHOOLS UNITED = ONE UNSTOPPABLE ARMY. THE GIANTS DON'T STAND A CHANCE.
THE KNOWLEDGE
EXCHANGE
The Lasso Sweep
Key insight: hip elevation must precede the sleeve pull by 0.3 seconds for maximum off-balancing. The timing window is everything.
K-Guard Entry
Underhook the far leg first, not the near leg. This creates a 40% faster entry from seated guard and eliminates the common backstep counter.
Collar Drag to Back
The drag angle should be 45° across the centerline. Anything steeper invites the sprawl. Anything shallower loses the angle to the back.
Inside Sankaku
Lock the triangle from the inside position before attempting the sweep. The submission threat forces the top player to post, opening the reversal.
Torreando Counter
When they grab the knees, immediately shoot both hips skyward. The inversion puts you in deep half before they can finish the pass.
MISSION BRIEFING
Upcoming Oklahoma tournaments where the Collab Lab squad is showing up. Register through the links below and compete under one unified banner.
AGF Oklahoma City Open
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
AGF returns to OKC for a full two-day open. A great opportunity for the collective to stack points and bring home team hardware.
Newbreed OKC Samurai Series
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Newbreed brings the Samurai Series back to Score OKC. Join the Collab Lab squad and compete together — all ages and skill levels welcome.
AGF US Open
Tulsa, Oklahoma
The AGF US Open lands in Tulsa to close out the year. Show up under the Collab Lab banner and compete as one unified squad.
Join the Squad
Reach out and we'll coordinate together — registration, weight classes, travel. No fees. No politics. Just competition.
THE UNIFIED
TROPHY CABINET
This cabinet is empty right now — but not for long. Every medal we win as a collective will live here. Schools that never had a shot at a podium will see their names here.
THE MISSION
Take home trophies for schools that were always overlooked because the big associations win on numbers, not on wins.
THE METHOD
Collaborate on technique. Roll together. Show up to local tournaments as a unified force — small schools becoming one large team.
THE OUTCOME
Medal counts that rival any big-box association. Proof that when practitioners unite around skill, giants fall.
