Ian Lucas Ludgero

Ian Lucas Ludgero, was born into a family of fighters. His father, Ataíde Ludgero Junior (https://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/ataide-junior) is a Judo and Jiu Jitsu 5th grade black belt, and his mother Lidia dos Santos is a karate brown belt.

During his childhood, Ian was immersed into the martial arts world. When he was 4 years old, he started training Judo with the master José Mario Tranquillini (Pan-American Judo Champion). Ataíde always encouraged him to take part in fighting games, where fighting was a way of playing and a pleasant family moment.

Since very young Ian practiced numerous other sports such as gymnastics, swimming, cycling, skateboarding, football, handball, basketball, and many other physical activities that were essential to increase his physical abilities and skills. BJJ acted as the perfect discipline towards Ian’s personality development being the perfect platform though which he could transform his energy into something good whilst increasing confidence and self-esteem.

Ian started his bachelor’s degree in physical education in the year of 2009, at UniCeub. There he learned about human physiology, anatomy, biomechanics, pedagogy, ethics, and so much more that gave him a better understanding not only about the body and how its functionalities applied to an athlete, but to understand the meaning of being a teacher.

In 2010, Ian started coaching BJJ at ‘VIP Training Gym’. Six months later, he started to work as a personal trainer and helped to coordinate the fights division. The gym had a friendly environment for the elderly, women and youth. With the MMA and UFC popularization, interest grew in learning how to fight. People were curious to learn about fighting but were not ready for the real combat. They wanted to practice for fitness purposes, as well as to learn self-defense whilst also understanding the philosophy of fighting.

Ian started to adapt the lessons so that everyone could enjoy the benefits of fighting in a collaborative environment. There were limited physical contact, reducing injuries, however, with the same energy expenditure.

When Ian was 21, he received the black belt in BJJ directly from his father’s hand, making him the fourth generation of Jiu Jitsu learners in Brazil (Hélio Gracie -Armando Wriedt - Ataíde Ludgero Junior - Ian Ludgero) and part of the select group of BJJ practitioners who have the black belt.

In the academic field, Ian produced a scientific paper discussing the importance of teaching martial arts in physical education classes at schools. The paper discusses how fighting can benefit someone’s physical and psychological health, and control bad behavior. It also clarified the negative myths about fights and explained the positive benefits paired with it.

In 2014, Ian received his first-degree black belt from master Armando Wriedt and His father.

In September of 2015, Ian move to Perth to improve my English skills and because Australia is a country full of natural wonders and vast culture in sport which combines well with my lifestyle. On my first week, I visited various Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies in Perth to keep training and to get to know the Jiu-Jitsu environment. I was very well received in all academies and was quickly involved in the community.

Since Ian moved to Australia I have been not only competing and Coaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but participating actively on the community. Ian participated on multi-cultural schools’ presentations to teach about Brazilian culture and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, explaining its benefits as a fun, energetic, ethical and self-awareness tool.

As a competitor in Australia in 2017 Ian finished the national ranking in first place.