Interview with BJJ Black Belt Jerry Burns

Jerry Burns is a Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under Luiz Palhares and is also the owner and head instructor of the Gracie Foothills Jiu-Jitsu academy in East TN.   Not only is he a Professor, but he is also an active competitor and a former mixed martial artist.  We recently were able to catch up with him and learn a little bit about him and his jiu-jitsu journey.

JK:  Can you tell everyone a little about yourself, your BJJ training, and your background in the sport?

Burns:  My name is Jerry Burns. I’m originally from KY. I got into BJJ/MMA in 2005 after playing college basketball at Asbury University. I wanted to stay active in a sport and fell in love with martial arts. It gave me an outlet to stay competitive and still compete after college plus it is the most effective self defense martial arts there is. I started training with Luiz Palhares in 2009 and I received my Black Belt from him in 2021.

---

JK:  You opened your own academy Gracie Foothills a few years ago, for you, what has been the biggest difference between being a student yourself and now owning and leading your own academy?

Burns:  In KY owned and operated a fitness center and mma club, so I’ve been training students since roughly 2008. I think the biggest difference is back then, I was a Blue Belt teaching White Belts and I really hadn’t grasp the true meaning of Jiu Jitsu. I was basically going off of athleticism. As I progressed I realized that athleticism and youth wouldn’t always be there and that’s when I really started focusing on Gi Jiu-Jitsu and the Gracie self defense aspect.

JK:   What has been your biggest accomplishment so far in Jiu-Jitsu?

Burns: My biggest accomplishment was receiving my Black Belt from Luiz Palhares. Another great accomplishment has been being able to teach defensive tactics to law enforcement officers for the past 15 years.

JK:   You still actively compete. What are some goals you have for 2024 with competing?

Burns: Coming off of rotator cuff and bicep tendon surgery in October, in 2024, I look forward to competing at least 6 times. I also want to focus on helping my students that compete reach all their personal, fitness, and competition goals they have for 2024.

JK:   Who is one person you would love to be able to compete against and why?

Burns:  I would love to compete against Brad Hatcher or any of his Black Belts. The reason being??? Well it’s Hatcher and if you have been around the East TN BJJ community then you know the answer to that.

JK:   Who has been your biggest inspiration in Jiu-Jitsu?

Burns:  My students and training partners for the past 19 years have been my biggest inspiration. The dedication they show to work a full time job and still come in and train, day in and day out, is amazing. Also it would be my wife Heather. She runs a business full time, helps me run the academy, and still finds time to train. Watching these students achieve their goals is what inspires me.

JK:   Thank you for the time! Is there any last thing you would like to get out to everyone reading this?

Burns:  Thank you for this opportunity. I just want to say that BJJ in Tennessee is amazing and I’m glad to be a part of it and helping it to continue to grow.