Grandmaster Bert Becerra was born and raised in Cuba, and at age 6, was taken from his parents and trained to be a competitor for Cuba's national judo team. GM Becerra spent years training and competing internationally, he even placed in the Pan American games. After a long day of international judo competition in Canada for Cuba's national team, GM Becerra saw the opportunity to defect. After defecting, GM Becerra spent time as a coach for the Olympic U.S. Judo Team at the N.J.I. (National Judo Institute) in Colorado Springs, where he still teaches every summer. After several years of teaching at N.J.I., he was invited to train/teach at the Kodokan in Japan (the official school for Judo in Japan). GM Becerra spent 15 years there in Japan. While there he trained in various martial arts. He earned a 5th Dan in Shotokan, holds a 8th in Judo, 9th in Jujitsu, and an 9th in Neko-Do Goju-Ryu. After returning to the U.S., GM Becerra served as an M.P. in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era. GM Becerra currently teaches Jujitsu at Richland Junior College in Dallas, TX. as a "credit" P.E. class, and has his own Judo Club he's the head instructor of in the Dallas suburb of Garland, TX, which at last count had over 300 paying students, and is known as one of the larger judo clubs in the U.S.! GM Becerra has trained and produced numerous state and national judo champions. In addition, GM Becerra frequently holds seminars and workshops on grappling.
Becerra Judo facebook page
Becerra Judo website
Career Highlights