Eddie Acevedo Jr

     Eddie has been training Martial Arts since the age of 8, from Tae Kwon Do to Daito Ryu, Muay Thai and JiuJitsu. In the summer of 1992 he found himself standing on the yellow footprints of Marine Recruit Training Depot, Perris Island South Carolina , where he met, befriended and later claimed the title of United States Marine with Frank Ambrifi.
     During his enlistment he continued his martial arts training in Japan and California, becoming a Close Quarters Combat instructor (CQB) as well as a fire arms instructor. While stationed in California he also worked with an all Marine security detail providing executive security for Lou Rawls, Dudley Moore, Janet Jackson and multiple others. Ultimately in 1994, he was introduced to and began training Gracie JiuJitsu with a friend who was training at the Gracie academy, until leaving California in 1996.
     Civilian life happened and in the years that followed he was married and had two children. In 2008 after being involved in a car accident he was advised that in order to recover from his back injury he needed to rebuild his core and strengthen the surrounding muscle group. During that time with the help of social media he regained contact with an old friend, Frank Ambrifi, who at the time was a black belt under Phil Migliarese. In short order, he began to rebuild himself using the jiujitsu movement drills that he already knew or could remember and later began formal training locally receiving his blue belt.
     In 2009 he went to a Relson Gracie seminar in Center City Philadelphia, at the time Team Balance HQ, which had a profound impact. He knew then that he wanted to become a Team Balance Black Belt. He joined the team shortly there after. Since then he has won or placed in every tournament that he has competed in, including a gold medal in the 2013 No Gi Pan Ams. He has also earned his way to Black Belt under the guidance of Phil Migliarese and Frank Ambrifi and has continued as an instructor at Team Balance Northeast Philadelphia.