Dieter Truyen

Dieter Truyen wanted to reach children through judo while doing youth work at Centrum West in Molenbeek. A young participant introduced him to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In BRUZZ's February 2025 portrait, he remembered learning gradually, with few teachers available and videotapes from Brazil offering another route into the sport. His academy in Koekelberg later taught twelve- and thirteen-year-olds to referee, giving them responsibility for keeping matches fair. He treated parents as partners. In 2015, he recalled requests for children's activities at Fire Gym leading him to found BBJJA, the Brussels Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, in 1999. Different ages received different lessons. Animal names made positions tangible: a koala clung to an opponent's back. Younger children learned through movement; positional points replaced locks and chokes until twelve. Noticing that the club was missing some children, he took the games to a Molenbeek school. Members could earn money as assistant teachers, and he wanted his teaching book used in physical-education training. A 2025 academy self-portrait describes law studies that felt abstract. After youth work, his father's construction business taught him management and sales; Buurtsport drew him back to sport. Institutional restrictions encouraged autonomy. His biggest growth challenge was training staff, including disadvantaged, unqualified newcomers, for demanding administrative, organizational, commercial and financial roles. Former pupils gaining qualifications or becoming colleagues brought satisfaction. He stressed recognizing strengths and weaknesses without ego blocking progress.