Jevgenijs Minajevs
Jevgenijs Minajevs brought wrestling and Minnesota BJJ training to Riga, building an academy around fundamentals and a 28-week learning cycle.
Biography
Sources for this profile
BJJ Eastern Europe, Jevgenijs Minajevs interview, July 16, 2012(opens in a new tab)
Minajevs is from Riga and began freestyle wrestling at six. He credited coach Vladislav Dzerinsh with his development as a wrestler.
Where in the source: Journey: wrestling; closing thanks: Dzerinsh.
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He recalled winning a Baltic age-group championship at twelve and a Latvian championship at fourteen, retaining the national title until twenty. He said he represented Latvia's freestyle-wrestling national team until twenty.
Where in the source: Journey: Baltic.
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He moved to the United States in 2000. In 2001 he entered Dave Menne's gym; after several months Menne sent him to his own coach, Greg Nelson, at the Minnesota academy where Minajevs began BJJ.
Where in the source: Journey: Menne.
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Nelson helped him build a match strategy and refine the small details needed to finish submissions. At the Minnesota academy he also learned from visiting black belts from several BJJ schools.
Where in the source: USA answer: details.
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Minajevs returned to Latvia in August 2011. Looking for BJJ training partners, he joined a small group around Vladislav Chernavsky, whose welcome he later acknowledged.
Where in the source: Academy answer: August.
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In April 2012 he opened his own academy, beginning with a small training space and group. He adopted Pedro Sauer's curriculum as a framework for building a team, hoping to prepare athletes to represent Latvia internationally.
Where in the source: Academy answer: April.
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In 2012 he regarded Latvia's established wrestling, judo and sambo traditions as a base for BJJ, but thought local grapplers often pursued complicated moves before learning the fundamentals.
Where in the source: Latvia answer: basic.
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He admired Sauer's ability to reveal new technical details while teaching the same elementary movement repeatedly. That attention to fundamentals informed his choice of curriculum.
Where in the source: Sauer answer: move.
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His wrestling shaped his preference for takedowns over jumping guard. He explained that controlling whether a match remained standing or went to the ground gave him another tactical option, including scoring a takedown and establishing top control.
Where in the source: Cross-training answer: choose.
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After a car accident injured his lower back, he took up Bikram yoga. He felt that learning to relax and move fluidly between positions improved his jiu-jitsu.
Where in the source: Other sports answer: Yoga.
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In 2012 he combined a daytime job with evening teaching. Building the academy took priority over his own competition preparation, making a full training camp difficult.
Where in the source: Competition plans: daytime.
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Although he concentrated on sport BJJ, Sauer's programme required him to learn Gracie self-defence fundamentals. He valued their simplicity and regarded BJJ as a martial art as well as a sport.
Where in the source: Self-defence answer: simplified.
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He credited Greg Nelson and Ishmael Bentley for his BJJ development, alongside Dzerinsh's wrestling instruction and Chernavsky's welcome after his return to Latvia.
Where in the source: Closing thanks: Bentley.
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By the July 2012 interview he had competed in MMA and had won BJJ tournaments in the United States.
Where in the source: Introduction: MMA.
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The Academy Latvia, Mūsu treneri(opens in a new tab)
The academy's current biography dates his BJJ start under Greg Nelson in Minnesota to 2001 and describes training that combined MMA grappling, Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Shooto, catch wrestling and Combat Submission Wrestling.
Where in the source: Jevgēņijs Minajevs: Minesotā.
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His academy dates his BJJ black belt to 2012 and describes him as the first Latvian to receive it.
Where in the source: Jevgēņijs Minajevs: 2012.
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Minajevs's current teaching responsibilities cover fundamentals, advanced classes, no-gi, children and private lessons.
Where in the source: Jevgēņijs Minajevs: TRENĒ.
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The academy's coaching roster places Vladimirs Dergačovs, Konstantins Vasiljevs, Artjoms Krūmiņš and Glebs Silantjevs in the lineage through Minajevs. Their responsibilities include adult instruction, assisting children's sessions and supporting athletes at competitions.
Where in the source: Vladimirs Dergačovs; Artjoms Krūmiņš.
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Pedro Sauer BJJ Association, Endorsed Black Belts(opens in a new tab)
The Pedro Sauer BJJ Association currently lists Jevgenijs Minajevs of BJJ Academy LV in Riga as a fourth-degree black belt.
Where in the source: 4th Degree: Jevgenijs Minajevs.
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Jevgenijs Minajevs is listed as holding the fourth degree of his BJJ black belt in the Pedro Sauer BJJ Association's official directory.
Where in the source: 4th Degree: BJJ Academy LV.
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The Academy Latvia, official school introduction(opens in a new tab)
Jevgenijs Minajevs is the head coach of The Academy Latvia, also presented as BJJ Academy Latvia, in Riga.
Where in the source: Cīņas klubs The Academy Latvia: Jevgenijs Minajevs.
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The academy says it has offered jiu-jitsu in Riga since 2012 and now has a 300-square-metre mat area, alongside changing facilities and a small strength-training area.
Where in the source: Cīņas klubs The Academy Latvia: 300.
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The Academy Latvia, adult programmes(opens in a new tab)
His adult beginner course runs through a 28-week cycle combining physical preparation, self-defence and basic jiu-jitsu. The school names him as the instructor and also assigns him the competition-oriented gi and no-gi groups.
Where in the source: BJJ pamati; BJJ All Belts; No Gi.
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The Academy Latvia, blue-belt syllabus(opens in a new tab)
The school's blue-belt syllabus begins with positional control, then pairs takedowns and throws with submissions, escapes and defences. Dedicated sparring weeks appear during the cycle; the final three weeks combine a takedown, control and submission.
Where in the source: WEEK 1; WEEK 15; WEEK 26.
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The academy presents progress to blue belt as individual and dependent on practice, while suggesting a typical minimum of two years and four repetitions of its curriculum cycle.
Where in the source: Programma uz zilo jostu: individuāls.
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The Academy Latvia, children's programmes(opens in a new tab)
The children's programme names him among the teachers for five- and six-year-olds, where play develops movement, emotional control and the first grappling and self-defence skills. It also names him with Artjoms Krūmiņš and Glebs Silantjevs for the eight-to-fifteen group.
Where in the source: 5—6 gadi; 8-15 gadi.
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He is the named coach of the children's competition team for eight-to-fourteen-year-olds with at least a year of experience. The course focuses on competition BJJ and preparation for tournaments in Latvia and abroad.
Where in the source: 8–14 gadus.
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Andy Crittenden, ACMAC seminar account, LinkedIn(opens in a new tab)
ACMAC instructor Andy Crittenden described a ten-hour teaching weekend with Minajevs at ACMAC Martial Arts Balby, identifying him as their teacher from BJJAcademyLV and praising how much the group learned during his visits.
Where in the source: Andy Crittenden’s Post: 10 hours.
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Lineage
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Open lineage