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Luis Alberto Armas Gamarra

Peruvian instructor Luis Armas gave Tommy Langaker his start in BJJ—and left a mark Langaker said remained in his game.

Biography

Luis Alberto Armas Gamarra is the Peruvian instructor who gave Tommy Langaker his start in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and built a broader teaching role in Haugesund, Norway. Langaker began training with Armas at 17, when Armas was a purple belt affiliated with Luiz Guigo. BJJ Heroes reports that Armas influenced both Langaker's game and his focus on competition. In a 2016 interview, Langaker still described his first instructor's technique and style as part of his own jiu-jitsu, even though they no longer trained together regularly. By March 2016, a visitor to Guigo Jiu Jitsu in Haugesund identified Armas as the academy's black-belt instructor. The class that day moved from warm-ups and drilling to an omoplata setup from guard, then five-minute sparring rounds—a concrete glimpse of the work behind the influence Langaker described. Armas's own account placed that work in a wider community. In a 2020 fundraiser, he said he had operated Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Haugesund for eight years, teaching children, teenagers and adults. He also described free-training projects for people who could not afford the cost, centered on bullying, inclusion and loneliness. His documented influence runs through both sides of the academy: the game a student carried forward and the chance to train offered to people who might otherwise have gone without it.

Sources for this profile

  • Colin Leigh, “Training Report: Guigo BJJ Academy in Haugesund, Norway”, BJJ Eastern Europe, 23 March 2016.(opens in a new tab)

    • A March 2016 visitor report identified Luis Alberto Armas Gamarra as the black-belt instructor running Guigo Jiu Jitsu academy in Haugesund, Norway.

      Where in the source: Training Report — arrival paragraph; “The hotel I picked”.

      Accessed:

    • The same 2016 report described Armas Gamarra as being from Peru.

      Where in the source: Training Report — academy identification; “hailing from Peru”.

      Accessed:

    • During the reported class, Armas led warm-ups and drilling before teaching an omoplata setup from guard, followed by five-minute sparring rounds.

      Where in the source: Training Report — class sequence; “The training was excellent”.

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, “Tommy Langaker”, biography section, undated.(opens in a new tab)

    • Tommy Langaker began Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 17 with Luis Alberto Armas as his first instructor; Armas was a purple belt affiliated with Luiz Guigo at the time and influenced Langaker's game and competition focus.

      Where in the source: Tommy Langaker Biography — opening training-history paragraphs; “Luis Alberto Armas”.

      Accessed:

  • BJJ Heroes, “Tommy Langaker, Viking Blood Set To Take On The BJJ Establishment”, interview, 2016.(opens in a new tab)

    • In a BJJ Heroes interview, Langaker called the Peruvian Luis Alberto Armas his first instructor and said Armas's technique and game remained reflected in his own jiu-jitsu after they stopped training together regularly.

      Where in the source: Interview — first-instructor paragraph; “The Peruvian Luis Alberto Armas”.

      Accessed:

  • Luis Alberto Armas Gamarra, “Guigo jiu-jitsu Haugesund”, Spleis/SpareBank 1, fundraiser closed 30 April 2020.(opens in a new tab)

    • In a 2020 fundraiser that Spleis identifies as created by Luis Alberto Armas Gamarra, he said he had operated Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Haugesund for eight years and was teaching children, teenagers and adults through the club.

      Where in the source: Guigo jiu-jitsu Haugesund — opening description and organizer attribution; “Jeg driver”.

      Accessed:

    • Armas Gamarra said his club had used free jiu-jitsu training in projects aimed at bullying, inclusion and loneliness for people who could not afford the cost.

      Where in the source: Guigo jiu-jitsu Haugesund — community projects paragraph; “Jeg drev”.

      Accessed:

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