Creator credit recorded on the linked source page: Bajrro (Wikimedia Commons user) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Niko Han
Indonesian coach who started under Rickson Gracie in Los Angeles in 1996 and went home to build Synergy, a network of BJJ and MMA gyms run from Bali.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Synergy BJJ Academy, official website (synergymma.com, hosted on Podia), About Us and Founder/Head Coach sections.(opens in a new tab)
Niko Han is the founder and head coach of Synergy Jiu-Jitsu Academy, which his academy describes as the first Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts academy in Bali, Indonesia.
Where in the source: About Us section, opening paragraph and the paragraph introducing Niko Han — 'founder/head coach'
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He began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu on 28 October 1996 at Rickson Gracie's academy in Los Angeles, California.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, first paragraph, first sentence — 'October 28, 1996'
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Rickson Gracie awarded him his blue belt on 15 November 1997.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, first paragraph, second sentence
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From December 1998 he trained at the Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club in Los Angeles under Marc Laimon, Ethan Milius and Marcus Vinicius, and Marcus Vinicius promoted him to purple belt on 17 June 2000.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, first paragraph, final sentence
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While in Los Angeles he cross-trained in wrestling, including at the R1 training center in El Segundo with Frank Trigg and, from February 2001, with the wrestling club at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, second paragraph, first two sentences
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In July 2001 he began teaching the Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes at UCLA, and around the same time took up boxing at the L.A. Boxing Gym and Bill Slayton's Broadway Boxing Gym in Los Angeles.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, second paragraph, final sentence — 'July 2001'
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He trained with Eddie Bravo and, from May 2001, under Jean-Jacques Machado in Tarzana, California.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, third paragraph (single sentence)
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In August 2002 he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, to train with Marc Laimon at the Nova União academy there, and continued boxing with UNLV head coach Skipper Kelp.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, fourth paragraph, first two sentences
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In 2003, before returning to Indonesia, he travelled to Brazil to train at Nova União in Rio de Janeiro under André Pederneiras and in São Paulo with Leo Vieira, Fernando Tererê and Eduardo Telles.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, fifth paragraph, first sentence
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Marc Laimon awarded him his brown belt on 20 May 2003 in Rio de Janeiro.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, fifth paragraph, second sentence — 'May 20, 2003'
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Marc Laimon promoted him to black belt on 14 February 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, fifth paragraph, final sentence
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His academy describes Indonesia as his home country, to which he returned after his training in the United States and Brazil.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, fifth paragraph, opening clause — 'his home country Indonesia'
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According to his academy, he established Synergy Jiu-Jitsu Academy on 28 July 2003 after returning to Indonesia, later founded the Indonesian Grappling Federation, and has organised Brazilian jiu-jitsu, submission grappling and MMA events and seminars across Indonesia since 2005.
Where in the source: About Us section, the paragraph after the one introducing Niko Han
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On 31 July 2013 he met Rickson Gracie again in Bali, and Rickson Gracie awarded him a black belt certificate on 8 October 2014.
Where in the source: Founder/Head Coach section, sixth paragraph — 'October 8, 2014'
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His academy presents him as a Rickson Gracie black belt under the Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation (JJGF), and Synergy as a certified academy and official Rickson Gracie team, and says his start under Rickson Gracie in Los Angeles inspired him to spread Rickson Gracie jiu-jitsu and MMA in Indonesia.
Where in the source: About Us section, paragraph introducing Niko Han, first two sentences
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His academy lists competition results from his years in the United States, including gold at Joe Moreira's De Brasil Championship (1 June 1997), silver at Rickson Gracie's International Jiu-Jitsu Championship (31 August 1997), gold at the Pan American Submission Wrestling Open (28 July 2001) and gold in the Desert Quest 4 eight-man superfight tournament (15 February 2003).
Where in the source: ACHIEVEMENTS list below the biography, entries dated 1997 to 2003
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The same list records a silver medal at the Java Freestyle Wrestling Championship (10 October 2004) and, at the South-East Asian Grappling Games on 17 March 2007, gold in the gi division, gold in the gi absolute and bronze in no-gi.
Where in the source: ACHIEVEMENTS list, final four entries
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The academy's site lists fifteen Synergy locations, fourteen in Indonesia (Bali, Bekasi, Jakarta, Palangka Raya, Ponorogo, Solo, Gorontalo, Surabaya, Tangerang and Yogyakarta) and one in Singapore, with Niko Han as instructor at the headquarters academy in Bali.
Where in the source: Synergy Academies section, locations listed by city with instructor names
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The academy's list of Synergy locations names several black-belt instructors besides Han, among them Fransino Tirta at Synergy Pitbull Academy in Tangerang, Max Metino in North Jakarta and Shinya Kakita at Synergy Singapore.
Where in the source: Synergy Academies section, instructor lines under Tangerang, Jakarta (North) and Singapore
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Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation (JJGF), Academies directory, 'Synergy Jiu-Jitsu Academy'.(opens in a new tab)
The Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation, founded by Rickson Gracie, lists Synergy Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Kuta, Bali, as a member academy since 2018, with Niko Han as head coach and black belt.
Where in the source: Academy page, header line under the academy name and the HEAD COACH box — 'Member since 2018'
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Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation (JJGF), Teams directory, 'Synergy Jiu-Jitsu Academy'.(opens in a new tab)
On the JJGF teams directory, the Synergy Jiu-Jitsu Academy team is led by Niko Han and comprises three member academies: Saint Martial Arts Academy in Jakarta, Synergy BJJ MMA Academy Singapore, and Synergy Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Bali.
Where in the source: Team page header 'Led by Niko Han' and the Academies (3) list
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BJJ Beltchecker, profile of Niko Han (id 8831).(opens in a new tab)
His BeltChecker profile, marked as verified by the community, lists his current rank as black belt, 4th degree, with Synergy BJJ MMA Academy in Bali as his academy and Rickson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and the JJGF among his affiliations.
Where in the source: Profile header rank line 'Black belt 4th degree' and the About box (ACADEMY, AFFILIATION)
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J.W. Seo, 'BJJ Bali training report: Synergy Academy', BJJ Globetrotters blog, 3 August 2018.(opens in a new tab)
A 2018 training report by a visiting practitioner describes Synergy in Bali as founded by Rickson Gracie black belt Niko Han, who had travelled to the United States and Brazil to train and was spreading his knowledge in Indonesia, and says Synergy then had approximately 35 academies under its banner in Indonesia.
Where in the source: Overview section, first paragraph — 'approximately 35 academies'
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The same visitor wrote that Han's approach was to teach practical, realistic techniques, including all types of submissions to students of every level regardless of IBJJF rules, on the view that students should know the techniques banned in competition and how to escape them to protect themselves; the visitor met techniques such as twisters and heel hooks in his classes.
Where in the source: Overview section, second paragraph — '"forbidden" techniques', 'twisters and heel hooks'
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BJJASIA, 'Hardianism | Hardian Kristiady – Building a submission grappling family', interview, 15 March 2024.(opens in a new tab)
Hardian Kristiady, later head coach of Hardianism in Indonesia, said he began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu in July 2003 with Niko Han at Synergy BJJ Academy in Jakarta.
Where in the source: Answer to 'How did you start training in BJJ?' — 'July 2003'
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Kristiady said Niko Han promoted him to black belt in April 2017, after he won gold in the under-65 kg class and silver in the absolute division at the 2016 Philippine ADCC; he now leads a GF Team affiliate in Indonesia.
Where in the source: Introduction paragraph and answer to 'When and how did you get your Black Belt?' — 'April 2017'
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J.W. Seo, 'Synergy Hardianism (Jakarta, Indonesia)', BJJ Globetrotters blog, 15 August 2018.(opens in a new tab)
In a second 2018 report, the same visitor described Synergy Hardianism in Jakarta as a Synergy affiliate led by Hardian Kristiady, a black belt under Niko Han, and wrote that, following Han's teaching philosophy, it focused on all types of submissions, especially leg locks.
Where in the source: Overview section, both paragraphs — 'especially specializing in leg locks'
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Wahyu Romansyah and Rini Ismalasari, 'Efektivitas Teknik Komite dan Randori Kelas B Senior Putra Cabang Olahraga Ju-Jitsu ...', Jurnal Prestasi Olahraga, vol. 2 no. 3 (2019), Universitas Negeri Surabaya.(opens in a new tab)
A 2019 article in the Universitas Negeri Surabaya sports journal Jurnal Prestasi Olahraga names Niko Han among the former students in the United States and Australia, alongside Yuristian Amadin, I Made Wigraha, Martin Hartono, Andre Saputra and Ivan Hudyana, whose Brazilian jiu-jitsu community pioneered the spread of the sport in Indonesia.
Where in the source: Introduction, paragraph on Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Indonesia (Indonesian text) — 'dipelopori'
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Graciemag, 'The great Indonesian hope', Art of War section, 8 August 2011.(opens in a new tab)
Graciemag reported in 2011 that Han had trained since the mid-1990s with fighters including Rickson Gracie, Jean-Jacques Machado and Chuck Liddell before returning to his country of birth, where he lived and ran his own academy on the island of Bali.
Where in the source: Paragraph ending Han's first long quote, closing clause — 'country of birth'
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The same article called Fransino Tirta, then with ten wins and a draw in eleven fights, the top Indonesian mixed martial artist of the time, and said the Brazilian jiu-jitsu he learned from Han gave him the polish for his first seven MMA wins, at Indonesia's TPI Fighting Championship; it described Han's Synergy network of academies as spanning the country.
Where in the source: Paragraphs introducing Tirta and his early training — 'first seven MMA wins'
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According to the article, Han had guided Tirta's development from the start, to the point where Tirta, a purple belt, made his living teaching at Synergy's Jakarta branch; ahead of Tirta's Legends FC featherweight grand prix final on 29 October 2011, Han described a plan of tougher sparring in Jakarta followed by a final five-week camp in Bali to bring together strategy, mindset, spiritual preparation, conditioning and strength.
Where in the source: Han's first long quote — 'five weeks before the fight' — and the paragraph after it; fight date from Tirta's quoted blog passage
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Graciemag, 'Grapple for pride and prize money in Indonesia', 20 October 2010.(opens in a new tab)
In October 2010 Graciemag carried the Indonesian Grappling Federation's invitation to the 6th Indonesian Submission Championship, scheduled for 20 November 2010 in Jakarta, open to jiu-jitsu, wrestling, sambo and judo competitors with more than US$5,000 in prize money, and named Niko Han, leader of the Synergy academy, as the promoter competitors should contact.
Where in the source: Event announcement, opening paragraph and the sign-up line — '6th Indonesian Submission Championship'
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Graciemag, 'Bored of the clock? Go with the reverse triangle', 4 November 2011.(opens in a new tab)
In November 2011 Graciemag ran a technique feature in which Han, described as the master at the Synergy academy in Bali, taught a reverse triangle as an alternative to the clock choke against an opponent on all fours.
Where in the source: Introductory paragraph of the technique feature
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