Roy Rolstad
ITF Radix cofounder and martial-arts teacher whose BJJ record includes European masters medals at white and blue belt for Roger Gracie Academy.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Beltchecker, Roy Rolstad, public profile header.(opens in a new tab)
Roy Rolstad is publicly listed as a brown belt on his Beltchecker profile.
Where in the source: Unblurred public header, name and Brown belt label.
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His public profile identifies Roger Gracie Academy and Oslo, Norway.
Where in the source: Unblurred header chips below rank.
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IBJJF, Paris Spring International Open 2018, final results.(opens in a new tab)
Rolstad won silver in male Master 2 white-belt super-heavyweight at the 2018 Paris Spring International Open, representing Roger Gracie Oslo.
Where in the source: Male / Master 2 / White / Super Heavy (100.50kg), second place.
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IBJJF, European Championship 2019, final results.(opens in a new tab)
He took bronze in male Master 3 white-belt heavyweight at the 2019 European Championship for Roger Gracie Academy.
Where in the source: Male / Master 3 / White / Heavy (94.30kg), second third-place row.
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IBJJF, European Championship 2022, final results.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2022 European Championship, Rolstad took silver in male Master 4 blue-belt heavyweight for Roger Gracie Oslo.
Where in the source: Male / Master 4 / Blue / Heavy (94.30kg), second place.
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At the same 2022 championship he also earned bronze in the male Master 4 blue-belt open class.
Where in the source: Male / Master 4 / Blue / Open Class, first third-place row.
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ITF Radix, Roy Rolstad instructor biography.(opens in a new tab)
Rolstad says he began martial arts at eleven in 1983, long before his documented BJJ competition results.
Where in the source: Biography opening paragraph.
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After about a decade exploring different styles, he found a mentor in Per Andresen at Trondheim Taekwon-Do club.
Where in the source: Biography second paragraph.
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He describes ITF Taekwon-Do as his main style, cross-training and international seminars as important to his development, and teaching as a way to keep learning.
Where in the source: Biography paragraphs on cross-training, camps and service as instructor.
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In 2012 he joined Robert Boer to start the ITF Radix project and later developed and taught National Taekwon-Do Norway instructor course six in self-defence.
Where in the source: Biography final paragraphs.
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His professional teaching has included use of force and self-protection for correctional staff and teaching at the Norwegian correctional-service university college.
Where in the source: Biography professional-life paragraph.
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Rolstad’s ITF Radix biography says he developed and teaches National Taekwon-Do Norway’s instructor course six, covering self-defence for Taekwon-Do practitioners largely through Radix philosophy and methods; it describes the course as mandatory for applicants for third-degree black belt in NTN.
Where in the source: Roy Rolstad biography, final two paragraphs beginning He is proud to be the responsible course teacher and developer.
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Roy Rolstad, Play and Seriousness: The Most Misunderstood Concept in Martial Arts, ITF Radix.(opens in a new tab)
Writing about training, Rolstad includes Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions among the demanding experiences that shaped his view of martial arts.
Where in the source: Seriousness Is Measured by Consequences section.
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He presents sparring as an environment for experimentation and decision-making, arguing that lower-intensity rounds encourage exploration while harder rounds still matter.
Where in the source: Sparring Is Serious Play and Why I Believe in Soft Sparring sections.
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ITF Radix, About The Project, undated.(opens in a new tab)
ITF Radix describes its work as exploring applications of Taekwon-Do patterns and adapting them to individuals. Its four-stage approach moves from learning a pattern and its applications to playful partner practice with increasing resistance and then practical experience.
Where in the source: About The Project, opening paragraphs and The 4 stages of ITF Radix, numbered stages 1–4.
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