Skip to content
The BJJ Story
Search
Back to people
Two training partners meeting on the mat.Drawn in cream, forest green, and muted terracotta. People and objects are symbolic illustrations.
Portrait unavailable. General BJJ illustration; not a likeness of this person.Illustration: The BJJ Story

Rutger Custers

Judo and BJJ black belt who moved from the Netherlands to Voss, competed for Frontline Academy and became head instructor of its children's classes.

Biography

Rutger Custers is a black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu who leads the children's classes at Frontline Academy Voss. His own sporting path began in the Netherlands, years before he moved to Voss to pursue jiu-jitsu. In his Voss PT biography, Custers describes growing up in Bunde, where he began judo and swimming at six. He later assisted with judo lessons and taught swimming. Frontline's account of those years adds that he competed extensively in judo and earned his black belt at seventeen. Voss became a longer-term choice after he had worked there for two summers. In 2015, he decided to move to the town to pursue BJJ. His judo experience was followed by competition in the new sport: at the 2018 European No-Gi Championship, he took bronze in men's adult blue-belt heavyweight for Frontline Academy. At purple belt, he reached the podium in both formats at the 2019 Amsterdam Open. In the gi event, where athletes wear the traditional training uniform, he took bronze at adult heavyweight and in the open class, which brings different weights together. In no-gi, he finished first at heavyweight and second in the open class. By December 2020, his plans had been interrupted by the pandemic. Speaking to Framtida, he described an ambition to become a world champion and a Voss routine built around daytime training and several evenings each week. Competition had given him something to prepare for. With events unavailable, he missed that incentive. Yet he said he would continue training even without the prospect of titles. Returning to the academy also meant seeing friends again, something he valued even while the training group remained restricted. Teaching became a regular part of this period. According to his own biography, he began coaching the children and youth program in 2020 and qualified as a personal trainer through AFPT in 2022. That year also brought another competition podium: bronze in men's adult purple-belt heavyweight at the Jiu-Jitsu CON No-Gi International. In 2024, Custers traveled to Brazil with Jason Shields and Marit Tyssedal Gabrielsen. There, he and Gabrielsen received their BJJ black belts, according to the academy's account. At Frontline Voss, he is now head instructor for the children's classes and an assistant instructor. The Little Samurai program for eight- to twelve-year-olds combines BJJ, judo and wrestling. It runs under Voss PT, with Frontline Academy providing and directing the technical content. The academy describes Custers as wanting children to enjoy their time on the mat while still having a worthwhile training session, drawing on his experience of both standing and ground fighting.

Sources for this profile

  • Frontline Academy Voss, homepage (instructor profiles), undated.(opens in a new tab)

    • Frontline Academy Voss states that Rutger Custers began training martial arts at the age of six in the Netherlands, starting with judo, which he practised until he moved to Norway.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, Rutger Custers profile, first paragraph, opening sentences — 'som 6-åring i Nederland'

      Accessed:

    • According to the academy, Custers competed extensively in judo and earned a judo black belt at the age of 17.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, Rutger Custers profile, first paragraph, third sentence — 'svart belte som 17-åring'

      Accessed:

    • The academy states that Custers also worked as an assistant judo instructor for several years.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, Rutger Custers profile, last sentence of the first paragraph

      Accessed:

    • Custers came to Norway in 2015, where he was introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu; the academy says he was immediately hooked.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, Rutger Custers profile, second paragraph, first sentence — 'kom til Norge i 2015'

      Accessed:

    • The academy credits many hours on the mat and active participation in competitions with making him a skilled and versatile instructor.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, Rutger Custers profile, second paragraph, second sentence

      Accessed:

    • In 2024 Custers travelled to Brazil together with Jason Shields and Marit Tyssedal Gabrielsen, and there he and Gabrielsen received their black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, Rutger Custers profile, second paragraph, third sentence — 'fikk sitt svarte belte i BJJ'

      Accessed:

    • At Frontline Academy Voss, Custers is the head instructor of the children's classes and an assistant instructor.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, role heading above Rutger Custers' name (head instructor for the children's classes and assistant instructor)

      Accessed:

    • The academy's children's programme for ages 8 to 12, called Little Samurai, teaches skills from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo and wrestling; the training is run under Voss PT, while Frontline Academy provides and directs the technical content, and Custers is its head instructor, holding black belts in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo.

      Where in the source: Våre programmer section, children's programme (8–12), paragraphs under 'Little samurai'

      Accessed:

    • The academy writes that having fun on the mat matters to Custers, but not at the expense of a good training session, and that holding black belts in two martial arts gives him knowledge of both standing and ground fighting.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, Rutger Custers profile, final two sentences of the second paragraph

      Accessed:

    • Jason Shields founded Frontline Academy Voss in 2012 and leads the academy's adult and youth classes.

      Where in the source: Instruktører section, Jason Shields profile, second paragraph; Voksne og ungdom programme paragraph

      Accessed:

  • Voss PT, Rutger Custers, own biography.(opens in a new tab)

    • Custers says he was born in Bunde in the Netherlands, where he started judo and swimming at six and later assisted in judo teaching and taught swimming.

      Where in the source: Om meg, first paragraph.

      Accessed:

    • After working two summers in Voss, he decided in 2015 to move there to pursue Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

      Where in the source: Om meg, second paragraph, opening sentence.

      Accessed:

    • He began coaching the children and youth programme in 2020 and qualified as a personal trainer through AFPT in 2022.

      Where in the source: Om meg, end of second paragraph; Little Samurai section.

      Accessed:

  • Andreas Brattåker Støyva, Verdsmeisterdraum på vent, Framtida, 14 December2020.(opens in a new tab)

    • In a December2020 interview, Custers described a world-championship ambition and a Voss training routine combining daytime sessions with several evenings each week.

      Where in the source: Introduction; Saknar dei faste rutinane section.

      Accessed:

    • During the2020 shutdown, he missed competition as an incentive, while stressing that he would keep training even without title ambitions.

      Where in the source: Skrinlagde planar: paragraph explicitly introducing Custers, followed by his statement about continued training and missing competition incentive.

      Accessed:

    • He described the return to the academy as valuable for seeing friends again, even while the training group remained restricted.

      Where in the source: Ingen over26år section, Custers comments on returning.

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, official event881 results.(opens in a new tab)

    • Custers took bronze in adult male blue-belt heavyweight at the2018 European No-Gi Championship for Frontline Academy.

      Where in the source: Male / Adult / Blue / Heavy (91.50kg), second third-place row.

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, official event1403 results.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the2019 Amsterdam gi Open, he earned bronze in both adult male purple-belt heavyweight and open class.

      Where in the source: Male / Adult / Purple / Heavy (94.30kg) and Open Class, each second third-place row.

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, official event1404 results.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the2019 Amsterdam No-Gi Open, he won adult male purple-belt heavyweight and finished second in the open class.

      Where in the source: Male / Adult / Purple / Heavy (91.50kg), first; Open Class, second.

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, official event1871 results.(opens in a new tab)

    • He took bronze in adult male purple-belt heavyweight at the2022 Jiu-Jitsu CON No-Gi International.

      Where in the source: Male / Adult / Purple / Heavy (202.00lb), second third-place row.

      Accessed:

Lineage

View in lineage tree

Trained under