About Us

Welcome to District Martial Arts

District Martial Arts is the premier martial arts training academy located in Arlington, Virginia. We are experts in the instruction of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing, Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts. We pride ourselves on providing an environment for fun, happiness, and personal growth each day we come together. In addition, our world-class coaching staff will use their unmatched expertise to ensure proper training and techniques – giving you the right formula for the results you desire.

Our Mission & Approach
Our Mission & Approach At District Martial Arts, our mission is to empower individuals through world-class martial arts training in a supportive and dynamic environment. We are dedicated to fostering personal growth, confidence, and discipline through the expert instruction of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Mixed Martial Arts.
Our Mission & Approach At District Martial Arts, our mission is to empower individuals through world-class martial arts training in a supportive and dynamic environment. We are dedicated to fostering personal growth, confidence, and discipline through the expert instruction of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Mixed Martial Arts.

MEET some of our expert instructors

DISTRICT-MARTIAL-ARTS-SCOTT-DANCE
SCOTT DANCE BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU & COMPETITION TEAM COACH
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SAM SHAWA BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
DISTRICT-MARTIAL-ARTS-NOEL-CARVAJAL
NOEL CARVAJAL BOXING COACH
DISTRICT-MARTIAL-ARTS-CHARLES-DIGISCO
CHARLES DIGISCO BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU & FIGHT TEAM COACH
DISTRICT-MARTIAL-ARTS-MARK-CIRELLO
MARK CIRELLO WRESTLING COACH
khaldon
KHALDON ROUKIE MMA COACH
DISTRICT-MARTIAL-ARTS-CARTER-BROWNRIGG
CARTER BROWNRIGG BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
DISTRICT-MARTIAL-ARTS-GRACE-DIGISCO
GRACE DIGISCO BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU KIDS COACH
DISTRICT-MARTIAL-ARTS-ANTONIO-CRAWFORD
ANTONIO CRAWFORD BOXING TRAINER
treyellis
TREY ELLIS BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
eric
ERIC BORIO BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
shanej
SHANE MARSHALL MMA Coach
Andrea
ANDREA TANG BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU KIDS COACH
noah
NOAH LEVETT WRESTLING COACH
patrick
PATRICK STODEL BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
agost
AGOSTINO PINI BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
carlos
CARLOS GARCIA MUAY THAI COACH
Marcos
MARCOS VASQUEZ MUAY THAI COACH
aries bio
ARIES REYES BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH

CLIENTS REVIEWS

- George Medrano
District Martial Arts has an amazing group of people who consistently train together, are great martial artists and care about the quality of instruction, training and taking their students through the martial arts journey. I recommend this school if you want to train REAL self-defense Brazilian jiu-jitsu!
- Marian H. Stearns
I love coming to open mat here on Saturdays. I am new to jiu jitsu and they have been extremely welcoming. Great community. Great people.
- Grace A. Ibrahim
Excellent instructors. Cater to every students’ needs. Big on safety and warm-ups, decreasing risk of injury. This place is perfect if you want to do full-contact fighting, or just train for weight-loss and endurance. Definitely the best place around.
- Travis S. Bailey
I visited DMA for my first introductory class. I have experience with grappling martial arts, but this was a muay thai class. The environment there is awesome. Everyone is serious about learning and pushing themselves, but nobody takes themselves too seriously to enjoy each other.
- Grace A. Ibrahim
I came into District Martial Arts not knowing a thing about boxing! Not only was I met by friendly faces, but the boxing coaches made me feel extremely welcomed. In just a few weeks my self defense skills improved, I found major stress relief in going to my weekly classes, and my self confidence excitingly increased! If you want to feel like a badass woman, DMA is the place for you!

Live near Arlington and want to learn Jiu Jitsu from the best? Our trainers have the experience needed to put you where you need to be. Sign up for a free Jiu Jitsu Session Today!

Contact us

Phone

(703) 988-3474

Email

info@districtmartialarts.com

Address

927 N Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22203
Stay Connected

SCOTT DANCE

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU & COMPETITION TEAM COACH
Scott Dance has been training in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for over 16 years and coaching for more than 10 years. Scott teaches Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and no gi Jiu-jitsu, and focuses on helping students prepare for competition. Scott has extensive competition experience with wins in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, UAE Jiu-Jitsu Foundation, Fight to Win, Metamoris, ADCC Trials, and many other regional tournaments. You can find Scott on the mat every day either teaching or training.

SAM SHAWA

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
Sam Shawa began his martial arts journey at the age of 8, and his passion for the art has only grown since then. He has trained extensively in Taekwondo, Kajukenbo, Boxing, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), participating in multiple BJJ competitions across the country. For the past 18 years, he has dedicated himself to mastering BJJ. Sam is renowned for his deep understanding of martial arts, easygoing nature, and powerful grips.

NOEL CARVAJAL

BOXING COACH
Noel is a big believer that he owes all of his success and everything that is good in his life to combat sports. His journey began as a weight loss journey that turned into a lifestyle after getting punched in the ring for the first time. Noel’s 30 bout career pointed him in the direction of coaching and being able to help another person make it into the ring. Carvajal approaches boxing and training with an analytical mindset along with empathy and intense pride for the sport, his athletes, and himself. Noel is a heavy believer in conditioning and using evidence-based approaches to shape the skill set of any fighter. You will always find Noel searching for ways to improve his coaching to bring the very best to his athletes.

CHARLES DIGISCO

MMA COACH
A longtime MMA coach, Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, and multidisciplinary combat sports athlete, Charles has competed successfully in both MMA and submission grappling, where he recently became the IBJJF No-Gi European Champion in his division. In addition to his accomplishments as a coach and competitor, Charles also has a decade of experience as a combat sports commentator on UFC FightPass, as well as local DMV-area promotions such as Cagezilla and the Cowboy Fight Series. Charles draws upon his experience as a commentator to provide highly approachable breakdowns of martial arts technique and strategy to students of all levels.

MARK CIRELLO

WRESTLING COACH
Former NCAA Division I wrestler and BJJ purple belt Mark currently teaches all-levels and advanced wrestling on weekday evenings. Over the course of his own wrestling career, Mark attended Blair Academy in New Jersey, one of the most elite prep schools for wrestling in the country, before moving to American University, where he competed for four years in three different weight classes, and placed 8th at the EIWA Conference Championships at 157 lbs. In addition to his competitive wrestling resume, Mark has trained in all subdisciplines of MMA for over a decade. Off the mats, Mark is an accomplished visual artist, specializing in surrealist-realist painting.
In addition to his group classes, Mark is available for private lessons, where he focuses on helping jiu-jitsu and MMA athletes develop their wrestling skills for competition.

KHALDON ROUKIE

MMA COACH
An active amateur MMA fighter, certified USA boxing coach, and competitive jiu-jitsu blue belt, Khaldon teaches MMA to students of all levels at DMA. He is available for private lessons in strength and conditioning, MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and boxing.

CARTER BROWNRIGG

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a master’s degree in teaching, Carter leads both gi and no-gi jiu-jitsu classes at DMA on Mondays and Wednesdays. In addition to his coaching experience on the mat, he’s also been a high school math teacher by trade for ten years, and loves to play basketball and volleyball. Outside of his group classes, he is available for private lessons to adult students of all levels.

GRACE DIGISCO

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU KIDS COACH
Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Grace began her athletic career in swimming at just 3 years old. In 2005, she began swimming for the Jordan Olympic Team, traveling while competing, and in 2011 began her D1 swimming career at American University. Her love of martial arts came after she retired her cap and goggles and switched them for a pair of boxing gloves and a Gi in 2017 at District Martial Arts. One blue belt later, she has no plans of stopping. Off the mat, you’ll probably find Grace near a stage or with a camera in her hand!

ANTONIO CRAWFORD

BOXING TRAINER
Antonio has been boxing for over 16 years now. His training technique is based on traditional, practical uses for combat and self-defense. Antonio approaches boxing as a science, breaking down the mechanics to give a firm understanding of proper form and technique, offensive and defensive tactics, and how to formulate an effective fighting strategy. Some of the many reasons why Antonio likes to coach: Wants to teach students how to defend themselves Boxing is a full body workout using all your body’s muscles plus your brain. Antonio has worked at numerous boxing gym and has trained all spectrums of ages, teaches classes and does individual personal training.

TREY ELLIS

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
A brown belt and dedicated jiu-jitsu practitioner since 2011, Trey brings more than a decade of grappling experience to the mats, where you can find him teaching in the gi bright and early on Monday mornings, and coaching DMA’s no-gi jiu-jitsu classes throughout the week during both mornings and lunch hours. In addition to his jiu-jitsu experience, Trey is also a Navy corpsman certified in Red Cross First Aid, CPR, and AED instruction.

ERIC BORIO

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt with six years of training, which he’s put to the test on the international stage under the IBJJF, Eric can be found helping out new students at Introduction to BJJ and all-levels gi classes, where he serves as an assistant coach. In addition to his pursuits on the mats, he’s also an avid marksman, and outside of DMA, regularly participates in shooting competitions.

SHANE MARSHALL

MMA Coach
An MMA coach with a 4-1 amateur record in the cage, ten years of wrestling experience, and multiple podium finishes in jiu-jitsu competition, including a gold medal in his no-gi division at the 2024 IBJJF American Nationals, Shane enjoys teaching students of all levels, ages, and abilities. In addition to his accomplishments as a martial artist, Shane is also a Marine Corps veteran. Shane teaches an all-levels MMA group class, and is additionally available for private lessons for both adults and children.

ANDREA TANG

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU KIDS COACH
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt, Andrea enjoys teaching grappling skills to students of all ages and ability levels, with an emphasis on helping newer athletes prepare both mentally and physically for tournaments. An avid competitor in her own right, Andrea is an IBJJF Pan-American, European, and American National no-gi champion in the masters’ division, and has also competed successfully at both adult and masters’ levels in ADCC and submission-only rulesets. Outside of her martial arts practice, Andrea works as a freelance writer and author of several accolade-winning science fiction, fantasy, and young adult novels. Andrea teaches jiu-jitsu classes for both children and adults, and is available for private lessons to students of all ages.

NOAH LEVETT

WRESTLING COACH
An NCAA Division I wrestler out of Bucknell University, Noah now coaches Introduction to Wrestling here at DMA, where he enjoys introducing beginners to the sport, and helping jiu-jitsu and MMA athletes perfect their takedown game. His accomplishments in wrestling include a whopping 159 career wins on a Top 20 nationally-ranked collegiate team that earned him the school record; he’s also a 2-time county champion, a WPIAL champion, a 3-time state place winner, and a 4-time takedown-per-season leader. In addition to his group classes, Noah is available for private lessons in wrestling for students of all ages.

PATRICK STODEL

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
With over a decade of jiu-jitsu experience under his purple belt, Patrick can be found teaching Introduction to BJJ — a class focused on brand new beginners — and helping out with the DMA kids’ program. He has previously trained under world famous black belts Marcelo Garcia and Ralph Gracie, and developed a particular passion for making jiu-jitsu accessible, fun, and safe for people of all ages and fitness levels. When he’s not teaching the gentle art, Patrick stays busy raising his family and leading the global tax division of a major pharmaceutical company. Patrick is available for private lessons, and is especially interested in working with beginner students seeking out guidance on how to start their jiu-jitsu journey.

AGOSTINO PINI

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH
A member of Team DMA since 2019, Argentinian black belt Agostino Pini brings over a decade of jiu-jitsu experience to our mats, where you can find him teaching gi classes on weekday evenings. A true martial arts lover, he frequently cross-trains in other combat disciplines at DMA such as wrestling and MMA.

CARLOS GARCIA

MUAY THAI COACH
Muay Thai assistant coach Carlos was born and raised in Miami, and began his martial arts journey back in 2010 as a boxer. However, after walking into an MMA gym and getting humbled by some well-placed leg kicks, he quickly discovered a passion for Muay Thai, and has been training the art of eight limbs ever since. He even picked up some grappling along the way, and is currently a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. An experienced fight team member, Carlos enjoys sharing everything he’s learned with his fellow martial artists.

Marcos Vasquez

Muay Thai Coach
Coach Marcos Vasquez  has over 50 amateur fights and an impressive 23-4 professional record. Marcos has competed on an international stage against top fighters from Brazil, Thailand, Chile, and beyond. Currently fighting out of Little Giant Muay Thai, he is a multiple-time champion, including 3x World Champion (2023-2024) and #3 ranked USA WBC Muay Thai fighter. Having also trained at elite camps in Phuket and Bangkok, Marcos brings world-class expertise and an unmatched passion for Muay Thai to our gym. Marcos enjoys teaching just as much as training and you can find him on the mats at DMA in our Muay Thai Classes! 

Aries Reyes

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU COACH

Aries Reyes is a dedicated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) coach with over 10 years of experience training and teaching the art. His passion for BJJ is evident in every class he leads, as he strives to help students of all levels improve their technique, build confidence, and reach their personal goals.
Aries has trained under Professors Sam Shawa and Scott Dance, learning valuable techniques and insights that he now shares with his students. His coaching style emphasizes precision, practical application, and a supportive atmosphere, making sure that each student progresses at their own pace while being challenged to improve.