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About Us

Gael Force Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a Jiu Jitsu school in Morris County.  It is located less than a mile from Route 80 on Route 206 in Flanders, NJ.  We are housed in a 3000 square foot, modern BJJ facility.  Our waiting room offers a large window in order to provide view access to classes in progress.  We have private men and women's changing rooms.  We offer complimentary wireless internet throughout the facility.  Our zebra mats, the best BJJ mats available, are disinfected after every class and steam sanitized every Sunday, cleanliness and safety are among our top priorities.  We are a premier Jiu Jitsu school in Roxbury Township NJ.

Our Mission

At Gael Force Jiu Jitsu we believe that the study of martial arts can greatly improve your physical and mental well-being. We pride ourselves in offering a structured and individualized approach to learning. We understand that each student is here for a different reason and has different goals. At Gael Force we work directly with our students in order to set reasonable goals and stand beside them as they accomplish their goals. Alex, the head instructor, used his experience as a public school teacher to create a comprehensive and academically rigorous curriculum for the beginner levels class (BJJ All Levels). This curriculum is designed to teach the foundations of Jiu Jitsu in the most effective and fun way possible.  Gael Force is a Jiu Jitsu school in Morris County.  Our students are mainly located in both Morris County and Warren County.

What is Jiu Jitsu?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling-based martial art whose central theme is the skill of controlling a resisting opponent in ways that force him to submit. Due to the fact that control is generally easier on the ground than in a standing position, much of the technique of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is centered round the skill of taking an opponent down to the ground and wrestling for dominant control positions from where the opponent can be rendered harmless.

Instructors

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Alex Kennedy

Head Instructor

Alex is a second degree black belt in Jiu Jitsu under 4th degree Renzo Gracie black belt Jamie Cruz.  He has extensive teaching experience.  He taught special education in the Paterson Public school district for 11 years.  He draws on his experiences in the public school setting to ensure structured and individualized instruction.  Alex developed a comprehensive curriculum for the beginners classes specifically designed to make learning Jiu Jitsu as efficient as possible.  Alex had trained under the tutelage of such greats as Jamie Cruz, Marcelo Garcia, Paul Schreiner, and Bernardo Faria.  Alex has two instructional videos on the popular platform BJJ Fanatics.  Alex is available for private instruction.

Mike Tichy

Assistant Instructor

Mike is a first degree black belt under Alex Kennedy with the supervision of Jamie Cruz.  He has an extensive teaching background.  He teaches and plays music locally and internationally.  He uses his background as a musician to emphasize skill building and practicing in his classes.  We are extremely fortunate to have him as an instructor.  Coach Mike is available for private lessons.

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Adam DelGuercio

Assistant Instructor.

Adam is a purple belt at Gael Force.  He is a Law Enforcement officer and a fantastic instructor.  He teaches the Saturday morning kid's class.
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Antonio Latorre

Kid's Program Director.

Coach Tony is has been training at Gael Force BJJ for 8 years.  He has earned the rank of brown belt under Alex Kennedy.  He specializes in creating a safe and fun learning environment for the kid's classes.  Coach Tony offers a great blend of structure, discipline and humor to keep his students working while having fun.  Not only is he a great kids teacher he also runs amazing adult classes as well.  Coach Tony is available for private lessons.

Adam Reily

Assistant instructor

Adam earned his black belt from Alex Kennedy in 2025.  Adam is an exceptional No-Gi instructor.  He is great at incorporating many different grappling styles into his instructors.  He is a former police officer and certified C4C defensive tactics instructor.  Coach Adam is available for private lessons.
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Anthony Ficacci

Assistant instructor

Anthony Ficacci is a high-level Jiu Jitsu athlete who began his journey on the local competition scene and, through relentless dedication, quickly rose to dominate—winning consistently in both his weight class and the absolute divisions. By the time he reached blue belt, Anthony knew he wanted to test his limits on the world stage. He has since competed at the IBJJF World Championships every year and travels internationally to compete in IBJJF Opens. Anthony is a top-ranked IBJJF Gi competitor and has also cross-trained in Judo, where he captured gold in his very first tournament, winning every match by ippon. He began training in Jiu Jitsu at the age of 22 under Alex Kennedy of Gael Force Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, originally with the simple goal of getting in shape. What began as a fitness pursuit quickly became a lifelong passion and dedication to the art. Inspired by the philosophy, “True strength lies in technique” — Roger Gracie, Anthony built his game around technical precision from the very beginning. While he continues to push himself at the highest levels of competition, his true passion lies in teaching and developing his students. Through refined, high-level techniques and training methods developed over years of study, Anthony is committed to helping his students become the best Jiu Jitsu practitioners and competitors they can be—instilling the same obsession, discipline, and love for technical mastery that defines his own approach to the sport.  Coach Anthony is available for private lessons.

Jing Chen

Assistant instructor

Jing is a purple belt under Alex Kennedy.  She provides extremely detail oriented instruction in a fun and safe environment.  Jing has a background in Krav Maga, which she incorporates in her classes to emphasize the importance of using multiple styles for self defense.

Nate Galante

Assistant instructor

Nate is a purple belt under Alex Kennedy.  Nate is a highly experience law enforcement officer who began Jiu Jitsu to help with his work but shortly became passionate about the art.  Nate has a knack of distilling the intricacies of Jiu Jitsu into easy to follow steps.

Don Cioffi

Kickboxing Coach

Don Cioffi is the Owner/Operator of American Strikers.  Don is a former professional and amateur boxer.  He has transitioned into coaching and MMA involvement, previously working with Team Claudia (associated with UFC fighter Claudia Gadelha). American Strikers emphasizes well-rounded striking skills for fighters.  Coach Don is available for private lessons.