1802 Jiu-Jitsu

1802 Jiu-Jitsu grew out of a small Rancho Bernardo recreation-center program into a family-built Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy serving North San Diego. The school traces its roots to Derryck Anda’s early training at The Stronghold and the work he later put in alongside his wife, Leslie, and her brother Ric Soriano. What began with a handful of relatives training together eventually became the academy now based in the RB Courtyard. The name “1802” nods to Rancho Bernardo through the 18th and second letters of the alphabet—R and B—and to Psalm 18:2, tying the academy’s identity back to where its jiu-jitsu story began. Head coach Henry Iribe has been part of that story from the early days. A first-degree black belt who began training in 2008, Iribe has competed extensively at the IBJJF level and is a Pan Am champion. His teaching is built around strong fundamentals and a structured progression rather than competition results alone. Co-founder Derryck Anda, now a black belt under Iribe, teaches kids and adults, while black belt Ric Soriano brings a jiu-jitsu career that began in 1999 alongside two decades of U.S. Navy service. Training in San Diego includes adult gi and no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, dedicated beginner gi classes, adult sparring, and boxing. The youth program is unusually deep, with separate toddler, Pee Wee, and juvenile classes plus both gi and no-gi options as students progress. That gives families a clear path from a child’s first class through the adult room instead of treating kids’ training as a side program. The academy also has a large mat area and strength-and-conditioning equipment including squat racks, dumbbells, TRX, a rower, stationary bike, ropes, punching bags, and other training tools. Drop-ins are marked welcome on the current schedule, making 1802 a practical option for local practitioners and visitors who want to train while in San Diego.