SBG Bend Coaching Staff

STRAIGHT BLAST GYM

Train With Experts

MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS

Coach Stefani

Stefani has been part of the SBG community since 2006. Although she is not a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner herself, she has spent two decades helping strengthen the community behind the scenes. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis on Psychoeducation. Alongside managing SBG Bend’s day-to-day operations, she has played an important role in expanding the Growing Gorillas curriculum and developing its Leadership Team. She especially values helping create an environment where children can build confidence, character, leadership skills, and a lifelong love of learning.

For the past 14 years, Stefani has homeschooled her children—an adventure that has allowed her to learn alongside them, follow their curiosity, and experience education as something that reaches far beyond textbooks and classrooms.

Stefani has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for 36 years. Her commitment to a consistent exercise routine and nourishing her body well helps her meet its challenges with strength and resilience. Through that dedication, she strives to be a positive role model for her boys, showing them the importance of caring for yourself, persevering through difficulties, and continuing to pursue a full and meaningful life.

A lifelong bibliophile, Stefani enjoys books from just about every genre and tries to sneak in a little reading for herself whenever she can. She is endlessly curious and especially happy when learning about soil, plants, nature, or how things work. She hugs trees, stops to smell the flowers, and enjoys experimenting as a gluten-free baker.

With an engineer’s mind, Stefani is always examining the world around her and wondering how it might work a little better. Whether she is refining a process, developing a program, solving a practical problem, or helping an idea grow, she brings curiosity, creativity, and thoughtful determination to everything she does.

She believes there is always more to learn, more beauty to notice, and another good book waiting to be opened. Her other ride is a TARDIS.

Coach Chris

Coach Chris brings more than two decades of experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts to the mats. A longtime member of the SBG community, he has trained under SBG founder Matt Thornton since 2002—a relationship that continues to shape how he understands, practices, and teaches martial arts.

Chris is also an accomplished software engineer. His experience building software and leading technical work informs his approach to coaching. He enjoys understanding how systems work, identifying where they break down, and making complex problems easier to understand and solve. On the mats, that translates into helping students understand why something works and how to adapt when conditions change.

His coaching centers on clear fundamentals and SBG’s I-Method: Introduction, Isolation, and Integration. Through focused drilling, positional work, and live training, students explore mechanics, timing, and decision-making while testing their skills against resisting opponents. Practical results and honest feedback guide the process.

Known for a thoughtful, disciplined, and approachable teaching style, Chris encourages students to ask questions, experiment, and become increasingly capable of directing their own learning. Whether helping a beginner find their footing or an experienced practitioner refine their game, he aims to build understanding alongside functional skill and confidence.

An avid outdoorsman, Chris values curiosity, resilience, self-reliance, and staying composed while solving difficult problems. Those qualities carry through his work and coaching, and his contributions to an SBG Bend community where training is challenging, supportive, and enjoyable.

Coach JC

Coach JC began his martial arts journey young, stepping onto the mat for the first time in 2nd grade. Over the decades he trained across Kenpo Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kickboxing, Filipino Martial Arts, BJJ and Krav Maga, always testing what held up under pressure and what only looked good in theory.

Guided by Bruce Lee’s standard—research your own experience, absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own—he found his home in the Straight Blast Gym (SBG) Tribe in 2022. Functional training, aliveness, and zero ego finally lined up with how he wanted to train and how he wanted to teach.

At SBG Bend he coaches kids and adults. Classes are built around skills that work against a resisting partner: timing, pressure, movement, and the ability to stay calm when things get messy. Beginners are welcome. Experienced practitioners are expected to train with the same honesty they ask of others. Rank and resume matter less than showing up, paying attention, and doing the work.

That same standard shapes the men’s group he is building inside the SBG Bend community—The Troop. It is for men who already train, and who are ready to practice brotherhood with the same aliveness they bring to the mats: accountability, physical challenge, breathwork, time outdoors, honest conversation and growth. Martial arts stays at the center. The point is not a separate lifestyle brand. It is making the gym a place where men get more capable together—on the floor and in the rest of life.

His own practices feed both roles. Yoga, meditation, breathwork, cold plunges, journaling, mountain biking on Central Oregon trails, work on generational patterns, and life-coaching training are how he stays useful: clearer under stress, better at reading a room, and able to hold space where people can train hard without performing.

The aim is simple. Walk with students on the martial arts path. Give them tools, honest feedback, and a safe place to get stronger. Help them build real confidence and use it on the mats and off them—at work, at home, and with the men standing next to them.

One Tribe, One Vibe. Whether you are new to the mats or already part of the crew, you are welcome here. Let’s train, grow, and thrive together.

Coach Natalie

Coach Natalie has always been passionate about teaching and guiding individuals as they discover new skills and reach meaningful milestones. Throughout her diverse coaching career, she has had the privilege of instructing and mentoring students across various disciplines, ultimately finding her true calling in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Natalie finds immense fulfillment in witnessing the transformative moment when a student successfully executes a new technique for the first time or skillfully applies their training during a live roll. Her commitment extends beyond technical instruction; she is deeply dedicated to empowering women, actively nurturing their growth and fostering their presence within a traditionally male-dominated sport.
Embracing the richness of diversity, Natalie loves the unique experience of collaborating with people from various backgrounds and skill levels, all united on the mats. Her coaching is characterized by adaptability and personalized instruction, consistently seeking the specific cues or nuanced adjustments that unlock breakthroughs for each individual.
Encouraging, empowering, and supportive, Coach Natalie looks forward to welcoming you onto the mats, eager to help you unlock your potential and celebrate every victory along your Jiu Jitsu journey.

Coach Brennan

Born and raised in the vibrant community of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Coach Brennan found his way to the stunning landscapes of Central Oregon in 2020, immediately embracing the area’s incredible natural beauty and community spirit. In 2022, his passion for martial arts led him to begin training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, quickly rising to become an inspiring and dedicated coach at our academy. Brennan’s approach emphasizes resilience, patience, and camaraderie both on and off the mats.
In addition to his coaching role, Brennan is deeply committed to serving the local community through his impactful work with a nonprofit embedded at St. Charles, assisting individuals struggling with substance use by connecting them to vital resources and support.
When he’s not sharing his knowledge and passion for Jiu Jitsu or engaging in community support, Brennan enjoys exploring Oregon’s picturesque trails, diving into engaging books, and enthusiastically advocating for pizza in all its delicious forms—including pineapple pizza. He is also famously known for his love of puns, firmly believing that laughter is essential to life’s balance.
Coach Brennan looks forward to welcoming you onto the mats and helping you discover your own strength, confidence, and passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Coach Neil

Judo Coach, Black Belt

Coach Neil has been immersed in the martial arts since 1968, when he began studying judo under Mr. Bong Yul Shin at Washington University. Over the decades, he has earned a 4th-degree black belt and trained in multiple disciplines, including Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, and Aikido. A dedicated competitor at the masters level, Coach Neil has medaled in national and international judo tournaments, demonstrating both skill and resilience well past the age of 60.

Beyond the mats, Coach Neil is board-certified in Psychiatry and Neurology, with a storied medical career that spans decades of clinical practice and leadership roles. His approach to coaching mirrors his experience in medicine—holistic, supportive, and attuned to each student’s individual journey. He finds the greatest joy in guiding beginners through the fundamentals, watching them achieve feats they never thought possible.

Today, Coach Neil’s classes combine old-school rigor with a welcoming attitude, encouraging students of all skill levels to explore their potential. Whether on the mat or in conversation, he believes that growth, learning, and camaraderie are the cornerstones of true martial arts mastery.