Tom Menton
Chief Master Instructor/COO
Tom Menton is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt and a 16-year law enforcement veteran. Tom has a decade of patrol experience, having worked in all three districts in the City of Saint Paul. Tom spent the next 6 years of his career working in the Training Unit, responsible for overseeing the agency’s Use of Force program, teaching existing officers in-service, as well as teaching new recruits in the academy. Tom was on the S.W.A.T. team as both an operator and an instructor for 13 years, and has over a decade of experience as a Use of Force Instructor, Firearms Instructor, and a Field Training Officer.
Tom is an international level BJJ competitor with multiple first-place tournament wins. At the rank of white belt, Tom competed in over 40 local Submission Grappling tournaments where he earned dozens of gold, silver, and bronze medals. As a blue belt, Tom consistently earned gold medals for his first place tournament wins and was rapidly promoted to the rank of purple belt. Tom then expanded his level of competition to include multiple international BJJ and Submission Grappling competitions.
Tom’s highest grappling achievements include earning the Silver Medal at the 2015 Police and Fire World Games (the largest sporting event in the world, second only to the Summer Olympics) and competing in the Fight 2 Win Professional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu event, where he holds a 1-0 professional record. Tom earned his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt from Pedro Sauer black belt, Tom Schmitz, in early 2019.
Expanding his mixed martial arts training, Tom has included Muay Thai kickboxing, Wrestling, and Judo in his regular training routine. Tom’s background also includes boxing training, with amateur competition in the Unite and Fight events.
Tom has instructed self-defense courses for thousands of civilians as an instructor at local Martial Arts Centers. He has developed and instructed courses and training specifically for female officers and civilians. Tom also volunteers his time to educate and mentor youth at a local martial arts gym.