Our Instructors

David Tobin 3rd Degree Black Belt

Head Instructor - Havering Jiu Jitsu Academy

David Tobin is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt under Ben Poppleton and has been training for over 14 years. He became a full-time Jiu-Jitsu coach in 2019 and has since dedicated his life to training and teaching Jiu-Jitsu.

Over the last 7 years, David has rigorously studied the NOGI submission grappling side of the sport and is an active competitor in submission grappling at the elite level. He prides himself on keeping up to date with the evolution of the sport by combining old school techniques with new school training methods.

David's main influences in the sport are John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, Garry Tonon, and Damian Maia.

Dominic Erk Brown Belt

NOGI Coach - HJJA

Dominic Erk is a Brown Belt and holds the position of NOGI Coach at HJJA. He is a very well-rounded Jiu-Jitsu practitioner with plenty of mat time under his belt. Dominic is known for his competitive style, having regularly competed at the Advanced level.

He favors NOGI submission grappling and has adapted a modern Jiu-Jitsu style, utilizing upper and lower body attacks effectively. His favorite technique is the guillotine choke. Dominic often teaches during our Saturday morning sessions.

Chris Cummings Black Belt

Senior Instructor -Havering Jiu Jitsu Academy

Chris Cummings had his first real life experience with Bjj in late 2007 and found his home with Prof David in 2012. In Chris’s evolution he has developed a more holistic approach to Martial arts seeing it from a more philosophical and psychological perspective. Chris sees the general principles of Jiu Jitsu as an ethical structure for encouraging leadership qualities and character development. Chris earned his BJJ Black Belt from Ben Poppleton and David Tobin in 2018. He is very well known for his skill and finesse on the mat combined with speed and agility.