Our Story
Fifty/50 Martial Arts Academy was founded in 2008 by Ryan Hall— then just 23 and already one of the most accomplished American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners of his generation. What began as a handful of dedicated students rolling out mats in a borrowed room has grown, over more than 15 years, into one of the most decorated grappling and martial arts academies in the Washington, D.C. area. Today, from our custom-built 7,000-square-foot home in Falls Church, we train everyone from total beginners to world and national champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Wrestling, and striking.
Names & Titles Along the Way
Ryan Hall — UFC Top 15 Ranking · UFC TUF 22 Champion · ADCC World Championship bronze medalist
Jen Hall — IBJJF Brown Belt No-Gi World Champion
David Terao — 2016 NCAA All-American wrestler · #2 U.S.-ranked judoka (60kg)
Josh Terao — NCAA Qualifier · nationally ranked judoka
Thanh Le — ONE Championship World Champion (trained at Fifty/50)
Shaped early on by Felipe Costa (2x BJJ Black Belt World Champion) and Marcelo Garcia(BJJ legend)
Our Timeline
2006 — Ryan and Jen meet at a grappling tournament in New Jersey
2008 — Ryan founds Fifty/50 BJJ with Seph Smith at the Ballston Mall in Arlington
2009 — Jen wins Pan Am gold; Ryan submits his way through the USA West Coast Trials and medals at the ADCC World Championships
2010 — The youth program is officially born
2013 — The team moves into its 7,000 sqft Falls Church home
2015 — Ryan wins UFC TUF 22; first Fifty/50 affiliate opens in Richmond
2017 — David Terao and Thanh Le join; the school becomes Fifty/50 Martial Arts Academy
2023 — Competitive Judo program launches under David & Josh Terao
How It Started (2006–2009)
Ryan and Jen both grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. — on opposite sides of the river — but didn't meet until a 2006 grappling tournament in New Jersey. They were soon training on the same team, and in 2008, at just 23 years old and already one of the most accomplished American BJJ practitioners, Ryan launched Fifty/50 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsuwith his friend and main training partner,Seph Smith.
The two rolled out the mats every day in their first training room — the multi-purpose room of the Sport & Health at Ballston Mall in Arlington — teaching a small, ragtag group of young adults who showed up ready to learn and work hard. It paid off.
In those early days the academy competed under the Brasa Team banner, led by their friend and 2x Black Belt World Champion Felipe Costa. The winning tradition started almost immediately: in 2009, Jen became the first of Ryan's students to win a major title, taking Pan American Championship GOLD as a blue belt — all while working full-time at the Department of Defense. A few months later, Ryan started his year by submitting all his opponents at the USA ADCC trials before earning BRONZE at the ultra-prestigious ADCC World Championship in Barcelona that September.
Finding Our Footing (Virginia Square)
The team soon outgrew that borrowed room and moved to its first dedicated space, a two-story building across from the Virginia Square metro stop — 1,500 sqft of mats and two changing rooms (and a shared bathroom down the hall). This little spot is where the team really took off. With their own mat space, Fifty/50 expanded its class offerings immediately, and the academy's name and visibility grew with every major tournament result. Visitors began coming from far and wide to train with Ryan Hall and the Fifty/50 Team.
Before long, the first competitors arrived who had moved across the country to train in Northern Virginia, while Ryan began traveling regularly to NYC to train with BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia. The accolades kept mounting — and in December 2010, after Jen finally left her "normal" job, the youth program was officially established. Two of the original six kids from day one still train with us today, now in the adult program!
Ryan's Move to MMA
Eventually Ryan shifted from full-time BJJ competitor to aspiring Mixed Martial Arts fighter, training half the year at Tristar Gym with coach Firas Zahabi in Montreal while Seph, Jen, and others carried his teachings forward at home. As his focus moved toward striking and wrestling, it made sense to move the Fifty/50 Team under its own banner.
This was also when Ryan first connected with UFC contender and karate legend Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, traveling to learn from Stephen and his father, Ray Thompson, at Upstate Karate in Simpsonville, South Carolina.
A Home in Falls Church (2013)
When Penrose Group purchased the team's building and forced a move, the stress turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Fifty/50 relocated to Falls Church City in December 2013 — first into a small second-floor room while construction wrapped up, then into the custom-built 7,000 sqft space the gym still calls home today.
Becoming Fifty/50 Martial Arts Academy
After 6.5 years helping build the academy,Seph Smithrealized his own dream and moved home to Richmond, opening the first Fifty/50 affiliate, Upstream BJJ, in 2015. That same year, Ryan was competing on the UFC's TUF 22 reality show in Las Vegas — and his career was about to take off. He won TUF 22 in December 2015, securing his first UFC contract.
In 2017, Fifty/50 brought on NCAA All-American folkstyle wrestler David Terao and future LFA and ONE FC Champion Thanh Le, adding new high-level disciplines for our students. As the academy grew beyond a sole focus on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it was time for a new name: Fifty/50 Martial Arts Academy. A year later, Thanh's childhood friend and Moon College Tae Kwon Do teammate Carlos Vera moved from New Orleans to make Fifty/50 his home away from home. Under Ryan’s guidance, Carlos would go on to feature on a season of The Ultimate Fighter before earning a place on the UFC roster.
A Growing Judo Program (2023)
August 2023 marked the launch of our competitive Judo program, headed by nationally ranked brothers David and Josh Terao. Today they lead Judo for both adults and youth onsite — a real boost for the entire Washington, D.C. Judo community.
Always Evolving
Fifty/50 is proud to be an evolving team, and we look forward to seeing our numbers, our reach, and our medals keep growing — thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.
The People Who Built Fifty/50
A dedicated and hard-working group of people have left especially large marks on this academy over the years:
Ryan Hall — founder, UFC TUF 22 Champion, and the architect of the Fifty/50 method
Jen Hall — co-founder, Pan Am champion, and creator of our youth program
Seph Smith — co-founder and the team's earliest training partner; now runs Upstream BJJ
David & Josh Terao — our wrestling and Judo coaches and national-level competitors
Thanh Le — high-level talent who helped shape the academy's growth
And the mentors who influenced our path: Firas Zahabi,Kenny Florian, Felipe Costa, Marcelo Garcia, andStephen "Wonderboy" Thompson
