Our Instructors

Head coach Jamie Ridgeway began his martial arts journey at age 12 with Tae Kwon Do, eventually earning a red belt in TKD and a black belt in karate. He also spent two years on a boxing team. In 1995, Coach Jamie began training in JKD, Muay Thai and Gracie Jiu Jitsu, and in 1998 he became a Total Defense black belt. Coach Jamie also holds the rank of Kru in Muay Thai, and is a black belt kickboxer under legendary coach Duke Roufus, the head coach of UFC world champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. Head coach and owner of the Renaissance Academy Jamie Ridgeway has been training Jiu Jitsu now for more than 28 years, with this being his 14th year above the rank of black belt. Coach Ridgeway will now properly be referred to as, “The Professor”, which is a title reserved for 3rd degree black belts exclusively. Jamie is actually now a 4th degree black belt! As a “Professor”, Jamie can now hold all testing here in Lynchburg for all ranks.
In 2012 Coach Jamie was a guest coach on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter for Team Sonnen. He successfully competed at a high level for years in both Muay Thai and karate, but today his true passion is changing lives through the martial arts. Some students dream of competing in MMA, submission grappling and kickboxing, a dream that he has helped many students achieve as Team RAM has grown into one of the largest and most successful competition teams in the Mid-Atlantic region. Other students simply hope to get into the best shape of their lives, to learn how to defend themselves in an emergency, and to build lasting friendships. No matter what his students’ background and goals, he is dedicated to helping them reach their potential and have fun in the process.

Caleb McAllister began training at the Renaissance Academy of Martial Arts in 2006, and began working here as an assistant coach several years later. He currently holds a black belt in Total Defense/Thai kickboxing and a black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu under Prof. Pedro Sauer. He teaches Thai boxing and gi and no-gi Jiu Jitsu classes at the Renaissance Academy.
Caleb loves competition in all forms, and has competed successfully in a variety of different martial arts. MMA is by far his biggest athletic passion and he has been very successful in his pro mixed martial arts career.

Caleb began learning martial arts for several different reasons. Most importantly, he says, he believes God gave him the passion for it, and that motivates him to work as hard as he can to reach his potential. Plus, he says martial arts training is as close as he can get to actually having superpowers. His wife Rachel says he’s only half kidding!

An active member of his local church, Caleb calls his faith the most important part of his life. When he is not training, Caleb works as a freelance writer. He also enjoys reading and traveling with Rachel.

Coach Chris Jaggars has been training for more than 26 years now, and has recently earned his 3rd degree black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu under Master Pedro Sauer, meaning he is now known as 'Professor', a name reserved for 3rd degree black belts and above. He is also a black belt in Thai kickboxing/Total Defense. Watching martial arts movies first sparked his interest in studying martial arts. He still loves watching these movies, especially the classics from Jean Claude Van Damme and the like.

Coach Jaggars currently holds a 1-0 record in MMA via TKA in the second round, but he loves studying martial arts primarily for the personal challenge and for the ability to pass his abilities on to others.

He currently teaches both Muay Thai and gi Gracie Jiu Jitsu classes. Coach Jaggars’ incredibly precise, technical approach to teaching makes him an invaluable resource for students of any level!

Coach Julie began her martial arts journey in 2006 for quite a few different reasons – not the least of which was her brother Jamie’s encouragement! Looking for a fun, practical way to get in shape, Julie tried a class at RAM and was immediately hooked.
The years to follow would see Coach Julie earn a black belt in Muay Thai kickboxing/Total Defense, as well as a brown belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. She has now been teaching Muay Thai and Total Defense for several years. She says she thoroughly enjoys passing along the knowledge and abilities she has gained as a martial artist, especially to other women and children who could greatly benefit from learning practical self-defense.

In addition to her martial arts training, Julie has also competed in roller derby, through which she met her husband Ryan. When she is not training or teaching, Coach Julie enjoys spending time with her family, kettlebell training, and reading.

Twon Smith has lived in Lynchburg City most of his life. He started training BJJ years ago with a childhood friend as a way to stay in shape and is now a BJJ Black Belt!. Soon after he tragically passed away.

The community and relationships then became Twon’s motivation to train. Along the way, he became interested in the technical as well as the expressive aspects of BJJ. Being older and one of the shorter guys, Twon can bring a unique perspective to teaching. His desired style of BJJ evolves counters, escapes, and transitions.

Training is a journey and I am always adding to my arsenal.