School Of Justice Instructor Wins Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Steven Tarrago, an instructor at the North Campus School of Justice, won a gold medal in the lightweight division at the 2022 World Master International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Championship.

The tournament took place in Las Vegas, Sept. 1 through Sept. 3. Tarrago previously won a silver medal at the competition in 2019 and 2020.

“The more you enjoy doing something, the more you want to do it and excel,” said Tarrago, who has been active in martial arts for 45 years. 

To prepare for the competition, Tarrago lifted weights, sparred, did mobility training, breathing techniques and performed visualization strategies twice a day for several months. He lost 21 pounds during the past year to compete in his weight division.

The 58-year-old has black belts in karate, kung fu, Indonesian knife fighting and close quarter combat. He is working on a fifth black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Tarrago started his law enforcement career at the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department in April of 1988 where he worked until July of 2017.

From July of 2017 to August of 2020, he served as the project manager for Feick Security. He has served as a detective in the criminal investigations division for the Miccosukee Police Department since August of 2020. 

Tarrago, who graduated from the Miami Dade College Police Academy in 1988, has been an instructor at the School of Justice since 2019.