A team dedicated to your growth

Our team consists of three dedicated partners, two male and one female; all with the same long-term vision!

Andre Schokman - Co-Owner/Head Instructor at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Cairns; originally moved to Tropical North Queensland in the hopes of being a wannabe Steve Irwin. He has a remarkable passion for wildlife and the natural world. Taking advantage of this during any free time he has. After wrangling reptiles and cuddling Bettongs for a few years, he managed to re-ignite another one of his greatest passions, martial arts! 

Ever since practicing Karate as a small child, he had the desire to learn more about different styles of martial arts.
When Andre originally heard about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he really didn't know a lot about it. After some research, it led him to discover Professors Ryron and Rener Gracie. He was immediately drawn in by their structured way of teaching and the effectiveness of their techniques. 

He has been practicing Gracie Jiu-Jitsu ever since! With his mission to progress and gain more knowledge, he then decided to dedicate himself to the 'Instructor Certification Program' 

Then, in July 2023 he flew to LA to network with the Gracie family, train himself and certify as a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instructor. 

Andres' goals now are to pass on what Jiu-Jitsu has given to him; not only with the knowledge of how to defend ourselves and others, but also to create a pathway that shapes us into the best version that we can be.

Luke Conroy - an ex-military Sergeant and Veteran with over 13 years' service. Luke discharged from active service in 2022 and travelled Australia for a year before settleing in Cairns with his family. 

As a Husband and Father of two, he originally got introduced to Gracie Jiu- Jitsu Cairns after enrolling his daughter into the Bullyproof program. After witnessing firsthand of her exceptional growth, confidence and resilience, he decided to give it a go, enrolling himself into the Combatives program. This was mainly to keep his fitness levels to a standard and for his general mental wellbeing. 

He soon developed a keen interest into the Gracie philosophy and the history into Grand Master Helio Gracie the family in its entirety. He is now dedicating his time to advancing his own personal knowledge and techniques, in the hope that he can prepare himself to achieve his goals. He is extremely excited to be recently given the opportunity to become a Co-Owner of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Cairns, with this he aims to be able to make a safe and encouraging atmosphere for everyone to learn, grow and achieve.

Terri Conroy - after traveling across Australia with her family, Terri has now settled in Cairns; where she is a dedicated home educator to her two children. With a background in business management and customer service, she has always been passionate about assisting others, reflecting on her life experiences to enable growth—both personally and in those around her.
Now a co-owner of Gracie Jiu jitsu Cairns and an active student of the art, she is committed to empowering others, in particular other woman, through self-defense and resilience. Her goal now is to introduce the Women’s Empowered program in the future and to assist and support children in their bullyproof classes, helping them build a foundation confidence and strength.
Driven by a desire for continuous growth, she strives for improvment in herself, her husband, and her children in every aspect. She is currently embracing the journey of learning and self development for herself and students.