Gary Meek
Gary Meek is the Owner and serves as Chief Instructor at S.I.M.S. Martial Arts Academy/10th Planet Jiu Jitsu in Waterloo, IL. Gary has been in martial arts for more than 40 years, starting at age 4 under his father, Senior Master Gary Meek, an 8th degree black belt in Taekwon-Do and achieved the rank of 5th degree black belt in 2004 before hanging it up to focus solely on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In 2019, Gary was promoted to black belt in 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu under Master Eddie Bravo. Now with more than 20 years of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu experience and operating 10th Planet O'Fallon for 10 years, Gary decided to open 10th Planet Waterloo in Feb 2024 to be closer to his home in Smithton, IL.
Throughout the years, he has cross-trained in a variety of other martial arts; including Bruce Lee's JKD, Kali/Silat, boxing/kickboxing, Japanese Jiu Jitsu, and during his time in the military, he served as a combat tactics instructor and was a certified Krav Maga instructor. You will often see him seemlessly blend in his vast experiences in other arts into his Jiu Jitsu instruction to enhance techniques and provide additional details.