Instructors
Ryan Mackin / Black Belt
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt | Head Instructor
Ryan Mackin is a homegrown Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, as well as a Professional MMA and Muay Thai Competitor. Ryan grew up in Columbia, Maryland where he was a State Wrestling Champion and NHSCA All-American in 2001.
Alec Wolinski / Black Belt
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
Alec Wolinski is from Manchester, MD, and started his journey as one of the first students at Ground Control Owings Mills in 2009. He received the rank of black belt from Ryan Mackin in January 2023. Alec’s teaching style is detail-oriented and focuses on techniques that work at the highest levels. He teaches No-Gi classes on Monday and Wednesday (5 PM) and Tuesday and Thursday (12 PM).
Tim Dodge / Brown Belt
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
Tim Dodge teaches at 6am and on Saturdays at 11am. Tim has been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since Ground Control Owings Mills opened in August of 2009. He puts a strong emphasis on basics, drilling, and situational sparring. He has competed in IBJJF tournaments in New York and Las Vegas and is preparing to compete more this year at the brown belt level. Tim also participates in SCA heavy armored combat and has fought at Pennsic since 2015.
Boris Maslow / Brown Belt
No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
Boris started his Jiu-Jitsu Journey at Ground Control back in 2001. Since then, he has trained in academies in Washington DC and Philadelphia and now brings his knowledge back home to Ground Control. He is currently a Brown Belt under Ryan Mackin and teaches the No-Gi classes on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s.
Byron Brooks / Brown Belt
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
Byron started training at Ground control Baltimore in 2009. He started coaching at the Owings Mills location in 2014. He started off teaching woman’s self-defense, and kids Kickboxing classes and now teaches adult Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As a former member of the ground control fight team, he has competed in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), where he held the fastest KO victory in stellar fight history for a short period of time. He has also competed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at a world level and the WKA Nationals twice. He has experience in boxing, wrestling, and in traditional martial arts.
Cody Wicker / Purple Belt
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
Cody is from Union City, IN. He began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2013 and received his blue belt from Max Burt of Muncie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2014. After serving four years in the Army, he relocated to Hanover, PA. Cody began training at Ground Control Owings Mills in 2020, earning his purple belt in 2021.
Kids Coaches
Elaina Morisi | Brown Belt
Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
Elaina started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club in August 2011. She earned her blue belt in 2014 under the club's instructor Dr. Korey Kilburn (Carlson Gracie Sr. --> Andre "Dede" Pederneiras --> Eduardo "Dudu" Barros). She returned home in 2014 and began training at Ground Control Owings Mills. She began teaching kids BJJ classes in 2016 and earned her brown belt under Ryan Mackin shortly after. She currently teaches kids BJJ classes Monday-Thursday.
Dana Bittner-Krideler
Along with being the Mother of 4 I have been a Para Educators for Baltimore County Public Schools for 11-12 years. I have been a counselor and co-director of the TNT program at J Camps Owings Mills for 5 summers. I have supported in after school programs & preschools at different times while my children were growing up. I am looking forward to supporting other families & students through the school year & the goals they have here at Ground Control.
Ben Lipov | Blue Belt
Kids Kickboxing Instructor
* Training/Teaching martial arts since the 90's
* Muay Thai training since 2009
* WKA 154lb Open Class Champion
* BJJ Blue Belt
Striking Coaches
John Vu | Muay Thai Instructor
John Vu began training at Ground Control in 2009 after meeting owner, John Rallo. He has been home grown, training under the tutelage of Ground Control coaches Henry Smith, Paul Yohn and Russell Shiftlett. Since winning the 2011 118-lb WKA North American Championship, John has spent his efforts traveling and studying Muay Thai to help grow Ground Control’s evolving MMA program. He has helped coach multiple Muay Thai/Kickboxing and MMA champions at the amateur and professional levels.
Coach Paul
Paul started training in 2007. He trained jiu-jitsu for 2 years before going to stand up full-time. Paul has been coaching and cornering his teammates for 7+ years.
2010 WKA Open - 165 champ
2010 Bronze Medal WKS Worlds in Scotland
2011 Semifinalist in D.C. Region Golden Gloves
Pauls Moto:
“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work.
Work ethic is something that can’t be taken from you.
The hardest thing to gain and easiest to lose = cardio”
Jesse Stirn | Muay Thai Instructor
With a decade of full time martial arts training experience, Jesse's
brings valuable real world experience into his training program. He is a professional mixed martial arts fighter with over a dozen professional bouts under his belt. He has traveled as far as Thailand to test himself in competition.
Professional MMA (13-2)
Professional Muay Thai (In Thailand) (2-1)
National WKA Amateur Champion
Several Amatuer MMA Titles
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Competition Experience.
Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Wayde Breegle | Boxing Trainer
Wayde has been a professional boxing trainer since 1997. He has an extensive amateur record of 56-12. Ground Control’s boxing program is open to men and women with no experience necessary.
Jr Olympic National Champion
3x Pittsburgh Golden Glove Champion
2x Pittsburgh Golden Belts Champion
2x Weirten Silver Belts Champion
Russell Shiflett | Boxing Trainer
Maryland state champion and golden gloves regional champ as amateur
12-0 professional boxing record
Won the WBF cruiser weight title
Started Boxing in 1995
Boxing experience spans several decades