Our Instructors
At American Top Team in Watertown, NY we pride ourselves on having the best coaching staff in upstate New York for MMA and BJJ. We are fortunate enough to have the great coaching and mentorship of two very high level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors. We aim to give the best instruction that we can to our students and athletes so that they may reach their goals to succeed not only in the gym but also outside of it.
Dylan Heath
Dylan began training in 2016 at 17 years old with a primary focus on competition, but has since grown into a prominent coaching role. Dylan is ranked directly under Sensei Duane Ludwig, is an assistant coach in the BANG Muay Thai program for both youth and adults, and leads the Beginner Bang Muay Thai class. He is actively fighting MMA and working with the fight team.
In addition to martial arts training, Dylan is also a personal trainer, receiving his certification in 2021 as a Master Personal Trainer through ISSA.
Joee Frattali
Joee started boxing in 2006. His amateur boxing tenure consisted of 11 fights, finishing with a record of 6-5. He became a personal trainer in 2009, and started his martial arts coaching career in 2010 at the Black River Boxing Academy. In 2014 Joee brought his wide range of knowledge to ATT Watertown. Joee runs the school’s boxing program, cardio programs, as well as assisting in the youth classes and BANG Muay Thai, in which he is ranked under Sensei Duane Ludwig. Joee has been actively training martial arts for over half his life and has found great happiness in sharing his knowledge as a coach to help those around him progress in their journey, and says there is no end in sight to his commitment to the arts.
Paul Elliot
Paul has been a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt since 2018 under Marc Stevens and is focused on solid fundamental instruction, along with bringing back the best techniques from frequently attended seminars and private lessons taken with a variety of world class black belts. He started his training under Jordan Damon and Marc Stevens in 2010 and has been a dedicated student of the art for both self-defense and sport application. Paul has competed in grappling tournaments all over the Northeast, and in 2013 he was ranked #1 nationally for both gi and no-gi in the NAGA directors division. Since moving out of the area Paul maintains a steady relationship with the instructors at ATT Watertown and still oversees the program. As an added benefit to students with their fundamentals, he maintains SimpleBJJ.com as an online resource.
Peter VanDeusen
Pete began studying kickboxing in Florida in 2017. The next year he moved to New York and began training at ATT Watertown. In 2019 Pete moved into the role of Gym Manager, as well as becoming an assistant coach for the youth program, BANG Muay Thai, and jiu jitsu. Pete is ranked in jiu jitsu under Paul Elliot and in BMT under Sensei Duane Ludwig. He is actively training to compete in jiu jitsu and MMA
Rachel Vincent
Rachel started training at ATT in 2016, primarily focused on general fitness and learning basic self defense. In 2022 she received her blue belt in jiu jitsu under Paul Elliot and began running the Women’s Self Defense classes at ATT. That same year she earned her purple belt in BANG Muay Thai under Sensei Duane Ludwig and assists in coaching Cardio Kickboxing and BMT classes. Rachel also works with private clients and groups outside of regularly scheduled classes. In addition to actively training to compete in kickboxing and MMA, Rachel’s goal is to support and encourage others, especially women, in pursuing self-betterment through martial arts.
Rick Huntsman
Rick started training in 2014 at what was Jiu Jitsu Nation at the time and has been a consistent figure at the school ever since. Starting his fitness journey as a personal trainer, Rick began teaching fitness classes in 2014 that evolved into the Cardio Kickboxing Program. Rick has been a big player in developing the Jiu Jitsu program at ATT Watertown, receiving his purple belt under Coach Paul Elliot in 2019 and taking over head instructor duties in August 2022. Rick is also ranked under Sensei Duane Ludwig in the BANG Muay Thai system and heads up the BMT program at the school. Rick has several amateur MMA fights under his belt and works with the up and coming fighters at the school.