Coach Paul Halme, Founder and Head Instructor

Coach Paul Halme founded Peak Performance MMA & BJJ and still leads it as head instructor. He holds a 5th-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is a Masters BJJ World Champion. Every class at the gym in Keller, TX follows the curriculum he built.

From struggling white belt to champion

Paul began training in 1997, alongside his close friend Travis Lutter. By his own account, those early years were rough: he lost far more rounds than he won and went home sore most nights. He kept showing up anyway, and that persistence is the lesson he passes on to every new student.

Over the years that followed he competed in both grappling and MMA. He won an MMA title at 185 pounds and later became a Masters BJJ World Champion.

Coaching at the highest level

Paul has worked fighters’ corners at events around the world, including in the UFC. Those nights taught him how to prepare athletes for pressure, and he brings the same preparation to everyday classes.

How he teaches

• Beginners first. Paul remembers how hard it was to start, so the gym runs beginner classes where new students learn the basics without being thrown in with advanced athletes.
• A planned curriculum. Classes follow a set plan instead of whatever the coach feels like teaching that day, so every instructor teaches the same techniques in the same order.
• Training for life. Conditioning and recovery are part of the plan, so students can keep training for years. Adults of every age train at Peak.

Paul also leads a coaching staff that includes former UFC fighters James Vick and Victor Altamirano, who coach the MMA team. Meet all of our coaches.