Radek Turek

Radek Turek was born on April 28, 1977, in Zambrów, Poland, and raised in the nearby city of Łomża. His early athletic identity centered on court sports — volleyball and basketball — disciplines he pursued from primary school through secondary school. That chapter closed abruptly when a back injury forced him to abandon both sports before completing high school. Following medical guidance, he turned to swimming as a rehabilitative measure, though that transition proved brief.

It was at university that Turek discovered boxing, a discipline that would inadvertently redirect his entire athletic path. Through the boxing community, he crossed paths with Sebastian Słowek — known as 'Seba' — the man who first introduced him to grappling. Once his back had sufficiently healed, Turek committed to training under Słowek at the age of 22, beginning what would become a lifelong dedication to the sport.

Finding Structure and Early Mentorship

Turek's initial grappling sessions under Sebastian Słowek were driven by genuine enthusiasm but lacked formal structure. Słowek carried no official ranking at the time, and while the training environment was engaging, it operated without professional oversight. That changed when Słowek connected with Andreas Schmidt, a German luta livre esportiva and mixed martial arts competitor based in Cologne. Turek and Słowek began making regular trips to train with Schmidt, whose competitive background and technical depth elevated the quality and direction of their curriculum considerably.

18 Months in Brazil

After two years of dedicated training, Turek resolved to test himself at the highest level by relocating to Brazil alongside Sebastian Słowek. The decision proved transformative. Turek spent 18 months training three times per day, primarily at Alliance Leblon under Alexandre Paiva — known as 'Gigi' — who became his long-term instructor and the man who would eventually award him his black belt. During this period, Turek also trained no-gi under Ricardo Arona, the former ADCC open weight champion, and pursued luta livre esportiva under Alexandre 'Pequeno,' a legend in that discipline. The Brazilian competition circuit provided Turek his first exposure to high-level international competition, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Budokan Cup in 2004.

Return to Poland and Expanding the Game

Turek returned to Poland in December 2004 and settled in Warsaw. For years, his competitive and instructional focus remained rooted in no-gi grappling — the discipline that best reflected his Brazilian training experience and competitive identity. Around 2010, coinciding with Alexandre Paiva's promotion of Turek to black belt, he began formally integrating a kimono curriculum into his classes, broadening the scope of what his team could offer across the full spectrum of the competition circuit.

Establishing European Dominance

Turek's competitive career is defined by his sustained dominance in no-gi grappling at the European level. His first major title following his return from Brazil came in 2005 with the UGC Cup 6 championship — an early indicator of the trajectory ahead. He then cemented himself as the continent's premier no-gi competitor by winning the ADCC European Championship in both 2007 and 2009, back-to-back titles that established his reputation as a consistent and formidable force on the no-gi stage. A runner-up finish at the ADCC Europeans in 2011 further demonstrated his sustained excellence across nearly half a decade of elite competition.

Sustained Relevance Across Formats

Turek's transition toward gi competition produced results as well. In 2014, he claimed the IBJJF European No-Gi Championship, affirming his continued relevance at the highest levels of the sport even as his focus shifted progressively toward building and coaching his team. His record as an ADCC veteran — having competed on the global no-gi stage — underscores the depth and longevity of a competitive career that spanned close to a decade at the top of the European grappling landscape.

The Founding Class

Upon returning to Warsaw in December 2004, Turek wasted little time in passing on what he had learned in Brazil. Working outside his regular employment hours, he began teaching grappling to a small but committed group. His first students — his brother Maniek, Kamil Umiński, and Jerzy Toeplitz — formed a modest founding class that would grow steadily into a structured, internationally competitive program operating under the Alliance banner in Poland.

Growth and the First Black Belt

Around 2010, the introduction of a gi curriculum expanded the team's competitive reach, enabling students to pursue titles across both gi and no-gi circuits at major international events organized by the IBJJF and ADCC. A defining milestone in the program's development came with Turek's promotion of Kamil Umiński to black belt — his first — marking the team's evolution from a small evening class into a fully realized competitive academy.

The Berserkers Merger

In 2016, Turek took a decisive institutional step by merging his Alliance-affiliated group with Piotr Bagiński's Berserkers organization, forming what became known as Berserkers Team Warsaw. The merger united two of Poland's strongest grappling communities under a single banner. The resulting team earned recognition as one of the premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu programs in Europe, with athletes regularly medaling at significant international competitions.