Tarik Hopstock

Born on May 10, 1996, in Norway, Tarik Hopstock first encountered martial arts through judo, which he practiced during his early teenage years at a local club. While the experience was positive, a schedule of just one class per week left his appetite for training largely unsatisfied. Seeking a more demanding environment, he accepted a friend's invitation to visit Frontline Academy — a decision that would fundamentally alter the course of his athletic life.

At Frontline, Hopstock discovered Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, more critically, met the team's head coach, Eduardo Rios — known as Teta — widely regarded as one of the most charismatic and knowledgeable instructors on the European continent. The bond formed between athlete and coach during that early introduction is something Hopstock has repeatedly cited as a decisive factor in his development, making the chance visit to the academy one of the most consequential moments of his career.

Accelerated Development and Early Promise

Hopstock's potential became evident quickly, prompting Eduardo Rios to move him into adult classes ahead of the usual timeline. Training daily against experienced adult teammates sharpened both his technical precision and competitive resilience — an accelerated environment that forged the creative, problem-solving approach that would come to define his game.

Dominance on the European and World Stage

Across the blue, purple, and brown belt divisions, Hopstock established himself as one of Europe's premier competitors. He claimed gold at the IBJJF European Open on four occasions — in 2014 and 2015 at blue belt, in 2017 at purple belt, and in 2018 at brown belt — asserting consistent continental dominance year after year. His success translated equally well to the sport's most competitive global platform: at the IBJJF World Championship, he earned bronze medals at purple belt in 2016 and 2017, then again at brown belt in 2018 and 2019. At the IBJJF World No-Gi Championship, he reached the final at purple belt in both 2015 and 2016, finishing as runner-up on each occasion.

Professional Circuit and Black Belt Promotion

As a brown belt, Hopstock extended his reach to the professional circuit, competing at Polaris and Copa Pódio. His second-place finish at the 2019 Copa Pódio 77KG Grand Prix underscored his readiness to compete at the sport's highest levels. On December 5, 2021, Eduardo Rios formally awarded Hopstock his black belt — a promotion that capped a colored belt career marked by podium finishes at World, World No-Gi, and European Championship events across multiple belt levels.

A Technical Problem, a Creative Solution

Among Tarik Hopstock's contributions to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, none is more widely recognized than the Tarikoplata — a modified shoulder lock he developed and introduced to the sport around 2014, while still a blue belt. The technique emerged from a specific problem he encountered at Frontline Academy: when attacking from the top kimura position, he repeatedly struggled to extract the arms of his stronger, more experienced adult training partners.

The solution did not arrive in a single moment. As Hopstock described in a September 2020 interview with BJJ Heroes, the process was one of sustained trial and error conducted after class with teammates: "A lot of the times I would try to almost deadlift the arm out or just go back to the D'Arce choke. My thought was that there had to be some technical way to advance with attacking the arm." Experimenting with angles and leverage, he eventually discovered that passing his leg over the opponent's hip line opened a viable path to the shoulder lock — though the move initially drew skepticism from teammates concerned about the risk of turning one's back.

From Training Room to Competitive Identity

Hopstock refined the position over time, recognized its structural advantages from the bottom, and began deploying it successfully in competition. The name "Tarikoplata" was assigned only after he had finished multiple opponents with the technique — a label earned through results rather than assigned in advance. The submission has since become one of the most analyzed and widely adopted innovations in modern BJJ, studied and applied by practitioners across the global community. It remains his stated favorite technique, a reflection of its enduring place at the core of his competitive identity.

Black Belt Debut and Pro Circuit Continuation

Hopstock made his black belt debut in February 2022 at the IBJJF European Open, earning a third-place finish and immediately signaling his intent at the new rank. Competing at Peso Médio — the 82.30 kg / 181.5 lbs weight class — he represents both Norway and Frontline on the international circuit, carrying forward the technical tradition built under Eduardo Rios.

Following his promotion, Hopstock continued pursuing competition at the pro-circuit level, extending the trajectory begun as a brown belt at events like Polaris and Copa Pódio. That path led him to the Ocean BJJ Pro Championship, a title he held as of September 2025 and was preparing to defend at the event's second edition — a landmark achievement marking his emergence as a title-holding competitor at the black belt level.

A Voice in the Global BJJ Community

Beyond the competitive arena, Hopstock's profile within the broader BJJ community continued to grow. In September 2025, he appeared as a featured guest on Jitsmagazine's podcast JitsCast #46 — recognition not only of his medal-winning performances, but of his standing as one of the sport's more thoughtful and innovative voices. His technical creativity, most visibly embodied in the Tarikoplata, has left a lasting mark on how the game is played, studied, and taught worldwide.