The features are reminiscent of many athletic clubs. Cobalt blue mats mark the training area. Posters from various competitions and events adorn the walls. Yet even for experienced sports fans, the training taking place can require some translation.

Students wearing traditional white gis roll with one other. Appendages intertwine creating exotic shapes resembling Jenga pieces. All the while, Chris Lisciandro keeps watch.

"My job is to give students the puzzle pieces," says Lisciandro. "I let them make their own puzzles."

Lisciandro is the head instructor at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club of Sherman Oaks. Students of all sizes and ability come to the BJJ club to train jiu jitsu, a form of ground grappling. Developed as a form of self-defense, jiu jitsu has risen to prominence in association with full contract fighting.

As a teen growing up in Sherman Oaks, Lisciandro was more interested in skateboarding and stunt bike riding than forms of martial arts. It wasn't until the 1993 debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship that Lisciandro became interested in the sport. Lisciandro watched as a slight Brazilian won the title, dismantling kickboxers and wrestlers along the way. The fighter was Royce Gracie, and the style was Brazilian jiu jitsu.

"Gracie fought like a python," says Lisciandro. "He grabbed his opponent, wrapped his body around him and then squeezed."

Jiu jitsu relies on leverage more than strength, meaning a competitor's size is less important than technique. While living in Arizona, Lisciandro decided to try out a jiu jitsu class at a local shoot-fighting academy. Lisciandro was quickly hooked on the sport.

"Once you start training it becomes addictive," says Lisciandro, a graduate of Ulysses Grant High School. "All you can think about is jiu jitsu, about the moves you can make."

After moving back to the Sherman Oaks area, Lisciandro ended up at Renato Magno's Street Sports Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Santa Monica. Magno, a third degree black belt, had learned the sport from some of Brazil's legends, including the Gracie family and Regan Machado. The teaching of jiu jitsu is passed down from instructor to student, creating a legacy of knowledge.

Lisciandro immediately fell under Magno's wing, referring to his instructor as an older brother. Though he struggled at first, Lisciandro started progressing through the belt ranking system. Lisciandro began competing and medaling in various jiu jitsu competitions nationally. After nine years of training, Lisciandro received his black belt from Magno.

Lisciandro differs from many American jiu jitsu practitioners in his attention to detail, says Luke Thomas, editor-in-chief of the MMA blog BloodyElbow.com.

"Lisciandro is a meat and potatoes guy," says Thomas. "He does every little thing well, mastering the fundamental techniques. He understands how far you can take one or two things you're really good at."

While absorbing his trainer's techniques, Lisciandro was also adopting Magno's approach to teaching. On weekends, Lisciandro found himself running impromptu sessions with friends in neighborhood backyards. After meeting enough students, Lisciandro opened the first incarnation of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club in Studio City in 2004. As the UFC broke into mainstream culture, Lisciandro's club outgrew his former space, prompting a move to Sherman Oaks in early 2007.

Lisciandro's main goal with his school is simple: to teach jiu jitsu in an inclusive manner. Lisciandro aims to make the sport accessible, so that anyone can come in and begin a class that very day. Lisciandro enjoys watching students begin to develop a jiu jitsu game of their own, piece by piece.

"Chris explained everything step by step," says student John Fredricks. "Every move, what transitions to what submission. It is a great experience."

Lisciandro doesn't just coach students hoping to compete in jiu jitsu events. He also works with security personnel, military officers, and members of the Culver City Police Department, teaching jiu jitsu as a form of combat defense. In both cases, the reward for Lisciandro is when a student demonstrates a technique he helped teach.

Lisciandro holds jiu jitsu tournaments every two months to allow his students the chance to compete close to home and inexpensively. The next event is scheduled for May 17. Chris Lisciandro's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club is located in Sherman Oaks at 14454 Ventura Blvd.

Lisciandro, now 34, focuses most of his energy on his school as opposed to competing. Had the UFC been as popular during Lisciandro's competitive peak, perhaps he would have tried his hand at the sport. Instead, working with students is reward enough.

"Jiu jitsu is a lot like human chess," Lisciandro says. "Watching a student incorporate something I demonstrated still gives me a thrill."