Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Classes

What it is

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling art built on mechanics, position, and control. You learn to bring a partner to the mat, hold a dominant position, escape a bad one, and finish with a joint lock or choke, using technique rather than size or strength. The art is designed to make a smaller, weaker person effective, which is why it suits a preschooler and an adult who starts later in life equally well.

Apex teaches BJJ gi & No-Gi, coached by world champions. The gi is the traditional uniform, and it adds collar and sleeve grips to the game. No-Gi is trained in a rash guard and shorts, which makes it faster and closer to wrestling and MMA. Students get one coaching standard across both academies, two schedules to choose from, and the same belt path wherever they train.

Every class has the same structure: a structured warm-up, technique instruction from the coach, drilling the move with a partner, and live practice at the end, which is optional for beginners. Nobody gets thrown in and told to figure it out. The warm-up includes how to fall safely and how to protect yourself and your training partners, because technique comes before intensity.

Who it is for

Jiu-jitsu at Apex starts at age 3 and runs all the way through adults. Classes are grouped by age, so every student trains with partners and a pace that fit them.

• Wolf Pups (3–6), at Sterling. A playful introduction to grappling that builds coordination, listening skills, and confidence through games and guided movement. Classes are 30 minutes.
• Kids (6–9). Real self-defense skills in a structured, supportive setting that builds discipline, focus, and confidence around bullying.
• Youth (10–13). Real technique and live training with partners their own age. Youth trains during the Kids mat time, and the coach splits the room so a 7-year-old and a 12-year-old are not paired together.
• Teens (14–17). Technique and live training that prepare teens for adult classes and competition. Teens train at the adult class times with the room split by the coach, and teens new to BJJ start in Teen BJJ Fundamentals.
• Adults (18+). Classes for every level, from a first day on the mat to black belt, plus a dedicated fundamentals class for newcomers.

Kids, Youth, Teens, and Adults train at both academies. Wolf Pups is a Sterling class.

Age bands are guidance, not walls. Coaches adjust placement by size, maturity, and experience, and they place each student in the group where that student fits.

Parents choose kids jiu-jitsu for different reasons, and the booking form asks which goal is your priority: building confidence, improving focus and discipline, getting them moving and off screens, learning real self-defense, or sharpening competition skills.

Adults come in with just as many goals. People start for fitness, for self-defense, for stress relief, or to compete, and the same classes serve all of them. Competition is fully optional, and there is an active BJJ competition team for anyone who wants one.

What a first class looks like

Book the class online so the coach knows you are coming, and you will get a text confirmation. Plan to arrive about 10 minutes early.

When you walk in, you fill out a short waiver if you have not already, then take your shoes off at the edge of the mat. The coach will ask two questions: have you trained anything before, and is there anything physical we should know about. You get a quick tour and meet the experienced partner you will work with, someone who knows how to train with new students.

The class opens with the warm-up. Then the coach demonstrates a technique, and you and your partner take turns drilling it, slowly and with plenty of repetitions. Tell the coach about any injury or condition beforehand, since every technique can be modified and every drill can be scaled.

Near the end, students roll, which is the jiu-jitsu word for live sparring. On your first day, that part is your choice. You can try a round with the coach or an experienced student who will go very light, or you can keep drilling instead. The coach will ask rather than assume. Tapping ends any exchange: two taps on your partner or on the mat, and everything stops immediately.

After class, the academy walks you through the options and helps you find a plan that fits your goals, with no high-pressure sales. Kids follow the same basic flow, with the pace and the partners set for their age group.

Coaches

John Brattelli

Head Coach, No-Gi & Striking · Head No-Gi Instructor

Jamil Hill-Taylor

Jiu-Jitsu Coach, Black Belt · Head Instructor

Steven Robertson

Jiu-Jitsu Coach

Lyndon Yates

Jiu-Jitsu Coach