Apex Jiu Jitsu & MMA trains teens ages 14 to 17 at its Ashburn and Sterling academies in gi & No-Gi jiu-jitsu, boxing, and Muay Thai, with MMA at Sterling and High School Wrestling at Ashburn. Teens new to jiu-jitsu start in Teens BJJ Fundamentals, and the first class is free.
Training built for ages 14 to 17
Teens are the band where martial arts starts to look like the adult version. At Apex Jiu Jitsu & MMA, the Teens band covers ages 14 to 17 at both academies, with one coaching standard across both and two schedules to choose from. Adult classes begin at 18.
Teen classes share the adult time slots, and the coach splits the room. Teens train at the same hour and on the same mat as the adult group, which gives them more class times to choose from, while the coach keeps their pairings and intensity set for their age. The teen program is built to prepare students for adult-level training and, for those who want it, for competition.
Like every band at Apex, 14 to 17 is guidance, not a wall. The coach places each teen where they will do best, based on size, maturity, and experience. For a longer read on what training does for this age, see martial arts for teenagers.
New to jiu-jitsu: Teens BJJ Fundamentals
A teen who has never trained jiu-jitsu does not get dropped into a room of experienced grapplers. Both academies run a fundamentals class for teens, and the booking form sends new teens there automatically by asking whether they have trained before.
At Ashburn, Teen BJJ Fundamentals is a 45-minute No-Gi class that meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, alongside the adult beginners class. At Sterling, Teens BJJ Fundamentals runs in both a gi version and a No-Gi version. Either way, the focus is the base of the sport: core positions, how to escape from bad ones, and how to hold good ones, taught step by step.
If the difference between the two uniforms is new to you, gi vs. No-Gi jiu-jitsu explains it in plain terms.
Already training: Teen BJJ
Teens with jiu-jitsu experience go straight to Teen BJJ. At Ashburn, teen jiu-jitsu is No-Gi and runs at morning, midday, and evening times through the week, with a Saturday class that meets in the Sterling building. At Sterling, teens train gi & No-Gi six days a week, and a few evening sessions run 90 minutes.
Sterling also has two members-only teen classes: Teens Open Mat, and Teens Advanced Jiu Jitsu, which is by invitation. Competition is available and entirely optional. If your teen is curious about tournaments, should my kid compete in jiu-jitsu or wrestling lays out the honest trade-offs.
Wrestling: High School Wrestling at Ashburn
High School Wrestling at the Ashburn academy is where Apex teens wrestle. It takes wrestlers from 14 up, sessions run 90 minutes, and it trains folkstyle for the school season and freestyle and Greco-Roman in the off-season, all under one roof. The styles are explained in folkstyle vs. freestyle vs. Greco-Roman wrestling.
Sterling's Youth Wrestling program covers ages 5 to 13. When a Sterling wrestler turns 14, the next step is the Ashburn high school room. Competition is optional, never forced. Takedowns and mat control carry straight into jiu-jitsu and MMA, and cross-training is encouraged.
Striking and MMA
Teen Boxing runs at both academies: footwork, head movement, and combinations, with bag work, pad rounds, and controlled sparring for those who are ready. Teen Muay Thai also runs at both, covering punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and clinch work. At Sterling, kickboxing and Muay Thai are taught together in that class, and the booking form lists it as Kickboxing & Muay Thai. If your teen cannot decide, Muay Thai vs. boxing compares the two.
Teen MMA runs at the Sterling academy, combining striking, grappling, and cage work with a structured progression. At Ashburn, teens build the parts first in jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing, and Muay Thai, and step into MMA when they are ready.
What the first weeks look like
Every class follows the same structure: a warm-up, technique, drilling with a partner, and live practice. Live rounds are optional for beginners, and when a teen is ready, coaches pair them with training partners who know how to work with someone newer. Aggressive or disrespectful behavior is addressed immediately, from teens and adults alike.
The warm-up at the start of every class is where teens learn how to fall safely, move efficiently, and protect their training partners, and technique always comes before intensity. Tell the coach about any injury, condition, or learning difference before class. Every technique can be modified and every drill can be scaled.
Booking a teen
A parent or guardian books the free class online. The form starts with your teen's age, so it only shows programs open to 14- to 17-year-olds, and for jiu-jitsu it asks whether they have trained before. It also takes the teen's first name, the parent's contact details, and consent for appointment texts, and then you pick a time from the schedule of the academy you chose. A text confirms the booking, and no payment information is required.
After the class, a coach walks you through the membership options, including all-inclusive memberships for teens who want to cross-train, with no high-pressure sales.
At Apex Jiu Jitsu & MMA Ashburn
Teens 14 to 17
High School Wrestling 14+
At Apex Jiu Jitsu & MMA Sterling
Teens 14 to 17
Questions about Martial Arts for Teens
Who books a free class for a 14- to 17-year-old?
A parent or guardian does. The booking form takes the teen's age and first name, then the parent's contact details and consent for appointment texts, and a minor waiver is completed before the teen steps on the mat. Teens are welcome to choose the discipline themselves and sit in on the booking. The confirmation text goes to the parent's phone.
My teen trained jiu-jitsu somewhere else. Do they still start in fundamentals?
No. For teen jiu-jitsu, the booking form asks one question: has your teen trained before? A yes routes them to Teen BJJ with the experienced group, and a no routes them to Teens BJJ Fundamentals. The form does not ask for a belt. From there, the coach watches the first class and places your teen where they will do best, because the bands and routes are guidance, not walls.
Where does a wrestler go after turning 14?
High School Wrestling at the Ashburn academy, which takes wrestlers 14 and up. Sterling's Youth Wrestling program covers ages 5 to 13, so Sterling wrestlers who turn 14 continue in the Ashburn high school room. Sessions there run 90 minutes, with folkstyle for the school season and freestyle and Greco-Roman in the off-season. Competition is optional, never forced.
When do teen classes meet?
Teen jiu-jitsu has morning, midday, and evening times at both academies, because teen classes share the adult time slots. Both academies also have Saturday options for teens. Striking times differ between the two schedules, so check the academy sections on this page, and remember that the booking form only offers times that are open to your teen's age.
What happens when my teen turns 18?
They move into the adult classes, which are for ages 18 and up at both academies. Because teen classes already share the adult time slots, the change is mostly a new room split rather than a new schedule, and the teen program is built to prepare students for adult-level training. A coach can talk through the move with you before the birthday arrives.
Train at either Apex academy
Choose Ashburn or Sterling, and find the schedule that fits your week.