Everything You Need To Know

No. Most people who walk through our door have never trained before. Every class starts with a warm-up and basic technique, and an instructor pairs you with someone who can guide you through it. Your first class is free, so you can try it before committing to anything.

Comfortable athletic clothes with no zippers, buttons or pockets — a t-shirt and shorts or leggings is perfect. We will lend you a gi for your trial class. Bring a water bottle, trim your fingernails and toenails, and leave jewellery at home. Training is barefoot.

Use the free trial booking page to pick a class and a time, or call (731) 324-3851. No commitment and no card required.

A warm-up and movement drills, then the instructor demonstrates one or two techniques and you drill them with a partner at your own pace. Class usually finishes with live rolling — and as a beginner you are welcome to sit that part out and watch until you are ready.

No. Jiu-Jitsu is how you get in shape. Classes are self-paced, you can tap or sit out a round any time, and the conditioning comes from showing up consistently rather than from arriving fit.

Two to three classes a week is the sweet spot — often enough to build real skill, spaced enough to recover. Our schedule has morning and evening options so you can fit training around work or school.

You will be able to defend yourself in basic positions within a few months of consistent training. Around the one to two year mark most students earn a blue belt and start to feel genuinely capable. It is a long road on purpose — that is why the rank means something.

In Gi Jiu-Jitsu you wear the traditional uniform and can grip the fabric, which rewards patience and precise technique. No-Gi is trained in a rash guard and shorts, moves faster, and leans on body control and wrestling. Most students train both — see Adult Gi and No-Gi Grappling.

Unstructured training time to drill what you have been working on and roll with training partners. Our weekday morning Open Gym runs 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM and needs a minimum of four people to run.

It is one of the most practical martial arts for real self defense, because most real fights end up in a clinch or on the ground and that is exactly where Jiu-Jitsu operates. It teaches you to control a larger, stronger person and end a situation without throwing a punch — which matters legally as much as physically.

Yes. Our Fight Team trains for IBJJF and local tournaments under Professor Konrado. It is by invitation once you have a solid foundation — see the Fight Team page. Competing is never required to progress here.

Yes, and plenty of our students do. TaeKwonDo, HapKiDo, Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Wing Chun all run in the same building through Global Martial Arts USA.

Tell your instructor. Jiu-Jitsu can be trained around most injuries by modifying what you drill and who you roll with, and taking a break is normal — talk to us about pausing rather than quitting.

Tuition depends on the program and how many days a week you train. We go through the options in person after your free class so you are choosing based on a real experience — see our tuition policies, or call (731) 324-3851.

We offer discounted long-term programs, shorter paid-in-full options, and month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel. The longer the commitment the better the rate — the details are on our tuition policies page.

Yes. Many of our families have a parent and one or more kids on the mat, and family discounts run 10% to 25% off for additional members. Ask when you come in for your free class.

Mat space, instructor certification, insurance and class volume. A school with a genuine black belt lineage, background-checked coaches and sixteen-plus classes a week carries costs a garage program does not. Compare what the belt is worth when you leave, not just the monthly number.

Access to every Jiu-Jitsu class on the schedule for your program, including open mat. Belt testing, gear and tournament fees are separate.

Our Kids Jiu Jitsu classes are built for ages 6 to 12. Younger children can start in the Little Lions program at Global Martial Arts USA in the same building. Teens 14 and up train in the adult Gi classes.

Yes. BJJ is a grappling art with no striking, which makes it one of the safer martial arts for children. Our instructors are Safe Sport Certified and background checked, classes are grouped by age and size, and live training is supervised at all times.

It helps in two ways. The physical skills give a child real options to control a situation without throwing a punch, and the confidence that comes with competence usually stops the problem before it starts. Kids who know they can handle themselves stop looking like targets.

Many parents come to us for exactly this. Class has a clear structure, immediate feedback and a visible progression, which is a good fit for kids who struggle to sit still. We work with each child at their pace rather than pushing them through a fixed curriculum.

Yes. GMA has run a special needs program for years, led by an instructor with a degree in child development and experience going back to her teens. Talk to us about your child before the first class so we can plan it properly.

Yes, through our sister program in the same building. GMA runs after school pickup, homeschool K-12 and school-break camps — details at gma-aspschool.com. Kids finish homework and walk straight onto the mat.

Yes. Parents train in the adult classes and kids in the youth classes, and plenty of families do both. It is one of the best things about the sport — you are learning the same art at the same time.

Adults progress white, blue, purple, brown, black, with four stripes available at each belt along the way. Kids follow a separate youth belt structure until they age into the adult ranks. Promotions are based on technical knowledge, mat time and consistency — not on a fixed calendar.

Ten years or more of consistent training is typical, and that is normal for the art rather than slow. Professor Konrado received his in 2000 after years training directly with Rocian Gracie Jr.

Yes. Our academy is registered with the IBJJF (#4746) and the USA Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, so rank earned here is recognised at tournaments and academies worldwide.

No. The Rocian Gracie Jr. Method deliberately assesses what a student knows rather than whether they compete — two students can have identical understanding and only one be built for tournaments. Competition is encouraged, never required.

It is arguably the best martial art for women, because it is built entirely on using leverage and technique against someone bigger and stronger. Nothing in the curriculum depends on out-muscling your opponent.

It is a fair question and we take it seriously. Training partners are assigned with care, instructors supervise live rolling, and every coach is background checked and Safe Sport Certified. Tell us what you are comfortable with and we will work with it.

No. Strength helps at the very beginning and matters less every month after that. Technique and timing beat strength quickly, which is the entire point of the art.

Not for your trial. We lend you one for the first class, and most students buy their own within the first few weeks once they know they are sticking with it. A single white gi is enough to start.

A rash guard and grappling shorts or spats. No zippers, buttons or pockets — they catch fingers and tear mats.

A few simple ones: shoes off on the mat, sandals on off the mat, clean gi and short nails every session, and tap early and often. Nobody expects you to know the customs on day one — you will pick them up in a week.

Tapping is how you train safely, not how you lose. Everyone taps, including black belts, and tapping early is what lets you train again tomorrow.

Our program is led by Professor Konrado, an IBJJF 3rd Degree Black Belt who earned his rank directly under Master Rocian Gracie Jr, grandson of Carlos Gracie. He is supported by his sons and by coaches certified in the same curriculum.

Carlos Gracie to Rocian Gracie Jr to Professor Konrado, who was the first black belt Rocian Gracie Jr ever promoted. We teach the Rocian Gracie Jr. Method as the organization defines it, not a loose interpretation of it.

Yes. Every instructor and coach passes a background check before teaching, and the academy is Safe Sport Certified. We are happy to show documentation to any parent who asks.

Anti-bacterial tatami mats, cleaned on a schedule between classes. Students are expected to arrive clean, in a washed gi, and to stay off the mat with an open cut or a skin infection.

We train at 509 Garnet Ct, Suite 200, Gallatin, TN 37066 — the same building as Global Martial Arts USA and the GMA after school program. Directions and a map are here.

Students come from across Sumner County and the north Nashville area, including Gallatin, Hendersonville, Castalian Springs, Bethpage, Hartsville, Lafayette, Lebanon, Portland, Madison and North Nashville.

Weekday mornings for Open Gym and weekday evenings for kids and adult classes. Saturdays are reserved for belt exams and special events, and we are closed Sunday. The full week is on the schedule page.

Yes, free parking directly outside the unit, plus a waiting area with seating and WiFi for parents.