Home | About BJJ America | Member Schools | Testimonials | FAQ | Contact Us

Why should I teach grappling or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in my school?

Here are a few reasons to include grappling or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as part of your martial arts program: 

1. To offer more value at your school and attract new students. Many students are now seeking a school that offers some grappling and by providing organized instruction, you can make these students your own. 

2. To retain your existing students. People sometimes quit training because they sense they are no longer improving, they feel they have gained enough proficiency at the art, or they may just become bored with the repetition of kata that is required to truly excel. A grappling program offers a whole new dimension to their learning - a complete new world of techniques and skills to keep the students interested and fascinated for years. 

3. To serve as a curriculum for your advanced students or an incentive for your Black Belt Club who are looking for an edge over everyone else. Many students view their black belt as a sign that it is time to move away from their school and branch out in new directions. Offering these students grappling helps give them a new world of training right at you school. 

4. To make your program a more "complete" program. Punches and kicks are a big part of the self defense pie, but grappling and groundfighting is as well, especially for women whose worst fear is often to be thrown to the ground by a large assailant. Learning even standing joint locks with a compliant opponent is not the same as actually learning to defeat a competitive opponent with chokes and joint locks on the ground. 

5. To offer a control-based self defense program for juniors who are dealing with trouble in the schoolyard. Kicking and punching, even in self defense, can lead to legal ramifications and even expulsion from school; whereas grappling techniques can get the larger bully under control (and embarrass him) without resorting to hitting. This is why many schools have wrestling programs in place as opposed to boxing programs. A grappling program is an easy sell to schools and parents.

6. As the ultimate confidence booster! The close quarters contact, and rough and tumble of grappling dramatically improves self-confidence. It gives people a taste of reality without the price of injury. By letting people have a taste of close quarters fighting, we significantly reduce their fear of "getting in close", which ultimately, even improves their abilities as 'stand-up' fighter because they need not fear being taken to the ground. 

7. It's Fun! Grappling is a load of fun, especially when the smaller student realizes that he/she can actually learn to control a larger and stronger opponent. People simply love the challenging aspect of grappling - it is tactile and all about feel and sensitivity - very different from much of our stand-up training. It can be practiced slow or fast, and always gives a great total body workout. Students love it!

Why should I learn to grapple – I can already fight well enough

When there are no rules, and no class or sparring etiquette is in play, people very often end up in a clinch or in an unexpected grappling situation on the floor. Sometimes this is due to the fact that a real-life aggressor, simply doesn't know what sparring means and bulldozers his way into your face – at other times, there is just not the room that we are used to in the martial arts classroom and before we know it, we're grappling. 
We are not saying that grappling should replace good strong 'stand-up' fighting skills; we are saying that it should be a supplement to those skills, in case the need arises. Also, there are simply times where it is just best to take the opponent down and completely control him, without resorting to striking and percussive techniques. 
In this ever more litigious society, controlling an aggressor via grappling techniques can be both a 'court' and 'media' friendly option. Being skilled in grappling also allows us to bring a larger, stronger and more motivated aggressor under control very, very quickly – a real confidence builder! Knowing you have grappling skills to back up your 'stand up' skills, means that you are much more complete – both as a martial artist and as a fighter.

When we spar no one ends up grappling

Many martial artists believe that because they have never been forced into a grappling situation while sparring, that the choice of whether or not to grapple is theirs to make. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many martial artists mistakenly believe that no one could possibly close the distance and grapple with them - well that's because they have probably never asked someone to try. When sparring, both students are 'playing the sparring game', trying to set up the proper distance for a strike. Neither is specifically trying to clinch and grapple. Test this out - just get a few senior students, and direct them to try their best to close the distance on you and take you to the floor (don't forget to use adequate protective gear for all participants) - and you do your best to stop them. You may be surprised at how easy it is for someone who is motivated to cover those two yards and who is not even trained in grappling to tackle an opponent to the floor. Now think about the street scenario - where the opponent isn't sparring - where there is no 'gap' to cover - and you begin to realize that grappling can be a naturally occurring part of the fight dynamic. But this need not be a bad thing. It doesn't take a lot of work to make huge gains in grappling skills - provided you are following a plan and a well-tested methodology. This puts you in the drivers seat should circumstances bring you to the ground.

How long does it take to become proficient in grappling or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

This is one of the biggest benefits of adding a grappling component to your program. Unlike "stand-up" fighting skills, it doesn't take very long to know a whole lot more than someone who hasn't been trained in grappling. In a matter of a few months, students will have a huge edge over the average person who does not have grappling skills. You see, even an untrained fighter knows to make a fist and hit, but very few people know what to do when the fight goes to the ground. Once there, we have a plan, the opponent has no idea. Within 12 months of learning with our clear curriculum, the average person with little or no athletic ability can learn to successfully deal with a larger and stronger opponent.

Will some of my students be turned off by grappling?

This is a possibility, but those students need not grapple, or certainly need never grapple competitively. There are always those few who resist change, but far, far more students will love the addition to their school's curriculum. A part of martial arts training is to extend people's boundaries, to take them out of the comfort zones, and to show them new horizons. This is just part of being a true leader.

How does the Masterclass Curriculum work?

The Masterclass Curriculum is designed to provide a concise step-by-step methodology for those wanting to introduce a grappling program into their school. We provide the very best foundation for the development of expert-level grappling skills via our series of tapes and instructional manuals. Even just the first level of this curriculum (level 1) will give you the ultimate advantage over the non-grappler; as you will learn a series of positioning and control drills that will put you into the dominant position once the fight has gone to ground. 

This is a very carefully designed system – and like any functional system, has clearly defined procedures and skill-sets that build upon one another to achieve a predictable result. It is NOT just a collections of locks and holds, that one can only dream of applying against an aggressive, non-compliant opponent. 
This curriculum is a nine level course, designed, tested and proven to give you world-class results. It consists of nine tapes and two over-sized manuals that may be used in conjunction with one another or separately if need be. The techniques shown on the tapes are shot from three camera angles (including an important overhead view) – and are explained in great detail. 

The manuals include not only detailed instruction on each technique and skill-set, but emphasize 'key points' and 'teaching tips'. The curriculum as shown on the tapes, corresponds exactly to the content of the manuals, allowing the instructor to carry the manual to and from class in his/her bag as a portable reference/guide. There is space on each page of the manuals for taking notes if the need arises.

Can I get support if I need it?

Both Mr. John Will and Mr. David Meyer are full-time, internationally renowned martial artists, who have an ongoing commitment to assisting those who are serious about bringing grappling into their current practice. Both men regularly work with a wide variety of professional school owners and law enforcement personnel to streamline this grappling methodology into current and existing programs.

Ongoing support, via e-mail, one-on-one instruction or in-house seminars is always available. Both John and David travel regularly, visiting schools and organizations for the sole purpose of assisting instructors with the implementation of this curriculum. Please feel free to contact them should you have questions. E-mails are usually answered within 48 hours.

California Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, Irvine, San Bernardino, Riverside, Fresno, Oakland, Sacramento, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Bakersfield, Ontario, Walnut Creek, Santa Cruz, Northern, Southern, Central, Concord, Hanford, Los Angeles County, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Riverside County, Mission Viejo, Yolo, San Bernardino County, San Francisco, San Jose, San Rafael, Novato Santa Clara County, San Fernando Valley, Simi Valley, San Gabriel Valley
Texas Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Waco, Austin, El Paso, Corpus Christi, Abilene, Amarillo, Western Texas, Eastern Texas, San Marcos, Dallas County, Harris County, Galveston, Brazoria, McAllen, San Antonio
New York New York City, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, Niagara Falls, Kings County, Queens County, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island
Florida Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Fort Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Broward County, Miami Dade County, Sarasota, Bradenton, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton
Illinois Chicago, Springfield, Peoria, DeKalb, Bloomington, Cook County
Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Allentown, Erie, Bethlehem
Ohio Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Canton, Akron, Youngstown, Hamilton
Michigan Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Ann Arbor, Flint Michigan, Holland, Wayne County
Ontario Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor, Kingston
New Jersey Newark, Trenton, Jersey City, Atlantic City, Camden, New Brunswick, Hackensack
Georgia Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah, Valdosta
North Carolina Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Gastonia, Rock Hill, High Point, Chapel Hill
Virginia Richmond, Arlington, Norfolk, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Virginia Beach, Newport News
Massachusetts Boston, Springfield, Worcester, Cape Cod, Lawrence, Fall River
Indiana Indianapolis, Evansville, Gary, Muncie, Bloomington, Richmond, Centerville
Quebec Montreal, Quebec City
Washington Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Everett, Kirkland, Bellingham, Vancouver, King County, Bremerton
Tennessee Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Jackson, Davidson
Missouri St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Jefferson City, Muskegon, Holland
Wisconsin Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Kenosha, Wisconsin, Racine
Maryland Baltimore, Annapolis, Bethesda, Gaithersburg
Arizona Flagstaff, Phoenix, Mesa, Yuma, Tucson, Maricopa County, Casa Grande
Minnesota Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth
Louisiana New Orleans, Lafayette, Baton Rouge
Alabama Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Decatur
Colorado Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, Fort Collins, Aurora, Greeley
Kentucky Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green
South Carolina Columbia, Charleston, Greenville
Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Muskogee
Oregon Portland, Eugene, Ashland, Klamath Falls, Salem
Connecticut Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury, Stamford
Iowa Des Moines, Sioux City,
Mississippi Jackson, Gulfport
Kansas Topeka, Wichita, Kansas City, Dodge City
Alberta Edmonton, Calgary
Arkansas Little Rock Texarkana
Utah Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Cedar City, Moab
Nevada Reno, Las Vegas, Henderson, Carson City
New Mexico Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Alamogordo
West Virginia Charleston, Clarksburg,
Nebraska Omaha, Lincoln
Idaho Boise, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls
Maine Portland, Kennebunk, Augusta
New Hampshire Concord, Manchester, Nashua, Berlin
Hawaii Honolulu, Oahu, Maui, Hilo, Kailua
Rhode Island Providence, Newport, Portsmouth, Warwick
British Columbia Victoria, Vancouver, Prince George
Montana Billings, Great Falls, Bozeman, Missoula, Helena
Nova Scotia Halifax
Delaware Wilmington, Dover, Georgetown
South Dakota Rapid City, Pierre, Sioux Falls
Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's
North Dakota Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks
Alaska Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau
Manitoba Winnipeg
Vermont Burlington, Montpelier, Newport, Bennington
District of Columbia Washington DC
Wyoming Cheyenne, Jackson
New Brunswick Fredericton
Saskatchewan Regina
Prince Edward Island Charlottetown
Northwest Territories Yellowknife
Yukon Whitehorse