NO-GI BJJ,
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
Ann Arbor's no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym for adults and kids — downtown, two blocks from campus, and an easy drive from anywhere in Washtenaw County. Morning, midday, and evening classes, with parking made easy.
- Loading today's classes… see the full week below.
Your first class is free. It runs in the classes marked with a white dot. Every other time is dedicated to members.
WHAT EACH CLASS IS.
ALL LEVELS
Foundational skills for every level — Monday through Thursday at noon with Coach Royce, plus 6:00 AM Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with Coach Peter. Every class you play the whole game — standing, guard, chest-to-chest, and chest-to-back — live from start to finish, against a partner who is trying to win. What makes it work for everyone is the challenge point: the coach sets how hard the work is for each person on the mat and adjusts it two ways — who you're paired with, and the intention you're given to work on. Same class, your difficulty. That's how it's truly scaled from day one to years on the mat.
FOUNDATIONS
Monday through Thursday at 6:30 PM, one of two classes running side by side, each with its own coach. Coach Jack runs Foundations on a set curriculum built to give you the whole foundation of grappling — standing, guard, chest-to-chest, chest-to-back — so nothing gets skipped. Still live, still the whole game, with a coach whose only job is the people in that room. It's a great place to start, but not the only one: All Levels at noon and 6:00 AM covers the same ground, so train the time that fits your life.
ADVANCED
The other 6:30 PM class Monday through Thursday, coached by Coach Royce, for members who want more. It runs at a higher challenge point — harder partners, denser intentions, more happening at once — and the coach keeps pushing it up as you grow into it. The coaches place you and move people between the two rooms when they're ready, so you never have to choose — show up at 6:30 and you'll be pointed to your class that night.
STANDING
Wrestling for BJJ, Sundays at 6:30 PM — coached by Coach Scott, a college wrestler, through the same Constraints-Led Approach as everything else we run. Takedowns, grip fighting, and getting on top, live and scaled to grapplers of any level.
LEG LOCKS
Leg entanglements and foot locks, Friday and Saturday with Coach Royce — from getting connected, to control, to the finish. Taught safely enough that any level can step in, and scaled to challenge players who already have a leg game. The goal is knowledge: understand leg locks and you can train with them safely.
OPEN MAT
Monday through Friday at 7:30 PM. The members' mat, and it's yours: roll, play a game from class, or spend the time on an intention you're working on — your call. Want something to work on, or help with the one you've got? Coaches are on the mat; just ask. Never trained before? Start with a class — open mat is where you use what you've learned.
KIDS
Two classes. Little Kids, ages 4–7, Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 PM with Coach Lior — a focused half hour of movement games, grappling basics, and listening skills. Kids, ages 8–12, Tuesday and Thursday at 5:45 PM with Coach Nora — our adult curriculum scaled for kids: games and live problem-solving in a structured, positive environment.
KIDS ATHLETE TRACK
For kids who want more — by coach approval, not age. Athlete Track kids get two things the regular classes don't. Kids Strength, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:45 PM — real strength training, weights included: age-appropriate lifts and loads chosen from the science, technique before weight, and a coach on every rep. Supervised strength training doesn't stunt growth or damage growth plates; that myth is decades out of date. Each session is planned for the kids who are coming, so book in GymDesk by 3:00 PM the day of. Kids Skill Work, seven days a week — 6:30 PM Monday through Friday and Sunday, 10:00 AM Saturday — real skill work, not more of the same. Every session is built around a task: a specific problem to solve, played live against a partner who is trying to win. Kids who are ready for more get their challenge point raised — harder partners, tighter constraints — and every kid goes into rounds with an intention, one thing to make happen, and a coach watching whether it does. It's the deepest coaching we give any kid in the gym. See the Athlete Track.
Every adult class is built for every level — pick the time you can actually make. Adult classes are for ages 13 and up; kids 4–7 and 8–12 each have their own.
- Your first class is free. Adults and teens book Foundations (Monday through Thursday, 6:30 PM), All Levels at 6:00 AM (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday), or Standing (Sunday, 6:30 PM). Kids book a Tuesday or Thursday class. Ages 13+ · kids 4–12.
- Noon, Advanced, Leg Locks, and Open Mat are dedicated to members and their training. Once you join, the coach sets your challenge point wherever you walk in — pick the time you can actually make.
- At 6:30 PM Monday through Thursday two classes run at once — Foundations with Coach Jack and Advanced with Coach Royce. The coaches place you and move people between rooms when they're ready.
- Open Mat, Monday through Friday at 7:30 PM, is for members — kids included, with coach approval. Never trained before? Start with a class rather than an open mat.
- All Levels runs Monday through Thursday at noon plus Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 6:00 AM. Friday midday and evening and Saturday morning are Leg Locks. Sunday evening is Standing — wrestling for BJJ.
- Kids 8–12 is Tuesday and Thursday at 5:45 PM. Little Kids 4–7 is Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 PM.
- Kids Athlete Track is by coach approval, not age — maturity and focus decide. It adds Kids Strength (Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 5:45 PM) and Kids Skill Work (6:30 PM Monday through Friday and Sunday, 10:00 AM Saturday) — task-focused training with challenge points raised for the kids who need it and an intention for every round. Kids Strength is pre-book only: reserve in GymDesk by 3:00 PM the day of, because the session is built for the kids on the list.
- Age groups are a starting point, not a wall. With coach approval, a capable 7-year-old can move up to the 8–12 class, and a kid who is ready for more can earn a spot on the Athlete Track. A 13-year-old can stay in kids if we think that's the safer fit. Size, maturity, and experience all factor in.
- Open mats at community events are open to members, their guests, and visiting grapplers. Everyone signs the open mat form once, and the mat rules apply to everybody.
- Never trained before? Start with a class rather than an open mat — adults and teens 13+ or kids 4–12.
- We're downtown at 525 E Liberty, near the Michigan Theater. Members drive in from Ypsilanti, Saline, Dexter, and across Washtenaw County — parking is easy once you know where to go.
- Open gym is available to members — check Google Maps for current hours. Members get event announcements first.
- Membership is more than mat time: a strength and mobility program and a nutrition outline on a password-protected members' page, the GymDesk app for updates, check-ins and upcoming tournaments, and our own app on the way.
OFF THE MATS, TOO.
We run a community event about once a month — potlucks, watch parties, game nights, open mats, and trips. Some are training-focused, some are pure hangouts. Here's the next one.
NEXT EVENT
The next one is in the works. When it's set, the date and details land here, on the schedule above, and in members' inboxes first.
Most events include an open mat hour, open to members, anyone a member brings, and grapplers visiting from other gyms. The rules below apply every time.
Before you come
- Sign the open mat form — everyone signs once, before their first visit. It takes a minute and we can't put you on the mat without it.
- Open mat is for people who train. Tell us where you train and who you train under.
- Never trained before? Open mat is rounds, not instruction, so start with a class instead — get started here.
On the mat
- Ask before you roll, and take no for an answer. Anyone can decline any round for any reason.
- Control before submission. Let go the moment they tap, and tap early yourself.
- First roll with a new partner: no twisting or compression submissions. Get to know each other first.
- No coaching or teaching unless you're asked.
- Coaches can end a round or ask anyone to sit out. No explanation owed.
Members get event announcements first.
START THIS WEEK.
Your first class is free. Book online in about a minute — no experience needed.