Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that traces its lineage from Traditional Japanese Jiu Jitsu and was adapted by its founders Masters Carlos and Helio Gracie who were from Brazil.

They adapted the Jiu Jitsu system to accommodate  the battle field fighting style to a more real world application that could be practiced by individuals who were not warriors.

Our Academy’s lineage can be traced directly back to Helio Gracie > Royler Gracie.> David Adiv > Brian O’Leary

After the 1st Ultimate Fighting Championship was started by Rorian Gracie and won by his brother Royce Gracie, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu exploded in popularity in the United States.

It’s 4 Key Components that make it unique include:

1. Fighting your opponent on the ground where size/speed become less important and technique can subdue an attacker
2. Once on the ground, get past your opponents legs so you have a better position
3. Find a way to pin/control your opponent in order to protect yourself and minimize their attacks
4. Finish the fight through body submission or choke that results in maximum effectiveness with minimum permanent damage to your or your attacker.

All that being said, there is so much to learn within these 4 elements. Your BJJ journey may lead you into a ring to compete or it may just give you the confidence to walk the streets of Sarasota without feeling vulnerable. Either way, we’d love to be a part of your journey. 

We have classes for Adults & Kids specializing in self defense & building confidence.

If you want to compete, a few of our students regularly sign up for local competitions on their own and we tailor their training to prepare them for their upcoming matches.

We also host seminars for Women and Law Enforcement.

No. Martial arts are used for self-defense and as a last resort. The core principles of Gracie Jiu Jitsu Sarasota Academy is solving problems by peaceful resolution and having the self-confidence to not rely on violent behavior.

Certainly. We teach them skills that will help with their coordination, flexibility and strength. We make sure that the activities we assign are appropriate for your athletic level.

There is a chance of physical injury with any form of exercise. We take very special care to supervise all exercises to see that the students are performing them correctly. Sparring is only performed at higher levels by those who wish to participate and we feel have the skills to spar in a safe manner.

We have people of almost all levels of fitness attend our classes. Your level of fitness is not that important a factor because we work on improving your level, no matter where you are in terms of physical fitness.

A gi will be provided for your first class. Just show up in comfortable athletic attire that you can replace with a gi or put the gi on top of.

Classes are approximately 90 minutes and include:
30 minutes of functional warm up including stretching and light body movements.

30 minutes of technique/drill training where the instructor demonstrates a particular technique or movement he wishes to focus on for the day. Students will then pair up to practice.

30 minutes of Positional sparring and “Rolling” where students work with one another to apply the day’s lesson in a full BJJ “rolling” environment instead of just from a specific starting position.

BJJ Schools are called “Academies”

Your “instructor” is usually called “Professor”, but don’t worry if you don’t have the right words memorized, Brian responds to a lot of different names his students like to call him 😉