Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or BJJ, is a martial art built on leverage and technique instead of size and strength. Students learn to stay balanced, escape bad positions, and control another person without relying on punching or kicking. People often call it physical chess, because solving problems, anticipating movement, and making good decisions matter as much as strength.
Many karate, kung fu, and taekwondo schools focus primarily on striking: punches, kicks, and forms. Jiu jitsu is primarily a grappling art. Students learn how to stay balanced, fall safely, escape holds, control positions, and stay calm when someone is close to them.
Modern Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grew out of Japanese judo and jujutsu. Kodokan judoka Mitsuyo Maeda arrived in Brazil in the early 1900s and taught Carlos Gracie. Brazilian practitioners kept developing the art in their own direction, with a heavy emphasis on leverage, positioning, and letting a smaller person defend effectively against a larger one.
Because our techniques do not rely on strikes, we can train them at full speed against a partner who is honestly trying to stop us. That live repetition is what makes the movement automatic when somebody actually grabs you, and with unlimited classes you get as much of it as you want.
We teach four-year-olds on their first day and adults who have never set foot in a gym. Promotions follow recognized BJJ standards under IBJJF-registered black belt instruction, so a belt earned here is a belt anywhere you go.
“Welcoming atmosphere, high-level instructors, and a strong sense of community.”
Most confrontations start close and end up on the ground. That is the range jiu jitsu works in, so that is where we spend our time.
Beginners are not thrown into a fight. Students first learn movement, positions, escapes, and simple techniques through coached drills and games. As they get more comfortable, controlled resistance is introduced gradually.
Kids also learn one of the most important rules in jiu jitsu from day one: take care of your training partner. They learn how to tap when they need to stop, how to recognize when a partner taps, and how to release a technique immediately. Being a good training partner is part of becoming good at jiu jitsu.
Every technique is learned in steps. Kids have to pay attention, process what they saw, and then execute it with a partner who is moving.
Kids develop balance, coordination, spatial awareness, and a better sense of when a situation does not feel right.
Strength, flexibility, coordination, and endurance develop naturally through movement, drills, and games.
Almost every drill is done with a partner. Kids learn to work with someone, communicate, and help each other improve.
Confidence comes from learning something difficult and realizing you can handle it. Students see themselves improving technique by technique, stripe by stripe, belt by belt.
Getting stuck, making mistakes, and trying again are part of every class. Struggling with something does not mean a kid is bad at it. It means they are still learning. Partners shake hands, follow the rules, and take responsibility for each other's safety.
Normal training does not involve punches or kicks. Students are taught to tap when they need to stop, and their partner releases immediately. Kids are paired thoughtfully by age, size, skill level, and experience, and classes are closely supervised by our coaching team.
“Highly recommended for families, even those with no prior experience.”
One of the things we love most about jiu jitsu is that progress has meaning. Showing up matters, but showing up alone does not earn the next belt. Students advance when they can demonstrate the skills, understanding, effort, and maturity expected at the next level.
Students are given clear guidance about the techniques and skills they are working toward. They should understand what they are learning, why it matters, and what improvement looks like.
Kids have their own belts: grey, yellow, orange and green. Adults have their own: white, blue, purple, brown and black. They are two different ladders under the same IBJJF rules, and a kid who has earned green does not walk into the adult ranks holding it. For most people black belt takes ten years or more, and that is the point of it.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is practiced all over the world. Our promotions follow recognized BJJ standards under IBJJF-registered black belt instruction, so a student can keep training through high school, college, adulthood, travel, moves, and wherever life takes them.
Older and more experienced students may have opportunities to assist with younger classes. Teaching someone else builds patience, communication, responsibility, and leadership in a way that practicing a technique yourself never will.
Students who want an extra challenge can compete locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Competition is a great way to test skills and learn to perform under pressure, but it is never required. A student can have a long and rewarding jiu jitsu journey without ever entering a tournament.
The habits that earn a belt are the same habits that help kids everywhere else: show up consistently, pay attention to the details, practice things that are difficult, handle setbacks without quitting, and keep working when progress feels slow. Those lessons start showing up at school, at home, and in other sports long before a student reaches the next belt.
Foster City is full of people working from home, and our noon classes are packed with them. You're minutes from the door. Come in at 12, train hard, shower, and be back for your 1:00 call. It's the best hour of most people's workday, and it beats another loop around the lagoon.
Nobody thinks about their inbox while somebody is trying to pass their guard. That's the part people don't expect. The other part is the room. Train here a few weeks and you'll know everyone's name, and they'll notice when you stop showing up.
No martial arts experience. No need to get in shape first. Adults start on white belt and work through blue, purple, brown and black, which is a different path than the kids' belts. Same IBJJF rule set, different ladder.
“It really is a family.”
Athletic clothes with no zippers, buttons, or pockets. A t-shirt and shorts or leggings is perfect. We will loan you a uniform (gi) for your trial class if the class needs one, and your uniform is included when you join.
Ages 4 and up. Lil' Sumos 1 is ages 4 to 6, Lil' Sumos 2 is ages 7 to 10, Youth BJJ is 11 to 15, and adult classes run all day. Our Longevity track is built for adults 45 and up.
Classes are unlimited, so come as often as you want. One day a week works. Two is where most people find a rhythm. The students who train three, four, five days a week get good fast, and nothing about the membership caps you.
$275 month-to-month, $250 on a 6-month term, or $225 on a 12-month term. Same rate for kids and adults, every class included. New students pay a one-time $50 sign-up fee that covers your uniform (Gi) and a Sumo's t-shirt. Family discounts kick in when more than one person in your household trains.
No. The Fundamentals curriculum runs on a rotating cycle, so there is no beginning to miss. Everybody on that mat had a first day. Show up and we will handle the rest.
Your first class is free. No experience, no equipment, no pressure. Come meet the coaches, see the academy, and take a class.
939C Edgewater Blvd, Edgewater Plaza by Osaka Market, Foster City, California