Programs · New Lenox, IL
One Art.
Every Age.
Gracie Barra runs the same structured curriculum in over 1,000 schools worldwide — from a five-year-old's first class to a black belt's thousandth. Four programs, one mat, and a coach who knows exactly where you fit.
Find Your Class
Ages 5–6Listening, Focus & First-Day Confidence
Little Champions 1
Focused fifty-minute classes where your 5-to-6-year-old learns to listen the first time, wait their turn, and finish what they start — disguised as the most fun part of their week.
Program Details
Ages 7–9Real Technique & Unshakeable Confidence
Little Champions 2
The step up. Ages 7–9 move from games to genuine Jiu-Jitsu — escapes, control, and the confidence that comes from knowing exactly what to do when someone grabs you.
Program Details
Ages 10–15Strength, Composure & Something To Belong To
Juniors
A hard workout, a real skill, and a room full of people who expect them to show up. For a 10-to-15-year-old, that combination does more than any lecture about screen time.
Program Details
Ages 16+ · All LevelsGet In Shape Learning Something That Actually Works
Adult Jiu-Jitsu
GB1 Fundamentals is built for the person who has never trained, hasn't exercised in years, and doesn't want to be the guy who gets destroyed on day one. You won't be.
Program Details
The Gracie Barra standard
Nobody Here Is
Making It Up.
Most academies teach whatever the coach felt like that night. Gracie Barra teaches a written, tested curriculum — the same one used from São Paulo to Southern California — so every class builds on the last one instead of starting over.
- A set weekly technique focus, so you never miss a piece of the system
- Beginners taught separately in fundamentals — not thrown into advanced rounds
- Belts and stripes awarded on a published standard, not a coach's mood
- Train at any Gracie Barra worldwide and pick up where you left off
Every class, every age
What Actually Happens
On The Mat
Bow In & Warm Up
Line up, bow in, move. Ten minutes of grappling-specific movement — shrimping, bridging, breakfalls.
Technique Of The Week
One position, broken into pieces. Coach demonstrates, then walks the room while you try it.
Drill With A Partner
Reps with a training partner at your pace. New students get paired with someone who'll look after them.
Live Or Positional Work
Apply it against light resistance. Kids finish with a game; adults roll — always your call how hard.
The path
Where This
Goes.
Nobody signs up for a belt. But it helps to know the road exists — and that there's a real, earned next step waiting after the first two weeks.
White → Grey → Yellow → Orange → Green
Stripes earned for attendance, behavior and technique. Ages 5–15 follow the Gracie Barra kids belt system.
Fundamentals · White to Blue
The core self-defense and positional curriculum. Every adult starts here — no experience assumed.
Advanced · 3-Stripe White to Blue+
Faster pace, deeper detail, more live training once the fundamentals are in your body.
Elite · Blue Belt to Black Belt
Competition-level training and refinement for experienced grapplers.
Not Sure
Where You Fit?
Tell us the age and the goal — we'll put you in the right class. 2 Weeks for $19.99, free uniform included.