Ages 7–9 · New Lenox, IL

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.

Real Technique & Unshakeable Confidence

Claim Your $19.99 Trial (815) 463-9327

A quiet child sitting alone on school steps

01 / Why parents and students start

What You Came
Here To Fix.

"Someone is picking on my kid."
Jiu-Jitsu answers the bullying situation that actually happens — being grabbed, pushed, or taken to the ground. Your child learns to control and de-escalate, not swing.
"He quits when things get hard."
The stripe and belt system rewards showing up and improving, not natural talent. Progress is visible on the belt, so effort finally has a scoreboard.
"Team sports left her on the bench."
There's no bench here. Every kid trains every round, every class, against a partner their own size.

Little Champions 2 students standing tall in uniform with their coach

02 / The promise

Confidence That
Doesn't Need To Prove Itself.

Seven to nine is when kids start sorting themselves into who gets picked on and who doesn't. Real technique — escapes, control, how to stay calm when someone grabs you — quietly moves your child out of that first group.

Fifty-minute classes with real technique every session
Anti-bullying handled as skill, not a slogan
Same-size partners, supervised every round
Stripes earned for effort and consistency
Structure that carries into homework and school

03 / Inside a class

Exactly What
Happens.

01
Warm-up
Jiu-Jitsu-specific movement — bridges, shrimps, breakfalls.
02
Technique block
Escapes, takedowns, control positions and submissions from the GB Kids curriculum.
03
Positional drilling
Controlled reps with matched partners.
04
Mat chat
Respect, discipline, and how today's lesson applies off the mat.

Gracie Barra New Lenox kids and coaches on the mat

04 / What actually changes

The First
Six Months.

Not a promise — the pattern we watch play out with almost every new student, class by class.

Little Champions 2 students lined up in uniform

Week 1

Learns to fall safely and escape from underneath someone bigger. That alone changes how they carry themselves at school.

Kids drilling a supervised escape on the mat

Month 1

First stripe. Knows three escapes and two controls by name and can do them under light pressure.

Two yellow-belt kids in a coached positional round

Month 3

Handles positional rounds against a same-size partner without panicking.

Confident young student standing with her class behind her

Month 6

The bullying worry quietly disappears — not because they fight, because they stopped being an easy target.

05 / The path

Where This
Leads.

Gracie Barra runs one curriculum in 1,000+ schools across 60+ countries. Progress is defined, earned on the mat, and recognised anywhere in the world you walk into a GB academy.

Grey belt
Foundational escapes, control positions and takedown safety.
Yellow belt
Ages 7+ move into the yellow series as technique and live drilling sharpen.
Stripes along the way
Four stripes per belt, earned for consistency and skill — never handed out.
Into Juniors
At 10 they move up to the Juniors program and a full competition-ready syllabus.

Gracie Barra Kids (GBK) curriculum — the same syllabus in 60+ countries

Anti-bullying strategy taught alongside technique, not instead of it

Belt promotions earned on the mat, never handed out

06 / Real classes, real students

This Is The
Room.

A look inside our mat in New Lenox — real classes, real students.

Little Champions 2 students drilling Jiu-Jitsu

The Gracie Barra New Lenox training floor

07 / Who is teaching your class

Ron
Poholik.

Certified Gracie Barra Instructor · 30+ Years Teaching Martial Arts

Ron Poholik has spent more than 30 years on the mats as a full-time martial arts instructor, teaching thousands of kids and adults in the Chicago southland before opening Gracie Barra New Lenox in 2018. In 2017 he was named the Greatmats National Martial Arts Instructor of the Year — a national award voted on for teaching, not for trophies. Today he runs his academy on the Gracie Barra standard: a structured, worldwide curriculum used by 1,000+ schools in 60+ countries, taught by coaches who look after beginners instead of throwing them to the wolves.

2017 Greatmats National Martial Arts Instructor of the Year

30+ Years

Full-time martial arts instructor

4.9★ · 100+ reviews

From local families

Since 2018

Serving New Lenox and nearby

Part of something bigger

One Curriculum.
1,000+ Schools.

1,000+

Gracie Barra schools worldwide

60+

Countries running this syllabus

1986

Gracie Barra founded in Rio de Janeiro

08 / The trial

Two Weeks.
$19.99.

Everything you need to find out whether this is your thing — including the gi you walk out with, whether you continue or not.

Start The Trial

Two full weeks of unlimited Little Champions 2 classes
Official Gracie Barra uniform, yours to keep
A short intro with a coach before your first class
A progress check with your coach at the end of week two

Your price today$19.99

You're never required to continue when the two weeks are up. Keep the uniform either way.

09 / Your first day

Nothing To
Figure Out.

Three things to know before you walk in. That's the whole list.

Arrive 10 minutes early

Quick tour, meet the coach, and we introduce your child to a training partner.

T-shirt and shorts is fine

The gi is included with your two-week trial — nothing to buy up front.

Watch the whole class

Open viewing. You'll see exactly how kids are supervised and paired.

10 / Straight answers