We are making the life-changing benefits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu available to everyone through our community programmes.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the UK’s fastest growing martial art, but it’s not always affordable or accessible.
We are changing that by setting up community programmes across the country, in venues like:
Youth clubs
Community centres
Leisure centres
Schools
Community sports clubs
Exisiting Jiu-Jitsu gyms
We are using start-up and grassroots funding to bring BJJ to new spaces and places.
We offer BJJ on a ‘pay it forward’ basis. Everyone is welcome to come and train with us. If you feel you would like to pay, your contribution will fund someone who might not be able to.
We create inclusive environments where everyone feels welcome and wants to return to.
Have a look below to find out about our community programmes.
Up and Rolling: Hackney Youth Programme
Venue Type: Church
Address: Frampton Park Baptist Church, Frampton Park Road, London E9 7PQ
Time: 5-6pm on Fridays with additional sessions in holidays
Information: Following on from the success of our summer programme funded by Hackney Council and the School for Social Entrepreneurs, we have received further support from Go! London and the Council to continue our youth sessions in Hackney on Friday evenings and holidays. We are looking forward to building a brilliant hub for youth BJJ in Hackney with our trusted partners Hackney Quest and Frampton Park Baptist Church.
Cost: Free for all Hackney Quest and Frampton Park Baptist Church young people.
Stories: Through this programme we are also supporting local youth employability by offering young people work experience opportunities in BJJ.
If you’re reading this and you want to find out more, refer a young person or consider sponsoring the programme, get in touch via the button below!
Up and rolling: Elephant House, Bristol
Venue Type: Community Centre
Address: Elephant House, 1 Dean Street, Bedminster, BS3 1BG
Time: 8.15pm on Tuesdays and 6.45pm on Thursdays
Information: Our classes at Elephant House are for those aged 16+ interested in trying BJJ for the first time in a friendly and welcoming environment.
You can commit as much or as little as you want, and the vibe is fun and inclusive. We are also happy to introduce you to other gyms (such as nearby Sweatbox) for those who want to have more options for training.
These classes are no-gi, meaning you just need to wear comfortable sports wear, such as a top and shorts or leggings, ideally without zips or pockets.
Cost: Your first two classes are free, and if you bring a new friend along at any point then you get another free class as well!
After that we have a ‘pay it forward’ model, as follows:
£0 per class - for anyone who can't pay right now including for employment or health reasons.
£5 per class - standard price for a one-off class.
£30 per month - recommended price - with this you can train as many sessions as you want per month.
For those who want to contribute more to support our youth and community offers in other areas, you can ‘pay it forward’ by contributing more than the £5 per class or £30 per month. This is entirely up to you.
Anything else?
We’re really keen to welcome people and groups who might be put off by more traditional martial arts environments but are interested in giving BJJ a go. So if that sounds like you - or you’re just interested in general - please get in touch via the link below!
What participants say:
“These classes are so fun and empowering! Tom is competent, patient and keeps the energy light and positive - overall a wonderful teacher. He’s excellent at breaking down the steps and gradually building on the sequences we’re learning, by the end you get a real sense you’ve achieved something.”
Up and rolling: Brunel Field Primary School
Venue Type: Primary School
Address: Brunel Field Primary School, College Road, Bishopston, Bristol, BS7 9FT
Time: 3pm on Fridays in school term
Information: We run a fun and friendly after-school club for children at Brunel Field primary school from September 2024. These are from 3.15-4.15PM on Fridays across the academic year 2024-5.
Our kids classes focus on encouraging fun and playful BJJ movements on the ground whilst building basic fitness and strength for martial arts. There’s a lot of laughter and positivity and we make sure children leave with a smile on their face.
We’d love for children of all physical abilities and backgrounds to take part - please get in touch via the button below if you’ve got any questions about how it all works!
Cost: We operate classes on a ‘pay it forward’ price - if you want to pay more you help someone else train for free on one of our youth and community programmes.
£5 per session - standard price
£10 per session - ‘pay it forward’ price - if you want to pay a bit more so that someone else can train for free, here or one of our other community BJJ programmes.
Stories: Watch this space!
Complete: Hackney Youth Summer Programme
Venue Type: Church
Address: Frampton Park Baptist Church, Frampton Park Road, London E9 7PQ
Time: 12 - 2pm on Fridays in August
Information: Funded by Hackney Council and the School for Social Entrepreneurs, our youth summer programme in Hackney enabled young people from local youth club Hackney Quest and Frampton Park Baptist Church to try BJJ for the first time in a familiar and friendly environment.
Cost: Free for all Hackney Quest and Frampton Park Baptist Church young people.
Stories: Through this programme, 26 young people took part in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for the first time. Out of those we surveyed, 100% wanted to take part again, 100% said they felt physically better or much better from taking part and 92% mentally better or much better from taking part - what a result!
Colette Allen, Hackney Quest’s CEO, said the following of the summer programme:
“The BJJ programme was launched over the summer holidays and led by our Jujitsu specialist and HQ volunteer Tom and his coach Danny. This was a new opportunity for our young people and participation and engagement was great, with over 26 taking part over 4 weeks and supported by our youth leaders.
None of the young people had tried BJJ before and they all said they would love to have the opportunity to do more sessions. It’s a fun and interesting way to learn new skills, develop confidence and keep fit and we would love to incorporate BJJ into our programme, we know it’ll be very popular!”
Watch this space for updates on future youth BJJ in Hackney.
