How BJJ Gyms Are Becoming Real Businesses

Key Takeaways

BJJ gyms are no longer informal training spaces

Operational systems matter as much as coaching quality

Generic fitness tools often don’t reflect how BJJ gyms actually work

BJJ Gyms Are Changing

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has evolved. What began as a fringe martial art practiced by small groups of die-hards in garages and church basements is now a global discipline. Academies from London to New York run packed kids programs, host traveling black belts, and manage waitlists for fundamentals classes.

But the most significant transformation isn’t happening on the mats. It’s happening quietly behind the scenes: in spreadsheets, payment dashboards, calendars, and direct messages. Jiu Jitsu gyms are increasingly operating as real businesses, and with that shift, a new generation of professional owner-operators is emerging.

“When I started, I just wanted a space to train, but now it has become a real business” says Ezekiel from Ases Jiu Jitsu.

Today’s BJJ academies are no longer informal gathering spots. They are structured organizations embedded in their local communities. Many now support children’s programs, international students navigating visas, and long-term membership paths for recreational practitioners and competitors alike. In some cases, gyms are able to sustain full-time coaching staff, offering stability and viable careers within the sport.

Clearer business models and better operational tools have made it possible for academies to scale in ways that were rare a decade ago. Fightzone Costablanca, for example, has grown from zero to over 700 students in just a few years, driven by consistent coaching, community engagement, and well-defined systems.

“Working with the right tools allowed us to expand without losing control of the gym”
says Marco Canha, co-owner of Fightzone Costablanca.

Ask most academy owners what’s hardest about running a gym, and the answer is rarely the training itself. The challenge lies in the operational friction: chasing late payments, tracking attendance across multiple classes, managing trial requests scattered across Instagram messages and emails, and keeping a mental ledger of who showed up, who didn’t, and who needs follow-up.

Many gym owners rely on improvised systems or generic tools borrowed from the broader fitness industry. Over time, this patchwork approach erodes the very thing that brought most coaches into the role in the first place, time on the mats and meaningful interaction with students.

“Before changing how we managed the gym, I was losing huge amounts of time to admin work” says Aitana from Atenea Jiu Jitsu.

For many academies, adopting software is the first attempt at regaining control. But generic fitness platforms frequently fail to reflect how combat sports gyms actually operate.

They tend to overlook rank progression entirely, treating students as interchangeable memberships rather than individuals moving through a long-term development path. Classes aren’t structured around levels, attendance data isn’t meaningfully connected to promotions, and owners are left adapting their workflows to the software instead of the other way around.

In practice, this often leads to fragmented systems, one tool for payments, another for scheduling, and spreadsheets or notes to fill the gaps.

“We were using a separate payment provider and several Excel sheets just to keep track of everything else” says Dave from Sakura Grappling.

As a result, a new category of tools has begun to emerge, developed by practitioners who understand the operational realities of Jiu-Jitsu and combat sports gyms. Rather than trying to replicate large commercial fitness platforms, these systems focus on a smaller set of core needs: progression tracking, predictable payments, structured class access, and clear communication.

MAAT is one example of this approach. Designed by Jiu Jitsu practitioners, it brings together attendance tracking, belt and stripe progression, class booking, and localized payment handling into a single platform built specifically for combat sports academies.

For gym owners, the value is less about adding features and more about reducing friction: fewer systems to manage, fewer manual tasks, and clearer visibility into how the gym is functioning day to day.

“Having attendance, communication, and progression tracking in one place significantly reduced our admin workload and operating costs” notes Pedro from Ascended Jiu Jitsu.

Professionalizing gym operations means giving coaches the space to focus on teaching, mentoring, and building strong communities. When administrative systems are stable, classes run more smoothly, communication improves, and students experience clearer paths for progression.

For students, this translates into consistency: classes that start on time, transparent promotion criteria, and a stronger sense of belonging within the academy. For owners, it reduces burnout and makes long-term sustainability possible.

Conclusion

BJJ continues to grow, globally, steadily, and across demographics. As more families, professionals, and international students step onto the mats, expectations around organization and reliability increase as well.

The future of the sport won’t be shaped by gyms that scale the fastest, but by those that balance authenticity with infrastructure.