Welcome to Roll Model Grappling Academy, which is also the same great gym you have known and loved for years!

In case somehow we haven’t met, I’m Coach AJ. I’ve been running a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy for 22 years. In the past couple months, some things have changed around here.

You may have known us as IBJJA, but it was time for a fresh start. We are still located right here on 135 just south of County Line. We still offer Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing, Kids Classes, Women’s Only Classes, Gi, and No-Gi! For the most part our schedule hasn’t changed, but we are looking at how to add more great classes for you!

We are no longer under the old affiliation. We are now under Team Zenith which is Robert Drysdale. If you aren’t familiar with him, he wrote the book Opening Closed Guard. We are under his affiliation via Ray and Rachel Casias. Most people around here know Ray and Rachel. They have been good friends of mine for years. Ray has taught several seminars here and Rachel has taught at all of my women’s camps. We’ll definitely have them up again soon so that you can meet them (if you haven’t already) and train with them. They are great! Ray is a level 4 combative instructor teaching out of Fort Campbell. He also has a podcast called Tier One Athlete if you want to get to know him a little better. Rachel is a 10 time Pan Champ and has won Worlds like 8 times!

In addition to the name change and the affiliation change we are really trying to spruce up the place a bit. We put down new flooring in the weight room and added some new equipment. We’ve done some painting and hanging new pictures! It’s been fun! We’ve also been welcoming new students every day, which is great!

The sprucing up and the branding change has been a lot of work, but it’s also been fun. But honestly, it’s not what’s most important to me.

What I want you to know is that Roll Model Grappling Academy is an inclusive gym. We are for men and women. We are for kids and adults. We are for the BIPOC community. We are for the LGBTQIA+ community. We are for all religions and backgrounds.

The Jiu-Jitsu Community as a whole wants to say that Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone, and in a way that is true. The problem is, it’s not for everyone at every academy.

It’s our mission to serve the under-served communities.

It’s our mission to make everyone feel welcome and safe in our gym.

This gym is not a place where racists, homophobes, or transphobes should feel comfortable.

If you believe that all people, ALL PEOPLE, are created equal, then Roll Model Grappling Academy is for you.

Our academy is a place where everyone is respected as long as they are respectful of others.

I’ve listened to so many stories from people who tried Jiu-Jitsu and felt discriminated against or felt like it was an environment where they weren’t really welcome (I have some of these stories myself from traveling and training). I never want anyone at Roll Model Grappling Academy to feel that way.

I hope you welcome the changes. I hope you are here to grow with us.

If you have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I want to be the best coach and leader for you. I will always believe that a rising tide raises all ships and I look forward to doing that together.