Empower Yourself by Joining Our Jiu-Jitsu Program in Brentwood
The reasons for joining martial arts vary from person to person. Some individuals seek physical fitness or stress relief, while others aim to enhance their confidence, discipline, and self-control or to be part of a team and immerse themselves in a positive, empowering community. However, most choose to train because they recognize the superiority of Jiu-Jitsu over other martial arts styles and appreciate its unmatched effectiveness in hand-to-hand combat and street self-defense.
Jiu-Jitsu is a self-defense system rooted in leverage, timing, and technique, rather than speed and power, making it accessible to anyone regardless of physical attributes. The art emphasizes grappling techniques, teaching practitioners how to neutralize aggressors of any size or strength using strategic positional control, joint locks, and chokeholds.
We offer both group and private classes, with group lessons being the most suitable for the majority of students. By attending a minimum of two group classes per week, 100% of our students experience improved fitness levels and confidence within just a few months of training. And these are just a few of the many benefits that come with long-term dedication to the art.
Jiu-Jitsu transfers thousands of teachings to everyday life:
- It teaches you to respect hierarchy
- It teaches you never to underestimate anyone
- It teaches you to be accountable for your actions
- It teaches you not to victimize yourself
- It teaches you to believe in yourself, no matter how tough things may seem
- It teaches you to solve problems
- It teaches you not to freeze up and panic when facing a challenging situation
- It teaches you to be mentally strong when you may not be physically strong
- And much more...
It serves as an ideal outlet for teenagers, allowing them to channel their energy into a healthy and rewarding activity while addressing bullying effectively and humanely (visit our Kids Jiu-Jitsu page for more information).
For women, it offers practical strategies for prevention and escape in situations involving domestic violence or sexual assault, whether from strangers or acquaintances. The close-contact techniques help women become comfortable with physical proximity, empowering them to defend themselves confidently.
For law enforcement officers, it equips them with the skills to control and restrain non-compliant suspects without causing harm or needing additional support from colleagues.
Women's Jiu Jitsu
It’s completely normal to feel awkward or out of place in a male-dominated activity at first. However, like any challenge, these mental barriers will be overcome with time.
Jiu-Jitsu is an excellent choice for any woman—not only because it’s the most practical and effective self-defense system available in the world today, but also because it provides awareness, and purpose, relieves stress, and promotes physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It's both challenging and enjoyable, offering women of any fitness level a valuable opportunity to grow their social circle and enjoy personal "me time."
If you are a mother, you constantly pass down lessons to your children. Why not lead by example and show them the value of confidence and self-respect? Demonstrate through your actions how a true leader perseveres.
Explore the additional benefits of our Jiu-Jitsu program for women:
MENTAL HEALTH
- Combat anxiety, depression, and chronic stress
- Improve confidence, self-reliance, and self-esteem
- Improve critical thinking
- Better your sleeping habits
EMOTIONAL HEALTH
- Develop a new way to bond with your kids (if you are a Mom and they also train)
- Fewer mood swings due to the constant release of endorphins
- Reduce or eliminate aggressive behavior
- Enhance your problem-solving skills
- Prevent panic response when faced with stressful situations
PHYSICAL HEALTH
- Body awareness: Jiu-Jitsu teaches you to love your body for what it can do, not what it looks like
- Lose weight and tone your body
- Improve your fitness levels
- Improve motor skills and develop tenacity
If you are not yet ready to commit to the training, stay tuned for one of our yearly street self-defense seminars, which is a GREAT way to get introduced to Jiu-Jitsu's approach to self-defense and its community.
Check out photos of our latest class here. Watch the video here.
Class Eligibility
Our Adult Jiu-Jitsu Co-ed Program is subdivided into three programs: Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each program contains the appropriate content and intensity for participants to progress safely and efficiently. The age required to join the Adult Program is 15 years of age. We specialize in teaching beginners with little to no previous athletic experience and welcome new students to the program every week of the year.
Co-Ed Beginners' Program
The primary objective of the Beginners Program is to prepare students for the intermediate stages of training, where more advanced techniques are introduced, and sparring is integrated into the curriculum.
Each class includes mobility and grappling-based exercises designed to improve coordination and motor skills. Following the warm-up, students engage in cooperative drills based on the weekly curriculum until the session concludes.
This 12-week cyclic program is designed so that beginners can learn the material in any order, allowing new students to join at any time throughout the year.
Upon completing the Beginners Program, students are awarded their first stripe and become eligible to advance to the Intermediate Program.
HOW DO OUR JIU-JITSU CLASSES WORK?
All classes are 60 minutes long and typically broken down into four stages:
Warm Up
Functional exercises designed to increase mobility, strengthen the body, improve coordination, and heighten cardio capacity.
Drills
Students pair up and drill techniques relevant to the material covered during the month. Intense drilling is essential to develop skills to the fullest, and all of the programs at Crosley Gracie Jiu-Jitsu were designed following this belief. Drilling rounds go for 2, 3, 4, or 5-minute increments. The length of the round will depend on the complexity of each drill. This critical stage of the class helps students develop muscle memory and reflexes and improve timing and conditioning.
Specific Sparring
(Intermediate and Advanced Programs only)
Students drill with resistance in this stage. The instructor sets particular goals, and if or when either student accomplishes them, they reset and try again until the time is up. More increased muscle memory and reflex development occur here.
Full Sparring
Optional and available exclusively in the Intermediate and Advanced Programs, sparring is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and engaging aspects of training. It offers the closest experience to real-life application, as students attempt to execute their techniques against fully resisting training partners who are simultaneously defending and countering with their own moves. This element of training helps students become comfortable in highly uncomfortable situations, fostering the ability to stay calm and think strategically under pressure. Additionally, it provides an exceptional aerobic and anaerobic workout.
Jiu-Jitsu for Competition
We understand the distinction between training for competition and focusing on the self-defense aspect of Jiu-Jitsu. While competing is neither mandatory nor expected, many students enjoy testing their skills and abilities through competition.
Our academy has produced numerous local, national, and international champions. However, the majority of our clients simply appreciate the training and its benefits without ever competing. As an accomplished competitor, Professor Crosley Gracie is well aware of the differences between competition-focused training and self-defense preparation.
Our academy fosters a positive environment that emphasizes personal excellence and practical self-defense. While our primary focus is on developing well-rounded practitioners, we fully support and encourage any student who wishes to compete. Tournaments are regularly held across California, and our competition team has earned a strong reputation as one of the top teams in the region.
The Uniform and Ranking
The uniform is a crucial component for your success in training. It facilitates proper gripping and enhances comfort during sessions. Additionally, it represents unity, pride, teamwork, and community. Unless otherwise specified, all classes require the use of a white Crosley Gracie Jiu-Jitsu uniform and a belt of the appropriate rank.
Our uniforms are crafted from the highest quality materials available and are the only brand permitted for use in our classes. Uniforms must be clean, free from strong odors, and free of rips or stains.
Student Progression & Belt Ranks
At Crosley Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, advancement is earned through mat time, discipline, and technical growth—not just attendance. In the early stages, students focus on developing a solid base, learning proper posture, balance, and mechanics from fundamental positions such as the closed guard, mount, and side control.
As students mature on the mat, the emphasis shifts toward timing, transitions, and linking techniques together with fluidity. With progress comes the ability to apply leverage more efficiently, introduce controlled speed and pressure, and adapt techniques against resisting training partners.
At higher levels, expectations become more demanding, with greater focus on precision, strategy, and the ability to connect techniques into complete systems—whether passing sequences, submission chains, or escapes. The journey is designed to prepare each student not only for live training and competition, but also for the deeper lessons of patience, humility, and resilience that Jiu-Jitsu teaches.
The official Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belt ranks are:
- Children: White, Gray, Yellow, Orange, and Green
- Adults: Blue, Purple, Brown, and Black
Click here to view IBJJF’s official graduation system.
Get Started with the Best BJJ Training in Brentwood Today!
Ready to build unshakeable confidence, dramatically improve your fitness, and stay prepared for whatever life throws your way? Whether you're a complete beginner or have some martial arts experience, we're here to help you improve every single day. Our structured program ensures you progress safely and efficiently, with content and intensity perfectly matched to your skill level.
Crosley Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is an appointment-only facility. Please fill out the form below to request an appointment:
