Ground Zero Women Ground Zero Women At Ground Zero we believe Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the ideal combat sport for women...
Lunch Class Lunch Class Ground Zero Jiu Jitsu lunch time classes from 12:30 weekdays...
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Welcome to Ground Zero

Get Fighting Fit For Summer!

Phillip Island Jiu Jitsu - New Haven Primary School, Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30-8pm,

Starts Feb 15th.

Yoga -  Now at GZ City! Wednesdays 12:30-1:30pm

Womens Self Defence - Saturdays 3-4:30pm (City)

Teens BJJ Classes - Tuesdays and Thursdays (City) 4:30-5:30pm starting mid February.

"Gracie Jiu Jitsu is far more than the ultimate martial art, it is the greatest workout for your mind and body. Train for just one week and your life will never be the same again - I guarantee it!"
- Rob Williams, Head Instructor.

What sets us apart from many academies is we teach original Gracie Jiu Jitsu. There is an equal emphasis on self defence, throwing and ground fighting whereas many academies overlook many key aspects of the art and leave their students incomplete.Our first obligation is always to ensure the safety of the student in the real world. We are the ONLY Gracie Jiu Jitsu academy in the City, so if you want to learn to defend yourself in a clean,friendly and family-like environment there is only one place to train.

Testimonials:

D.K (Website Designer) I was  bored at the gym and was looking for an exciting way to get fit. I have lost so much weight I feel amazing. I didn't think Id be into the whole martial arts thing but Jiu Jitsu is so interesting - I'm addicted!

S.R (Teacher) As a woman I wanted a practical martial art but didn't know much about Jiu Jitsu. I did my research and looked around but really connected with the culture of GZ, always supportive of beginners and no meat heads.

J.T (Personal Trainer) I heard about BJJ through watching the UFC so looked around at various gyms but I really liked the way Rob breaks down the movements biomechanically. He has a Sports Science background so designs the classes intelligently and the competition team results speak for themselves - were not the biggest team but virtually all of us won Gold medals which was the greatest feeling in the world!

M.M (Psychiatrist) Rob has a very good understanding of how to teach many different types of people. He always takes  time to explain in different ways the same techniques so we all get it. I have trained in many academies around the world but now am really starting to progress as Rob is very fussy about mastering the basics and always keeping in mind the practical aspects of the art.


Rob and Royler

BJJ History

The genesis of Brazilian Jiu Jistu (BJJ) was jujutsu. Originating in Japan, jujutsu was designed principally as a means of self defense for Samurai warriors. It rapidly became the benchmark upon which many other martial art forms were developed, and in the 17th century there were over 2000 schools of jujutsu in Japan.

The inception of BJJ was when Mitsuyo Maeda, a Japanese jujutsu and judo master, emigrated to Brazil in 1910. There he met an influential businessman named Gastão Gracie who helped him get established in his new homeland. In return for his assistance, Maeda taught the fighting art of jujutsu to Gastão's sons, Carlos and Helio. The boys realised that many of the techniques could be adapted in a way to increase leverage therefore minimizing the amount of force needed to execute the moves. Through experiments and technical refinement in training and real fighting situations, the art we know today was born.

Over the years the brothers trained many of their sons, who continue the family tradition today. The Gracie family continued to develop their system throughout the 20th century, often holding vale tudo matches (precursors to modern mixed martial arts fights), during which BJJ gained its focus on groundwork and grappling. BJJ is sometimes referred to as Gracie Jiu Jitsu in honour of what the family has achieved.  

BJJ came to prominence in the USA in the early 1990s when Royce Gracie won the first, second and fourth Ultimate Fighting Championships. As a result, the martial arts community embraced the art and its popularity began to spread around the world. Today, BJJ is a compulsory component of many mixed martial arts fighters' arsenal.

BJJ Quotes - Through The Eyes of Practitioners

helio

“The Jiu-Jitsu that I created was designed to give the weak ones a chance to face the heavy and strong.”

- Grand Master Helio Gracie

“ In a flash he was on me, there had been no time to throw a kick or punch.  I was struggling to keep my balance as I tumbled to the ground. It was like fighting a snake, he was slowly moving himself closer and closer to my neck and while I easily outweighed him there was nothing I could do. I felt his hands secure themselves around my throat then all  went black. Lying there sweat soaked and out of breath I realised that 15 years of kicking and punching means nothing if you cant fight on the ground."

- My first BJJ experience in 1997 – Rob Williams.

I was 94kg with 15 years martial arts experience, my opponent 67kg BJJ White Belt. The next day I dedicated the rest of my life to to Jiu Jitsu.