Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Indianapolis

About Us:

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Indianapolis strives to keep the community safe through self-defense training and martial arts. We build a foundational understanding of techniques, so our students are confident in their safety. Even during training, safety is our number one priority. Because of our steady Gracie Combatives® curriculum, we have a low injury rate. There is beauty in the progress, and students aren’t jumping at the opportunity to dominate their peers.

Our History:

Head instructor and owner James Fryer has been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for over a decade. When he was promoted to a blue belt, he started teaching, and the passion was instant. He was inspired to leave his life as a mechanic behind to pursue a love for educating others. In October 2023, James took his dream to the next level and opened Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Indianapolis. As James navigates the early years of owning an academy, he continuously aims to educate students and is still learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu himself. Nobody at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Indianapolis is ever done learning.

James Fryer

James Fryer is the owner and head instructor at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Indianapolis, bringing over a decade of experience to the community. Starting in sports jiu-jitsu, he realized its competitive nature often excluded those needing self-defense the most. Inspired by the Gracie system’s cooperative spirit and accessible techniques, James dedicated his life to teaching and empowering others. He is passionate about transforming bullied children into confident individuals. At Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Indianapolis, the focus is on real-world self-defense, with a structured curriculum that ensures students always know their progress. New students can expect a safe, supportive, and cooperative environment where everyone rises by lifting each other.

Gracie Combatives® is our beginner program for adults.

In this program, you will learn the 36 core techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in a fun, safe, and cooperative environment. Each one-hour lesson addresses one standing and one ground self-defense technique. You can start the program at any time and participate in any class without previous experience and, since safety is our number one concern, there is no competitive sparring in this program. Upon successful completion of the Gracie Combatives® program, you will qualify for advancement into the Master Cycle® advanced Jiu-Jitsu program!

Beyond Gracie Combatives® belt, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) consists of hundreds of advanced techniques organized into a clearly defined, systematic curriculum called the Master Cycle®.

The Master Cycle®’s unique structure simplifies the journey to black belt by organizing all of BJJ into into seven positional chapters (Mount, Side Mount, Guard, Half Guard, Back Mount, Leg Locks, Standing), each of which is studied for several months before moving on to the next chapter.

If you’ve achieved the rank of Gracie Combatives® belt or higher in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and you would like to continue on the path to BJJ black belt in a safe, structured, and friendly learning environment, the Master Cycle® is for you!

Every month in the United States, three million children miss school due to fear of bullies.

In the Gracie Bullyproof® program, our goal is to instill your child with unshakable confidence so they can overcome bullies without violence. Due to the non-violent nature of the techniques, CNN, ABC, NBC, and Oprah have featured the Gracie Bullyproof® program as one of the few effective counter-measures to bullying for children between the ages of 3 and 12. If you’re interested in instilling your child with unshakable confidence while reinforcing positive values and good character, the Gracie Bullyproof® program is for you! Even if your child has previously tried Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and had a negative experience, we can assure you that they will absolutely love the Gracie Bullyproof® program!

Private lessons are often a perfect option for children or adult students with physical or mental limitations.

Although we are confident that our group classes are the most accommodating in the industry, the level of individualized care and instruction that a certified Gracie University® instructor can provide in a private lesson is unparalleled. We will tailor private lessons to fit any student’s needs. Private lesson students also receive the same benefits through Gracie University® as our group class students do. When you sign up, you will be given free access to your course of study online. This will allow you to study at home, and double your retention. All Gracie CTC students also enjoy free satellite training at any CTC around the world when they travel.