Jiu Jitsu Gym Near Me in Lavender: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Singapore

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Singapore runs every adult class for 90 minutes at 206A Syed Alwi Road, Singapore 207739, a longer session than most gyms on the island. Newcomers get a free two-day trial, a single class costs S$60 afterwards, and unlimited training starts at S$280 a month with a S$30 registration fee. For anyone in Lavender, Little India or Jalan Besar searching jiu jitsu near me, this is the self-defence-first school in the neighbourhood.

GJJ Singapore opened in 2016 with two locations, Lavender and SAFRA Choa Chu Kang, and is affiliated with the Pedro Sauer Jiu-Jitsu Association. Professor Sauer holds an eighth-degree coral belt, is counted among the pioneers of the art in the United States, and was voted best Brazilian jiu jitsu instructor in 2005. His association stresses technical precision and efficient movement, and that philosophy shapes the way classes here are built.

Head instructor Vladimir Popovic earned his BJJ black belt under Master Sauer in 2019 and also holds a judo black belt from 2014, with more than 15 years of coaching across Serbia, Kuwait and Singapore. At Lavender, brown belt Muhammad Munshi, one of Popovic's students, teaches alongside him. The Choa Chu Kang branch is run by black belt Jude Kang and brown belt Muhammad Amin Bin Ismail.

The academy published a breakdown of a typical class on 12 October 2026. Every session has three parts. It opens with a warm-up of mobility, coordination and jiu jitsu movement drills, moves into a technique block where the coach demonstrates and then corrects pairs, and ends with live application. Children's classes last 55 minutes, with roughly 25 minutes of technique and 20 of sparring.

The sparring itself changes with the lesson. Some nights are positional, starting in mount, side control or closed guard with one partner escaping and the other holding. Others are freer rounds, stand-up sessions on grips, throws and takedown defence, or bad-position drills where the only goal is to survive and recover. Lessons connect across the week, so a guard introduced on Tuesday may return with variations on Thursday. The coaches are frank that learning a move is only the start: being able to hit it against resisting partners of different sizes takes repetition, experimentation and months of time. Pairs are matched by size, skill and temperament, and every class is supervised closely, which matters for nervous adults as much as for children.

The beginner track is called Street Safe and focuses on leverage, distance management and body mechanics for real situations rather than points. Advanced students move on to deeper tactical work and controlled live sparring. Both the adult and children's programmes include gi and no-gi training, and belt promotions are part of normal progress rather than a separate fee.

Children start at five in the Tots programme, which runs to age seven, and move into Kids from eight to twelve. The academy suggests two or three sessions a week for steady progress, and parents may watch from designated seats as long as they do not coach from the side.

Unlimited membership costs S$280 month to month, S$750 for three months, S$1,400 for six or S$2,500 for twelve, and the annual plan includes a free GJJ SG gi. Class passes are S$60 for one (valid a week), S$500 for ten, S$1,200 for thirty and S$1,500 for fifty. Private lessons are S$120 each or S$1,000 for ten.

Gear is sold at the desk: an adult gi is S$160, a kids gi S$120, rash guards and shorts S$40 each, and a belt S$15. Renting a gi costs S$10 a session. Full-time national servicemen, law enforcement officers, seniors and university students get 50 percent off membership, although that discount excludes the free gi.

Members on unlimited plans do not need to book. Pass holders reserve through Gymdesk, which closes bookings one hour before class. If you miss the cut-off you can still turn up and tell the coach so attendance is logged by hand. Memberships can be frozen for injury, illness or travel with notice.

For the first visit, arrive 10 to 15 minutes early in a fitted T-shirt or rash guard and shorts or athletic trousers with no zips, buckles or hard pockets. Take off watches, jewellery and piercings, trim nails, cover cuts, and stay home with a fever or contagious skin condition. Bring water and a towel if you plan to shower. The gi is optional for the trial.

If you want hard competition rounds every night, The Gentle Art Academy in Katong is the more tournament-focused school. GJJ suits beginners, parents and anyone who wants self-defence structure before sport. The 90-minute format also means fewer classes are needed each week. If you live in the west, the Choa Chu Kang branch at SAFRA, 28 Choa Chu Kang Drive, #03-02, follows the same curriculum. Use the two free days to sample one gi and one no-gi session before choosing between membership and a pass. The ten-, thirty- and fifty-class passes stay valid for three, six and twelve months respectively.

Little India's Tekka Centre at Block 665 Buffalo Road combines a wet market with a hawker centre of around 80 cooked-food stalls, and it is the obvious place to refuel after a Saturday morning roll. The wet market side sells spices and fresh produce if you want to cook at home. Closer still, Mustafa Centre stands on the same road at 145 Syed Alwi Road, the sprawling department store where you can replace a torn rash guard, buy athletic tape or stock up on snacks between sessions.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Singapore, 206A Syed Alwi Road, Singapore 207739. Second branch: SAFRA Choa Chu Kang, 28 Choa Chu Kang Drive, #03-02, Singapore 689964. Free two-day trial; S$30 registration. Single class S$60. Gi rental S$10. Book pass classes on Gymdesk at least an hour ahead.