You don't need to be fit. You don't need to know what you're doing.
The door is the hardest part. Everything after that is the reward.
Your first class is completely free. No joining fee. No Contract.
10+ years in Balmain • ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 111 five-star Google reviews
Active meditation.
Most people try BJJ expecting to get fit or pick up self-defence. What surprises them is what it does to their head.
Joel calls it active meditation – an hour where you're fully in the moment, because the person across from you is forcing you to be. Can't scroll. Can't stress. Can't check your phone. One hour where your brain has nowhere to go.
It's the thing most beginners don't think about until they've tried it. And it's the reason a lot of them keep coming back.
Ready to try a class?
Every person on these mats was exactly where you are now. The nervous one googling "what to wear to BJJ." The one who almost didn't book. The one who sat in the car.
Booking for your kid instead? Kids classes (ages 3–14) are over here →
Here's exactly what to expect on day one.
What your first class looks like – from start to finish. Turn up, train, see how it feels.
Before you arrive
Wear comfortable sportswear – no special gear needed for your first class
Arrive 5–10 minutes early to get set up
The gym is inside the PCYC at 372 Darling St, Balmain - parking on the street
During the class
Joel or one of the coaches will take you through the warm-up and check in with you
You'll be paired with a training partner who knows you're new – they'll look after you
No pressure to roll (spar) in your first class. We'll read the room
After the class
If it's right for you, we'll have a quick conversation about what comes next
No hard sell, if you want to think about it, take the week – the offer will wait
What people say when they've been here a while.
"I started training as a complete beginner. Super friendly, supportive community and great coaches. Best decision I've made!"
Anna
"You're never too old to start!"
Andrew (2 years in)
"Gracie Balmain has a community spirit, good vibes, inclusive of women and children…"
Tash S
"Was quite anxious to start something so unfamiliar like BJJ, but the coaches and others in the class have made it very comfortable."
Alexander
"I've grown as a person, not just as a martial artist"
Isaac (3 years in)
"It's become the highlight of my week"
Josh (6 weeks in)
Ten years in the same suburb. Same coach. Same community.
Joel Costello was born and raised in Balmain. He opened Gracie Balmain in July 2016 — in the suburb he grew up in, for the community that shaped him. He's a black belt under Bruno Panno and Royler Gracie, a multiple Australian and Pan Pacific Champion, and he coaches the majority of classes himself.
He's also a Balmain dad. The coach who's actually on the mats with you - and who's watched kids walk in shy at five and walk out confident at fifteen.
Behind Joel is a coaching team that's been here for years - most of them his own students who came up through the gym. Vincent started here at 10. He's 18 now and helping coach the next group of kids coming through. Jayden Lawrence - freestyle wrestler and Paris 2024 Olympian - runs wrestling fundamentals.
A few things people wonder about
Does it feel like a fight club?
A lot of people walk in thinking it will. You think it's going to be the UFC. Then you do one class and you're blown away by how friendly everyone is - really it's a bunch of people rolling around on the floor, going at their own pace. The hardest part is getting to your first class.
Am I too old or too unfit to start?
No - and you're asking the most common question in the gym. Most of our beginners start in their 30s and 40s, and nobody gets fit before they start; the training is what gets you fit. One of our members put it best: "My son started at 4, I started at 40. It truly caters to everyone."
Will I get hurt?
Beginners are looked after here - you'll be paired with experienced partners who know it's your first day, you go at your own pace, and there's no pressure to spar until you're ready. Sore muscles the next morning, yes. Recklessness, no - the culture is strict about it.
What if I try it and it's not for me?
That’s completely fine. The free trial is entirely free, with no strings attached. We operate on a strict zero-pressure policy. There are no contracts, no hidden joining fees, and no pushy sales pitch. If we're a match, great. If it’s not, you walk away having tried something new. You have absolutely nothing to lose.