BJJ in San Jose

American Elite Grappling (AEG)

American Elite Grappling (AEG) is the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program based at the legendary American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California. Founded in 1985 by world champion kickboxer Javier Mendez, AKA has been the premier Mixed Martial Arts gym in the Bay Area for over three decades and is widely recognized as one of the best MMA gyms in the world, having trained numerous UFC champions. AEG was created by Ron Keslar, who serves as head instructor of American Elite Grappling and as an AKA coach. Ron is a 2nd degree black belt under Leandro Vieira and began his grappling career in grade school with wrestling. He previously competed as a professional MMA fighter in Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage before transitioning to coaching. American Elite Grappling offers one of the most well-rounded Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and grappling programs in the United States, with over 20 gi and no-gi classes offered weekly for kids and adults, focusing on technique, fundamentals, and competition training. While AKA is known for champion-level fighters, at its core it is a family-friendly gym that caters to everyone from beginners age 4 to 65+, to those aspiring to train and compete at any level. The gym offers professional instruction in kickboxing, boxing, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, and MMA. AKA has been voted Best of Silicon Valley since 1985 and continues to focus on quality instruction and teaching solid technique across all martial arts disciplines.

Heroes Martial Arts

Heroes Downtown opened in 2009 and is the first of the Heroes Martial Arts studio. in 2018 Heroes moved across the street to our current location at 450 S 1st Street in a historic, refurnished brick and skylight building 100 years old. Heroes Martial Arts is located in the thriving SoFa district downtown. Perhaps the hippest neighborhood in all of San Jose, SoFA is home to a wide variety of businesses and organizations, ranging from cafes and restaurants, clubs, art galleries and creative firms to health and fitness gyms and yoga studios. The downtown location has classes seven day a week with early morning, morning, early afternoon and evening classes available for our Adult programs. The facility is constantly being decorated and features art from the local community (and students).