Higher Jiu Jitsu

From the moment I walked into Higher Jiu Jitsu I knew that this was the academy for me. John is extremely friendly, professional and skilled. He is a phenomenal instructor who always explains moves clearly and quickly identifies ways for me to improve. He has created such a fun and supportive environment, evident by the fact that other students always offer to help me when I'm struggling. The dojo is spotless and there is a range of fantastic classes on offer.

I am only three weeks into my BJJ journey and am loving it more and more each day! I have already learnt so much in this short time and am so excited about what's to come.

Thank you to John and the team for everything you do.

I'm glad this is my first Jiu-Jitsu gym. As a beginner I appreciate that everyone is collaborative and the atmosphere is light-hearted but focused on growth. I'd recommend anyone to try it out, beginner or advanced.

A fantastic place to train! John has a huge knowledge and is an awesome teacher. Great culture at the club, a real team! Senior grades are very helpful and excellent at passing on their knowledge. If your looking fo a brilliant martial arts club, you just found it!

Great place to start your Ju-Jitsu Journey, Coach Jhon and the crew are welcoming full of positive vibes.

Classes are structure and walk you through step by step, fantastic for beginners like myself. You will feel safety is the number one priority.
The Higher tribe are a fantastic bunch of friendly people who are happy to share knowledge and enjoy while we learn this amazing martial art.

Highly recommend to anyone looking to learn or continue their BJJ journey.

Awesome energy and people. Really enjoying training and learning Jiu Jitsu and John the owner is super accommodating and helpful. He has built an awesome culture. Looking forward to my return.

John is a clear but forgiving teacher, and the classes very welcoming to beginners. HJJ is a great place to start learning BJJ in my experience. Would thoroughly recommend!

Such a good experience joining this school as complete beginner. John, Matty and Oscar all bring different insights to their coaching and the crew are super supportive.

Would recommend to anyone looking to get started in BJJ in a safe environment with high level coaching.

I have always been interested in trying BJJ. I was wary being female and also having no prior experience in anything like this. But John, his team and all the students made me feel so comfortable. Everyone was very patient and the priority placed on technique and understanding the art gives you a higher appreciation for the sport. The classes are amazing for beginners and also highly experienced people. The BEST gym! Would recommend to all!

HJJ is an amazing place to meet friends, learn sick new Jiu-Jitsu moves and the most important have fun. John is the best coach I had in the last few years. He definitely knows what he is doing and it is an absolute pleasure to learn from him.

From the first time I stepped into the dojo, I’ve felt the warm, positive energy from everyone in class. John and his team are so passionate about Jiu Jitsu they love sharing their knowledge and foster a growth mindset among the students. Here you get to learn about self defence, technical Jiu Jitsu moves and in depth mechanics of this martial arts. Where ever your Jiu Jitsu journey is at, this is a great place to train.

John is a fantastic role model and runs a great club. We have 3 boys that have attended for a couple of years and absolutely love it!
I would give John six stars if I could.

I loved the place and so happy to join to the Higher Jiu Jitsu. It’s been a few months. Also, my daughter joined Jiu Jitsu at Higher. She loved it and felt better than gymnastic. It is good spend time for Jiu Jitsu training instead of on the phone for kids.also adults. She now knows that she can protect her self naturally using Jiu jitsu techniques. Jiu Jitsu is now our family sport.we loved doing Jiu Jitsu specially at Higher Jiu Jitsu.

John has fostered such a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. The instruction given, facility and people are what make it a higher experience. Definitely recommend!

Starting as an absolute beginner can be frightening but at Higher you are surrounded by good people that support one another in growth and learning. Jiu Jitsu is enriching all corners of my life and I am fortunate to have started the journey with Higher.

The training at Higher is great, the coaches John, Oscar, Nick & Matt are really welcoming and have created a fun environment making it a pleasure to train there. Each session is well planned out, with a big focus on the technical BJJ details, which has really helped my own progress and development, and something which I lacked when training at various other clubs over the years. Another thing I like about the club is that everyone is very collaborative with learning and improving being the main goal and due to this I have never seen or heard of anyone getting injured during training. Highly recommend!

I like and enjoy training at Higher Jiu Jitsu for 4 main reasons; teaching, learning structure, community and injury prevention.

The teachers at Higher Jiu Jitsu (John, Oscar and Matt) are excellent at teaching the technique and the details whilst also remaining engaging and fun. They are more than happy to answer questions and help with technique so you actually learn it properly, instead of muscling it.

The classes are structured pretty well. Lessons always have a mobility and movement component that ties into the technique (s) that are being taught later in the lesson. The techniques are taught in a way that allows you to string it along with other techniques, as opposed to it being taught in isolation. This really helps with actually incorporating the techniques in a sparring session or "roll. " All techniques are taught with self defence and health longevity in mind.

The community at Higher Jiu Jitsu are very friendly and welcoming. Like the coaches, everyone is happy to answer questions, help out with the technique. The community here is focused around learning
and experimenting which makes the learning experience much more enjoyable, interactive and inclusive.

As mentioned earlier, the teaching at Higher Jiu Jitsu is focused around using good technique and biomechanics when executing a manoeuvre as opposed to using strength. This is what allows BJJ to be effective in defending yourself against bigger opponents. This also helps with preventing injuries or aggravating any injuries you may already have. Personally, I have had a few injuries from before I started BJJ. I've been able to train here @HJJ without my injuries getting worse, which has been a huge plus for me.

If you're considering BJJ, definitely try Higher Jiu Jitsu!

I cannot more highly recommend Higher Jiu Jitsu. I had been doing Jiu Jitsu for a few years prior to calling coach John Smallios to organise a trial class as at the time I worked nearby. It was immediately apparent how much passion John had for sharing the art, the ethos and incredible level of detail that exists within the Pedro Sauer association. I had found my new dojo. During the last few years that I have been training at Higher Jiu Jitsu I have had pleasure of improving not only the physical and technical aspects of my jiu-jitsu, but also the mindset. I have been fortunate to receive some private lessons from John and immediately noticed improvements in my game. There is a strong emphasis on community within the academy, everyone is incredibly friendly and there is a collaborative attitude in every facet of training, from drilling to rolling and especially in the fantastic Friday Lab class where we all come together in an open forum to discuss any problem we have and think tank the solutions, or simply sharing a cool new technique or concept. Coach John Smallios has created an fantastic learning environment for jiu-jitsuka of all levels, from coloured belt all the way to a fresh faced white belt, this is a great place to train.

I have been a student at HJJ for about two months now. The introduction and fundamentals classes have been fantastic. As a beginner, being guided through the techniques by more experienced students has been invaluable to my progress. I would recommend HIgher Jiu Jitsu to anyone who wants to improve their quality of life

An amazing intro into Jiu Jitsu. John and his team are very welcoming and made the experience a great one. Would highly recommend

The guys at higher jiu jitsu are amazing. If you’re thinking about starting BJJ and are nervous about it John and the whole school take you under their wing and make it a fun relaxed environment to learn.

Highers focus on implementing BJJ practices into everyday life is great and brings to light the benefits of BJJ outside of the school.

Could not recommend these guys higher (pun intended).