New Lenox, IL · Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-JitsuForEveryone.
New Lenox's Gracie Barra academy since 2018. Kids who stand taller. Adults who get in the best shape of their lives. All of it learning the one martial art built for the smaller person to win.
01 / Why New Lenox chooses Gracie Barra
The Art That
Actually Works.
Most martial arts sell you a belt. Jiu-Jitsu makes you prove it — every class, against someone actually resisting. That's why a 120-pound student can control a 200-pound one, why kids who train stop being targets, and why adults who hated the gym train here three nights a week for years.
Self-Defense That Holds Up
Trained live, not demonstrated
The Best Workout You'll Keep
Problem-solving, not rep-counting
Composure Under Pressure
Calm when it counts, on and off the mat
A Room That Looks After You
No ego, no hazing beginners
02 / Our Classes
Find Your
Perfect Fit.
Listening, Focus & First-Day Confidence
Little Champions 1 · Ages 5–6
Focused fifty-minute classes where your 5-to-6-year-old learns to listen the first time, wait their turn, and finish what they start — disguised as the most fun part of their week.
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Real Technique & Unshakeable Confidence
Little Champions 2 · Ages 7–9
The step up. Ages 7–9 move from games to genuine Jiu-Jitsu — escapes, control, and the confidence that comes from knowing exactly what to do when someone grabs you.
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Strength, Composure & Something To Belong To
Juniors · Ages 10–15
A hard workout, a real skill, and a room full of people who expect them to show up. For a 10-to-15-year-old, that combination does more than any lecture about screen time.
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Get In Shape Learning Something That Actually Works
Adult Jiu-Jitsu · Ages 16+ · All Levels
GB1 Fundamentals is built for the person who has never trained, hasn't exercised in years, and doesn't want to be the guy who gets destroyed on day one. You won't be.
Learn More03 / What sets us apart
Not Your Typical
Jiu-Jitsu School.
A World Curriculum, Taught Locally
The same structured GB syllabus used in 1,000+ schools across 60+ countries — so your progress means the same thing anywhere you train.
Beginners Have Their Own Class
GB1 Fundamentals and Little Champions are separated by design. You learn with people at your level, not around them.
Tapping Ends It. Every Time.
No macho culture, no injuring the new person to make a point. Coaches are on the mat for every live round.
Belts Are Earned, Never Sold
No testing fees, no timeline promises. Stripes and belts come when the technique is real.
04 / Your head instructor
Ron
Poholik.
Ron Poholik has spent more than 30 years on the mats as a full-time martial arts instructor, teaching thousands of kids and adults in the Chicago southland before opening Gracie Barra New Lenox in 2018. In 2017 he was named the Greatmats National Martial Arts Instructor of the Year — a national award voted on for teaching, not for trophies. Today he runs his academy on the Gracie Barra standard: a structured, worldwide curriculum used by 1,000+ schools in 60+ countries, taught by coaches who look after beginners instead of throwing them to the wolves.
"Jiu-Jitsu for Everyone."
Read Our Story06 / Questions?
Honest
Answers.
The things New Lenox parents and new students ask us every week. If we missed yours, just ask — we'll respond in minutes during business hours.
See All FAQsLittle Champions 1 is ages 5–6, Little Champions 2 is 7–9, and Juniors is 10–15. Not sure where they fit? Call us — we place them by maturity, not just birthday.
07 / Gracie Barra — New Lenox Academy
Find The
Academy.
New Lenox Academy
14627 W Edison Dr, New Lenox, IL 60451
Ready To
Start?
Walk in this week. We'll take it from there.