Women’s BJJ Questions, Answered

Yes. The women’s-only program welcomes complete beginners — many of our women students had never done a martial art before their first class. You train real jiu-jitsu in a room where every woman is taken seriously, at a pace set with new students in mind.

Yes — the women’s-only sessions are a room of women, training together: Monday 6:00 PM is no-gi, Wednesday 6:00 PM is gi, and Saturday 11:00 AM is gi. Women are also welcome in every other class on our schedule; the women’s-only sessions are simply there for students who prefer them.

The program is led by Professor Charlene Dixon, a GFTeam black belt, IBJJF Pan American Champion, and Master World Championship silver medalist. She heads the program and sets its standard; classes are coached by Professor Charlene and the academy’s coaching team.

Comfortable athletic clothes (no pockets or zippers) and a water bottle. For a gi class, we keep a few loaner gis at the gym — just ask when you arrive. When you enroll, your uniform is included free.

Monday’s women’s session is no-gi, so you can start in the athletic clothes you already own. Wednesday and Saturday are gi sessions, and a loaner gi is available if you’d like to try the uniform. The positions and escapes underneath are the same art either way.

You’ll learn the skills jiu-jitsu is actually built on: escaping grabs and pins, using leverage instead of strength against a bigger person, staying calm under pressure, and getting away. That’s honest, useful training — but no coach can guarantee the outcome of a real-world confrontation, and we’ll never sell you that promise. Our blog post What BJJ Actually Teaches You goes deeper.

No. Jiu-jitsu was designed so a smaller person can handle a bigger one — leverage and technique over strength is the founding idea of the art. Start at your own pace; the conditioning builds as you train.

The women’s-only room means your training partners are women. Training is supervised, tapping out stops everything instantly, and live rounds are always scaled to experience — new students are never thrown in to be “tested.”

Book a free trial and join a real women’s-only class — no payment, no contract. Arrive about 15 minutes early, check in at the door, and meet the coaches. Book on the free trial page or call (202) 636-3453.

Two classes a week is a great starting rhythm — enough repetition for techniques to stick, enough rest to recover. The women’s program runs three sessions a week, so there’s room to grow into more.

Exactly the same path as every adult student: white → blue → purple → brown → black, with promotions decided by the coach based on attendance, skill, and attitude. Our Belt Journey page explains each step.

Programs vary by how often you train, and we don’t publish membership prices online. Come try a free class first, and we’ll walk you through the options that fit — honestly and in person — with no contracts or long-term commitment.

We have our own parking lot at the gym — free parking at 720 Erie Ave, Takoma Park. Park in the three spaces on the left or the spaces on the side, and please keep the center of the driveway clear. Adults enter through the gray building’s back door; kids enter through the yellow building.