Most people who want to try jiu-jitsu never walk through the door. It isn’t lack of interest. It’s fear. Fear of getting hurt. Fear of being the oldest person in the room, or the most out of shape. Fear of looking lost in front of people who already know what they’re doing.
Our Fundamentals program exists to remove every one of those reasons.
A Proven Path, Not Guesswork
Fundamentals, known in the Gracie Barra system as GB1, is the starting point for every adult and teen at our school. Master Carlos Gracie Jr. founded Gracie Barra in 1986. He built something no other jiu-jitsu organization had: a structured curriculum that delivers the same quality of instruction anywhere in the world. Four decades later, that curriculum runs in more than 1,000 schools on six continents. It runs right here in Centennial, Colorado.
You are not figuring it out as you go. You are following a path that has produced black belts around the globe.
Every Fundamentals class follows the same format, so you always know where you are:
- Warm up. Shrimping, bridging, technical stand up and the movements everything else is built on.
- Self defense and takedowns. Strike defense, headlock defense, clinch control and getting the fight safely to the ground.
- Sport jiu-jitsu. The core positions: guard, side mount, back, turtle, mount and knee on belly.
- Drilling or specific training. Controlled practice so technique becomes instinct.
- Cool down and closing. A short talk on Gracie Barra culture, history, etiquette or the belt system.
The curriculum rotates one position at a time, and you can join at any point in the cycle. Nobody falls behind, because every week stands on its own while building toward the whole.
This Week: Mount and Knee on Belly
Week 4 puts us in two of the most dominant positions in jiu-jitsu. From mount and knee on belly, you control a person with weight, balance and leverage instead of strength. That’s the whole promise of this art. A smaller person with good technique can control a larger one. You’ll feel that for yourself this week.
Who Teaches You Matters
Every instructor on our mat holds current Gracie Barra ICP certification, the organization’s global standard for technical knowledge and teaching method. Every instructor has passed a thorough background check. Every instructor is trained to our Standard Operating Procedures for safety, injury response, partner pairing and professional conduct. No certificate, no teaching. No exceptions.
Two black belts lead our Fundamentals program.
Professor Robert Goodloe, owner and head instructor, started jiu-jitsu at 39 and earned his black belt at 47. He has competed more than 75 times and won IBJJF Pan American medals at every belt level, white through black. He earned his black belt under Professor Rafael Oliveira, who trained at the original Gracie Barra school in Rio de Janeiro from the age of 12. That lineage runs straight to this mat.
If you think you’re too old to start, or too far behind to catch up, Professor Robert is the answer. He built this school to be the place he wished had existed when he was looking for something real. He still trains every chance he gets.
Professor Junior, our lead instructor, grew up in Brazil and began training in 2012, first in Brasília and then in Fortaleza. His entire foundation is the Gracie Barra system. He joined our school as a brown belt, and Gracie Barra promoted him to black belt in 2024.
Professor Junior teaches most of our weekday and weekend classes and sets the standard for how we train. He is technically precise, patient with brand new students, and demanding in the best way with students who are ready to be pushed. For him, jiu-jitsu isn’t just something he teaches. It’s how he lives.
Between them, you get two things most beginners never find in one place. One is a coach who proves you can start late and still reach the top. The other is a coach who has lived inside this curriculum since the beginning.
What We Believe
Our tagline is simple: better jiu-jitsu builds better people. The mat doesn’t care about your job title, your age or what you looked like in high school. You either know the technique or you don’t. You either showed up this week or you didn’t.
That honesty is the point. Jiu-jitsu gives adults the kind of challenge most of us stopped giving ourselves years ago. Here there is no losing, only winning or learning. The goal every class is the same: be better than yesterday.
The Advantages of Training Here
- A structured, world class curriculum instead of whatever the instructor feels like teaching that day.
- Black belt instruction from day one, led by Professor Robert and Professor Junior.
- Certified, background checked instructors held to written safety and conduct standards.
- Safety built into every class. Controlled drilling and progressive training, with guidance at every step.
- Class times for real schedules. Evenings and early mornings.
- Learning between classes. Gracie Barra Online, our technique video library, is included with membership.
- A community that knows your name. We hold a 5.0 rating across more than 100 Google reviews from students and families.
- No contract to try us. Your first class is free.
Fundamentals Class Times
Monday and Wednesday: 6:30 PM
Tuesday and Thursday: 6:00 AM
All levels welcome. No experience needed.
Take the First Step
Everyone on our mat was once brand new. The only difference between them and you is that they walked in.
👉 Book Your Free Fundamentals Class
Want to learn more first?
- See the full Gracie Barra curriculum
- Meet our instructors
- View the live class schedule
- Explore membership options
- Learn about the Adults Program
Questions? Call us at (720) 687-3851 or visit us at 4181 E. County Line Rd, Suite C, Centennial, CO 80122. We proudly serve Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree and the south Denver metro.
