Our Values and Why Choose Gracie Durham

At Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Durham, we believe Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is for EVERYONE, regardless of age, gender, athleticism, or ability. Continuing the legacy of Grandmaster Hélio Gracie who believed jiu-jitsu should empower the weak to be able to defend against the strong, this is why we offer structured martial arts curriculums specific to the self-defense needs for any demographic or skill level, with programs created for beginner adults, women, and children.   

We take pride in creating a safe, comfortable, and welcoming learning environment for all students and family members in Durham. We are passionate about what we do because, simply put, we believe confident humans make kinder humans.

🤲**Serve** Certified instructors welcome and support students of all levels through self-paced learning in a safe and structured environment ensuring the building of confidence and competence throughout the journey..

❤️**Heart of Courage** Gracie Jiu Jitsu cultivates courage, helping people step out of comfort zones and experience personal growth, both physically and mentally.

🌳**Patient Progress** Unwavering conviction that consistency over time is the true path to mastery.

🐢**Go Slow** Life moves fast, at Gracie Durham,  permission granted to slow down and absorb each lesson thoroughly while reducing cognitive overload and inherently improving the safety of each technique application

🆙**Rise Together** A community that values the gift of feedback built on mutual trust where the mindset of “help each other” fosters a culture wherein people receive value while also providing value. 

🙏**Developing Self-Control** Mastering emotions and actions both on and off the mat.

🕊️**Peace** Training to defeat anxiety, turning the source of your greatest anxiety into a strength by focusing on what you can control.

💪**Preparation** Proven effective self-defense techniques. Offering a full range of scalable solutions, ranging from verbal de-escalation, gentle control all the way to high force scenarios.

🐬**Gentleness** Gain understanding in the power of technique, distance management and leverage over strength and athleticism.

⚙️**Pursuing Maximum Efficiency** Unlock the apex principle of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, refining movements to achieve the greatest impact with the least effort. Less truly becomes more.

🦉**The Gambler Principle**: Know when to hold em and know when to let go, cultivating wisdom and discernment both on the mat and in life.

🧠**The Real Fight** Engage in mental and physical training that forges new neural pathways, moving from a perspective of “what is” to “what is possible”

👁️**Focus** Your jiu-jitsu is moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. Change your thoughts, change your life..

🐱**Philomathy** Eager for knowledge, inquisitive, ask questions, doors are open to the playground for intellectual curiosity .