Monterey, CA · No-Gi · Ages 15+
The only thing you need to bring is the nerve to start.
No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for teens and adults in Monterey — the only No-Gi-only academy in the area, run by the Art of Entanglement coaches and team. Never trained, or chasing a podium? Same room. Your first week’s free.
Never trained? Read this first
You’re picturing the worst version of day one. It doesn’t happen here.
You’ve wanted to do this for years. You keep almost signing up, then picturing it: a room full of people who already know what they’re doing, you the only one who doesn’t, getting folded in half by someone half your size. So you close the tab. Again.
The fear isn’t the sport. It’s starting. One of our members said it plainly: “I had always wanted to do it, so I just went for it.” The years of waiting were the hard part — the walking-in was easy. Nobody here is judging the new person, because everybody here was the new person, and most of them not that long ago.
Here’s what actually happens. You show up in shorts and a t-shirt — that’s it, there’s no uniform to buy and nothing to wash. A coach greets you by name. You warm up with the room, learn one or two techniques, and drill them slowly with a partner who knows you’re new. Nobody is trying to hurt you; this is a room where, as one member put it, you train with “competitive spirit while keeping everyone free from injury.” You’ll be tired and a little out of your depth — and you’ll leave already thinking about the next class.
And it costs you nothing to find out: the first full week is free, with no commitment to start.
Why we train No-Gi
No uniform. No grips that don’t exist in a real scramble. Just grappling.
Most academies hand you a Gi — the heavy jacket-and-pants uniform — and a lot of the game becomes gripping that fabric. AOE is the only No-Gi-only academy in Monterey, and that’s a deliberate choice, not a shortcut. No-Gi is the modern, athletic side of the sport: faster scrambles, no cloth grips to hide behind, and the form of grappling that actually shows up in MMA and in a real self-defense situation, where nobody is wearing a Gi. It’s also the simplest door to walk through — nothing to buy, nothing to outgrow, nothing soaking in your gym bag.
It’s the version of the game our members chose us for. As one wrote: “I recommend this gym to anyone looking to train No-Gi new school jiu jitsu.” That’s the room you’re walking into.
No-Gi rewards instinct over choreography — when there’s nothing to grab and hold, you learn to flow with instincts and move before you can overthink it.
For the one chasing a podium
“No better place for competition-level jiu-jitsu in the area.”
That’s not our line — it’s a member’s, Sammy G. Here’s what’s behind it.
The room is built around real competition proof: ADCC national-champion experience, Gracie Barra lineage, IBJJF No-Gi Pan-American and Worlds podium credentials, and an active No-Gi standard you can feel when class starts. You can look the record up — this is not brochure language.
Just as important: the coaching translates. AOE is not a room where credentials sit on the wall while beginners fend for themselves; the standard is technical, controlled, and taught.
And it’s a real team, not one decorated coach. In only its second year, AOE placed 3rd Overall Team at the IBJJF Sacramento Open against more than 100 academies from across Northern California. The room trains accordingly — there’s a CJI pit (an inclined wall mat, the only one we know of in the area) for the scrambles and angles you don’t get on flat mats, and a culture set on purpose: discard the ego, train hard, and keep the room clean.
Recover like the people you’re training to beat
The training is half of it. What you do after is the other half.
You won’t find this at a strip-mall mat. Specific things, all on-site:
- Sauna and cold plunge. Train hard, then recover the way competitors actually recover — heat, then cold, then back tomorrow.
- A conditioning room. Build the engine that the rolls demand, without a second gym membership.
- Two mat areas — roughly 1,500 and 600 square feet — so beginners drilling and competitors rolling aren’t stacked on top of each other.
- A CJI pit — an inclined wall mat, the only one we know of in the area — for the wall scrambles and back-takes you can’t train on flat ground.
A member who’d already trained for six years still said it: “AOE has helped me improve so much in just a few days.” The room is built for that.
Adult mat hours
Before work, or after it. The mats are open both.
Adults train No-Gi every weekday at 6:00 AM before work, and every weekday at 6:30 PM after it — with Open Mat Sunday morning and a free Saturday morning class for first responders. Here’s the shape of the week (full grid on the schedule page):
| Day | No-Gi class (15+) |
|---|---|
| Mon–Fri | 6:00–7:30 AM · 6:30–8:30 PM |
| Sat | First Responder class 6:30–8:00 AM (free, no membership) |
| Sun | Open Mat 10:00 AM–12:00 PM |
Visiting Monterey for a conference or stationed at the Naval Postgraduate School? Drop-ins are welcome — one visitor called the 6:00 AM crowd “a great time on the mat.”
Straight answers
The questions everyone asks before their first class.
Do I need any experience to start?
None. Most people who walk in have never trained. You’ll learn one or two techniques your first class and drill them slowly with a partner who knows you’re new — “treated like family from the very first day,” as one member put it. The free week exists so you can try it before deciding anything.
Is there a Gi?
No. AOE is No-Gi only — there’s no Gi class for adults. You train in shorts and a rash guard or t-shirt. No uniform to buy, nothing to wash, nothing to outgrow. It’s the modern, athletic, MMA-relevant side of the sport, and the simplest way to start.
What do I wear and bring to a first class?
Athletic shorts (no zippers or pockets) and a t-shirt or rash guard. Bring water and flip-flops for off the mat. That’s it — there’s no gear or uniform fee to walk in the door for your free week. Come a few minutes early so a coach can show you around.
Will I get hurt or smashed as a beginner?
This is a controlled room, not a fight club. Beginners drill at a slow pace with partners who are looking out for them — members describe “competitive spirit while keeping everyone free from injury.” You set the intensity while you learn, and the coaches keep safety central.
Is BJJ good for self-defense?
Yes — and No-Gi especially, because real situations don’t involve a uniform to grip. You’ll learn to control distance, defend from the ground, and stay calm under pressure. It’s the same skill set first responders train here for, and it’s why our members keep coming back: it works.
How old do I have to be?
This program is for teens and adults, 15 and up. (Younger kids, ages 3–14, train in our separate kids program — see Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.)
How much does it cost?
Start with the free 7-day trial — a full week on the mats, no commitment to start. Once you know you love it, a coach will walk you through membership options in person. We’d rather you feel the room first than read a price tag.
From our members
“The sport lures you in. The people make you want to stay.”
Adults and competitors, in their own words — unedited:
-
“The sport lures you in, but the people make you really want to stay.”
— Brandon M., Monterey -
“No better place for competition-level jiu-jitsu in the area.”
— Sammy G. -
“I recommend this gym to anyone looking to train No-Gi new school jiu jitsu.”
— Robert H., Santa Cruz
Your first week
Stop closing the tab. Go for it.
You don’t need gear. You don’t need experience. You don’t need to be in shape first — that’s what the training is for. You get a full week on the mats, any adult class you’d like to try, and if it isn’t for you, you walk away owing nothing. No uniform to buy for the free week, no commitment to start. As one member said: “Sign up. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.”