BJJ - Southside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gold Coast

Fantastic experience: Best team on the Gold Coast

Fantastic experience: Excellent quality BJJ in a fantastic, family-friendly environment. Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: The coaches are amazing !!

Fantastic experience: Really fun and teaches amazing self defence skills

Fantastic experience: The best club in Australia! Southside has become like a second family to my three children (8yo, 5yo, 4yo). I love the way it teaches discipline and respect but also the self confidence it has given my kids. Thank you team Southside!

Fantastic experience: Love this place! Best gym in the coast! VC is a legend of the sport!

Fantastic experience: Awesome gym with great teachers and an authentic culture

Fantastic experience: Amazing place a great community and the trainers are pretty funny

Fantastic experience: There truly is no better place in Queensland to train Jiu Jitsu. If you're considering joining, don’t hesitate, this is a community that will change your life for the better! Southside BJJ is nothing short of extraordinary. From the moment you step onto the mats, you feel the welcoming atmosphere created by an incredible community and coaches.

Fantastic experience: Great place with even better people Classes and skills here are top level

Fantastic experience: Great gym with great jiu jitsu and the environment is the best there is

Fantastic experience: The best gym to train at. The number 1 gym on the Gold Coast and the best family environment. I would not want to train anywhere else

Fantastic experience: Cannot beat the culture of Southside, great coaches and lots of classes to choose from.

Positive experience: My kids both enjoy coming here. It has feels as a big family, they all take care of each other. They learn discipline, patience, get strong, partnerships and much more. It’s a great sport and good skills to know!

Fantastic experience: Instructors are highly helpful with all levels of the sport. Ideal for the younger generation. Both kids, boy 11 and girl 14, have been so happy since the moment they walked in. Such a supportive environment for them.

Fantastic experience: My 5 year old daughter trains here and we’re very happy and impressed with the kids program. Our daughter has learnt and progressed a lot since joining Southside, and she loves it.

Fantastic experience: From the moment I stepped into Southside, I was made very welcomed. Everyone is very respectful and friendly. All the coaches are amazing and super helpful. I’ve learnt so much in the past couple of months. Definitely my second home now. Thanks Southside for an amazing experience so far.

Fantastic experience: I’ve been training at this gym for the past 5 weeks, and I couldn’t be happier with my experience. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced, they cater to everyone—including those interested in no-gi and wrestling jiu jitsu. The community is incredible—both the staff and gym members are all very welcoming, friendly, and incredibly kind. The atmosphere is always positive, motivational, and super encouraging. I’m especially grateful for my two amazing coaches, Jacob and Thiago, in the beginner classes. They explain everything in great detail and are always happy to answer questions and clarify techniques. Starting a new sport as an adult can be daunting, but the culture here never made me feel embarrassed or out of place. Everyone is supportive, and the more experienced members are always willing to help beginners. My personal goal is to keep showing up and learning as much as I can, and I’m excited to see how I progress. Here’s to week 6 and beyond! Highly recommend for everyone especially beginner, you have one week free trial. I bet once you step on that mat, you won't look back.

Fantastic experience: Best gym on the Gold Coast! Catered for everything I need and absolutely amazing community

Fantastic experience: I've been training here 7 years and it's like my second home. Southside isn't just a gym, it's a family! If you want self defence or comp training, Southside is the perfect place for you.

Fantastic experience: It was awesome

Fantastic experience: My daughters 12 and 14 years old have been training here for over 2 years. Absolutely fantastic. Super club, great community. Great owners. My daughters have improved so much and they enjoy going to train

Fantastic experience: Best jiujtsu gym on the gold coast for kids and adults

Fantastic experience: The people make this gym! The amazing coaches, the incredible management and of course the best training partners! The best BJJ gym not just in GC, but Australia!!

Fantastic experience: Right from the very first trial session, my 12 yr old daughter loved coming to Southside BJJ! Sarah was so welcoming and put her at ease straight away. And VC and the coaching team create the perfect mix of skills, experience, learning, friendly competition, support and fun. Such a great community!

Fantastic experience: We joined Southside 3 months ago and absolutely love it. The atmosphere, coaches and training partners make the gym a very special place.

Fantastic experience: After a rough start to the year where my daughter fell from the horse fracturing her pelvis, she lost all her confidence and went into a shell. We randomly decided to give Jiu Jitsu a try in September and as parents we wish she had been doing this sport now for many years. Her younger brother followed suit and is also training PLUS loving it! VC and Sarah have been so welcoming and helpful. With the guidance of the coaches on the mats - Justin, Aaron, Rodney, many more, the friendly atmosphere from the other kids and their parents it has done our family a world of good. We highly recommend BJJ Southside Ormeau to friends, family and in conversation with anyone.

Fantastic experience: Incredibly supportive and friendly environment with amazing coaches, highly recommend :)

Fantastic experience: Great place, great people!

Fantastic experience: I came to the Gold Coast for work looking for somewhere to continue training. This gym is absolutely fantastic, Sarah and VC are both genuine, and have set a super friendly vibe for the whole gym, which is reflected by all the members. No egos on the mat, everyone is very welcoming. The training/coaching is high level. Thanks for having me.

Fantastic experience: Great gym, great coaches and friendly welcoming environment. Best place to develop ur BJJ skills and game

Fantastic experience: The coaches are incredibly skilled and passionate, creating an engaging and supportive learning environment. The gym is well-equipped and clean, ensuring a comfortable training experience. What truly stands out is the sense of community here. It's more than just training; it's about being part of a family that encourages and uplifts each other. The focus on discipline, respect, and personal growth adds great value beyond physical training. In short, Southside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gold Coast is an excellent choice for anyone looking to learn and grow in BJJ in a positive and welcoming atmosphere."

Fantastic experience: Great space great team.

Fantastic experience: Our 4.5 year old daughter has been attending Southside now for about 7 weeks and at first she was so super nervous, but the instructors have been nothing short of amazing and encouraging. We have seen her confidence soar and this really comes down to the instructors and all her other peers too. She loves it! Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Southside BJJ is an awesome gym. Sarah and Vicente have created a huge space, accompanied with an incredibly huge vibe being so supportive and accepting to all ages, shapes and sizes looking to learn this amazing art. The people here are fantastic.  They will humble you, and at the same time encourage you as we all make our our journey with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Fantastic experience: A very professional and high level bjj gym. A huge range of classes that include early morning, midday and night time to suit anyone and everyone. Good vibes on the mats always and high level rolling to sharpen your game.

Fantastic experience: I started training with Southside Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in September and absolutely love it. I was the nervous over weight new guy and from day one i was treated like part of the team. Full credit to VC and Sarah on an amazing facility they have. I would totally recommend Southside BJJ to anyone thinking of starting Jiu Jitsu.

Fantastic experience: Southside is my second family. I am grateful for the knowledgeable teachers, and my new friends. I couldn't imagine a better jiujitsu gym

Fantastic experience: We have loved the Southside community, very welcoming for new comers, I’d highly recommend Southside to anyone. Vince & Sarah have been great!

Fantastic experience: Nice environment !!! Very good classes. Could not ask for a better place to training.

Fantastic experience: Great facilities, fantastic coaches and perfect size classes with a friendly vibe. Would highly recommend for any level of training.

Fantastic experience: Southside is like a big family! Not only you feel that your children are supported and taken care of at all times but they are also encouraged and loved! The are profesional and friendly!

Fantastic experience: Sarah and VC are super welcoming and maintain positive vibes throughout the gym. The quality of training is amazing - I joined as a purple belt having previously trained in Sydney and London prior to that. I wanted to be part of a club where I could continue to grow, learn new techniques every class and be constantly challenged. Southside BJJ is definitely the club for that. They also offer plenty of different class times to cater for everyone - including no gi and wrestling classes (which I love)! Highly recommend for all skill levels - from beginner to advance.

Fantastic experience: I came for a trial class on Monday, from the moment I walked in to Southside BJJ I was welcomed by friendly staff. Everyone in the class was super nice and friendly. I have now signed up and looking forward to the journey ahead with this high level team!

Fantastic experience: Such great community and leadership!

Fantastic experience: A black belt friend of mine back home recommended training at Southside due to the exceptional teaching skills and worldwide recognition of Professor Vicente Cavalcanti, who is both a remarkable instructor and a world renowned athlete. From the moment I set foot inside the academy, I was truly impressed by the level of technique and intensity displayed by the crew. I was immediately hooked! The community at Southside is not only extensive but also incredibly welcoming, surpassing my expectations of forming any genuine friendships within a BJJ academy. Our members truly embody the spirit of a close-knit family.

Fantastic experience: Great atmosphere and amazing coaches

Fantastic experience: I’ve been looking forward to training at Southside ever since we decided to move to Gold Coast. It has not disappointed! It’s a fantastic and welcoming culture; everyone greets you when you walk in and makes you feel included and a part of the family. I couldn’t recommend it more highly. I’m honoured to be training here.

Fantastic experience: Great staff with Excellent knowledge. Great with the kids. would strongly recommend to anyone.

Fantastic experience: Wonderful coach and inviting people. They kindly opened their doors and shared their mat space with our judo club visiting from WA for judo nationals. Just wanted to say how appreciated they are!

Fantastic experience: I was looking for a nice gym to start practicing BJJ and found Southside, they are super friendly and they have a very welcoming environment. Everyone is being super nice and patient with me, the coaches are very talented and they have a lot of experience to share. I highly recommend Southside.

Fantastic experience: I’ve just moved to the Gold Coast and was recommended Southside by a number of people. VC and the crew have an incredible culture and without a doubt make you feel welcome from the second you walk through the door. I’m fairly confident this jiu jitsu gym doubles as a Portuguese language school too…

Fantastic experience: The best Bjj academy on the coast. Great environment, World class jiu-jitsu coaches. The best in the game without a doubt.

Fantastic experience: Incredible family and friendly environment! The coaches will make sure you feel included and welcome!

Fantastic experience: Really good gym, all the coaches are encouraging and super nice, have learnt so much from them :)

Fantastic experience: Both my kids are thriving under the guidance of this amazing team. The high level talent is second only to the experience and passion of the coaches. Strongly recommend

Fantastic experience: Amazing team, high standard of training, very happy, thank you guys!

Fantastic experience: Amazing family orientated Jiu-jitsu. My kids love it here! All the coaches are very knowledgeable and make sure everybody has a great time

Fantastic experience: Amazing training facility, our daughter absolutely loves it at Southside. All the trainers are very professional and extremely accommodating to everyone. Highly recommend

Fantastic experience: Our Son (7) and Daughter (9) both do Jiu Jitsu at Southside in Burleigh. They absolutely love it! The coaches are amazing with the kids and their confidence has soared!

Fantastic experience: Since starting my son here we have felt nothing but warmth and welcome. He has improved so much already and absolutely loves coming to classes. Can not recommend this place more if you’re wanting to feel part of something bigger. Thanks guys

Fantastic experience: Amazing culture. I took 8 years off and was nervous about going back to train. Everyone was very welcoming and kind. The level of students and coaches there is extremely high.

Fantastic experience: Since the first day I walked in to Southside I was welcomed in to the team. The training and coaching is world class and the community of members are super supportive and willing to help each other, now having spent some time there its easy to see why they are so successful in the competition side of Jiu Jitsu. VC and Sarah are two awesome people and im grateful to now be a part of such an awesome gym

Fantastic experience: World-class coaches, great energy and atmosphere. Everyone is super supportive and helpful and eager to learn and better themselves and others around them. Really happy to choose Southside to start my BJJ journey with. 10/10

Fantastic experience: Best gym, great environment. VC and Sarah run an amazing facility with world class coaching and all round great people.

Fantastic experience: Best Bjj Team ever !!!

Fantastic experience: Next level BJJ gym. The crew is great and the vibes are awesome.

Fantastic experience: Amazing gym with amazing people, friendly vibe and great coaches.

Fantastic experience: Amazing! Training with your kind and supportive coaches has helped me, my husband and our children gain new skills, confidence and new friends. Great family environment, thank you

Fantastic experience: I can't recommend enough Southside bjj. If you are a high-level competitor, that's the gym for you. If you are a white belt or want to learn jiu-jitsu, that's the academy for you. Oss

Fantastic experience: My two daughters have been training in South side for a few months. They have improved so much more and they enjoy training. Professors are great. Great team, great people. Great place to train. If anyone wants their kids or themselves to train I reckon Southside is a great place. Thank you

Fantastic experience: Best BJJ academy on the coast. Flexible hours, lots of graduated blokes and good environment.

Fantastic experience: Southside is great for anyone who wants the true BJJ experience in a family environment. Responsible instructors and a large selection of some of the best jiu-jitsu players in Australia will help you progress your game from wherever it is now to all the way up to winning championships, if that's your goal. Come visit us at one of our Friday open mats. Oss.

Fantastic experience: My favourite place to train on the Gold Coast. Best mats in town :)

Fantastic experience: Excellent Gym to train at. Coach Vicente (VC) has built an amazing culture. They are some really tough competitors, *and* I have found them humble, warm, and respectful of everyone regardless or size or experience. The coaches are really good at ensuring you learn the technique of the day properly. Safety during training and sparring is emphasised, especially at the beginner level. Nonetheless when drilling or rolling expect to be pushed past your comfort zone. They have have lots of class times and varieties such as beginner, intermediate, advanced, mixed level, womens only, kids, Gi (traditional Jacket and pants) and no-Gi (rash guard and shorts) classes.

Fantastic experience: Southside BJJ is an amazing place to train! The coaches are all super high level and so passionate about the sport. Highly reccomend, if you are looking for a great place to train in the Gold Coast.

Fantastic experience: Our kids just love it!! Still so enthusiastic after more than 2 years. The staff are wonderful with the kids.

Fantastic experience: Walked in as a female white belt and after my first class I signed up for a whole year I’ve learned a lot and made new friends. High-level gym, easy to train hard!

Fantastic experience: Amazing coaches and great people to train with. No better place to train BJJ on Gold Coast

Fantastic experience: I've got my two kids there and they love it. Awesome teachers, great facilities, definitively the place to go!

Fantastic experience: My son and I went to sothside bjj during covid. I'd have to say it's the most professional outfit on the Gold coast. Having 4 kids to one teacher is the perfect environment for instruction and safety

Fantastic experience: UPDATED: Nov/23 Southside is a great place to train. There is a supportive culture with friendly people and instructors. Southside new gym has two mats: a large mat for GI and NOGI classes and another smaller mat upstairs. ==> Fundamental and beginners classes As far as I can see, they learn the basic warm-ups, hip escape, technical stand up, submission escape, the main BJJ positions such as mount, side-control, etc. I've seen they doing positional rounds and no much free sparring for fundamental. ==> Advanced classes & class structure Usually, the classes start with a light warm up or a warm-up relevant to BJJ. Sometimes we warm up doing the positions. Most classes have a technique and specific training (my favorite way to learn) where you can apply the techniques in real-time with live resistance. We also have several sparring rounds to finishe the class. I haven't seen any non-sense warm-ups or irrelevant to BJJ. We spend time doing relevant techniques. You'll be doing BJJ the whole time you are on the mats. The head coache Vicente C constantly competes at high level. He leads by example. There are always enough people to train really hard if you like. If you just want to take it easy, it's not a problem at all. We've got so many different people on the mats. ==> NOGI/Grappling I am a big fan of NOGI. Yes, we train grappling at Southside. Going straight to the point, we train and use heel hooks, kneebars, toe holds at training. We obviously apply heel hooks carefully and on people we already know. The main NOGI classes are Mondays and Wednesdays evening. There is a NOGI open mat on Fridays evening. I can see the NOGI appetize increasing at Southside. I'd like to make clear: the classes are NOT focused on leglocks. You'll learn the traditional BJJ for NOGI, pass and retain guard, etc. You can apply all leglocks during sparring according to the etiquette I mentioned above. Overtime, you'll know who likes to explore leglocks. I understand some people don't like heel hooks. That's also fine. ==> Wrestling Southside introduced wrestling classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is great! ==> Hygiene & facilities The mats are cleaned-up daily. The bathroom/toilets are reasonable clean too. There is a great shower! There is lots of space to watch thr training or just hang out and have a chat with people. ==> Final words Plenty of space to park near the gym at evening. It can get busy to park around lunch time. Make sure you arrive early. The gym is open to anyone. I constantly see high level ranks from other gyms training on Tue/Thru evenings, specially near big competitions. This proves the gym is receptive and open to everyone, visitors and people trying to improve their BJJ or just cross train with different people. I often see about 10-12 blackbelts on Tue/Thru evenings GI, plus another 10-15 brown belts as well. There are always plenty of people to smash me. They have membership contracts. It's not something usual these days in Melbourne but in GC seems like gyms still do that. The best deal is to do a year contract. I am not sure about the deal for short-term travellers. Give them a call to find out more. I've been training at Southside for about 18 months. From what I've seen and heard from several people (even when I was still in Melbourne), Southside is the best BJJ in GC/QLD and probably Australia. I agree and highly recommend it!

Fantastic experience: It’s not easy walking into a BJJ gym for the first time, but what I found at Southside was a bunch of friendly and welcoming crew who are super professional and high skilled and willing to share their knowledge with a newbie like me. Stoked I walked into the right place!

Fantastic experience: First visit everyone was so friend and welcoming! Also the standard Jiu Jitsu was high.

Fantastic experience: awesome!

Fantastic experience: It's definitely a great place! I love the atmosphere, every teacher is super caring!

Fantastic experience: Fun af

Fantastic experience: The undisputed best place to train BJJ on the Gold Coast. Professional and caring coaches, huge mat space and a great relaxed vibe. Also, you don't pay for gradings here which is a great sign of respect towards students.

Fantastic experience: so good , experienced coaches , wonderful facility

Fantastic experience: Having trained at several jujitsu gyms around the world I can confidently say that the knowledge and technique provided by the trainers are second to none. Such a great family environment and definitely a go to if your looking to better yourself in all aspects of life. Ouuussss!!

Fantastic experience: Good vibes, good people.

Fantastic experience: i love this gym!!!!! best place ever

Fantastic experience: Awesome BJJ school. My son has been going here for more than 2 years and has learnt so much. The coaches are fantastic and extremely patient. It is like a big family with a great culture. Self discipline and fun mixed together.

Fantastic experience: Our 7 year old son Jordy has been attending for two months now and absolutely loves it. The coaches are so friendly, helpful and have such a great rapport with the kids. Our son has grown in confidence in his body and mind so much already. Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Great coaches and facility

Fantastic experience: Great vibes with world star coaches, look no further!

Fantastic experience: Great gym & atmosphere. Very high level training partners and a range of different classes for all levels

Fantastic experience: They have really high level of bjj definitely recommend if want to improve your skills or just to start on bjj :)

Fantastic experience: Amazing facilities, friendly & knowledgeable staff, strong community vibes! Feels like home! I can't recommend highly enough!

Fantastic experience: Amazing atmosphere! Great group of people and high quality jiu-jitsu