Tell us who's training and a coach will text you, usually the same day, to set up your first class.
Seven days of every class: jiu-jitsu, kids, kickboxing and Muay Thai
Loaner gis, so there's nothing to buy first
No experience or fitness level needed
“It's literally the best gym EVER. Such an amazing group of people who just want to help each other build and grow as you continue through your journey. A very down to Earth community, one that you want to be a part of.”
Emilly McKenzie
About Delta Grappling Academy
A jiu-jitsu academy started in 2020 by training partners who refused to stop training, and built since then by the people who walked in.
In 2020, most gyms in Ohio were closed. Jim Krebs and his training partners kept training anyway, with guidance from local black belts through virtual resources, and started planning an academy of their own.
Joe Studer, owner of VO2 Fitness in Newark, saw a jiu-jitsu program as the right addition to the community he had already built. With his partnership, Delta opened its doors to members in June 2020. Brandon Williams, who had met Jim on the mats a year earlier, moved back to Ohio that same year and joined them.
Since then Delta has added a kids program, a black belt head instructor in Greg Schaffer, striking classes with the VO2 Fitness Fight Team, and a free weekly class for veterans and first responders. The building on South 30th Street now holds about 2,500 square feet of mats.
2016
Brandon Williams starts jiu-jitsu in Connecticut while in graduate school.
2017
Jim Krebs starts training jiu-jitsu in central Ohio.
2019
Brandon interns in Ohio and meets Jim on the mats.
2020
Gyms close for the pandemic. Jim and his training partners keep training with guidance from local black belts, and plan an academy.
June 2020
Delta opens to members in Heath, in partnership with Joe Studer of VO2 Fitness. Brandon moves back to Ohio and joins.
2021
A kids program and a women's program get started on Delta's mats.
2023
Greg Schaffer is promoted to black belt by Professor Robin Gieseler of Gracie Ohio.
Today
Delta is part of Gracie Ohio, with a black belt head instructor, kids and adult programs, striking with the VO2 Fitness Fight Team, and a free class for people who serve.
Our lineage
Delta is part of Gracie Ohio and listed as an official academy of the Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Federation. Relson Gracie is known for being demanding with promotions, often taking a decade or more to award a black belt.
Mitsuyo MaedaJudo pioneer who taught in Brazil
Carlos GracieMaeda's student and the first of the Gracie family to teach
Hélio GracieShaped Gracie jiu-jitsu around leverage and timing
Relson GracieHélio's son; head of the Relson Gracie Federation
Robin Gieseler8th-degree coral belt, one of Relson's first ten black belts, head of Gracie Ohio
Greg SchafferBlack belt under Robin, 2023; Delta's head instructor
What you'll notice
Every age trains here, from five-year-olds in the kids class to members in their fifties and beyond.
Visitors from other schools get a real welcome. One from Serra BJJ on Long Island said we made him feel at home.
Self-defense stays part of the curriculum, alongside sport jiu-jitsu for those who want to compete.
People who serve train free on Thursdays, and combat veterans can train here through We Defy.
