Berwyn Heights BJJ Offers Instruction That Might Just Save Your Life

Jiu-jitsu is a grappling art. Over nearly a century of its development, from Brazil to the world’s stage, the sport has narrowed in its focus as a clean, effective means of self-defense and self-discipline. Practically speaking, jiu-jitsu is based on the idea that a bigger opponent can be handled with skill over strength.

It’s nestled in downtown College Park, on the ground floor of an office building tucked right off of Baltimore Avenue. A red-and-yellow neon sign, reading “Gracie Jiu Jitsu Self Defense,” shines bright above two other placards telling passerby the business is open and that a security camera is recording them. It’s not as shady as it sounds, though — in fact, the lessons learned there might just save your life.

On its website, Berwyn Heights BJJ, a local jiu-jitsu training gym, says it offers instruction in self-defense and combatives. It even has specific classes for children and women. The gym’s owner, Joe Lilly, has been teaching classes there for about three years.

“I started [Berwyn Heights BJJ] because it makes a real positive and permanent change in people’s lives when they train martial arts in a good school,” Lilly wrote in an email. “Those schools are hard to find, and there aren’t nearly enough of them out there in the martial arts community.”

The idea of opening his business, Lilly wrote, came from the time he spent teaching his kids. Those sessions turned into neighborhood classes, though, which motivated him to “do it formally.” He opened his gym in 2016.

Lilly has been practicing jiu-jitsu for much longer, he wrote — since 2002, in fact, when he was in college. Lilly has prior experience in wrestling, boxing and karate. Now, he said, he’s most proud of his students’ loyalty, dedication and accomplishments. His greatest challenge, though, is getting them in the door.

“Our biggest competitor,” Lilly wrote, “is people’s initial fear of walking into a martial arts school for the first time.”

According to its website, Berwyn Heights BJJ is founded on the belief that everyone, regardless of age, gender or ability, can take something away from learning jiu-jitsu.

“We are an ‘every mans’ BJJ school that focuses on a clean school, high quality instruction, and fantastic beginner programs,” Lilly wrote.

This instruction is delivered by three instructors, including himself. Rob Defibaugh and Vivian Cooper help teach classes, the bulk of which take place on weekday nights. These classes range from “Master Cycle,” which offers ongoing instruction to high-level jiu-jitsu practitioners, to “Little Champs,” meant for children aged 5 to 7 years old.

It’s all united under the Gracie University program. The Gracie family, whose descendants have built a business around their family name, is credited with developing and promoting Brazilian jiu-jitsu. All three instructors at Berwyn Heights BJJ are certified by the foundation, which offers independent schools the chance to attach their brand to a widely recognized name in the sport.

It’s an international program brought to a small city. Though he declined to share financial information, Lilly wrote that membership has grown by 50% to 60% in the past year. Every type of person, from kids and police officers to university students and NASA engineers, has come through his doors.

Lilly said his philosophy as a business owner is similar to his approach to learning jiu-jitsu. The sport is all about making connections, he wrote, and is very detail-oriented. Doing the right thing at the right time, without any wasted energy, is a good practice in both arenas.

As an owner and instructor, Lilly said he seeks to “give people the self-defense training they came in for, in a clean professional facility, friendly cooperative atmosphere, and make the quality of instruction amazing.”

However, there are some who disagree on his methods of instruction.

A divisive issue among jiu-jitsu schools is a method known as “rolling.” It’s a sparring period, usually between two and five minutes, that simulates a real-world scenario in which partners fight to submission.

Joshua Peters, the owner and head instructor of College Park Mixed Martial Arts, is under the impression that Lilly’s gym doesn’t allow students to roll. That’s a problem, he said.

“Different gyms have different cultures,” he said. “One of the unifying aspects of a jiu-jitsu gym — whether it’s competitive, for fighting or learning ‘self-defense’ — is rolling.”

Peters has been involved in martial arts since 1989, he said, and thinks live sparring is an integral part across every discipline. It’s in the name, after all — martial means “war.” He has a first-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and a black belt in Vietnamese kung fu.

“Rolling is one of the things that makes jiu-jitsu, jiu-jitsu, to me,” Peters said.

When asked for comment, Lilly said this wasn’t completely true. Beginner students aren’t allowed to roll for the first eight to 12 months of training, which is meant to reduce injury and attrition rates. It’s a common practice among Gracie gyms, he said.

Lilly said he’s worked with people who have stopped training due to injuries sustained at the hands of bigger, stronger and less experienced rolling partners. A tweaked neck or twisted fingers, he said, can easily turn people away from the sport.

“For us, no sparring at the initial white belt level until we’ve established solid, safe technique and developed quality training habits,” Lilly wrote in an email.

One of Lilly’s students — who asked that only his first name, David, be mentioned — has been coming to Berwyn Heights BJJ since March of this year. He said he enjoys the school’s positive environment and its methodical, technical approach to training.

“It’s much different than anything I’ve taken before,” David said. “It’s a new learning experience for me.”

University of Maryland students can get a taste of the sport through the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club, which meets three evenings per week in the School of Public Health. The club offers similar instruction and caps off every practice with an hour of sparring.