Training safely with a partner.

No. You are paired and coached for your current experience, size, condition, and composure. Building movement capacity is part of our job. Nobody is required to perform a movement or train at an intensity for which they are not ready.

No. Training gradually develops coordination, conditioning, mobility, and grappling skill. We may recommend additional exercise when it would help, but you do not need to reach a fitness standard before joining.

Not at all. We teach the basic movements and positional vocabulary from the beginning, at a pace you can absorb. Experienced practitioners are equally welcome.

You receive an orientation to tapping, partner safety, basic movement, and a simple position or game. We give you a task that makes sense even if the current group is halfway through a unit.

No. A sparring block concludes regular BJJ sessions, and live resistance is strongly recommended because it develops your ability to apply techniques against an opponent. Your own participation is not forced before you are prepared; a coach can begin with a constrained, technical game instead.

Yes. For your first visit, choose a session marked “Choose this class” in the timetable. White belts can train in 201; joining mid-unit may mean working on a simpler adjacent task while the established group continues the main material.

We train both gi and no-gi; the timetable identifies each session’s format. A gi is the jacket-and-trousers uniform that permits cloth grips; no-gi uses athletic grappling clothing without the jacket.

Yes: wrestling, positional and submission systems, and leg locks are part of the work. Rotational locks are not normal beginner material. Heel hooks are mostly trained by blue belts and above; a composed white belt may work on them only under supervision and with demonstrated control.

101 establishes practical and conceptual foundations. 201 is deeper unit-based study and remains open to white belts. 301 is an ad-hoc advanced curriculum for established members and is not normally part of the advertised timetable.

Broad themes can run for months, while a focused unit often lasts about a month and occupies two sessions per week. Modules may take one or two sessions. Review, individual study, and shorter explorations run alongside that structure.

Both. Gavran uses conceptual instruction, constraint-led games, ecological exploration, technical demonstration, repetition, positional resistance, and open sparring. We choose the method according to the learning objective.

Regular BJJ sessions end with 15–30 minutes of sparring, sometimes longer. Formats range from exploratory and positional rounds to ordinary 50–70% rounds. Full competition intensity and shark tanks are used occasionally for competition preparation.

Yes. Competition preparation can include tactical work, hard rounds, shark tanks, and sport-specific pressure. It is not imposed on recreational beginners. Visiting practitioners are welcome; message first so we can confirm the session and mat space.

Rob Biernacki is Gavran’s pedagogical mentor; his conceptual framework and BJJ Concepts material substantially inform the curriculum. Formal rank and affiliation run through Professor Đorđe Vasić of Fenix BJJ in Novi Sad.

A tap—physical or verbal—is an immediate stop signal. The partner releases without hesitation. Tapping allows either partner to stop immediately during submission practice.

Grappling is a contact sport and involves a risk of injury. We reduce it through immediate taps, controlled submissions, suitable partners, scalable tasks, progressive intensity, strict hygiene, and removing people who train recklessly or ignore boundaries.

For the trial, bring clean athletic clothing without zips or hard parts and water. You do not need to buy a gi for the first two or three months. A mouthguard is strongly recommended and expected once you continue; a notebook is useful but optional.

Tell the instructor and every partner who needs to know. We can adapt pairings and tasks. If an activity is unsuitable for the injury, the instructor will say so. This is training guidance, not medical diagnosis.

Clean clothing and gi, short fingernails and toenails, no jewellery, and covered cuts. Contagious skin conditions or suspicious lesions do not enter the mats. Strict hygiene is part of being a trustworthy partner.

Not to train, enjoy the club, or reach blue belt. You may train indefinitely without competition. Competition experience is required for promotion beyond blue belt, including purple belt, but it is never imposed on someone who is not pursuing those ranks.

Gavran has an internal curriculum for each rank. Igor follows progress and requires a demonstration of that curriculum before recommending promotion. Professor Đorđe Vasić then conducts or confirms the affiliated assessment and awards the belt, in Novi Sad or during a club visit. Both approvals are required.

The new beginners’ group starting 13 October 2026 includes three free trial classes. Register through the promotion at the top of the homepage. The ordinary two-class trial offer remains available for existing regular sessions; choose a marked session in the timetable. You do not need to buy a gi for your first visit.

Gavran BJJ Academy is at Užička 2, Banja Luka, at the same location as Fenix judo club. Membership is 50 BAM or €30 per month. A drop-in is €5.

Yes. We work with Fenix judo club at the same location, Užička 2. Free supplementary judo training is on Thursdays at 19:00. Judo instruction and judo belt progression are available through this partnership. For your first visit to Gavran, choose one of the four marked BJJ trial sessions.

Yes. Anyone may join our public Discord for club conversation and updates. The server is primarily in Serbian, with English-language channels for visiting students. Instagram, email, and the exact map link are also available in the contact section.