Linking self-defense to self-development
Our mission is to unleash greatness in everyone through authentic Gracie Jiu Jitsu!
Our goal is to inspire your evolution into being everything that you can be. Unleashing Your Greatness is about your journey to accessing your potential as a human being.
Gracie Jiu Jitsu Athens at American Black Belt Academy was forged from combat necessity and founded on family unity. Our long and rich history has its roots firmly connected to the Gracie family and the tradition of effective self-defense that is synonymous with it.
In 2005, American Black Belt Academy was established in Athens, Georgia. The academy was the first reality-integrated self-defense training center in the northeast Georgia Area. The original academy was a modest 2700 square foot facility with mats, a lobby, and a small ProShop. The dojo featured Kama Bushi Kai karate and Jiu-jitsu. Through the years, the academy has expanded in size, student number, and programs, all while continuing to refine its focus on realistic self-defense.
Bogart, Georgia
In January of 2019, the academy relocated a mile west to its current location at Ben Burton Rd in Bogart, Georgia, to secure a larger space to meet the growing need for training in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. The academy now features a clean, modern 5000 sq ft facility and has gradually become renowned for its world-class presentation of Authentic Gracie Jiu Jitsu for self-defense, with an innovative structured curriculum that is fully integrated with a complete, detailed video library to reinforce the physical practice of Jiu Jitsu with the mental study of the art, providing the most efficient training experience available.
Randy McElwee
Our founder and director, Randy McElwee, has been training with members of the world-famous martial arts first family, the Gracies, since 1998. While in the Army Special Forces, he began his journey in Gracie Jiu Jitsu with Grand Master Helio’s sons, UFC Champion Royce Gracie, and UFC Creator Grand Master Rorion Gracie as his first instructors. He earned his blue belt from Royce Gracie in 2001 and had begun teaching the art of Gracie Jiu Jitsu for his team and others in the 5TH Special Forces Group.
After the unit’s highly successful service in Afghanistan in immediate response to the attacks of 9/11, McElwee received his choice of assignments and came to serve as the senior Instructor at the University of Georgia Military Science Department. He began teaching military combatives at UGA, martial arts in this area and has been sharing Gracie Jiu Jitsu in Athens since 2002.
As a multi-system Black Belt, he continued his training to advance in Authentic Gracie Jiu Jitsu by driving 2 hours each way one to two times per week for 9 years to train in Roswell, Georgia. He earned his Gracie Jiu Jitsu black belt in 2018 from Master Pedro Sauer. His passion for teaching good people great Jiu Jitsu has been demonstrated across the nation and abroad in his seminars and lessons on self-defense, as well as training various law enforcement and military personnel through the years.
With Ryan McElwee
Randy opened American Black Belt Academy to be home with his young son, Ryan, and to remain in the Athens area. Through the years, Ryan has grown up at the academy, training in karate and jiu-jitsu since age 4. During this time, he has had the privilege of learning from many members of the Gracie family, including GM Rorion Gracie, Royce Gracie, Ryron & Rener Gracie, Ralek Gracie, as well as many renowned individuals connected to the family throughout Jiu Jitsu.
To further enhance his journey in the martial arts as an instructor, Ryan has attended the highest level instructor certification courses available in the industry, presented by the most notable instructors throughout the martial arts. This unparalleled developmental education has made Ryan uniquely qualified to assume the responsibilities as the general manager and chief instructor at Gracie Jiu Jitsu Athens.
Ours is teaching people how to defend themselves.
At our academy you are welcomed as family and as part of a team mentality that supports and furthers the development of skills in one another. “No one person is greater than the other on the mat. With this ideology, together we as a group are unstoppable.”