A structured curriculum
You progress according to your belt level. Fundamentals first, then the wider game, each technique building on the one before it.
Adult Jiu-Jitsu in East Auckland
Get fit, learn to defend yourself and build a skill that keeps giving for decades. Classes run Monday to Thursday evenings with competition training on Saturday mornings, all in the GI, under three black belts. Complete beginners are welcome in every class.
Why Train
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Sorriso BJJ Club Botany
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling art built on leverage and timing, with no punches or kicks. You train with a partner every class, so the hour goes quickly, and what you learn on Monday still works on Thursday. That is why people who struggle to stay in a gym routine stay in jiu-jitsu for years.
Progress you can track
Attendance is recorded and stripes are awarded as you improve, so you always know where you stand and what comes next.
Self-defence that works
Controlling a bigger, stronger person without striking is the heart of jiu-jitsu, and self-defence is part of the curriculum from white belt.
Advanced technique when you're ready
All-levels and specific training classes take you past the basics, with black belts correcting the details that make a move work.
Competition, if you want it
Saturday competition training prepares the members who choose to compete. It is always optional.
A team, not a membership card
You can't train alone. Your partners learn your name in week one and notice when you miss a class.
Three Black Belts. One Standard.
Three black belts lead the coaching at Botany. Between them they founded the Sorriso BJJ academy, lead the national SJJFNZ federation and have stood on top of a world championship podium.
Paulo Oliveira
Black BeltCo-Founder and Head coach at Sorriso BJJ Botany.
Paulo founded Sorriso BJJ in 2006. Since then he has coached thousands of students and promoted dozens of black belts, and he is President of the Sport Jiu-Jitsu Federation New Zealand.
Spiro Kovac
Black BeltCo-Founder and coach at Sorriso BJJ Botany.
Spiro is a 2025 SJJIF Gi Super Heavyweight World Champion, a 2026 SJJIF Gi World double silver medallist and current New Zealand Super Heavyweight Gi Champion.
Bruno Maciel
Black BeltLeads the kids program and teaches adults.
Bruno is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's best kids coaches, and he teaches on the adult mats too. He is also the future manager of the Botany academy.
Start This Week. Pick Your First Class.
Adult classes run at 6pm, with open rolling straight after at 7pm. Come to the class, stay for the rolling, or do both. Kids classes finish before the adults start, so parents can train after their children.
We opened with evenings, when most people can train, so the whole team is on the mat together.
Start Where You Are. Go at Your Own Pace.
Nobody is good at this on day one, including the black belts when they started. You will feel lost at first. Everyone does, and it passes. There is no right way to begin and nobody to keep up with, so here is what you can count on from us.
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Your first class is freeWe lend you a gi, show you around and introduce you to the coach. You go home knowing how to fall, how to tap and one technique you can use straight away.
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There is no wrong class to start inBeginners are welcome in every class. Fundamentals is where most people begin, but the best first class is the one that fits your week.
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Train as often as suits youOnce a week, twice, or every night we are open. Progress comes from turning up over months, so pick a rhythm your life can keep.
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Roll when you feel readyLive rounds have their own class at 7pm. Join it when you want to and choose how hard each round goes. A tap stops everything.
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Competing is always your callSaturday competition training is there if you ever want to test yourself. Many members never do, and they are just as much part of the team.
BJJ Belts and Progress
A belt should say exactly what you can do. The Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (SJJIF) sets a minimum time at every belt before the next promotion, and verifies each promotion with your coach. That keeps the belt meaningful and protects the lineage behind it.
Adults move through five belts: white, blue, purple, brown and black. Each belt carries up to four stripes, awarded as your technique, attendance and attitude improve. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt usually takes around ten years of steady training, which is exactly why it means something.
Everyone starts at white belt, whatever their sporting background. Blue belt is the first big milestone and usually takes around two years of regular training. Each belt after that takes longer, because your coaches are looking for more than a list of techniques. They want to see you use them calmly against partners who are doing their best to stop you.
- White
- Blue
- Purple
- Brown
- Black
One of New Zealand's Top Competition Teams.
Sorriso's record of individual and team championship wins has made it one of the top competition teams in the country. You don't have to compete to train here, but you will train beside people who do, and that lifts the level of every class.
Questions BJJ Beginners Ask Us
Frequently asked questions
Something we haven't covered? Call us, or ask the coach at your trial.
027 667 7661Adult jiu-jitsu for Botany, Dannemora, Flat Bush, Howick, Pakuranga and across East Auckland.
I have never trained before. Where do I start?
Start with a free trial in a Fundamentals class, Monday or Tuesday at 6pm. Fundamentals covers the core positions, escapes and submissions that everything else is built on, and it assumes you know nothing.
Am I too old or too unfit to start?
No. You do not get fit to start jiu-jitsu, you get fit by doing it. You set the pace in your first weeks, and the coach will adjust drills around an old injury if you tell them before class.
Do I need my own gi for the first class?
No. We lend you a gi for your trial. Sports clothes without zips or buttons are fine underneath. Once you join you will need your own gi and belt, and a coach will help you get them.
Will I have to spar in my first class?
No. Live sparring, called rolling, has its own class at 7pm. You join it when you and your coach agree you are ready, and you can always choose a light round.
Is jiu-jitsu safe?
There are no punches or kicks, and every submission stops the moment a partner taps. Like any contact sport it carries some risk, which is why beginners learn how to fall, how to tap and how to look after a training partner first.
Do I have to compete?
No. Competition is optional. Plenty of members train for fitness, self-defence and the people, and never enter a tournament.
How often should I train?
Twice a week is enough to make steady progress. Three times a week is where most people feel it click. Once a week keeps you moving but each class will feel like starting again.
Do you teach no-gi?
Every class at Botany is taught in the gi. The grips slow things down and reward technique, which makes the gi the best place to learn.
From what age can teenagers join the adult classes?
Adult classes are for ages 15 and up. Teenagers aged 13 to 15 train in Lions, our teen group.
How much does it cost?
Your first class is free. Membership options are explained in person after your trial, with no pressure to sign up on the day. You can also call 027 667 7661 and ask.
Jiu-Jitsu vs the Usual Options
A gym membership gives you equipment. A fitness class gives you a workout. Jiu-jitsu gives you a coach, a skill, a team and friends for life.
| What matters | Gym membership | Group fitness class | Jiu-jitsu at Sorriso |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coached every session | Only if you pay extra | Led, rarely corrected | Yes, by black belts |
| You learn a skill | Not really | Not really | One you build on for life |
| Practical self-defence | No | No | Yes |
| A way to measure progress | Weight on the bar | How tired you feel | Stripes and belts |
| People expect you to turn up | Nobody notices | Sometimes | Your training partners do |