Welcome to AKA San Antonio
4
Instructors100+
Students3
Awards Won17+
Years ExperienceBrazilian Jiu Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport that emphasizes ground fighting and submission holds to control and defeat an opponent. You'll learn to control and submit opponents in a friendly and challenging environment.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Kids
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Kids teaches children self-defense, discipline, and physical fitness through ground-fighting techniques and submission holds. Kids will build their confidence and develop a solid foundation in BJJ, regardless of their skill level.
Whether you're just starting your fitness journey or looking to enhance your routine, AKA San Antonio provides a supportive and motivating environment.
American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) - San Antonio is a family-friendly martial arts gym. Founded by Bobby Southworth, AKA San Antonio offers students a unique and challenging way to exercise their mind and body.
Originally founded in the Bay Area in 1985 by World Champion Kickboxer Javier Mendez, the focus of AKA has always been to provide quality instruction with an emphasis on fundamentals, technique, and the application of the concepts we strive to teach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out the most frequently asked questions about AKA San Antonio.
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Contact UsWhat is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Popularized by Royce Gracie who dominated throughout UFC 1 and put grappling in the spotlight, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art/combat sport based on the concept of ground fighting, in which opponents attempt to “submit” each other using any one of or a combination of joint locks and chokes. A submission occurs when an opponent is forced to tap to a joint lock or choke, or they are choked unconscious.
Some of the most common submissions in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are the following:
What do different colored belts mean in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
The IBJJF recognizes the following belt colors as ranks in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:
The white belt is the first belt that a beginner receives upon starting Jiu Jitsu. There is no prerequisite for this belt.
The blue belt is the second belt awarded in Jiu Jitsu. At the blue belt level, students gain a wide breadth of technical knowledge and undertake hundreds of hours of mat time to learn how to implement this knowledge efficiently. This is generally when students begin to learn a large number of techniques that they were unable to grasp at the beginner level.
The purple belt is the intermediate level belt in Jiu Jitsu. Generally, purple belts possess a large amount of experience and knowledge in the sport. This is the level in which practitioners can begin to teach lower level jiu jitsu classes.
The brown belt is the last belt before reaching the rank of black belt in Jiu Jitsu. Brown belts are almost experts in the sport of Jiu Jitsu and oftentimes will teach lower jiu jitsu classes.
Black belt is the rank of expert in Jiu Jitsu. Black belts are often referred to as professors or coaches in most academies. Once reaching the rank of Black Belt, practitioners attain additional ranks in the form of “degrees”. According to the IBJJF, the degrees of black belt are the following:
The 1st (First) Degree can be requested after a minimum period of 3 (three) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF.
The 2nd (Second) Degree can be requested after a minimum period of 3 (three) years from the previous graduation or with 6(six) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF.
The 3rd (Third) Degree can be requested after a minimum period of 3 (three) years from the previous graduation or with 9 (nine) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF.
The 4th (Fourth) Degree can be requested after a minimum period of 5 (five) years from the previous graduation or with 14 (fourteen) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF.
The 5th (Fifth) Degree can be requested after a minimum period of 5 (five) years from the previous graduation or with 19 (nineteen) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF.
The 6th (Sixth) Degree can be requested after a minimum period of 5 (five) years from the previous graduation or with 24 (twenty four) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF.
The 7th (Seventh) Degree (Red and Black Belt) can be requested after a minimum period of 7 (seven) years from the previous graduation or with 31 (thirty one) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF.
The 8th (Eighth) Degree (Red and White Belt) can be requested after a minimum period of 7 (seven) years from the previous graduation or with 38 (thirty eight) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF.
The 9th (Ninth) Degree (Red Belt) can be requested after a minimum period of 10 (ten) years from the previous graduation or with 48 (forty eight) years of proven activity in the Black Belt under IBJJF. The red belt is reserved for, according to Renzo and Royler Gracie, “those whose influence and fame takes them to the pinnacle of the art”.
The 10th (Tenth) Degree (Red Belt) was given only to the pioneers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão e Helio
How often should I train as a beginner?
As a beginner, the most important thing is long term sustainability. While it is easy to tell yourself that you can commit to 2 hours a day, 6 days a week when you’re just starting out, it is much more difficult to make that a reality. Factors such as psychological and physical burnout play a large role in whether or not you continue with your training in the long term. For this reason, it is recommended that beginners start slower, to instill good training habits before they start to push their limits. Thus, a good schedule for a beginner would be roughly 1 class a day, 3-4 days a week, for the first 6-12 months.
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