Class Scheduling for BJJ Academies: Complete Guide

Your schedule is your product. A well-designed schedule serves beginners and advanced students, kids and adults, competitors and hobbyists—without burning out your instructors or wasting mat space.

This guide covers everything you need to create a schedule that maximizes attendance, retention, and revenue.

Table of Contents

1. Why Scheduling Matters More Than You Think
2. Anatomy of an Effective Schedule
3. Structuring Classes by Level
4. Special Programs: Kids, Competition, No-Gi
5. Instructor Management
6. Optimizing Mat Occupancy
7. Open Mats and Special Classes
8. Scheduling Software

Why Scheduling Matters More Than You Think

Many academy owners create their schedule once and don’t touch it for years. This is a costly mistake.

The Direct Impact on Your Business

On retention:

A student who can’t find classes compatible with their schedule quits. Not because they don’t like BJJ, but because they can’t train.

Data from academies we’ve analyzed:

• 23% of cancellations cite “schedule incompatibility” as the main reason.
• Academies with early morning classes (6 or 7 AM) retain 15% more students.
• Offering at least one weekend class increases retention.

On revenue:

Every empty time slot is money you’re not making. Every overcrowded class is potential you’re not capturing.

• One additional class during peak hours can generate $500-1,000/month in new memberships.
• Classes with more than 25 students have 20% higher dropout rates (less individual attention).
• The “perfect schedule” can increase your revenue by 20-30% without acquiring a single new student.

On instructors:

A poorly designed schedule burns out your instructors. Classes with no time between them, fragmented schedules, and lack of rest lead to exhaustion.

The Three Key Questions

Before designing or modifying your schedule, try to think about:

1. Who are your students? Office professionals, students, parents, shift workers, law enforcement…
2. What do they want to train? Fundamentals, competition, no-gi, self-defense…
3. When can they train? Mornings, midday, afternoons, evenings, weekends…

The answers determine everything else.

Anatomy of an Effective Schedule

There’s no universal perfect schedule. But there are principles that work for most academies.

Time Slots and Their Profiles

Early morning (6:00-8:00 AM)

• Profile: Professionals before work, parents before taking kids to school.
• Characteristics: High consistency, low turnover, value punctuality.
• Class type: Technique + drilling. Little extended sparring (they have to go to work).
• Typical occupancy: 8-15 people.

Mid-morning (9:00 AM-12:00 PM)

• Profile: Remote workers, freelancers, retirees, stay-at-home parents.
• Characteristics: Smaller but very loyal group.
• Class type: Full technique + sparring.
• Typical occupancy: 5-12 people.

Midday (12:00-2:00 PM)

• Profile: Professionals on lunch break, college students.
• Characteristics: Limited time (60 min max), need to shower and return.
• Class type: Intensive, less warm-up, direct technique.
• Typical occupancy: 8-20 people.

Early afternoon (4:00-6:00 PM)

• Profile: Kids after school, students, workers with flexible hours.
• Characteristics: Transition between programs (kids → adults).
• Class type: Mainly children’s classes.
• Typical occupancy: Variable depending on program.

Evening (6:00-10:00 PM)

• Profile: Majority of adults with office jobs.
• Characteristics: Maximum demand, maximum competition for space.
• Class type: All types—fundamentals, advanced, competition, no-gi.
• Typical occupancy: 15-30+ people.

Weekend

• Profile: Everyone who can’t make it during the week + families.
• Characteristics: More relaxed, better for seminars and events.
• Class type: Open mat, special classes, competition.
• Typical occupancy: Variable.

Standard Class Structure

A typical 60-90 minute class:

Variations by class type:

• Fundamentals class: More time on technique, less or no free sparring.
• Advanced class: Shorter warm-up, more complex techniques, more sparring.
• Competition class: Intense sparring, situationals, physical conditioning.
• Midday class: Everything compressed to 45-60 min.

Structuring Classes by Level

One of the most important decisions: how do you separate (or not) students by level?

Option 1: Mixed Classes (Everyone Together)

All levels train together in the same class.

Advantages:

• Maximum schedule flexibility for everyone.
• Beginners learn from advanced students.
• Easier to schedule (fewer classes needed).
• Builds community across levels.

Disadvantages:

• Difficult to adapt content to everyone.
• Beginners may feel lost.
• Advanced students may get bored with basic techniques.
• Higher injury risk in mixed sparring.

Best for: Small academies (fewer than 40 students) where dividing isn’t viable.

Option 2: Classes Separated by Level

Specific classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced.

Typical structure:

• Fundamentals (0-12 months): Basic positions, escapes, fundamental submissions.
• Intermediate (1-3 years): More complex techniques, developing personal game.
• Advanced (3+ years): Refinement, advanced concepts, competition preparation.

Advantages:

• Content adapted to each level.
• Clearer progression for the student.
• Lower injury risk.
• Better experience for beginners.

Disadvantages:

• Requires more class hours (more instructor cost).
• Less schedule flexibility.
• Can create “silos” between levels.
• Students on the borderline between levels don’t know where to go.

Best for: Medium-large academies (60+ students) with enough volume to fill each level.

Option 3: Hybrid (Our Recommendation)

Separate fundamentals classes + “all levels” classes open to everyone.

Implementation example:

Why it works:

• Beginners have dedicated classes where they don’t get lost.
• Everyone has flexibility with “all levels” classes.
• Advanced students have space to go deeper.
• Competitors have specific training.

Criteria for Separating Levels

When can a student move from fundamentals to all levels?

Option A: By time

• After X months in fundamentals (typical: 6-12 months).
• Simple but arbitrary.

Option B: By belt

• Fundamentals: white belts.
• All levels: blue belts and up.
• Clear but can be slow.

Option C: By evaluation

• The instructor decides when the student is ready.
• More precise but subjective.

Option D: By attendance

• After X fundamentals classes (typical: 50-100 classes).
• Objective and data-based.

Our recommendation: combine belt + minimum attendance. For example: “1 stripe + 50 fundamentals classes.”

Special Programs

Beyond regular adult classes, most academies have specific programs.

Kids Program

The kids program can be 30-50% of an academy’s revenue. It deserves special attention.

Age segmentation:

Typical schedules:

• Weekdays: 5:00-6:00 PM (after school).
• Saturday: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM (classes + games).
• Avoid competing with school activities and popular extracurriculars.

Special considerations:

• Parents decide, not kids. Your marketing should speak to them.
• Flexibility in attendance: kids have many activities.
• Constant communication with parents about progress.
• Family events (graduations) increase retention.

Competition Program

Competitors have different needs: more intensity, more rolls, specific preparation.

Structure options:

Option A: Dedicated classes

• 2-3 weekly classes only for competitors.
• Specific game plan content.
• Intense sparring and situationals.

Option B: Additional training

• Competitors attend regular classes + extra sessions.
• Specific open mats with higher intensity.
• Additional drilling before/after classes.

Option C: Complete program

• Competitors train mainly among themselves.
• Individualized preparation plan.
• Nutrition, weight, and fitness tracking.

Economic consideration: Do you charge extra for the competition program? Many academies do (10-30% additional), justified by additional resources.

No-Gi / Grappling

Increasingly popular thanks to MMA and submission grappling influence.

Integration options:

• Specific days: Tuesdays and Thursdays are no-gi.
• Parallel classes: Gi and no-gi at the same time (requires more space).
• Alternation: Gi weeks, no-gi weeks.
• Add-on: No-gi as a separate program with additional cost.

Considerations:

• Some students only want no-gi (especially those coming from MMA).
• Others only want gi.
• Most benefit from training both.
• No-gi requires less equipment (good for free trials).

Instructor Management

Your instructors are the most important asset after yourself. A schedule that burns them out makes them leave.

Load Distribution

Recommended weekly maximums:

Signs of overload:

• Frequent late arrivals or cancellations.
• Class quality decreases.
• Less energy in classes.
• Student complaints about lack of attention.
• The instructor mentions being tired.

Team Structure

Small academy (1-50 students):

• You teach most classes.
• 1-2 assistants to cover absences.
• Assistants can be advanced purple/brown belts.

Medium academy (50-100 students):

• You + 1-2 hired instructors.
• Division by programs (you adults, another kids).
• Defined backup system.

Large academy (100+ students):

• Technical director (you or senior instructor).
• 2-4 specialized instructors.
• Assistants for each program.
• Schedule coordinator.

Instructor Compensation

Common models:

Per class:

• $20-50 per class (depending on experience and location).
• Simple to calculate.
• Incentivizes teaching more classes (beware of burnout).

Fixed salary:

• Fixed monthly amount for X committed classes.
• More stability for the instructor.
• More predictable for your budget.

Hybrid:

• Fixed base + bonus per additional class.
• Balances stability with flexibility.

Revenue share:

• Percentage of fees from their classes.
• Aligns incentives with growth.
• More complex to administer.

Absence Coverage

Inevitably, there will be absences. Have a plan:

1. Substitute list: Instructors who can cover with little notice.
2. Notice protocol: Minimum advance notice time.
3. Communication: How students are notified of the change.
4. Compensation: How the substitute is paid.

Golden rule: Never cancel a class if you can avoid it. A cancelled class hurts retention more than a class with a substitute.

Optimizing Mat Occupancy

The mat has limited capacity. Optimizing it is key to profitability.

Calculating Capacity

Basic formula:

Capacity = (Square meters of mat) ÷ (Space per student)

Recommended space per student for comfort:

Signs of Capacity Problems

Under-occupancy (demand problem):

• Classes with fewer than 5 people regularly.
• Instructor costs not justified by attendance.
• Feeling of “empty academy.”

Solutions:

• Consolidate schedules (eliminate poorly attended classes).
• Move classes to more popular time slots.
• Specific marketing for those time slots.
• Offer incentives for off-peak hours.

Over-occupancy (capacity problem):

• Classes with waiting lists.
• Students colliding during sparring.
• Complaints about lack of space.
• Injuries from people bumping into each other.

Solutions:

• Add parallel classes at the same time (if there’s space).
• Split into two shifts (7:00 PM and 8:00 PM instead of just 7:30 PM).
• Limit enrollment per class (cap + waiting list).
• Incentivize less popular times with discounts.

Analyzing Attendance Data

If you have a check-in system, you have valuable data:

Metrics to review monthly:

Data-based actions:

• If Monday 7 PM is at 120% and Tuesday 7 PM at 50%, incentivize Tuesday.
• If the 12 PM class has 4 consistent people, maybe worth keeping (high retention).
• If the Saturday class fluctuates a lot, make it bi-weekly instead of weekly.

Open Mats and Special Classes

Beyond the regular schedule, special events add value.

Open Mat

Open mat time for students to train freely.

Formats:

• Pure open mat: No instructor, students do free rolls.
• Guided open mat: Instructor present to supervise and answer questions.
• Themed open mat: Focus on an area (leg locks, passing, submissions).

When to schedule:

• Friday night (end of training week).
• Saturday/Sunday morning (when there are no regular classes).
• After regular classes (for those who want more sparring).

Considerations:

• Included in membership or additional cost?
• Open to visitors from other academies?
• Minimum level to participate? (safety)

Seminars and Workshops

Special events with guest instructors or specific focus.

Types:

• Guest seminar: Renowned instructor visits your academy.
• Technical workshop: Deep dive into a specific area (guards, passing, leg locks).
• Competition seminar: Preparation for specific tournament.
• Instructor workshop: Training for your team.

Logistics:

Recurring Special Classes

Ideas to add variety:

• Women’s class: Safe space for female beginners.
• Masters class (40+): Adapted pace, less impact.
• Drilling session: Only technical repetition, no sparring.
• Sparring only: For those who want more rounds.
• Positional sparring: Work from specific positions.
• Yoga/mobility for BJJ: Recovery complement.

Scheduling Software

Managing schedules manually works up to a point. After that, you need help.

Essential Features

Advanced Features

Software Options

Martial arts specialized software like MatGoat:

• Designed for BJJ/MMA academies.
• Understands concepts like belts, programs, etc.
• Integration with other functions (payments, tracking).

Generic fitness software:

• More options in the market.
• May require adaptations.
• Sometimes cheaper.

DIY solution (Google Calendar + Sheets):

• Free.
• Flexible.
• Doesn’t scale well.
• No advanced features.

Our recommendation: For academies with more than 50 students, specialized software pays for itself in time saved and data obtained.

Implementing Schedule Changes

If You’re Starting from Scratch

Week 1-2: Research

• Survey potential students about preferred schedules.
• Analyze local competition (what schedules do they offer?).
• Define your limitations (space, instructors, your availability).

Week 3: Design

• Create schedule draft based on data.
• Validate instructor availability.
• Define capacities per class.

Week 4: Launch

• Publish schedule on all channels.
• Clearly communicate which class is for whom.
• Prepare to adjust based on actual response.

If You Already Have an Established Schedule

Step 1: Audit current situation

• Which classes are full? Which are empty?
• Where are there student complaints?
• Are your instructors burned out?

Step 2: Identify necessary changes

• Prioritize by impact (more students affected = more important).
• Start with small changes.
• Avoid revolutionizing everything at once.

Step 3: Communicate in advance

• Minimum 2 weeks notice for major changes.
• Explain why the change is happening.
• Offer alternatives to those affected.

Step 4: Monitor results

• Compare attendance before/after.
• Actively collect feedback.
• Adjust if necessary.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Changing schedules without notice

• Undermines trust and student routines.

Adding classes without demonstrated demand

• Instructor cost without ROI.

Eliminating poorly attended classes without analysis

• Those 4 students in the 7 AM class may be very loyal and valuable.

Not considering the student’s perspective

• “It works for me” doesn’t mean it works for them.

Copying another academy’s schedule

• Their students are not your students.

Related Resources

• Instructor Management: Compensation and Development (coming soon)
• How to Launch a Kids BJJ Program (coming soon)
• Capacity Optimization: Case Studies (coming soon)
• Complete Guide to BJJ Academy Management
• Student Tracking Guide
• Payments and Billing Guide

This guide is part of the MatGoat Academy Management Series. For more resources on how to run a successful BJJ academy, explore our other guides.