Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Since 2013
The room that
built 40 black belts
Coach Josh Mancuso has taught jiu jitsu in Baton Rouge longer than anyone else in the area. Ages 3 to 65 train here, and almost every one of them walked in with no experience at all.
- Black belts produced
- 40+Black belts producedBy Coach Josh since 2007
- 250+ Google reviews
- 4.9★250+ Google reviewsHighest-rated in the parish
- Square feet
- 6,500Square feetTwo full mat areas
- Age range on the mats
- 3–65Age range on the matsEvery class, every night
The coach
Longest-running
jiu jitsu program
in Baton Rouge
Josh Mancuso started teaching in 2007 and opened JM Modern in 2013. In that time he has personally produced more than 40 black belts — a number very few coaches anywhere in the state can put next to their name.
The curriculum is deliberately hybrid: Brazilian jiu jitsu sits at the centre, with folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, judo and Russian sambo feeding into it. The result is a grappler who can take you down, hold you there, escape when it goes wrong, and finish when it goes right.
- Teaching since
- 2007
- Academy founded
- 2013
- Black belts produced
- 40+
What we teach
Six disciplines, one curriculum
- 01
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Gi & No-GiLeverage, technique and timing over size and strength. The core of everything we teach.
- 02
Folkstyle Wrestling
American scholasticThe traditional American style. Control, top position, and the takedown that decides where the fight happens.
- 03
Freestyle Wrestling
Olympic styleExplosive takedowns, throws and turns. Athletic timing and mat awareness.
- 04
Greco-Roman
Upper body onlyNo holds below the waist. Pure hand fighting, pummeling, body locks and high-amplitude throws.
- 05
Judo
Maximum efficiencyDynamic sweeps, trips and throws, chained straight into submissions.
- 06
Russian Sambo
Wrestling meets JudoA rugged, highly effective system built on aggressive takedowns and leg lock entries.
Ages 3 and up
Kids who can
handle themselves
Our kids programme produces two things at once: children who can genuinely defend themselves, and children who never need to. Classes are grouped by age and experience, run at high energy, and built around a structured, supportive room.
For the ones who want to test it, we run a competition track — and our kids come home from IBJJF and American Grappling Federation events with hardware.
Kids jiu jitsu
Two mat areas
Kids and adults never compete for space
Four private showers
Train, clean up, make your next thing
Cold plunge
On-site Ice Barrel for recovery
Pro shop
Gis and gear on the rack tonight
What people say
4.9
★★★★★
Across more than 250 Google reviews — the highest-rated jiu jitsu academy in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Read the reviews
Your first class is free
Nobody walks in knowing
what they are doing
95% of our students started with zero experience. Come watch a class, or get on the mats the same day. No pressure, no sales pitch, no contract to sign.