Carlson Gracie Green Valley
Family-Focused Jiu-Jitsu in Henderson
Welcome To Our
BJJ Academy
Welcome to Carlson Gracie Green Valley, a family-operated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Henderson, NV! We have a supportive community that provides a fun, inviting feel every day in class. Students can get started knowing that our highly-experienced instructors will help them toward their personal goals. Whether you sign up your kids to socialize or are looking to build confidence, courage, or self-defense skills, we have it here for you! We also have a strong women’s program that is led by women, as well as homeschool kids BJJ classes. There is something for everyone at Carlson Gracie Green Valley!
Sign up for a FREE week of BJJ classes!
You can start your journey with us on the mats with no charge.
Come join us for a FREE week of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training and see if we are the right fit for you!
Who We Are at
Carlson Gracie-Green Valley
Our School
We meet every day with an enthusiastic attitude ready to help our students. Our mission is to use Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to help students build confidence and find a community they can call home. As well as our training on the mat, we also make sure to offer women’s self-defense seminars, summer camps, and weekend birthday parties!
As students become a part of our training family, they continue to progress steadily as grapplers. This follows our philosophy of using each day to get a little better every day. The small building blocks you gain over time will help you sharpen your skills for competition or self-defense while improving your physical and mental health. Whatever you are working to achieve, we’ll be there to support you every step of the way!
History
The journey for the Garwood family in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu started in 2011. Esther Garwood first rolled onto the mats and the rest is history. The family has trained together consistently and currently holds four black belts, two purple belts, and one blue belt. In 2022, the family decided to bring their training together back to the community of Henderson Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in a safe environment. While the family has continued to earn major podium appearances – including Heidi winning Masters No-Gi in 2025 – the academy has also gone through upgrades. The floor mats have been upgraded through Fuji to create a safer training environment with a decreased risk of injury. As with the mats upgrade, everything done in our academy is about helping students maximize their BJJ experience.
What Sets Us Apart
We strive to provide students with an environment and high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training that can make a big difference in their lives. The level of expertise and care that goes into our academy every day allows students to work hard, have fun, and become the best version of themselves. Training at Carlson Gracie-Green Valley is a special experience! You can see why and what we pride ourselves on below.
We pride ourselves on being a great Henderson Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy for women. Two of our leading professors, co-owner Heidi Garwood and Esther Garwood, are black belts who help with kids and women BJJ training. On top of their expertise, we also have women-only Jiu-Jitsu classes and seminars. Whatever you need, we have it!
There are two different summer camps every summer season in our academy. This provides kids a fun environment to enjoy their time off school. As well as that, parents can sign up their children knowing they are learning while spending time in a safe space.
We don’t look to turn our students from beginners to experts in a short time. We take a progressive approach to training. Every day is an opportunity to build on your skills and develop at your own pace.
Not only are we led by multiple women, we are led by an entire family. Alongside Heidi and Esther Garwood, is Mike Garwood and other members of the family. In total, with four black belts, two purple belts, and a blue belt, they lead the way to help kids, parents, and entire families grow through the art of Jiu-Jitsu.
The level of expertise at Carlson Gracie Green Valley is amongst the best. With 5+ black belt professors at our academy, they have plenty of knowledge and experience to help beginners and the best competitors around.
You can bring in your children for Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu knowing they’ll always receive individualized attention. We always have multiple highly-experienced coaches on the mat ready to help all our students.
Our Academy Schedule!
Check out the training schedule at Carlson Gracie Green Valley. We offer Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes throughout the week with convenient morning, afternoon, and evening sessions for kids, adults, and women of all experience levels.
Words from Our Community
We work to make Carlson Gracie-Green Valley the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Henderson and the Las Vegas area. Students can come in—no matter how much they’ve trained—and find a home right away. The community and high-level instruction make for a wonderful experience. But you don’t need to just take our word for it. You can see what some of our students have said about why we’ve become their home for BJJ training!
“My favorite thing about this gym is that they are a safe space for women! They offer weekly women’s self defense classes. Stop by, you won’t regret it!”
“This is an amazing gym with an incredible community! Great instructors and group of people. Highly recommend this gym to anyone looking to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!”
“Super friendly gym! Dropped in for a few rolls before my competition. Super nice people and gym, great rolls, and great atmosphere!”
“The instructors at this facility are truly exceptional. The 6am classes provide an experience akin to private lessons, offering focused attention and personalized guidance.”
“Instructors are knowledgeable, have experience at a competitive level & have the most incredible patience while teaching the younger generation of bulldogs.”
Contact Us!
We’re proud to offer welcoming, high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training in Henderson and proudly serve students from Las Vegas and Boulder City. Our academy is conveniently located near the intersection of Horizon Ridge Parkway and Arroyo Grande Boulevard. Whether you’re brand new to Jiu-Jitsu or an experienced grappler, we’d love to welcome you to the team.