What to Look for in Software When Starting a BJJ Gym

Key Takeaways

• BJJ gyms need tools made for martial arts
• The right software saves time with features like automated payments and attendance tracking.
• Avoid bloated tools that include CRM and marketing automation you won’t use early on.

Introduction

Opening a BJJ gym is an exciting challenge, but it also comes with a steep learning curve when it comes to running the business side of things.

One of the most important steps in opening a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy is choosing a reliable gym management software.

And while the market is full of options, most are built for fitness studios and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or MMA.

This article outlines what to prioritize, and what to avoid, when picking your first software solution.

Must-Have Features for Starting a BJJ Gym

1. Core Features That Actually Help

At minimum, your software should include:

• Automated recurring payments with card and bank options: New gym owners often don’t have time to manually chase payments. Automation ensures cash flow and reduces awkward conversations and reliable payment systems give your gym financial stability from day one.

• Basic Attendance tracking through app check-ins: Helps you see which students are consistently training and who’s at risk of dropping out. Essential for managing class capacity and knowing when to follow up with new members.

• A mobile app for students to manage their bookings, memberships, and payments: Lets students take control of their own training schedule, reducing your admin work and offers a professional experience that sets your gym apart from the start.

The basics should be simple and effective. MAAT offers automated billing, attendance tracking, and a mobile app: everything a new BJJ gym owner needs to keep admin light and cash flow consistent.

"To be able to mark attendance, to record stripes, to know where your team are, ‍see their progression, all in the app is an amazing functionality"

says David from Sakura Grappling

👉 Read about Sakura Grappling, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym in UK, here!

2. Martial Arts-Specific Tools

A BJJ academy isn’t a fitness gym or a yoga studio. You need tools that understand your sport:

• Belt and stripe tracking to monitor student progress and promote retention: Helps new owners stay on top of promotions without relying on memory or paper/excel notes and shows students their progress visually, increasing motivation and loyalty.
• Sport Specific Attendance Tracking to know when students are eligible for promotions.

• Engagement tools like leaderboards or gamified progress journeys. Creates buzz and community by letting students see how they rank and are especially helpful for new gyms trying to build a tribe and keep members excited.

MAAT is built specifically for BJJ and MMA. Belt and stripe tracking, promotion eligibility, and engagement tools like the student leaderboard are all baked into the platform. These features not only help structure training but also increase student motivation and retention, key for growing a new academy.

👉 Read here How MAAT’s Leaderboard Keeps BJJ Students Coming Back

3. Scalable Pricing

As your gym grows, your software should grow with you, without punishing you for success.

Look for:

• Transparent pricing tiers based on size without hiddent features: New gyms operate on tight budgets, surprise fees can derail your finances.

• The ability to pass transaction fees to students (a very common approach in BJJ gyms): Keeps your margins healthy without having to raise membership fees.

• No mandatory upgrades to unlock essential tools: You shouldn’t have to pay extra just to use features you assumed were included.

With MAAT, pricing is transparent: €59/month, and you can pass on transaction fees to students. No surprise charges or upgrade traps, just fair, scalable pricing from day one.

👉 Click here to see how MAAT pricing works!

What New Gyms Should Avoid in a Software

Starting out, it’s tempting to choose a system that offers everything, including CRM tools, email automations, funnels, and lead scoring but here's the truth: you don't need any of it.

Complex CRM systems, sales pipelines, and drip email sequences are built for high-churn fitness gyms, not community-driven BJJ gyms. For a new academies, they:

• Create confusion and clutter your workflow: As a solo owner or small team, you don’t need sales pipelines, you need simplicity.

• Drive up your monthly cost; These extra features usually come in higher-tier plans, wasting budget early on.

• Distract you from what matters: teaching classes and building your tribe. Time spent setting up automations is time not spent on the mats or with your students.

Other unnecessary features for BJJ gyms include:

• Email campaign builders: better suited for gyms with high churn and constant promotions.
• Nutrition or workout tracking: irrelevant for most BJJ schools.
• Retail POS systems: unnecessary unless you’re running a large pro shop.

MAAT avoids the complexity of traditional fitness CRMs. Instead of overwhelming new owners with pipelines and automations, it focuses on what matters: running classes, tracking students, and managing memberships. MAAT stays lean by not including what BJJ and MMA gyms don’t need.

👉Check this article to see why a BJJ gym doesn’t need a CRM

Red Flags to Watch For

When evaluating software for your new gym, keep an eye out for these common traps:

• “Custom quote” pricing that hides real costs or locks you into upsells: if you can’t find pricing on their website, you may be in for a surprise when your trial ends. Lack of transparency is usually a red flag for future support and billing practices.

• Long-term contracts or expensive onboarding/setup fees: you’re just starting, committing to 12+ months or paying hundreds upfront is risky. Flexibility is crucial while you find your footing.

• Features you’ll never use (like nutrition plans, personal training modules, or equipment logs): these can make the software feel cluttered and harder to learn and often they inflate the price for no real benefit to your academy.

• Overly complicated interfaces that require training just to check someone in: simplicity is key when you're wearing multiple hats. If it takes too long to do basic tasks, you'll stop using it or worse, students will notice the friction.

• Apps with poor ratings or no recent updates, signs of a stagnant product: outdated systems lead to bugs and poor experiences. Look for actively maintained platforms with modern UX and mobile-first design.

Choosing the wrong tool early on can create more admin work and cost you more in the long run.

MAAT stands out by avoiding all of these pitfalls: it’s transparent (€59/month + transaction fees), contract-free, simple to use, and updated regularly with feedback from actual BJJ gym owners.

"I like that I can write to the MAAT team suggesting a feature I’d find useful,
and they value my input by working to add it in the future"

says Otto from Willi Jiu Jitsu

👉 Read about Willi Jiu Jitsu, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym in Finland, here!

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right gym management software is one of the most important early decisions for a new BJJ gym. Look for something that:

• Works out of the box for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA
• Lets you focus on coaching, not admin.
• Scales with your academy.

If your software adds complexity instead of removing it, it’s not the right fit, especially when you’re just starting.

Want to start strong with the right tools? Book a Free Demo with MAAT and see how it’s built from the ground up for BJJ and MMA gyms.

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