He Wanted to Teach Jiu-Jitsu, But the Cards Kept Getting in the Way.
A Brazilian Champion Who Found His Real Work Teaching Kids
Fred Silva is a 2nd-degree black belt, Brazilian national champion, and #1 IBJJF-ranked brown belt who came to the United States in 2015 to join his cousin Lucas Lepri at Alliance Charlotte. Three years ago he opened the Fort Mill location — and discovered that teaching kids ages 3 to 13 was what he was built for.
His teaching philosophy comes from his own story. Jiu-jitsu found him at 16 as a troubled teenager in Brasília and redirected his life. Now he passes that forward — building confidence and self-esteem in kids before worrying about stripes or grades.
Physical Cards, Ten Tabs, and a System That Demanded Daily Attention
Before Gymdesk, attendance ran on physical cards. Every day: collect the cards, mark them, give them back, then manually enter the data into the system. Students had no way to check their own progress. The front desk was managing leads, follow-ups, and communications across ten separate tabs.
The system wasn't broken — it was just taking more than it gave. And for an academy built on keeping instructors present with students, that cost mattered.
“Before we used to have 10 different pages and tabs open whereas now everything is into one and I don’t have to be looking around.”
One System. No Cards. No Tabs.
Fred’s words on switching: the transition can feel daunting when you’re already used to how things work. But the move was smooth, the data transferred cleanly, and the day-to-day got measurably easier. Students check in on the iPad at the door, track their own progress in the app, and book private lessons without going through the front desk. Maria runs leads and follow-ups from one place. The cards are gone.
The Operational Shift
Without the Right Tools
- Physical cards collected, marked, and re-entered daily
- Students had no visibility into their own progress
- Leads, follow-ups, and communications across 10+ tabs
- Booking private lessons went through the front desk
- Promotion timing easy to miss
With Gymdesk
- iPad check-in at the door — students log themselves in
- Students track stripes and promotions in the app
- Everything in one place — no tab switching
- Students schedule privates directly through the app
- Stripe milestones visible to instructors and students in real time
More Than Just Jiu-Jitsu
Fred splits his classes by age and attention span, not belt level. He’s patient with the ones who need more time, firm with the ones who need structure, and careful never to shame a child in front of the group — because he remembers what that felt like.
When parents come to him and say their kid has changed, that’s the outcome he’s building toward. Not the stripe. Not the competition result. The kid.
“Before we used to have 10 different pages and tabs open whereas now everything is into one and I don’t have to be looking around.”
“I feel like I can make some difference on their life, you know, and I hope I do.”
Run Your Academy. Not Your Inbox.
Gymdesk handles the admin so you can stay on the mat.
