How Grapple Zone Built a Competition-Ready Academy From Scratch in Central London
Starring
Courtney Anderson is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and CheckMat affiliate with over a decade of training experience who co-founded Grapple Zone to create a politics-free, community-driven academy. He leads the gym's competition program and coaching team with a focus on longevity, mobility, and building confident students.
About the Gym
Grapple Zone is a CheckMat-affiliated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy located at 91 Westminster Bridge Road in Waterloo, Central London. Founded by Courtney Anderson—a black belt with over a decade of grappling experience—the academy offers gi and no-gi BJJ, women's-only classes taught by female instructors, kids BJJ, Muay Thai, and freestyle wrestling. Grapple Zone's facility includes a dedicated shop, basement gym for strength and conditioning, and on-site recovery services including Thai massage and chiropractic care.
The academy serves students of all ages and skill levels, with no joining fees and no long-term contracts. Grapple Zone's coaching roster includes Faris Benlamkadem, the first British male IBJJF No-Gi World Champion. The team's mission is to help people train hard, grow stronger, and build confidence in a welcoming, community-driven environment, with a coaching philosophy that emphasizes longevity, mobility, and prehab alongside technical development.
đź“Ť 91 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7HW
Summary
This is the story of Grapple Zone in Waterloo, Central London—a CheckMat-affiliated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy founded by Courtney Anderson and his partners after leaving a gym plagued by politics and cliques.
In just three years, Grapple Zone has developed competitors at the highest levels, including instructor Faris Benlamkadem, who earned silver at the 2024 IBJJF No-Gi World Championship and was later awarded the title after the original winner failed a drug test—making him the first British male IBJJF No-Gi World Champion. The episode takes viewers through the facility's full-service setup, from the Gymdesk-powered check-in desk to the basement strength and conditioning area, recovery services, and dedicated mat space.
Courtney shares how he built the academy's culture around stress-free training, kids confidence-building, and adult transformation—both physical and mental. The episode also covers Grapple Zone's journey through five or six different CRM systems before returning to Gymdesk, and how the team now uses marketing automation, lead tracking, and website integration to run the business side while staying focused on the mats.
