Lion Heart Jiu-Jitsu Academy

As a woman in this typically male-dominated sport, I can say enthusiastically that Lion Heart Jiu-Jitsu Academy has made me feel safe, accepted, and valued, and I have seen my self-confidence soar since I began training here 5 years ago. Ladies, this place is family-friendly, CLEAN, challenging in a great way, and super FUN! If you are looking for an incredible mind/body workout, this is it! We have a small-but-growing, consistent group of women practitioners here. My teenage daughter, husband, and I all love this place so much. Highly recommend! Parking can be a little hectic during after-work class times, but there are still plenty of spots; just come a little early to give yourself time to park.

Dropped in here while I was in town for the holidays. Everyone was very nice and welcoming and great to roll with! It’s always so wonderful to visit a gym with great culture and great jiu jitsu!

Attended as a guest this week at the 6am class while traveling for work in the area. Everyone was very welcoming and the class was great. Very organized and thorough class! Would recommend this place to everyone!

I showed up Wednesday morning 9/10/25 at 6 am just to get some training in, not from here so it’s difficult to predict how that’s going to be received. I’m from Grand Rapids Michigan in Birmingham for just a day on a business trip. The head professor in charge George was a third degree black belt and heading the class love to see that. I travel frequently and when I do I like to hit a local Jiu Jitsu gym, I go out of my way and this was that to find quality training from a qualified instructor and this was just that. The guys there were all happy to be there. I got dropped off early due to Uber being that efficient and Terrell allowed me to sit in his Tesla and wait for the doors to open. This was an all around good experience with great people I’ve never met before, take into consideration that I’m a white belt and George did the pairing when it was time to roll making sure that me and everyone else was paired with guys at their level. I can’t say enough good things about this gym if I could give it ten stars I would. All most forgot I expected to pay a drop in fee and George waved it. Great place great people, felt at home. Hard to find a gym with this level of training and this welcoming

If you want to learn and train real Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), go to Lion Heart Jiu Jitsu Academy. Professor George Wehby has built a culture and atmosphere that is not seen at all gyms. The instruction by Professor Wehby is technical but not overly complicated and applies both to the the sport of jiu-jitstu and real life self defense. The coaches and uke's are also very knowledgeable and demonstrate small adjustments to make your jiu jitsu better. I occasionally travel to the Birmingham/Hoover area and first asked to drop in for an AM class in 2024. In December 2025 I was back and asked to drop in for several more classes. I was welcomed every time by instructors and students. In addition to great jiu jitsu, there is a strong sense of community at Lion Heart. After every class, they check in with one another to celebrate successes and to show concern for hardships or burdens that someone may be facing that day/week. This school really is the complete package. Train BJJ at Lion Heart. I hope to return some day.