BJJ in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg carries five listings and punches above its weight in historical depth. The longest-running pedigree in the entire Tampa-metro directory belongs to **Amir Academy of Martial Arts**, founded in 1985 by Rob Kahn — a 4th-degree black belt under Royce Gracie — making it one of the earliest Royce Gracie lineage academies in the United States. The school offers MMA, BJJ, kickboxing, and self-defense from its St. Pete location and is the upstream anchor for the broader Gracie Tampa / Rob Kahn network that extends across the metro. **St Pete Brazilian Jiu Jitsu**, led by Sean Lynch (black belt under Professor Eduardo "Veio" de Lima, a 6th-degree black belt and Gracie Barra pioneer), brings a GB-adjacent lineage to the city's mat scene. **Gracie Jiu-Jitsu St. Pete** — a Gracie Humaita affiliate at Crosswinds Drive — runs a traditional gi-focused curriculum with age-divided kids classes (4–6, 7–9, 10–15), weekday noon and evening adult sessions, and a members-only Friday open mat. **10th Planet Jiu Jitsu St. Pete** on 19th Street S is the metro's Eddie Bravo affiliate, with 30+ classes per week operating entirely no-gi. **Inside Control Academy**, founded by Gabriel Maldonado with Anton Yelch as lead instructor, rounds out the five with adult BJJ, youth BJJ, adult MMA, kickboxing, and two large mat spaces. Together the five St. Pete academies cover Royce Gracie (Amir / Rob Kahn), Gracie Barra (St Pete BJJ), Gracie Humaita (GJJ St. Pete), 10th Planet, and independent lineages — a compact but surprisingly comprehensive lineage spread for a single city.