Half the mat on a Wednesday night is women. Not a marketing line: walk in and count. Our BJJ programme is led by Abbie O’Toole, a black belt with 25 IBJJF medals across purple, brown, and black belt divisions including International Open golds, who teaches the way she trains: technical, patient, and pleased when you get it right.
Your first class is free. Gym kit, water, no experience needed.
Abbie was promoted to black belt in summer 2024 by Roger Gracie himself, a ten-time world champion. She holds 25 IBJJF medals across purple, brown and black belt, with golds at the London, Paris, Lisbon and Rome International Opens — and she’s still competing hard, taking 1st at the London International Open 2026 with further medals in Dublin and Madrid the same year. She often medals in the open division against bigger opponents too, which is rather the point of BJJ. On the mats she’s known for instinctive armbars, often from mount or straight off a guard pass. She teaches the way she trains: technical, patient, and pleased when you get it right. Technique beats size in BJJ more reliably than in almost any other martial art, which is exactly why it’s worth doing properly rather than taking our word for it
We don’t run separate women’s-only sessions, and we’re upfront about why: roughly half our community, including people on our own coaching and management team, train alongside men by choice, in a room built to be ego-free and beginner-safe regardless of who’s on the mat. If you want the longer version of that philosophy, it’s laid out on our self defence for women page.
What you get instead: small classes, resistance that’s dialled to where you actually are rather than where a bigger training partner is, and a coach who actually notices when you’re ready to progress because the room is small enough for her to know.
| Day/Time | Coach | Class Type | What its about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 18:30 | Daniel | BJJ Fundamentals | Best for total beginners needing a deep-dive (90 mins). |
| Wed 18:30 | Abbie | No-Gi BJJ | High-tech, no-ego, fast-paced (60 mins). |
| Wed 19:30 | Abbie | BJJ (Gi) | Technical mastery and the "Full Experience." |
| Sat 11:00 | Adrian | Grappling & nogi Judo | Practical skills + Saturday Coffee Catch-up. |
Full timetable, including Krav Maga and kids’ classes, on the pricing and schedule page.
Abbie awards belts and stripes herself, when your jiu jitsu is actually ready for them. There’s no exam to cram for and nothing handed out for time served. It takes a while. It’s worth it.
“Abbie is an excellent BJJ instructor and a rare female role model in the field, who creates a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Her classes focus on precise technique, which is hugely beneficial for students of all shapes, sizes, and strength levels. I always enjoy her classes.” — Irina I., Google review
“Abbie is a really dedicated and knowledgeable coach. You can tell she genuinely cares about jiu jitsu and is actively developing her own skills through competitions, which reflects in her teaching. She explains techniques in a very detailed and structured way, making sure everyone understands the steps, and she is always approachable, patient, and happy to help during training.” — Geanina D., Google review
Do you run women-only BJJ classes? No, deliberately. The women already training here train alongside men, by choice, in a room built around patience and zero ego rather than separation. If you’d rather understand the full reasoning first, read our women’s self defence page.
I’ve never grappled before. Will I be lost? No. The Monday Fundamentals class exists for exactly this, and Abbie’s own Wednesday sessions take complete beginners too. Everyone in the room was a beginner recently.
What’s the difference between this and your self defence / Krav Maga classes? Krav Maga covers striking, awareness and getting away from trouble; BJJ covers what happens if a situation ends up on the ground. Most members end up training both. No pressure to choose on day one.
I’m self-conscious about being new, unfit, or just different from everyone else in the room. You won’t be the only one, and that’s not a platitude: see who’s actually in our classes and read what the room is built to feel like before you ever walk in.