Find out why we are “Greenville’s best martial arts value” in reality-based training. If you are in eastern North Carolina and want to learn how to defend yourself, then call us for a trial lesson.



Why Train at All-American Martial Arts Academy?

Our style allows for a smaller person to defeat a much larger attacker. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is excellent for women who are often taken to the ground during assaults. We recommend this style for men, women, and children looking for a great workout and realistic self defense.

If you can't defend yourself while on the ground then you don't know how to defend yourself.

95% of all self-defense situations either end up on the ground or in the grappling range. Grappling is the most neglected range of self defense in most martial art systems.

Who We Are

All American Martial Arts Academy is a Royce Gracie certified Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school where people can come to train in a friendly, non-intimidating environment. AAMAA is also a certified Team ROC (Reality of Combat) school. We also offer Muay Thai and Kickboxing, Wing Chun Kung Fu, and Doce Paris Escrima.

What We Do

We teach the proven techniques of the Gracie family. We believe in learning to walk before you can run. We understand the importance of the basic techniques, and that everyone must have a firm, solid base before advancement is possible. Therefore, we offer four nights of basic and intermediate training in the learning, memorization and application of these techniques, and one day of advanced techniques. We will guide you in your knowledge of these techniques, and we will also assist you in muscle memory. We do this by offering a drilling class once a week. Here, our basic instructors will select 3-5 techniques and drill them weekly.

Our Instructors and Coaches

(Combined, over 35 years of BJJ experience)

James Speight, Founder, Head Instructor
Royce Gracie Certified Purple Belt

Chris Mann, Sr. Instructor
Royce Gracie Certified Brown Belt
Judo Black Belt

Jay Speight, Instructor
Royce Gracie Certified Blue Belt, and one of the youngest Americans to ever be awarded his blue belt by Royce Gracie himself.

George Jones, Coach
Royce Gracie Certified Blue Belt

John Alan Perry, Coach
Royce Gracie Certified Blue Belt


What is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or BJJ as it is commonly referred to, is a tweaking of the Jiu Jitsu system as it was taught to the early Gracie family of Brazil, via the Japanese. Simply put, it is the art of ground fighting in which leverage, sweeps, joint locks and holds are all employed. BJJ gives the advantage to the smaller, weaker opponent because of the effectiveness of the techniques and the fact that little strength is employed. In the early 1990s, the Gracies burst onto the worldwide scene by proving how effective their fighting style was - and how prosaic other fighting styles were in stark contrast. The Gracies created the first ever Ultimate Fighting Championship, and tossed into the cage what they considered one of their more inexperienced fighters. His name was Royce Gracie. At 6-1, 180 lbs, Royce was far from intimidating. But what he did was groundbreaking. Royce Gracie continued to defeat fighter after fighter, despite often being outweighed, sometimes by more than 100 lbs. In one night, he once defeated four fighters.

Unlike other martial arts systems that employ multiple belts and often award black belts after only 4 or 5 years of training, the Gracie ranking system has just four belts: blue, purple, brown and black. What it takes to achieve each belt varies with, first and foremost, the individual. This includes dedication, attendance in class, perhaps staying after class for further clarity of techniques, and above all, a positive mental attitude. Other variables include instructors’ opinion of mastery of techniques by students, as well as efficacy of these techniques. That said, students have been awarded blue belts after only a year in training, while others have trained for the better part of three years without achieving blue belt level. Therefore, the path to the Gracie black belt is a journey that can take up to 10 years. This is why, statistically, 60% of all blue belts never attain their purple belts, and from there, the numbers continue to decrease as you get closer to the coveted black belt. With a positive mental attitude, dedication, willingness to learn, and good attendance, it is certainly plausible that a student may be awarded a black belt after anywhere between 8-10 years. Do not be discouraged though. The journey to the black belt is filled with knowledge, networked friendships, and most of all, lots of fun.

Mixed Martial Arts

In April of 2008, AAMAA entered its first fighter into the cage. John Alan Perry emerged victorious that night in Raleigh, and since then, we have formed a fight team. Our fighters are successful in the cage, and we have enjoyed a 77% winning percentage in our fights. This is due in large part to what we do in class. With a firm grasp of ground fighting techniques, coupled with the chance to learn Muay Thai and Kickboxing twice a week, our fighters are well rounded, and are not surprised at all by what they see in the cage. If you are interested in joining our fight team, you must first demonstrate dedication to the training that is involved, then be willing to work on your weak areas. This training includes BJJ five days a week, striking twice a week, conditioning every day, and sparring a minimum of twice a week. Sparring is a chance to bring all of your disciplines together, develop your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Bottom line is, if it were easy, everyone would do it.