Southern Cross Jiu-Jitsu Academy

26/08/2026

Coach Rodney recently featured on the Roll or Die Podcast — one of Australia's longest-running Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu podcasts, hosted by Kim and Brent.

The conversation covers his journey from Caringbah to Rio de Janeiro, training under André Pederneiras at Nova Uniao, competing at ADCC, and what almost 30 years on the mats has taught him about coaching.

Full episode and write-up on our site — link below.

https://scjja.com/News/d20260826_RollOrDiePodcast

16/08/2026

🥋 The Shire's highest-ranked coach, and none of the usual gym games:

1️⃣ Casual payment options — pay by the class, not just direct debit
2️⃣ No grading fees, ever
3️⃣ Buy your own gear — gi or no-gi, any brand, any store

5th Degree Black Belt. Trained in Rio under André Pederneiras. 2x Pan Pacific Champion.

🎉 Free trial week — link in bio.

09/08/2026

🥋 Take a look at our mats — black, white, blue, red, olive. Every gi you can think of, all training together.

We won't make you buy ours. Bring whatever gi you've got, from whatever brand you like — we care about your jiu-jitsu, not your wardrobe.

🎉 Free trial week — link in bio.

02/08/2026

🏷️ Most gyms don't publish their prices. We do.

🔓 No lock-in contracts — train month to month, leave any time. 🥋 No grading fees, ever. And we won't make you buy our gi either — bring your own from any brand you like.

📉 Rates actually drop after your first 12 months, not up. Long-term members should pay less than new members. That's how it should be.

🎉 Free trial week available, no obligation.

26/07/2026

Rodney didn't chase this rank for the title. He moved to Rio, trained under André Pederneiras at Nova Uniao, and earned every belt the hard way.

This photo's from December 2005 — the day it all became official.

He's still the only 5th-degree black belt teaching in the Sutherland Shire.

Free trial week, if you want to see what that actually looks like on the mats.

14/06/2026

05/06/2026

Visitors Welcome!

30/05/2026

Throwback to where it all began 🔥

This weekend is the World Championships in Long Beach, California!

Did you know it’s been 30 years since the very first IBJJF World Championship, which took place in 1996?

We’re still inspired by these two pieces of history on our gym wall every single day:
→ On the right: The original poster from the 1st Mundial in 1996.
→ On the left: A rare competitor t-shirt from the 4th Mundial in 1999, handed out to athletes like our coach Rodney, one of the first Australians to ever compete at the IBJJF Worlds in Rio.

These items tell the story of BJJ’s early days — from grassroots events in Brazil to the global sport we love today. A powerful daily reminder of the pioneers who paved the way.

Grateful. Inspired. Motivated. Oss 💪

19/05/2026

Sutherland Shire closed their training field, so they found the big blue mat!

bjjnsw caringbah cronulla sutherlandshire mma mixedmartialarts judo grappling jiujitsu brazilianjiujitsu wrestling fitness novauniao nswbjj sydneybjj  everydayporrada  martialarts

24/04/2026

Drop-ins Are One of BJJ's Best Kept Secrets

Last night we had Tim drop in from Nova Uniao Canada — black belt, great guy, and he rolled with about 4 or 5 guys before the night was out.

That's one of the things that makes jiu-jitsu genuinely different from almost every other sport or martial art. Walk into any credible BJJ gym anywhere in the world, introduce yourself, and you'll be welcomed on the mat.

No politics, no awkwardness — just roll.

It works because jiu-jitsu has a shared language. It doesn't matter if you trained in Rio, Tokyo, Toronto, or Caringbah — the positions are the positions, the submissions are the submissions. Within two minutes of rolling you know exactly who you're dealing with and what they're about.

No conversation required.

If you're ever travelling — whether it's interstate or overseas — look up the local BJJ gyms and just show up. Bring your gi, introduce yourself, and train. You'll meet people you'd never otherwise meet, pick up details you'd never otherwise see, and leave with a connection to a gym on the other side of the world.

Thanks for coming in Tim — hope the rest of your trip is great, and the mat's open any time you're back in the Shire. 🤙
📍 Caringbah, NSW
🔗 Link in bio