Jacare Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ de Souza built his Ocoee academy around a simple idea: Brazilian jiu jitsu works for almost anybody, if the instruction meets the student where they are. At Jacare Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, tucked into a suite off Amazing Way on the eastern side of the city, that philosophy shows up in programming built specifically for kids with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, alongside the standard adult and youth jiu jitsu classes most academies offer.

The mat time itself covers a lot of ground. Jiu jitsu is the backbone, with Muay Thai striking and judo throws rounding out a curriculum meant to give students a complete grappling and stand up toolkit rather than a single narrow style. Classes are organized for both children and adults, and the school leans hard into a family first culture, the kind of place where siblings and parents can train in overlapping time slots rather than being routed to separate facilities.

De Souza, who trains and teaches under the nickname Jacare (Portuguese for alligator, a nod to Brazilian jiu jitsu’s tradition of animal nicknames for accomplished practitioners), runs the school as an independent operation rather than part of a larger academy chain. That independence gives the coaching staff room to build lesson plans around individual students, which matters a great deal for the neurodivergent programming the school has become known for locally. Parents searching for a martial arts option that treats a child’s ADHD or autism diagnosis as something to plan around, rather than a reason to say no, have a rare option close to home in Ocoee.

The academy sits in a newer commercial pocket on the city’s east side, an easy stop for families already running errands near the Clarke Road corridor. Because the space is a standalone academy rather than a general fitness club offering jiu jitsu as one class among many, the mats, instruction, and open training time are built around grappling specifically, which tends to matter to serious students working toward belt promotions.

For anyone new to Brazilian jiu jitsu, the appeal of a smaller independent school like this one is the attention. Class sizes stay manageable, and the head instructor is present and coaching rather than delegating everything to a rotating cast of part time staff. Combined with the specialized programming for kids who learn differently, Jacare Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has carved out a niche in Ocoee that larger, more generic martial arts operations in the area do not really try to fill. Reach out by phone or email to ask about a trial class and current schedule.