Lion Up Martial Arts Academy

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a real foothold in North Port, and Lion Up Martial Arts Academy is one of two dedicated martial arts schools that call the city home. The academy operates out of a suite on South Biscayne Drive, in the same general area as several other small businesses south of Price Boulevard, and it focuses specifically on BJJ rather than trying to be a jack of all trades martial arts franchise.

The class structure is built around age and experience level rather than a single mixed group. Cubs classes take kids as young as four, Little Lions covers ages seven through eleven, Youth BJJ runs from twelve to fifteen, and Adult BJJ is open to anyone sixteen and up. That kind of age banded structure is typical of serious BJJ academies rather than a strip mall karate model where every age group trains together, and it signals the school is set up for students who want to actually develop skill on the mats rather than just pick up a few self defense moves.

Outside of regular classes, Lion Up runs birthday parties, private lessons, and a competition team for students who want to test themselves against other academies. During school breaks the academy also offers camps, including summer camp, spring break camp, teacher planning day camps, and parent’s night out sessions, which makes it a useful resource for North Port families juggling the Sarasota County school calendar and looking for supervised, active options for their kids beyond typical daycare.

Regular class hours run Monday and Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 to 9 p.m., Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday morning from 9:30 to noon, with the academy closed on Sundays. Weekday private lesson appointments can be scheduled separately during the day. The school’s marketing emphasizes professional instruction, and the range of programs from young children through adults suggests a facility built to keep a student progressing for years rather than a business chasing a quick trial class sign up.

Lion Up is a small, independently run academy rather than part of a regional or national martial arts chain, and that shows in the personal, community focused tone of its programming, from the themed camps to the parent’s night out option that doubles as a break for North Port parents. For residents in the South Biscayne Drive area of North Port, or anyone in the wider Sarasota County area looking for a jiu-jitsu program that separates kids and adults by real skill level rather than lumping everyone into one class, Lion Up is a straightforward, locally owned option worth checking out. Prospective students can reach the academy directly by phone or through its Facebook and Instagram pages to ask about trial classes, current pricing, and mat space availability before committing to a program.