Elizabethtown BJJ / Loading
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Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania / Since 2012
Real coaching, hard rounds, and a room that knows your name. Beginners, competitors, and local families train together at 101 Cherry Street.
Curriculum & pathways
Structured Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for brand-new adults, active hobbyists, competition athletes, and growing kids.
ADULT BJJ
Embark on your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu journey with a welcoming room, structured fundamentals, and a steady path into live training.
Best fit: Best for adults who are brand new, restarting, or want a clear first class.
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ADULT BJJ
Refine your game with technical classes, harder rounds, and a room that supports advanced students and active competitors.
Best fit: Best for experienced students, active competitors, and serious hobbyists.
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AGES 5 TO 12
Give kids a safe and supportive place to build self-defense skills, confidence, coordination, and teamwork.
Best fit: Best for families looking for structure, discipline, and confidence-building.
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ADULT BJJ
Get extra rounds, competition prep, and live work with students who want more mat time.
Best fit: Best for competitors, serious hobbyists, and students who want extra live training.
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This week's fight card
A live look at beginner classes, advanced rounds, kids martial arts, and open mat.
Weekly mat scoreboard
Open full schedule →Adults / All Levels
Adults / All Levels
Adults / All Levels
Adults / Fundamentals
Adults / All Levels
Experienced / Open Mat
Kids & Youth / Ages 5 to 12
Recent wins & community momentum
Real updates from our coaches, students, and training floor—not stock martial-arts photography.
Bulletin board / member experiences
Real feedback from people who train in the room every week.
“Absolutely great environment. Coach Nate is second to none, and the veteran guys in class take the time to help you develop and evolve.”
“I got my blue belt through this school. Coach Nathan Merkel is very knowledgeable, explains things clearly, and the room is cool and accepting.”
“Great place to train BJJ. It has a family environment with a knowledgeable black belt leading the room.”
“Coach Nate is patient and knowledgeable, and the environment is super welcoming for women and men. Great place to start your martial arts journey.”
Get started
Email the gym or send a message. A coach will help you find the best first class and the $59 startup special.
First day friendly. No experience required. Zero judgment, 100% supportive room.
A beginner's guide to BJJ belts: adult and youth belt order, what stripes mean, how coaches decide promotions, and why timelines vary.
Read article →Learn 7 basic BJJ escapes for mount, side control, back control, closed guard, and turtle, with simple steps and safe partner drills. Elizabethtown, PA.
Read article →15 BJJ etiquette rules for new students: hygiene, tapping, partner safety, coaching, open mats, and visiting, plus jiu-jitsu customs that vary by gym.
Read article →
BJJ Head Coach
Nathan Merkel is a 3rd Degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt with over 20 years of BJJ experience and more than a decade of teaching experience. He received his black belt under Rosendo Diaz in 2016 and has been certified to teach Jeet Kune Do under Richard Bustillo, one of Bruce Lee's original students, since 2012. A former MMA coach for Fighting Dragons for five years, he has extensive experience developing students and competitors in grappling, striking, and mixed martial arts.
3rd Degree Black Belt
BJJ Coach
Adam Joseph brings a practical, self-defense-focused approach to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, drawing on two years of MMA experience and a background in law enforcement training. A purple belt, he has trained at Elizabethtown BJJ since 2019. He holds Gracie Survival Tactics Level 2 certification and instructs for his police department and the municipal police academy, where he emphasizes control, situational awareness, and techniques that work under pressure. His goal is to help students build confidence and technical skill they can use on and off the mats.
Purple belt coach
Open Mat Lead
Eric Grill won the 2025 IBJJF Masters 5 European Heavyweight division and leads open mat. If you are getting ready to compete, come sharpen your game. If you are new, start with Tuesday Fundamentals, then ask a coach when you are ready to add open mat. Bring your friends, or the training partners who push you the hardest.
2025 IBJJF European Champion
The martial art
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art built around leverage, positioning, technique, self-defense, and live sparring. Elizabethtown BJJ presents it as training for beginners, professionals, and kids alike.
Elizabethtown BJJ is welcoming new members and guests. Anyone can start with a $59 startup special that includes two weeks of training and a free gi. It is open to anyone, new or returning, and you can buy it more than once. After that, training is month to month with no contracts, and any additional immediate family member is half off.
About the facilityLocal directory
Serving Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Hershey, Middletown, Manheim, and Central PA.
Next move
Start with two weeks of training and a free gi for $59. No experience required and no long-term contract.
Lancaster County BJJ Locations & Programs
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