How a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gym Fixed Operations and Scaled Fast

How This Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu School Fixed Belt Chaos, Missed Payments, and No-Shows

When Dr. Arlindo “Juninho” Jr. moved from Brazil to Denver, he came to teach Jiu-Jitsu—not drown in spreadsheets.

But as his martial arts school grew, so did the mess.

• Belt promotions were inconsistent.
• Attendance was a guessing game.
• Leads disappeared into thin air.
• Schedules overlapped.

And Juninho?
He was buried, coaching on the mat, while trying to keep everything running behind the scenes.

“When you’ve got 182 students and a bunch of instructors, tracking it all manually? Yeah, good luck.”

The passion was there. The students were committed.
The only thing missing? A system that could actually keep up.

Belt Promotions Without the Chaos

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, belts aren’t just handed out—they’re earned. But they also need to be tracked.

And with nearly 200 students? That used to be a nightmare.

“With a small school, you remember who shows up. But with this many people? No way,” Juninho said.

Before Zen Planner, his team used spreadsheets and memory. Now? Zen Planner’s class check-ins automatically log attendance, giving coaches real data on who’s ready to test—and who isn’t.

“It makes promotions more structured—and fair.”

No more awkward, “Uh… did they meet the requirements?” moments.
Just clear, trackable progress—and students who know what they’re working toward.

Scheduling That Works (Even for 5 Classes a Day)

Between kids’ classes, adults, self-defence, and comp team sessions, Juninho’s schedule was packed.

“We run five classes a day, sometimes more,” he said. “Zen Planner helps us manage class registration and see who’s showing up. It just works.”

With Zen Planner, students register in advance using the app—even the ones who always forget. Coaches can see who’s coming in, keep class sizes clean, and plan ahead.

Bonus? When students see their teammates signed up, they’re more likely to show up too.
That’s how you build community—and momentum.

“Getting everyone to register ahead of time is the challenge,” Juninho laughed. “But hey, full classes? Good problem to have.”

No More Ghosted Leads or Missed Trials

If you’re still chasing down trial sign-ups in your DMs, you’re wasting time—and probably losing students.

Juninho’s school brought in Zen Planner Engage, a lead automation tool built for gyms and martial arts schools.

“We started using Engage two months ago, and the support has been incredible.”

Now, prospective students can book trial classes directly from the website.
No calls. No endless follow-ups.

Engage handles it all:

• Captures leads instantly
• Sends automatic follow-ups
• Books trial classes seamlessly

“Our program director used to do all the follow-ups manually,” Juninho said. “Now we’re automating parts of it. Still personal—just way more efficient.”

Billing That Handles Itself

What’s worse than chasing an armbar?
Chasing payments.

Juninho was over it. With Zen Planner’s billing system, things now run on autopilot.

“It charges every 15 days automatically,” he said. “We don’t have to chase people down anymore. It just runs.”

• Failed payments? Zen Planner follows up.
• Missed invoices? No longer your problem.
• Member data? Always up to date.

No awkward convos. No missed payments.
Just more time to coach—and peace of mind.

One System. No Duct Tape.

Before Zen Planner, Juninho was juggling multiple tools—and no one on the team had been trained properly.

“We had a system before,” he said. “But no one trained us on it. With Zen Planner, everything’s just streamlined.”

Now, it’s all in one place:

• Member management
• Belt tracking
• Class scheduling
• Billing
• Lead follow-up

“We’ve got students from age 3 to 67,” Juninho said. “Without this system, it’d be overwhelming.”

Results? A Growing School—and a Coach Who Can Actually Coach

Juninho came to Denver for a 3-month stint.
Now, he runs one of the busiest Jiu-Jitsu schools in town—and still finds time to hit the slopes.

He didn’t grow by working harder.
He grew by ditching the manual grind and trusting Zen Planner to handle the back end.

Zen Planner Helps Martial Arts Schools Like Yours Run Smoother

Juninho came to Denver for a 3-month stint.
Now, he runs one of the busiest Jiu-Jitsu schools in town—and still finds time to hit the slopes.

He didn’t grow by working harder.
He grew by ditching the manual grind and trusting Zen Planner to handle the back end.

From belt promotions to billing, lead follow-up to class caps—it’s all in one place.
Get your time back. Grow your school. Coach more, stress less.