Northbrook Jiu-Jitsu With a Championship Lineage
Northbrook started out as Shermerville, and downtown still centers on Shermer Rd, the Metra station and the Village Green, where summer concerts fill the lawn. The Northbrook Park District runs everything from Meadowhill Park and the Ed Rudolph Velodrome to the fields at Wood Oaks Green Park, and families here know Glenbrook North High School and Northbrook Court on Lake-Cook Rd as everyday landmarks.
Northbrook parents tend to ask the same good question about any program: who is teaching, and where did they learn? Brazil 021 is home to Arlington Heights BJJ under its co-founders, Hannette Staack and Andre “Negão” Terencio. The name comes from 021, the area code of Rio de Janeiro, and the team now has schools in Brazil, the US and Canada. Compare our jiu-jitsu classes to find the right fit for you or your child.
Hannette is a 7x World Champion, a No-Gi World Champion and a 3x ADCC champion. Andre is a 6th-degree black belt who has served as an IBJJF head referee for 15 years. Every belt on our mats traces back to them.
Getting to Brazil 021 From Northbrook
From downtown Northbrook and most of the village, get on Dundee Rd (IL-68) and drive west through Wheeling to the IL-53 interchange. Take IL-53 south, exit at Euclid Ave, go east on Euclid and turn left onto Salt Creek Ln.
From the north end of the village near Northbrook Court, Lake-Cook Rd runs west to the start of the IL-53 expressway. Follow IL-53 south to the same Euclid Ave exit.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Classes Near Northbrook for Every Level
New adults begin in Jiu-Jitsu Fundamentals, where the coach builds each position in order: posture, base, escapes, then control. Tuesday’s All Levels Gi class adds more detail and partner work, and students with more experience move on to advanced jiu-jitsu, including our No-Gi classes on Thursday and Saturday.
Kids follow the same idea. Kids Class 1 gives ages 3 to 6 a first taste through games and movement, and Kids Class 2 gives ages 7 to 11 real technique, focus and confidence. Parents of kids who get picked on often notice the change first: their child stands taller and knows how to stay calm when someone pushes.
- Adults Fundamentals (Gi): Mon & Wed 6:30–7:30 PM
- Adults All Levels (Gi): Tue 6:30–7:30 PM
- Adults Advanced No-Gi: Thu 6:30–7:30 PM; Sat 11:30 AM–12:30 PM
- Kids Class 1, Beginners (ages 3–6): Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri 4:15–5:00 PM
- Kids Class 2, All Levels (ages 7–11): Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri 5:15–6:15 PM; Sat 10:30–11:30 AM (No-Gi)
A Clear Path From White Belt to Black Belt
Adult belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu go white, blue, purple, brown and black, and each one is earned on the mat in front of your coaches. Patrick Mullen is proof of how that path works. He started training in 2017 alongside his teenage daughter, earned his black belt from Andre and Hannette, and now teaches our fundamentals classes. Black belt Vinicius “Machine” Pereira, from Paquetá Island in Rio, won the 2021 No-Gi Pan Am title as a brown belt.
Competition is welcome but never required, and many of our students simply want to keep getting better. Brazil 021 has 4.9 stars from 32 Google reviews. Book your free first class and take the first step on the belt path.
From our blog: How Gi Jiu-Jitsu Teaches Patience and Technique.
