Geoff Grant
Geoff Grant built GSW in Wellington through changing premises and practical teaching; John Will awarded him his BJJ black belt in 2007.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Geoff Grant, GSW/BJJNZ, A brief history and Information about GSW Martial Arts, updated through2026(opens in a new tab)
In October1995 Grant and three companions travelled to Melbourne for a Zen Do Kai celebration and went to Geelong to train with John Will.
Where in the source: History, first dated paragraph: October1995 and Geelong.
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Grant recalled Will teaching them mount control and a choke from the back, exposing the limitations of the ground fighting they had previously practised in Zen Do Kai.
Where in the source: Paragraph after the1995trip, BJJ101 and their prior ground fighting.
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In1998 the group hosted a John Will seminar at the Police College in Porirua and aligned with Will; Grant said they had also tried seminars and private lessons with a Brazilian black belt in Wellington and training at the Wellington Judo and Jujitsu Academy.
Where in the source: 1998history paragraphs naming the alternatives and Porirua seminar.
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After his parents died within two months of one another in2000, Grant decided to change his life and rented a small space near home where his training group could put down mats.
Where in the source: 2000history paragraph about his parents and renting space.
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A few months later he took over an adjoining space and helped turn it into a more professional training room, but concluded that simply building a facility did not guarantee students would come.
Where in the source: Paragraph following2000, adjoining space and the two lessons.
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When the Newlands lease ended in2003, the group closed while searching for a home. A classified advertisement for shared yoga or martial-arts space led Grant to Chris and Jill Gower’s Mt Vic dojo, where classes began in May2003.
Where in the source: 2003history paragraph, Trade & Exchange advertisement and Mt Vic dojo.
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Within a year, a threefold rent rise forced the Mt Vic dojo to move nearby; the next premises offered more room as classes grew.
Where in the source: Paragraph after the May2003opening.
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In February2009 Grant opened a second location in Lower Hutt after receiving local inquiries, but later judged it a mixed result because many attending were existing city students travelling out to the Hutt.
Where in the source: Feb2009history paragraph and Not sure it was a great idea.
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GSW’s first standalone Wellington-city premises at272TaranakiStreet required a collective working bee; new mats arrived on the day Robert Drysdale came for seminars, with the school ready for its December8,2010opening.
Where in the source: 2010history paragraphs, working bee, mats, Drysdale and December8.
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After TaranakiStreet, GSW moved to CollegeStreet, where the school says it produced national champions and more than a dozen black belts.
Where in the source: History paragraph after the2010opening, CollegeStreet and school output.
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The school’s updated history marks2026as the year of a move to144ToryStreet after fourteen years in CollegeStreet.
Where in the source: Final dated history entries:2025,2026and144ToryStreet.
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Geoff Grant, Bjjnz’s Blog, Comp Rules and cover letter, October23,2004(opens in a new tab)
In October2004 Grant announced a free GSW in-house competition for November6 at the Mt Vic dojo, matching entrants by experience as well as weight and following John Will’s competition rules.
Where in the source: Competition announcement, date/location/cost and experience divisions.
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The Wellingtonian article reproduced on Bjjnz’s Blog, September23,2005(opens in a new tab)
A2005newspaper profile reproduced by GSW described Grant working full-time as a courier while teaching and maintaining the school’s website, class information, photographs and weblog.
Where in the source: Final paragraph of the reproduced Wellingtonian article.
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In that profile Grant acknowledged that the physical confrontation could intimidate newcomers, while arguing that techniques could be adapted to people of different sizes.
Where in the source: Wellingtonian article, quotations about getting new students in the door and BJJ flexibility.
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GSW Martial Arts Wellington press release, Promotions Bring Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club to the Top, published December4,2005(opens in a new tab)
The school’s2005press release reported that John Will promoted Grant to brown belt in 2005, and separately identified his existing fifth-dan rank in Zen Do Kai.
Where in the source: Press release opening, datedWellingtonNovember30 and paragraph about ten years of association.
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Grant said the brown-belt promotion surprised him because he had been concentrating on the seminar and his own students’ promotions, and described it as one of his best martial-arts moments.
Where in the source: First Grant quotation in the2005press release.
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John Will, New Kiwi BJJ Black Belt – Geoff Grant!, reproduced on Bjjnz’s Blog, November28,2007(opens in a new tab)
In a contemporary account signed JBW, John Will described awarding Grant his black belt at the end of a two-and-a-half-hour seminar in Wellington, with about thirty students present.
Where in the source: Opening paragraph of New Kiwi BJJ Black Belt – Geoff Grant!, November28,2007.
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Will praised Grant’s teaching and mat culture and described him as a longstanding martial artist who had turned his focus to BJJ.
Where in the source: Second paragraph of the signed2007account.
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Geoff Grant, GSW/BJJNZ, Beginners – Starting with GSW(opens in a new tab)
In Grant’s published beginner guidance, new students first spend roughly a month on techniques and active drilling without live rolling, before wider training once they understand tapping and being a considerate partner.
Where in the source: Beginners – Starting with GSW, introductory paragraphs before How to join.
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Klaus Burton, Blue belt, October16,2014(opens in a new tab)
Klaus Burton described Grant unexpectedly handing him a blue belt as he tied his white belt before class in October2014, illustrating the school’s informal surprise-promotion tradition.
Where in the source: Blue belt post, final substantive paragraph describing Geoff’s grin and the exchange.
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Rom Araujo, Ocean Jiu Jitsu, Gym Review: GSW – Wellington, New Zealand, January9,2025(opens in a new tab)
Rom Araujo, who said he had trained at GSW for more than a decade, described Grant’s dry humour and the school’s informal no-oss atmosphere in a2025review.
Where in the source: Review, opening training background and paragraphs about the head coach and No OSS.
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Araujo identifies Grant as GSW’s owner and head coach.
Where in the source: Review, paragraph beginning Let’s start with the legend himself.
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Glen Tarrant, GSW/BJJNZ, Submission Martial Arts Porirua interview(opens in a new tab)
Glen Tarrant recalled that knowing Grant and his connection to John Will helped bring Will’s seminars to his Auckland training circle.
Where in the source: How did you first get interested in BJJ answer, final sentence about Geoff and hosting John.
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Lineage
No teaching connections are shown on this page.
Open lineage