Why I Built BJJ Gym Software as a Coach (Not a Tech Entrepreneur)

I'm not a tech entrepreneur who researched the gym management software market and found a gap.

I'm a BJJ coach who got frustrated with messy Excel spreadsheets and decided to learn to code.

This is the story of how Kombat Evolve was born - not in a startup incubator, but on the mats of All Star Gym in Stockholm.

The Messy Reality of Coaching BJJ

All Star Gym, Stockholm.

I'd just started coaching BJJ classes.

The head coach handed me a notebook and said:

"Give class and Track who shows up. Write down what you taught. Good luck."

That was it.

No system. No software. No way to see patterns. No way to know if students were improving.

Just a notebook and hope.

The Problems I Faced Daily

Problem #1: Who actually trains here?

Students would show up randomly. I had no idea:

• Who trained 3x/week vs 1x/month

• Who was consistent vs about to quit

• Who needed extra attention

• Who was ready for promotion

I was coaching blind.

Problem #2: What did we teach last week?

Planning training programs was chaos:

• Did we cover this technique already?

• When was the last time we drilled takedowns?

• Which students missed the armbar series?

I kept notes in a Google Doc that became unreadable after 3 months.

Problem #3: Students felt invisible

The worst part:

Students trained for months and couldn't see their own progress.

They'd ask me: "Am I getting better?"

And I'd say: "Yes, absolutely. Your guard retention is way better."

But I had no data to show them.

They had to trust me.

And when they didn't see results fast enough?

They quit.

I Tried Every Gym Management Software

I wasn't going to accept messy notebooks as the solution.

So I researched gym management software.

What I Found:

Mindbody:

• Built for yoga studios, not martial arts

• No belt tracking

• No technique progression

• Just "who paid this month"

Kicksite:

• US-focused, didn't support SEPA payments

• Basic belt history (admin only)

• Students couldn't see their own data

The Pattern I Noticed

Every tool was built for gym OWNERS.

Billing ✅ Scheduling ✅ Payment processing ✅

But nothing was built for STUDENTS.

Progress tracking ❌ Engagement tools ❌ Technique mastery ❌ Motivation systems ❌

This made no sense to me.

Because students are what keep gyms alive.

The Breaking Point: Watching Good Students Quit

One of my students - let's call him Marcus - stopped showing up.

Marcus had trained consistently for 8 months:

• 3x per week

• Never missed a class

• Solid technique

• Good training partner

• Everyone liked him

Then one week: nothing.

I messaged him: "Hey man, everything okay?"

His response:

"Yeah, I just don't feel like I'm improving. Been at it for 8 months and I still get destroyed every roll. Think BJJ isn't for me."

This crushed me.

Because Marcus WAS improving.

I'd watched him:

• Escape side control (month 1: never, month 8: often)

• Defend submissions (month 1: tapped in 30 seconds, month 8: lasted 5 minutes)

• Execute techniques (month 1: sloppy, month 8: clean)

He'd made MASSIVE progress.

But he couldn't see it.

Because there was no system to show him.

No data. No dashboard. No way to visualize improvement.

Just my word.

And my word wasn't enough.

The Student Engagement Problem (2026 Era)

That night I couldn't stop thinking:

Why do people stick with Duolingo?

They see their streak. They see their XP. They see their progress up the levels.

Why do people love Strava?

They see every run logged. They see PRs. They see improvement over time.

Why do people obsess over Spotify Wrapped?

They see their data. They feel seen. They share it on Instagram.

Why doesn't BJJ have this?

In 2026, people LOVE data.

They track:

• Steps (Apple Watch)

• Sleep (Oura Ring)

• Running (Strava)

• Languages (Duolingo)

• Reading (Goodreads)

• Even water intake

But BJJ students train 3x/week for a year and have ZERO data to show for it?

This was insane.

The Decision: I'll Build It Myself

I had two options:

Option 1: Keep complaining that no one builds proper BJJ software

Option 2: Learn to code mobile app and build it myself

I chose Option 2.

Building for Students First (Not Gym Owners)

Most gym software is built by tech entrepreneurs who interview gym owners.

What gym owners say they want: "I need better billing" "I need easier scheduling" "I need attendance tracking"

So that's what gets built.

But I was building as a COACH.

And I knew the real problem:

Students quit because they can't see their progress.

So I built features that existing software didn't have:

Feature #1: Student Progress Dashboards

Every student gets their own dashboard showing:

• Total classes attended

• Current streak (days training consistently)

• Techniques mastered (by category)

• Belt progression timeline

• Next stripe requirements

Like Duolingo streaks, but for BJJ.

Feature #2: Technique Mastery Tracking

Instead of just "belt rank," we track:

• Which techniques you've learned

• Which you've executed in rolling

• Which you've mastered

• Which you need to review

Students can see: "I know 47 techniques, mastered 12, ready to learn 8 more."

Progress is visible.

Feature #3: BJJ Wrapped (Annual Summary)

At year-end, every student gets:

• Total classes attended

• Favorite training partners

• Most-practiced techniques

• Progression timeline

• Achievements unlocked

Like Spotify Wrapped, but for BJJ.

Students share these on Instagram.

Free marketing. Student feels valued. Everyone wins.

Feature #4: At-Risk Alerts (For Coaches)

This was the Marcus problem.

System tracks:

• Normal attendance pattern for each student

• Flags when attendance drops 50%+

• Alerts coach BEFORE they quit

Example:

"⚠️ Marcus's attendance dropped 60% (normally 3x/week, now 1x/week for 3 weeks). Reach out?"

Coach can intervene early.

"Hey Marcus, noticed you've been coming less. Everything okay? Want to grab coffee and talk through whatever you're working on?"

This saves students.

The Name Evolution: BJJ Evolve → Kombat Evolve

I launched the first version as "BJJ Evolve."

Just for my gym. Just to solve my problem.

Then I posted about it on Reddit.

"I built a tool to track student progression because I got tired of Excel. Free to use if anyone wants."

10+ gyms messaged me in 2 weeks.

Why Being a Coach (Not a Tech Entrepreneur) Changes Everything

I Speak Their Language

When I pitch to gym owners:

Tech entrepreneur says: "Our SaaS platform leverages advanced analytics to optimize retention KPIs..."

I say: "You know that white belt who trains hard for 6 months then disappears? We catch them 3 weeks before they quit."

Gym owners NOD.

Because I'm not selling software.

I'm solving a problem I've lived.

I Know What Actually Matters

Tech entrepreneur builds:

• Complex billing systems

• Advanced scheduling

• 47 features gym owners don't need

I build:

• Simple attendance tracking

• Student progress visibility

• At-risk alerts

Because I know the real problem: students quit when they feel invisible.

Everything else is secondary.

I Have Credibility

When I say:

"I'm a BJJ coach who learned to code because existing software failed my students"

Gym owners trust me.

Because I'm a peer, not a vendor.

I train. I coach. I've watched students quit. I've felt the frustration.

I'm solving MY problem.

They just happen to have the same problem.

The Problem Most Gym Software Misses

Gym management software is built for the wrong person.

They optimize for:

• Gym owner's billing convenience

• Coach's scheduling ease

• Admin's reporting needs

But they forget:

Students are what make gyms work.

No students = no gym.

So why isn't software built for THEM?

The Old Model (Gym-Focused):

Owner pays for software → Software helps owner manage gym → Students are "managed" → Students quit anyway → Owner blames "BJJ is hard"

The New Model (Student-Focused):

Owner pays for software → Software engages STUDENTS → Students see progress → Students stay longer → Owner makes more money

Same cost.

Completely different outcome.

Why 2026 Is The Perfect Time

2016: Instagram launches Stories

2017: Strava becomes mainstream

2018: Spotify Wrapped goes viral

2019: Duolingo streaks everywhere

2020: Apple Watch fitness tracking explodes

2021: Oura Ring, Whoop, data obsession

2022-2025: Everyone tracks everything

2026: People EXPECT to see their data.

If your gym doesn't show students their progress?

You're competing with Duolingo's dopamine hits.

And you'll lose.

What I'd Tell Other Coach-Founders

If you're a coach/instructor/practitioner thinking about building software:

DO:

✅ Build for the problem you've personally felt

You'll understand it deeper than any market research.

✅ Stay in the community

Keep coaching. Keep training. Don't become "that tech guy."

Your credibility is your unfair advantage.

✅ Start with one gym (yours)

Perfect the product before you scale.

If it doesn't work for you, it won't work for others.

✅ Talk to students, not just owners

Owners pay the bills.

But students are the product.

Build for them.

DON'T:

❌ Try to be a "typical" tech founder

You're not going to raise VC.

You're not going to "move fast and break things."

You're solving a real problem for a community you love.

That's better.

❌ Lose touch with the problem

Keep coaching.

The moment you stop training, you stop understanding.

❌ Overbuild features

Gym owners don't need 100 features.

They need 5 features that actually solve retention.

Focus.

The Real Reason I Built This

I could've stayed a coach.

Used the messy notebooks.

Accepted that "students quit, that's just BJJ."

But every time a good student disappeared, it hurt.

Because I knew they were improving.

I saw it.

But they couldn't.

And I couldn't show them.

So I learned to code.

Not to build a startup.

Not to get rich.

To stop watching good people quit something they'd love if they could just see their progress.

That's it.

That's the whole story.

Kombat Evolve exists because a coach got frustrated and learned to code.

Try It Yourself

If you run a BJJ, Judo, or MMA gym and you're tired of:

• Students quitting after 6 months

• Messy Excel spreadsheets

• No way to show students their progress

• Feeling like you're coaching blind

I built this for you.

Because I was you.

14-day free trial. No credit card required.

[Start Free Trial →]

Or just message me on WhatsApp: +46761775001

I'm still coaching. Still training. Still solving the same problems you face.

Let's talk.

Oss, Mansour

BJJ Coach | Black Belt under Alan Finfou | Founder of Kombat Evolve

FAQ

Q: What gym management software is best for BJJ?

A: The best BJJ gym management software focuses on student retention, not just billing. Look for features like belt progression tracking, student progress dashboards, at-risk alerts, and mobile apps that engage students between classes. Kombat Evolve is built specifically for this by a BJJ coach.

Q: How do you track student progress in BJJ?

A: Modern BJJ gyms use software to track attendance patterns, technique mastery, belt progression, and engagement metrics. Students access their own dashboards showing classes attended, techniques learned, and next stripe requirements - similar to how Duolingo shows language progress.

Q: Why do BJJ students quit?

A: 70% of BJJ students quit before blue belt primarily because they can't see their own progress. After months of training and getting submitted, they feel like they're not improving - even when they are. Progress tracking software that visualizes improvement helps students see their growth and stay motivated.

Q: What is BJJ gym retention software?

A: BJJ gym retention software helps gyms keep students training longer by tracking attendance patterns, alerting coaches when students are at-risk of quitting, and providing students with progress dashboards. Unlike generic gym management software, it's built specifically to solve the martial arts student retention problem.

Q: Does BJJ gym software work in Europe?

A: European BJJ gyms need software that supports SEPA payments, GDPR compliance, multi-language interfaces. US-based software like Mindbody often lacks these features. Kombat Evolve is built European-first with native SEPA support and GDPR compliance.