About Us
Throughout all 3 of our locations, HeadNod American Jiu Jitsu is home to a team who truly loves the art. The highly-ranked grapplers come into every day with a smile on their face as they hope to help students reach new heights. Many of our adult Jiu Jitsu instructors are black belts, and were promoted under owners Josh and Steve McKinney. Josh leads the way for a team who is all about helping others get better through Jiu Jitsu lessons!
Learn More About
Headnod American Jiu Jitsu
About Us
The path to HeadNod American Jiu Jitsu began in a garage in 2002. Owner, Josh McKinney, and his father Steve, started Jiu Jitsu training together. Early on, Josh knew he wanted to teach others. After many years of training and competing, Josh opened our first Granite City location in 2015. The sky has been the limit ever since.
We added our Jerseyville school in 2019, upgraded to a larger Granite City school location in 2020, and opened our Edwardsville location in 2025. We are proud to be providing Jiu Jitsu lessons to as many people in Illinois as possible.
During this time, we have continuously adapted and changed our style to what works best for our students. This includes switching from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to American Jiu Jitsu centric training. We’ve built a system we believe helps all our students, allowing everyone to benefit from Jiu Jitsu classes.
History
The path to HeadNod American Jiu Jitsu began in a garage in 2002. Owner, Josh McKinney, and his father Steve, started Jiu Jitsu training together. Early on, Josh knew he wanted to teach others. After many years of training and competing, Josh opened our first Granite City location in 2015. The sky has been the limit ever since.
We added our Jerseyville school in 2019, upgraded to a larger Granite City school location in 2020, and opened our Edwardsville location in 2025. We are proud to be providing Jiu Jitsu lessons to as many people in Illinois as possible.
During this time, we have continuously adapted and changed our style to what works best for our students. This includes switching from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to American Jiu Jitsu centric training. We’ve built a system we believe helps all our students, allowing everyone to benefit from Jiu Jitsu classes.
We added our Jerseyville school in 2019, upgraded to a larger Granite City school location in 2020, and opened our Edwardsville location in 2025. We are proud to be providing Jiu Jitsu lessons to as many people in Illinois as possible.
During this time, we have continuously adapted and changed our style to what works best for our students. This includes switching from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to American Jiu Jitsu centric training. We’ve built a system we believe helps all our students, allowing everyone to benefit from Jiu Jitsu classes.
Explore Headnod
Check out the
I Suck At Jiu Jitsu Show Podcast!
Do you want to dive even further into the Jiu Jitsu world?
Check out owner Josh McKinney’s Jiu Jitsu podcast!
Then make sure to check out our owner’s Podcast, I Suck at Jiu Jitsu Show! There, you can hear fun stories, tips and tricks, and more! Check it out today!
Join us for Our
Four-Week Special!
If you are a newcomer to HeadNod, you can get started on a short-term trial basis.
Sign up for our four-week special of unlimited classes for $159! You’ll discover a new way of life through Jiu Jitsu!
Meet the Team at
HeadNod Jiu Jitsu
Meet our team of dedicated instructors at HeadNod, here to help you level up your jiu jitsu journey and meet your goals on the mat!
No matter your age or experience level, the team is here to welcome you to the community!
Sign up for Our
FREE Trial Class
Are you interested in starting American Jiu Jitsu lessons?
Well, there is no better way to get started than with a free course!
Sign up for our free Jiu Jitsu class trial to get started at HeadNod American Jiu Jitsu!
Meet the Team at
Headnod American Jiu Jitsu
The HeadNod American Jiu Jitsu team has a vast amount of experience all around the board. Whether it is at Granite City, Jerseyville, or Edwardsville, you’ll find high-ranking, passionate instructors who are dedicated to helping you succeed. Go through their bios and see the people who make our Jiu Jitsu schools great!
Josh McKinney
Head Instructor
Josh has been training Jiu Jitsu since 2008 and in that time has competed and won all over the country. He is currently a 16x IBJJF gold medalist and a black belt under UFC veteran Kyle Watson.
Since opening HeadnodHQ in 2015 Josh had made it his goal to bring world class instruction to southern Illinois. It’s been said that Josh loves HeadnodHQ more than Kanye West loves Kanye West.
“I really want HeadnodHQ to be a place where people come in after work, get a good workout, and have a blast doing it.” -Josh
Steve McKinney
Coach
Steve has been in the fitness industry for nearly 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness And More, Inc. and is a 1st Class Certified Personal Fitness Trainer. In 1990 he won the Mr.Southern Illinois Body Building title and was a top 5 finisher in the Mr. Midwest competition.He is the innovator of the 3-W System of Fitness and has personally supervised over 4000 workouts per year for the past twenty plus years! Steve specializes in private 1-2-1 High Intensity Training sessions. Steve currently holds a Black Belt in BJJ under Kyle Watson.
Justin Huff
Coach
Justin Huff has been training jiu jitsu since 2009. He currently holds his black belt under Josh and Steve McKinney. Not only does Justin love leg locks, he loves fried chicken legs. In fact, he can eat more fried chicken than anyone in our entire gym (probably in the entire state of Illinois).Notable Accomplishment:
- Southeastern Jiu-Jitsu Super Fight Champion (2018)
- 2nd Place Southeastern Jiu-Jitsu Submission Championships – Purple (2018)
- 1st Place Submission Challenge – Advance No-Gi (2017)
- 2nd Place American Grappling Federation – Advance No-Gi (2016)
- 3rd Place IBJJF Chicago Open – Purple (2016)
Justin Kichler
Coach
Richie Kelly
Coach
John Sabo
Kids’ & Muay Thai Head Coach
Jeff Wilson
Front Desk Coordinator & Assistant Coach
What Our Students Are Saying
HeadNod American Jiu Jitsu is a place where everyone is accepted and creativity is encouraged. Our unique approach to Jiu Jitsu lessons allows students to have fun and thrive. And don’t just take our word for it. Check out what our students are saying about what makes our Illinois Jiu Jitsu schools the place to be!
“An absolutely fantastic gym with some really great people…I will definitely drop in every time I am in town! Thank you HeadNod HQ for an amazing time!”
“Love the Women’s class. Awesome new friends, knowledgeable coaches, and an empowered mindset.”
“While traveling I stopped in for an afternoon class and I’m glad I did. The instruction covered concepts and technique. Everyone was very welcoming and kind.”
“The community here is extremely welcoming and friendly for all experience levels.”
“I visited HeadNod HQ last week and was very impressed with the high level of instruction, friendly students and the clean facilities.”
Join us at HeadNod for a
four-week trial!
All newcomers can sign up for a 4-week paid trial to get started. Come on in and see what Jiu Jitsu classes can do for you!
Granite City HQ
Hours
Monday: 6:00 – 7:00pm
Tuesday: 6:00 – 7:00pm
Wednesday: 12:00 – 1:00pm & 5:00 – 7:00pm
Thursday: 12:00 – 1:00pm & 6:00 – 7:00pm
Friday: Closed
Saturday: 9:30am – 12:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Jerseyville
School Hours
Monday: 5:00 – 5:45pm, 6:00 – 7:00pm
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 5:00 – 5:45pm, 6:00 – 7:00pm
Thursday: Closed
Friday: 6:00 – 7:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Sunday: Closed
Edwardsville
School Hours
Monday: 7:30 – 8:30pm
Tuesday: 7:30 – 8:30pm
Wednesday: 7:30 – 8:30pm
Thursday: 7:30 – 8:30pm
Friday: Closed
Saturday: 11:00am – 12:30pm
Sunday: Closed