Logic Jiu Jitsu
    Fairmount → Fishtown · Since a World Title

    Logic Wasn't Opened. It Was Earned.

    Two Philadelphians spent 15 years competing full-time at Zenith in Las Vegas and ATOS headquarters in San Diego. They came home, took over a room in Fairmount, and built it into their own. Two moves, one pandemic, and five-plus years in Fishtown later, that room is Logic.

    Kristian Woodmansee, IBJJF World Champion and founder of Logic Jiu Jitsu, with his IBJJF medal
    Dennis A. Pressey Jr. with an IBJJF medal after competing for Logic Jiu Jitsu Philadelphia

    Kristian Woodmansee brought the program to Philadelphia. Dennis A. Pressey Jr. runs it today.

    The Beginning
    Roots — Fairmount, Philadelphia

    Fifteen years away. Then home.

    Kristian Woodmansee and Dennis Pressey Jr. spent 15 years training and competing full-time outside of Philadelphia — living and traveling together through Robert Drysdale's Zenith Academy in Las Vegas and André Galvão's ATOS headquarters in San Diego. Two of the most demanding rooms in the sport, back to back, as professionals rather than hobbyists.

    Kristian came home to Philadelphia to run an existing program at Roots in Fairmount. He took over as part-owner, and Dennis came with him as a full-time competitor and instructor teaching the room every week.

    That is the origin of everything Logic teaches today: a curriculum written by people who were actively competing at the highest level of the sport, tested on real students, in a real room, every single day.

    2019
    Rebranded as Logic

    Bigger room. New name. Same standard.

    The program outgrew Fairmount. In 2019 Kristian moved it into a larger, upgraded facility and it took a new name: Logic.

    The same year, Dennis was promoted to Black Belt by his professor Kristian Woodmansee alongside JT Torres at JT's academy.

    Logic grew fast and became one of the premier academies in the city — known for competitive results and, unusually, for actually coaching beginners instead of throwing them into the deep end.

    2020
    Covid and a forced move

    We were not going to stop training.

    Covid hit, and landlord complications on top of it forced an abrupt facility change. For a lot of academies in Philadelphia, that was the end of the story.

    It wasn't here. Training continued. The team kept the room together through the least stable stretch the martial arts industry has ever had — and came out of it looking for a permanent home rather than a temporary fix.

    2021 — Today
    Fishtown

    The home we built on purpose.

    In 2021 Logic opened at 1360 N American St — the current location — and has operated here ever since. Five-plus years in one building, in one neighborhood, with the same head instructor on the mats daily.

    This facility was chosen for the things that actually make people keep showing up: on-site parking so you're not circling the block before class, over 2,000 square feet of mat space so a full room never feels cramped, and locker rooms with showers and hotel-level amenities so training before or after work is realistic.

    Logic is now owned and run by Dennis A. Pressey Jr. — Kristian's black belt, 2x IBJJF No-Gi Pan American medalist, and UFC Fight Pass veteran — with a staff of five black belts, a brown belt, a purple belt, and three dedicated Muay Thai coaches.

    2025
    Kristian to Georgia · Dennis takes the room

    The founder moved. The standard didn't.

    In 2025 Kristian Woodmansee relocated to Georgia to open another academy. By the end of 2025, Dennis A. Pressey Jr. — his black belt, promoted in 2019 — had formally taken over as Head of Logic Philadelphia.

    That handoff was not a reset. It was the person who had been teaching the room since day one taking formal ownership of it.

    Logic's lineage still runs through ATOS — André Galvão to Kristian Woodmansee to Dennis. That history doesn't change. What changed is the affiliation going forward.

    2026
    Vanguard affiliation

    New affiliation. Same lineage.

    In 2026 Logic joined Vanguard — the affiliation led by IBJJF Champion and ADCC medalist Josh Hinger alongside Logic founder Kristian Woodmansee.

    Vanguard is the academy's current affiliation. ATOS remains Dennis's lineage and the academy's history: André Galvão → Kristian Woodmansee → Dennis A. Pressey Jr.

    Philadelphia students train under a live, competing, nationally connected system — not a franchise binder.

    Now
    Built out under Dennis

    The most complete schedule in the area.

    Dennis grew the kids program into a five-day-per-week offering — the most complete kids martial arts schedule in the area. Not one class a week you have to build your life around, but real options so a working parent can actually make it.

    Logic is also Philadelphia's only beginner-exclusive Jiu Jitsu program: a dedicated White Belt curriculum with its own class schedule, taught by black belts, where nobody in the room is more experienced than you.

    Over 700 students have trained here in the last five years, with 200+ active members on the mats today.

    The competition team backs it up — 4 IBJJF World Championship titles (Gina Mancuso with 3, plus founder Kristian Woodmansee), 3 IBJJF Pan Am Medalists, and countless medals across local IBJJF events. The same coaches producing those results are the ones teaching your first class.

    The Building

    Built For People Who Have Jobs

    2,000+ sq ft
    Of matted training space
    On-site
    Free parking, every class
    Showers
    Locker rooms with hotel-level amenities
    5+ years
    At the Fishtown location
    What The Room Has Produced

    Results, Not Slogans

    4
    IBJJF World Championship titles
    700+
    Students trained in the last 5 years
    200+
    Active members on the mats today
    5 days
    Per week of kids classes
    3
    IBJJF Pan Am Medalists on the team
    Only
    Beginner-exclusive BJJ program in Philadelphia

    Plus countless medals across local IBJJF events. See the class schedule.

    Where It Stands Today

    Logic is an IBJJF Registered Academy and has represented Vanguard since 2026 — the affiliation led by IBJJF Champion and ADCC medalist Josh Hinger alongside Logic founder Kristian Woodmansee. The academy's lineage still runs through ATOS: André Galvão → Kristian Woodmansee → Dennis Pressey Jr. Every instructor on staff is SafeSport certified and background checked, and there are CPR-certified instructors in the building.

    Five black belts teach here — Dennis Pressey Jr. (2019), Markee McCrimmon (2024), Matt Rong (2024), 3x IBJJF World Champion Gina Mancuso, and Bryan Nguyen (2026) — plus brown belt Vinnie Naples, purple belts Shavana Jones, Pat Hilley, and Phil Sawicki, and three dedicated Muay Thai coaches led by Karate Hall of Fame inductee Edwin Capetillo.

    Kids classes run five days per week, and the beginner-exclusive White Belt program is the only one of its kind in Philadelphia.

    Meet the full staff on the instructors page, see what we stand for on the about page, or read the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Philadelphia guide.

    Common Questions

    The program began as Roots in Fairmount, Philadelphia, where IBJJF World Champion Kristian Woodmansee came in to run an existing program and became part-owner. It was rebranded as Logic in 2019 when it moved to a larger facility, and opened at its current Fishtown location (1360 N American St) in 2021 — where it has operated for over five years.

    Logic grew out of the Roots program in Fairmount under Kristian Woodmansee, an IBJJF World Champion and Black Belt under Andre Galvao, who came back to Philadelphia to run it and became part-owner before rebranding it as Logic in 2019. Dennis A. Pressey Jr. was there from the beginning as a full-time competitor and instructor, and now owns and runs the academy.

    Two moves. The first, in 2019, was growth — Fairmount was outgrown and the academy moved into a larger, upgraded space and rebranded as Logic. The second came during Covid, when landlord complications forced an abrupt facility change. Training never stopped, and Logic opened at its permanent Fishtown home in 2021.

    Dennis A. Pressey Jr. is Head Instructor and owner. Kristian Woodmansee relocated to Georgia in 2025 to open another academy, and Dennis — his black belt, promoted in 2019 — took over as head of Logic Philadelphia at the end of 2025.

    Logic joined Vanguard in 2026 — the affiliation led by IBJJF Champion and ADCC medalist Josh Hinger alongside Logic founder Kristian Woodmansee. Vanguard is the academy's current affiliation; ATOS remains its lineage and history.

    Kristian Woodmansee earned his Black Belt under Andre Galvao at ATOS. Dennis Pressey Jr. was promoted to Black Belt in 2019 by Kristian Woodmansee and JT Torres together, so the lineage runs Carlos Gracie Jr. → Andre Galvao (ATOS) → Kristian Woodmansee → Dennis Pressey Jr. The academy's current affiliation is Vanguard, joined in 2026.

    4 IBJJF World Championship titles — three by Gina Mancuso and one by founder Kristian Woodmansee — plus 3 IBJJF Pan Am Medalists and countless medals across local IBJJF events, produced by the same coaches who teach the beginner classes.

    Over 700 students have trained at Logic in the last five years, and roughly 200+ members are active on the mats today across adult BJJ, kids BJJ, Muay Thai, and the women's program.

    Yes. Logic is Philadelphia's only beginner-exclusive Jiu Jitsu program — a dedicated White Belt curriculum with its own schedule, so new students train with other new students. Kids classes run five days per week.

    Over 2,000 square feet of mat space, on-site parking, and locker rooms with showers and hotel-level amenities at 1360 N American St in Fishtown, Philadelphia.
    Logic Jiu Jitsu instructor competing at IBJJF

    Two Moves. One Standard. Your Turn.

    Beginners start on Mondays. You don't need experience, and you don't need to be in shape first.

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