In ancient Greek, kairos means the opportune moment: the decisive instant, the one you have to seize. That is the name Jérémy Thévenin chose for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy, opening on September 1, 2026 in Bourgoin-Jallieu, in the Isère region of France. The name says everything about the project: after years on the mats and on the edge of competition areas, the time had come to build his own club.
Kairos Jiu Jitsu opens with 10 weekly sessions, doors open 6 days a week and 75 m² of mat space. And one distinctive detail: the club runs on OSS Academy from its very first day.
A founder who knows jiu-jitsu from every angle
A first-degree black belt, Jérémy Thévenin is not only a practitioner and an instructor. He is also a CFJJB and IBJJF referee, which means he spends part of his weekends in the middle of the mat, at national and international competitions.
That double role shapes the way he is building his academy. A referee sees hundreds of competitors go by, knows what separates a well-prepared club from one that improvises, and understands the demands of the federation calendar. Kairos therefore opens with a clear vision of what a serious structure should be, from the class schedule to competition sign-ups.
Opening a club is more than opening a mat
When an academy launches, the visible part is the mat: the schedule, the classes, the first students. The invisible part is what discourages many club founders. Memberships have to be handled, fees collected, attendance kept up to date, questions about session times answered, late payments chased.
Plenty of clubs start with a spreadsheet, a notebook and a group chat, then realise six months later that they spend more time on admin than on preparing their classes. Jérémy made the opposite choice: putting the organisation in place before the first session, so the season starts on clean foundations.
How Kairos uses OSS Academy
The club uses the app for everything that surrounds the classes, with one simple goal: nothing should depend on the coach’s memory.
- Membership plans: several offers run side by side, each with its own rules
- Payments: fees are tracked inside the app, with no manual chasing to keep in mind
- Attendance: the roll call happens at the start of class and automatically feeds each student’s stats
- Member autonomy: everyone manages their own account, books their sessions and checks their progress without going through the coach
- Competitions and shop: useful links live in the app, right where students look for them
That last point is the one Jérémy mentions most: letting members manage themselves frees up a considerable amount of time, and precise attendance tracking gives a real read on the life of the club, session after session.
The timer, a feature born from a Kairos request
OSS Academy is built together with the academies that use it, and Kairos is a good example. Jérémy needed a timer to pace his rounds during class. The feature was built at his request, then shipped to every academy on the platform.
That is how it works: when a coach voices a concrete need that comes from daily practice, chances are other clubs have exactly the same one. The timer that came out of the Kairos request is now available to every academy on the platform.
A season worth watching
Kairos Jiu Jitsu opens at the right moment, with its organisation ready and a founder who knows where he is going. For a club that is just starting, that is a solid base: the time not spent in spreadsheets is time spent on the mat, with the students.
Are you launching your own BJJ, grappling or wrestling academy? Create your academy on OSS Academy and start your first season without the admin headache.
Jérémy Thévenin
Founder and head coach
Black belt, 1st degree, CFJJB and IBJJF referee
@jeremy_thevenin
