The Grappling Training Locations Megathread

**KoalaTactics** · Posted On: 8/07/2008 6:14pm

Hey all,

Did my best to hunt down a review or recommendation for schools in Victora, B.C. but didn't see any forthcoming.
Does anyone know of a solid gym in that neck of the woods? I have a couple months experience with BJJ, and I'm looking to avoid shitty instruction at this impressionable stage in my development.

**nnate** · Posted On: 11/21/2008 2:05pm

Anyone know of any good schools in Pensacola, FL? I found a Judo school, but the Judo school is so cheap (Yay Judo), I think I could add some BJJ. Or Sambo if it's available.

**Renn** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 3:29am

Haven't posted in a while and haven't trained in even longer. My ass has gained 17 pounds in a little over a year and besides just running about 10-15 miles a week and some weight training i haven't done much since a rotator cuff injury knocked me out of training. Anyhow was driving to the boba shop so my ever enlarging ass could get larger i passed by a glowing light with the words, "Brazilian Ju-Jitsu".

My eyes teared up as i have long awaited for a BJJ gym near me. It was closed and no pamphlets were on the door so i figured i'd come back sometime during the week to check out who was teaching there. My girlfriend who was in the car astutely saw a banner on the side of the building and started to read me the URL. She giggles and say's what a weird name.... it says "Babalube JJ".

Lol. Annnyways.... I can't really get over that Babalu has opened up a gym less then 2 miles away from my house. Did a quick search here but really couldn't find much about anyone training there or if his training is any good (i'm assuming it is). Actually the only comment i saw really was, "Will he train me how to defend uppercuts".

Anyhow the URL is http://www.babalubjj.com. Seems like a no-brainer to start training but couple things do stand out. Here is a blurb from the site.

"After four (4) months of training and learning all the techniques comprising the Fundamental’s curriculum, the student will be recommended to join the Gracie Barra Advanced Program. With eight (8) months of training and experience, the student will have the maturity level and enough knowledge to enroll on the Gracie Barra Black Belt Program. It is in the Gracie Barra Black Belt Program where he or she will be exposed to all kinds of training dynamics, including MMA, BJJ No-Gi and high level BJJ-Gi, so that the student develops his or her own Jiu-Jitsu game, strategy and technique(s)."

Ummmmm... anybody have any experience with different types of programs within a school? I guess this just seems very strange to me because it seems that time spent is a determiner or at least a partial determiner of what class you should be in. Although looking at the programs in depth it does state that once you get your 3rd stripe on your white belt you can go to advanced and after 1.5 years of training you can go to the black belt class. Just sounds weird to me i guess.

Also i'm kinda perturbed with the MUST have a "Gracie Barra Official Gi". Seems that my old Gi's would not be allowed (just normal white gi's with patches on them that can be replaced with new patches). Maybe i'm just nitpicking and being a cheap bastard who doesn't want to have to buy new gi's when i have two perfectly good ones. Anyhow any comments or advice would be welcome.

**Bustardo** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 3:19pm

Originally Posted by Renn

Anyhow the URL is http://www.babalubjj.com. Seems like a no-brainer to start training but couple things do stand out. Here is a blurb from the site.

"After four (4) months of training and learning all the techniques comprising the Fundamental’s curriculum, the student will be recommended to join the Gracie Barra Advanced Program. With eight (8) months of training and experience, the student will have the maturity level and enough knowledge to enroll on the Gracie Barra Black Belt Program. It is in the Gracie Barra Black Belt Program where he or she will be exposed to all kinds of training dynamics, including MMA, BJJ No-Gi and high level BJJ-Gi, so that the student develops his or her own Jiu-Jitsu game, strategy and technique(s)."

Ummmmm... anybody have any experience with different types of programs within a school? I guess this just seems very strange to me because it seems that time spent is a determiner or at least a partial determiner of what class you should be in. Although looking at the programs in depth it does state that once you get your 3rd stripe on your white belt you can go to advanced and after 1.5 years of training you can go to the black belt class. Just sounds weird to me i guess.

Also i'm kinda perturbed with the MUST have a "Gracie Barra Official Gi". Seems that my old Gi's would not be allowed (just normal white gi's with patches on them that can be replaced with new patches). Maybe i'm just nitpicking and being a cheap bastard who doesn't want to have to buy new gi's when i have two perfectly good ones. Anyhow any comments or advice would be welcome.

My school was a Saulo Affiliate which just switched over to Gracie Barra. They had "patch kits" and I think they're available on their sites so you can patch up an existing Gi so it has the Gracie Barra stuff on it.

At first I didn't like the seperation of classes, but honestly I think it's a good idea. They want their people to grapple in much the same way. You're also there with people of similar level so you're not being thrown to the wolves in live training. So the core fundamentals program teaches you the basics. You shouldn't be doing anything but basics when you start, no matter how great you think you are. The instructors have a lot of freedom in what they teach in the advanced/black belt classes. Also if you go to a Gracie Barra anywhere in the world they're going to be running the same fundamentals classes on the same weeks. If you drop in anywhere you know what week you're on and what they're going to cover.

Seperating the classes also lets the upper belts devote time to helping out the lower belts. Personally I like being able to help people with basics (I still need to do basics over and over anyway) when I know that in the higher level classes I'll have time to work on things that are new to me.

Also, it's important to keep in mind that just because the classes are seperated doesn't mean there aren't those with more experience dropping by those classes to help out.

Just my two cents.

**Posel** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 6:54pm

http://www.babalubjj.com/?page_id=23

"Bow to the center of the mat when you enter.
Bow to the centre of the mat when you exit.
Classes end with a formal bow to the instructor and then to the picture of Carlos Gracie Senior."

I have never bowed to the picture of any Gracie or when entering/exiting the mat. Is the academy where I used to train teaching fake bjj or is fake GB affilate?
Seriously, how much do you bow in your academies?

**Petter** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 7:08pm

Originally Posted by Posel

http://www.babalubjj.com/?page_id=23

"Bow to the center of the mat when you enter.
Bow to the centre of the mat when you exit.
Classes end with a formal bow to the instructor and then to the picture of Carlos Gracie Senior."

I have never bowed to the picture of any Gracie or when entering/exiting the mat. Is the academy where I used to train teaching fake bjj or is fake GB affilate?
Seriously, how much do you bow in your academies?

I practice at a Gracie Barra school. Some people bow when they step on and/or off the mats. Some don't. I've never heard a comment about it.

We do a line-up and a quick bow at the beginning and end of class.

I have never in my life bowed to a picture of anyone. There's a picture of Carlos Gracie Sr. on the wall (also one of Carlos Jr. and one of Marcio Feitosa, the chief instructor's instructor). I've never seen anyone bow to any of them.

The school sells gi with loads of GB patches, and sells the patches, but there's no requirement to get any of the above. Lots of people wear other brands of gi, and some train in plain white (or coloured) gi. A few people coming from a judo background just keep training in judogi. I've never heard any commentary on this, either.

We do have classes divided very loosely by rank: Fundamentals classes, attended by whitebelts and some bluebelts (and occasionally the odd purple belt), and "intermediate/advanced" classes open to 2-strip whitebelts and above. As I have precisely that minimal required rank, I have gone to some of these classes and quite enjoy them, but I'm also very glad that I had to do some fundamentals before attending one. A warm-up consisting of some jumping jacks followed by "Okay, now pair up and do some standing grappling -- go throw for throw" would have been pretty intimidating on my first day...

**Posel** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 7:17pm

My expierience is very similiar to yours. This list of rules seems copypasted (with only minor changes) from some aikido/karate site. Bowing to the picture? wtf?

**Posel** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 7:21pm

double post

**Petter** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 7:21pm

I've seen a similar list of rules at my gym (though I don't recall anything about bowing to pictures). For the most part, however, people don't seem to bother with the more formal ones, including the instructor. Apart from the line-up and bowing, etiquette seems to consist largely of (1) handshakes or the slap/fist-bump thing, and (2) being good training partners and not being dicks to anyone. I find it considerably more relaxed -- and vastly more supportive -- than my experience with karate (and I don't think I was in a bad karate club).

**Renn** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 7:44pm

Well just stopped in to check out the gym and it looks pretty decent. School just opened up couple months ago big mat, nice facilities, with a ring being made it in the back. Gonna stop in today for a free beginner class. Since i've already trained in bjj he said i could skip the intro class since there wasn't one tonight.

Anyhow pricing is as follows and seems pretty pricey but i really don't know pricing anymore. Basically for unlimited i need to sign up for a year at $156 a month but you get a free Gi. Ouch. BUT he says all the Gracie Barras have "combined" and that is the normal pricing + i can go visit anywhere and be welcome to train. He also (his name was Freddy and he's one of the "Professors") said i can take off my old patches and put new ones on so i can use my old gi's.

Also he said all the curriculum is the same throughout the Gracie Barra's. Anyhow i'm off to take a class.