During my visit to Gracie Barra BJJ in Paris, I was impressed by the school’s blend of professionalism, technical instruction, and welcoming atmosphere. Gracie Barra has several campuses spread throughout the city, making it convenient to find a class no matter where you are staying. I attended the HQ location, situated within a moderate walking Continue Reading
I learned I would be in Brazil to speak and conduct a workshop at the University of São Paulo for a week in July, just over a month before landing there. As I had little time to prepare for what would be mashed into a working vacation, I did little research into my BJJ exploration Continue Reading
I journeyed to Toronto in Ontario, Canada to be a speaker at an academic conference. While there I decided to take the edge off of speaking among my academic peers versus the business conferences, I usually attend, by venturing into the Canadian BJJ scene. I found a good number of BJJ and MMA academies available Continue Reading
By the time I got to Naples, I was exhausted from BJJ training in Portugal and Spain but still eager to try a class in Italy. I decided to walk the four mile hump to an evening class, after finishing up a 3.5 hour walking tour of Napoli. The route to class seemed a straight Continue Reading
Lisbon, Portugal was originally an eight hour layover on my way to Spain. I identified a couple of BJJ schools close to the airport, that offered an opportunity to train since I was going to try to catch some site seeing between flights. Because of my timing in the city I booked an inexpensive Airbnb Continue Reading
How else could I make a recent relaxing getaway to Colonial Williamsburg, VA, known for its serene walkways through historic towns, ferries along the James River, and cozy pancake shops, uncomfortable better than by visiting a BJJ school? Well, I still enjoyed the strolls through history, ate an obscene amount of pancakes, and got in Continue Reading
My brother and I decided to meet up this summer for yoga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, comparing life’s notes, and beer. I immediately turned to some BJJ schools I wanted to visit before the pandemic quarantine and found a few had either closed or relocated out of town without notice. A school closing is sad for the Continue Reading
When I was a kid, a popular television show aired about a community bar in Boston, “where everyone knew your name.” The show’s name was “Cheers,” and I can’t remember the bar’s name, but it might as well have been called Westside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Do your soul and Jiu-Jitsu practice a huge favor, and stop Continue Reading
I visited Impact Martial Arts School in Virginia Beach, VA for a BJJ camp. It was a two day BJJ seminar for five hours each day and conducted by five black belts who were led by Prof. David Carlos. I got there a little late because I was driving from 4 hours away…and well… I’m usually running late. Continue Reading
I was taking a trip to Machu Picchu and would be staying in the town of Cusco so I found a BJJ school in Peru using BJJFinder.com. I went on Facebook and contacted them (in English) and they immediately hit me back and said I was welcome to come train with them. Continue Reading