New Ralph Gracie school in O.C

[Terror]

Ralph Gracie black belt Brad Jackson has openend a new Ralph Gracie school in Yorba Linda/Placentia Ca. Brad is a great teacher. He by far exceeds all other trainers I have had. He is also a nice guy to boot. The school openend on 01-01-01 and is at 1120 Yorba Linda Blvd. It is a little hard to find. It is in the same shopping center as the Taco Bell and is located in the shop right behind the Dry Cleaners. Classes are M-W-F 630pm and 730pm. Classes on Sat are at 5pm. Brad teaches all intricate details of position and submissions and holds nothing back. He is also an awesome roller and will roll with everyone at the school. Ralph will also be in from time to time. Ralph/Brads school is in a small location for now but will be moving to bigger location once they get it off the ground. I recommend to people of all styles that they come down and give it a shot. I can not tell you enough how impressive Brad is and how easy he is to learn from. I started last Wednesday and the guy is awesome and a great all around guy.

[Jkd_SiLaT]

Hello Terror,

Do you still train at Brad's school? Do you happen to know his background in jiu jitsu such as when he obtained his Black Belt, what titles he holds, etc. I tried searching online for info on him but theres none. Also, what is the schedule of his classes? What rank do you hold? Any other info is appreciated. Thanks

[Hakoko]

JKD,

I know Brad started training in BJJ w/ the Machado's. I believe he received up to his brown from them. If I remember correctly, he might have taken some time off from training, and went w/ a friend to Ralph's school up north. After a few training sessions, I think Ralph awarded him his Black. He has to be legit, cuz Ralph doesn't just hand out blacks. As far as titles, I think he has won the Pan Ams before, and has also done well in Brazil. That's from what I can remember.

[Terror]

JKD. Wow I have not posted on this forum since I posted this post 2 or so years ago. I got a notice via email today and to be honest completly forgot I ever posted here at all until then.

I am still with Brad. I am a blue belt under Ralph now and have been injured for the last year but I still train sporadically. I also teach Wrestling on Thurs. Nights at the school.

Brad actually trained with Royce early on and moved to Rickson because he went to UCLA. He recvd a Purple under Rickson and then recvd a brown from the Machados sometime later.

Brad hooked up with Ralph trained with him and later received an invitation to represent Ralph as a Black Belt. He has since opened the school under Ralphs banner. He also has won the Pan ams as a Ralph BlackBelt. Tapping the guy in the finals with a double arm bar!

Brad is an EXCELLENT teacher. He holds nothing back and he isnt the guy that teaches the same move for a week and then moves on. He trains with all of his students and taps us like drums.

The post above was pretty accurate actually although I had only known Brad for a short while at that point, I can safely say that he far exceeded my expectations even then.

Building up a school is tough especially in an area like ours. However we have some very tough guys. We are to that point where we are a VERY balanced team.

Most of all Brad has become a very close freind and I can tell you that we run a family oriented school that has something to offer for everyone. The vibe is great...no egos and none will be accepted. We have a very open minded approach to training and have some guys that train for fights train with us. All of our guys are very cool. We have one strict policy: We dont believe in BJJ Politics!
Come down for a free class. I recommend you come in on a Wed. Fri night or Sat Morning (10 am), you will have guys of all skill level to roll with and will get some individual attention on these days. Classes are at 7pm nightly and a 6pm beginner class is held M-W-F. This is a great class for beginners and intermediates and runs an hour. The 7pm class runs until people are to tired and want to go home. We are very informal and for those that work late it is totally acceptable to show late or leave early.

If you are a normal joe that wants to learn BJJ then we have the perfect home for you. If your a fighter looking to add to your existing arsenal and need a focused environment for your training to nhb, we can provide that as well. Brad is equally skilled in and out of a gi and can teach you to be the same. Sorry for the long note. I dont usually post on forums much anymore, occasionally at NHBGEAR.com as MAT WARRIOR.

Good luck, If you would like to discuss more feel free to call me on my cell at 714-308-4808. My name is Ryan. If you would like to talk to Brad direct call him at the school at 714-524-7880. Brad holds a 9-5 job so his availability is limited to training hours if you call.

[Jkd_SiLaT]

Thanks Ryan and Hakoko for your replies. Ryan, I hope you get well soon. Your post was very informative. I will definately take a trial lesson from Brad and see how things go. In your last post you stated that you are a blue belt under Ralph, does that mean that Ralph Gracie was there to test you? Does he stop by the studio often? Anyways, my name is Mark and thanks for all your help, hope to meet you one day.

[Terror]

Ralph comes down from time to time as do other Ralph guys from No Cal. We dont really test for belts. When guys are ready they are promoted. However we beleive that belts should be clearly earned and we recognize that it is tougher to get belts in Ralphs system than in others.

I was promoted by Ralph at the recommendation of Brad and Tinguinha (I was first one at the school to advance). Ralph gave me my blue and it remains a day I am very proud of. Most guys that have been promoted have been promoted by Brad but I was promoted by Ralph not that it makes much of a difference. Brad promoted a purple this week! Tim is a stud though and clearly was ready. Trained about 5 years and is the toughest 43 year old I know. In fact he won 4 matches by submission at Rorions tourney a few weeks ago and lost to a 22 year old in a 40 minute match in the finals.

[Jkd_SiLaT]

Hi,

I spoke with my friend and we've decided to come in sometime next week to take a free lesson. How many students are usually there during the 6pm class? Also, is the 7pm class only for intermediate students or does Brad allow beginner students to stay back and attend that class also? And just out of curiousity, how long did it take you to earn your blue belt? and have you done any competition yet? Oh yeah, one last question. Does Brad teach all of the Bjj classes or does he have an advance student teach it? Thanks