Selecting a school

[NYBJJ]

I would like learn BJJ. I have little to no MA experience (few months of Karate many years ago). I was wondering what should I look for in a school?

What questions should I ask?
What should I be looking for?

I'm in NY and extremely close to Serra Jiu-Jitsu. I realize they have made a name for themselves, and being close, I figured this would be a good start.

(I have posed this question on another popular MMA board, with a single response, from a serra member... so any help would be appreciated.)

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Mca]

when i looked for a school to learn martial arts i was told to look out for schools with contracts,belt test fees and to see if you could participate
in a few classes to see if its for you and you'll also get a sense of how the quality of training is going to be.Thats what i was told hope it helps im still a novice

[NYBJJ]

Mca,

Hey there... thank you for the reply.

Definately helps.

Rich

[danfaggella]

Serra is likely to be a good choice. I think Renzo is in NY, and so is Strait Blast Gym.

I think it depends on what you want. If you like gi, if you like no gi (both?), if you just want to get in shape, if you want to train for NHB competition, if you want to be a competitave grappler, if you watn to learn self-defense, ect...

Think about what you want from BJJ, and then check out all the spots, most places will give you a free intro class. Ask the students how they like the place, how the training goes, ect...

Good luck man, have fun.

[cronin]

Hey NYBJJ,

I'm from LI but haven't had a chance to train w/ Serra's camp, although I wish I had- (I'm sure you've checked out Kioto BJJ where I am training currently.) Here's my 2 cents coming from a fellow LI'er:

As far as questions, to second MCA, make sure belt promotions are awarded upon merit, which I'm sure Serra's does, as opposed to giving belts annually (and with a seminar/promotion $FEE$) which is what I've experienced first hand at Kioto.

It seems contracts are par for the course in any academy around LI and NYC --however, if you don't feel like making a yearly commitment for whatever reason, see if you could change the yearly to a six-month (or month to month) program. They would probably charge you more, but at least you won't have the contract of a whole year in case you hate it. I remember last year for 2 classes a week, it was $140/mo under a yearly contract. (To compare- Kioto charges $155/mo for 2 classes weekly).

Check out an Intro -- see how it goes. I remember Joe Scarola charged $20 for 2 sessions last year when I was researching -- he's an exceptional instructor and I actually also got to train with Luke Cummo before his TUF stardom. Of course he was playing the grappling dummy, but it was pretty cool nonetheless.

Finally, I think whatever you're looking for- as Danfaggella stated- Serra's looks like he's got the whole package. Kioto's mostly focused on sport bjj- which is not a bad thing- but if you're looking more into NHB comp/MMA, go with Serra. And, if the camp is close by, it's definitely a plus--especially since Regular gas is like 3 bucks and change. I have to trek to Sayville from Melville and it's killing me.

I haven't checked out Soca BJJ, but it looks like another good option: it's a Gracie Barra affiliate and with black belt/grappling champion Soca at the helm. They're moving to a bigger place in Bellmore some time in May and have a pretty cool site as well.

If you're looking purely MMA, there's Thaisport in New Hyde Park and Evolution Combat Club out east in Rocky Pt.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

-D

[NYBJJ]

Cronin, Danfagella,

Thanks for the great and informative replies. I have scheduled a 30 minute session over at Serra. You know, I never even cosidered the "gas" factor until it was just mentioned... hmmm. Anyway, Serra is only 10 minutes away for me, a few miles at most.

I am definately interested in the competative side of Jiu-Jitsu, more so on the "sport" side. I'm 36, getting kind of old for the MMA stuff, and my wife doesn't like the idea of fighting in general (wont even watch it on TV). That's not to say I wouldn't be willing to dabble in the MMA stuff, but I would definately need additonal traing prior.

I do like the idea of both the Serra brothers backgrounds. Both have done well and have students that have done well. I have looked at Kioto, unfortinately... I'm not willing to take that ride two or three nights a week. Not because I'm lazy,or I don't like the school, But I work in the city and timing is a major issue, plus the traffic on LI is horrible.

I willd definately keep the promotion question in mind. I have been reading a couple books, one by Renzo Gracie & Royler Gracie and another by Gene Simco. They both seem very informative and make good points for selecting a school. I defiantely excited to start learning.

Thanks again!

Rich

[OSHIEGO]

Look for a school that offers a free introductory class and as stated above, several contract options. Also if possible, when you attend the introductory class, get there early and at the end of the session,hang out for a bit in order to see how everyone interacts. I suggest this because sometimes the vibe and/or attitude of the school plays a big part in how successful your training will be. A safe and inviting atmosphere, with an instructor who is technically sound and who is able to translate his/her techniques to the students well is what I would look for.
Here are some sites that might help you out. Good luck

http://www.kiotobjjny.com/

http://www.gracieny.com/

http://www.renzogracie.com/

http://www.serrajitsu.com/newsite/frameset.htm

or look at this link

http://www.bjj.org/academies/#NY

_________________________________________

BE LIKE WATER

[JkD187]

I would like learn BJJ. I have little to no MA experience (few months of Karate many years ago). I was wondering what should I look for in a school?

What questions should I ask?
What should I be looking for?

I'm in NY and extremely close to Serra Jiu-Jitsu. I realize they have made a name for themselves, and being close, I figured this would be a good start.

(I have posed this question on another popular MMA board, with a single response, from a serra member... so any help would be appreciated.)

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

I live in NY and have been to Pretty much every single MMA/BJJ gym on Long Island and in NYC.If your close Serra's go there he is an excellent coach and a great person.I had alot of fun there....Matt and Nick Serra run bolth school's in East Meadow and Huntington...the Huntington one has a cage.The east meadow one(the one i went to) is great as well you will see alot of guys there like Luke Cummo and Pete Sell.Its an excellent gym check it out.

[danfaggella]

^Yeah, NY is packed with high quality grappling establishments, I would recomends a little homework, and then visit a few and check it out.

Whoa JKD, I was pretty sure you were in a coma or something.

[NYBJJ]

Hi all...

Well tonight I went to Serra for an intro (30 minutes).

First impressions:

Location is great for me. Easy off and on from a major highway which gets me home in all of 6 or 7 minutes. The gym is in a small stripp mall, again... easy access.

The people... they were all very pleasant. many came in right away 6:10-6:15 (for a 6:30 class) to stretch and they began warming up with one another, very easy going contact and rolling.

The person giving the Intro, Ron, he seemed very good at what he does... His mind was on his concert tonight, but he went over basic falling technics, armbar, escape from the mount, basic take down from the side, and the americana. He was very clear and descriptive. he answered any questions regarding positioning, grabing, direction etc.

To my surprise, Matt was there as well. He was doing the instruction of the main class which was happening at the other end of the mats. Matt seemed very approachable, someone you could ask questions, and he will definately answer... in fact he stopped and turned the class over to a purple belt and came in to speak with myself and the other person whom was there for the intro. He came across extremely freindly and is well spoken.

So far the first intro went really well... I haven't felt this good in a long time. I now tomorrow I will be soar from being twisted and bent... but I feel great right now. The twist and bend, forcing the stretch a little further really felt good!

Now the technics given were geared towards MMA, street fighting, which was probably done so one would have a better understanding. I didn't get to ask all my questions, which I will do next Tues. on my second intro class. I'm definately interested, and would like to pursue this... But I want to see where they stand in regards to "sport" BJJ. I would like to try this on a competative level once I have time on the mats. I'm just not sure where Serra stands outside of MMA fighting. Do they support their fighters, sponsorm etc.. I'm not really sure how it even works.

Well... I don't want to get to far ahead... I have a week to stick to stretching, eatting healthy and getting ready for my next intro.

Thanks for all the great info here... it was definately helpful, I asked the questions posed to me, and a few others which some co-workers suggested I ask / observe. I am so far extremely happy with Serra... and I can't wait till next Tuesday.

Thanks

Rich

[GQchris]

How bout learning the sweet science first..

[NYBJJ]

How bout learning the sweet science first..

And the "sweet science" you are refering to? BJJ???

If this is what you are refering to, my reply above states: "Well... I don't want to get to far ahead..."

But I did state my goals and where I would like to go with my training in due time. I realize I am far from doing anything but the basics for a long time. However, setting goals tends to help people work harder, and consentrate more. I want to be sure I go to the right place, hence my asking the original question. Now I do have other options which I will look into... specifically Renzo's place in NYC. Renzo did train Matt and Nick Serra... but I would like to see the differences. if any, between the schools.

Again... Serra is extremely close to home... making it the favored school. I kind of like getting out of NYC as soon as I am done with my work. I don't want to hang around for classes.

Rich

[cronin]

NYBJJ-

I think GQ was referring to Boxing.

Regardless- good intro! Are you visualizing the moves during the morning commute yet?? Let me know how it goes with the second. I'm sure Serra and his team will support you in whatever you want to accomplish (his Pre-MMA days he was a world class grappler- not to many people this side of the US can say they beat JJ Machado)- and lucky for us old men over 30, if you want to compete there's a Master's and Seniors division in sport BJJ.

It's funny you mention Renzo's place- as I commute to NYC twice a week and was looking to check out their gym. It's on 30th street- a couple blocks from Penn. Great facility and the guys who greeted me were personable, so I'm sure it would be no problem finding the same kind of atmosphere (a strong, supportive team/family). What was surprising was seeing Georges St. Pierre rolling with others in the Purple belt class during lunchtime. One thing that piqued my interest was the morning classes- around 730-830- which would've worked out for me. If you could escape a 'long lunch' and you work around midtown, they have afternoon classes staggered. The difference, however, as you could imagine for NYC and training under Renzo, it's about $180/mo with a registration fee on top of that. (BTW- how much is Serra's nowadays? Just curious).

If you can train close to home, that's awesome. Good luck and keep at it- I could be visiting the camp as soon as my contract's up!

[NYBJJ]

Cronin,

Hey there... thanks for the reply.

Currently Serra is $140.00 for twice a week. If you want unlimited, it is $185.00 I believe. I work on 42nd street, however, on the east side (3rd Ave). I walk to Penn most "nice" days, so I will more then likely check things out, over at Renzo's place.

As for Boxing... I'm 36, I need a little more time before jumping into another "art". I haven't been the most active person over the past two years.. Taking evening classes, first baby, wife, etc... So the Jiu-Jitsu will need to be my starting point. Once I get into the swing of things, and I feel better (better shape) I will expand my horizons.

I noticed that "seniors" division, which is what really peaked my interest. I wasn't really sure if I was going to pursue this, but when I noticed that, I was pretty happy.

As for my first day at Serra's... I'm still SOAR! I haven't stretched in ages, and getting torqued up and twisted... stretched me even further. I have never felt so loose. So I definately need to take this slow. As much as its soar now, I feel great.

Thanks again for the reply.

Rich

[Glelas]

Any comments on Kioto in Sayville? I live in Sayville and was researching that one...Thanks