MMA/BJJ Training in NYC?

Hey guys,

I am looking for a gym to train Brazillian Ju Jitsu, Muay Tai, and MMA in NYC.

Renzo Gracie is probably the top BJJ gym, but is $230 per month with a 2 year commitment. Muay Tai is $50/month extra.

I found Ronin Athletics which is $160 and is unlimited BJJ, MT and MMA, but it is a rather small gym and I dont know about the quality of the guys.

I am a blue belt in BJJ and am looking for a school that can take me to purple and has guys at higher levels so I can learn from them. I would love MT, MMA training as well but it is not my top priority.

I know there is a Macahado school and I think Tiger Schulman offers BJJ but have not investigated yet.

Seems that the recent popularity of MMA has caused prices to skyrocket. In the end, this hobby may not be affordable for me which would be unfortunate considering all the work I have put into it throughout the years.

All of the Machado guys I have trained with in LA were top notch. Unfamiliar with any NYC schools they might have, however.

yeayea,

i have trained with christian montes, the head instructor at ronin athletics for about 5 years now. if you have any questions, let me know.

Doesn't Matt Serra have a gym there?

http://www.serrajitsu.com/

yeayea is talking about NYC only. matt serra's place is on long island.

yeah. just the city. midtown preferred.

thanks mizination -

my questions are as follows:

- how is the competition at the school? are there plenty of quality guys to train with? (i am not a top notch competitor or anything, but while i was in NJ i found myself in a school with primarily white belts and that failed to adequately challenge me) can i roll with purples, browns and blacks?

-how is chrisitian as an instructor? what sets him apart?

-what does the school offer that others dont?

-i noticed that the facilities are somewhat small, is that a problem?

- do you train MT or MMA at the school? how does that work out?

- do you feel that you are given an adequate training and opportunity to advance in skill and rank?

its a lot to ask, but anything you could tell me would help greatly... thanks

Originally Posted by yeayea

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yeah. just the city. midtown preferred. thanks mizination - my questions are as follows: - how is the competition at the school? are there plenty of quality guys to train with? (i am not a top notch competitor or anything, but while i was in NJ i found myself in a school with primarily white belts and that failed to adequately challenge me) can i roll with purples, browns and blacks?
we have two purple belts (including christian) and we have several blue belts (including myself). testing is very infrequent, so you might roll with a white belt that performs like a blue belt at another school. we also have people visiting frequently to train with us. you should come down some time and roll with us and see if it's what you're looking for.

Originally Posted by yeayea

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-how is chrisitian as an instructor? what sets him apart?
christian is a great instructor. he's been doing this a long time considering that he is still relatively young. the thing that sets him apart is that he is not a naturally gifted athlete. this means, he relies on technique and sound training principles to be a good fighter--which also makes him a great coach. he's also a very cool guy who i consider a good friend of mine. he creates a friendly, safe and ego-less environment in the gym. this *may* not be what you are looking for, though. some people prefer a more testosterone-laced hardcore experience. also, he gives a lot of attention to each student, whether you are a pro-fighter or if its your first day. this hasn't changed in the 5 or so years i've known him *edit* actually, it's been more like 6 or 7 years. damn.... time flies.

Originally Posted by yeayea

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-what does the school offer that others dont?
the school offers an mma-based curriculum based on the sbgi system (straight blast gym international). this means striking, clinch and ground. if you want, you can focus on any of these ranges, but all three are available to learn. also, each range is taught in respect to mma application. more on the straight blast gym philosophy here: http://www.straightblastgym.com/

Originally Posted by yeayea

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-i noticed that the facilities are somewhat small, is that a problem?
it's not a problem. sometimes it is crowded, but sometimes, there is a ton of space. in the future, the school might move to a larger space.

Originally Posted by yeayea

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- do you train MT or MMA at the school? how does that work out?
we have MT classes, Gi BJJ, No-Gi Sub-Wrestling and MMA classes. so if you want to focus on one of those areas, you can do that, or put it all together in the MMA class. we have some people who only do ground, some people who only do MT. it's up to you.

Originally Posted by yeayea

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- do you feel that you are given an adequate training and opportunity to advance in skill and rank?
i definitely get adequate training at ronin, otherwise i wouldn't have stayed there for all this time. you asked about skills and rank, which i consider two different things. you can definitely advance your skills here, especially since you are at blue belt. as far as getting belts, our gym never really emphasized that. however, as our school has gotten bigger, we are going to make testing a more regular thing because ranking is pretty important to some people.

Originally Posted by yeayea

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its a lot to ask, but anything you could tell me would help greatly... thanks
no prob. if you're gonna come down to check the school out, just send me a pm and i'll meet you over there. i hope you find what you are looking for wherever that may be.

Haven't been in NY since I was 10, but I do know that you should avoid Tiger Schulman's school. Don't go to a chinese restaurant for pizza.

^^^ lol.

Cool miz. Thanks for answering my questions.

I like the ego-less approach. Not so concerned with the color of my belt but I do want to feel like i can keep getting challenged and that i am advancing my knowledge and skills as quickly as possible.

What day would you suggest I stop by? I can probably do so next week.

any day is good. just make sure it has the classes that you are interested in taking.

sounds good. i was reading matt thortons blog and article on 'aliveness' .. sounds very cool

i will PM you before I take the class..

btw, where did you train before?

brazilian jin jitsu training is overrated, its basically high school wreslting pratice for adults!

oh boy. here we go again.