Part 4 - BJJ clubs in Rio

Rio Open Jiu Jitsu competition at Tijuca Tennis Club
 - many great fighters have fought here

A long time overdue, I finally got down to penning this piece I promised myself about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clubs in Rio de Janiero.

Before I begin some general advice regarding Kimonoes (Gis, th eclothes you wear in Jiu Jitsu)- take at least two with you. I'd advise not to have any patching or club affiliations. The first advice doesn't really need an explanation (unless you don't mind having a foul smelling kimono most of the time, a good tactic to disorientating your opponent!) whereas the no-patches and club affiliations advice needs a quick word. From my 5+ years in the sport I've come to know that many of the senior level practitioners, black belts etc, are very tribal and club loyal. From the various schools that have branched out from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, many of them will first ask you what club you train with and your background. So from from what I observed, you're seen as a target. "Get this guy and let him know that our club is better", "he's wearing a so so Kimono, why is he coming here" etc. Next time I'll avoid have any patches on my gi, and if anyone asks, I'll say "I've trained in Cuku land". Its a place where the patches are non-existent (and many other things are non-existent aswell :)) 

Fabricio Mauricio's academy

In any case, I hopped around and tried to check out as many BJJ clubs as I could. The closest one to me was Oswaldo Alves gym on Av. Copacabana a block away from the beach. It was a tiny and run down gym. The people weren't very friendly and I didn't really get a good vibe so I promptly left. The gym next in line was Fabricio Jiu Jitsu. It was located on top of a local convenience store a bit further down on the same street. With the bustling street, there's no indication there's a gym located directly above but there's a noticeable yellow sign which is hard to miss indicating a gym up above. The guys in the academy here were the most friendly and welcoming. I was approached and given a breakdown of the prices and times. I liked the mat space and the level of students. I didn't commit to a monthly plan as I still had a few gyms to hop around and check out but in the end it was the gym I frequented most often. My Kimono of course drew attention and a few students wanted to test me out. Coming back from a shoulder injury and still feeling slightly weak in certain movements, I was a bit hesitant doing some of the exercises but I continued nevertheless. I met Fabricio Mauricio, the head instructor, red and black (coral) belt 7th degree master. He was an amazing guy and he gave me a lot of focus. There were many older fighters there and some of them were amazing for their age!

BJJ lineage of Fabricio Mauricio

I went to two other well known gyms, Brazilan Top Team in Leblon and the legendary Carlson Gracie academy in Copacabana. I had to pay homage to both of these historically significant places as they have churned out some amazing fighters.Carlson Gracie is probably one of the oldest academies to date. I only went once to each place but had a good roll at both. There were a few foreigners at both places. 

One thing I did notice about all the gyms, is that they were all very run down and simple. There was no luxury to it. You could see that a lot of blood sweat and tears were expended in all the places.

In the end, it was an amazing experience and if you are a lover of Jiu Jitsu and have the money then its well worth a visit. I have to give a massive thankyou and heap of gratitude to http://trainbjjinrio.com as they were invaluable in presenting info and pinpointing the locations of the academies!


Part 1 - Carioca for a Month
Part 2 - Hoped for an Interview, Only Got a Picture!
Part 3 - Amazonas