So I trained at Ring Demon MMA for a while but don't have any experience in a gi. I'd prefer a school that teaches a more aggressive style. Does anyone have any experience with Gracie Barra Seattle or Marcelo Alonso in particular? maybe you know of another place in the city or surrounding area that's good? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Posted Apr 23, 2014, 9:34 PM UTC
There are a lot of quality clubs in seattle start with the one closest to home and work your way out til you find the one that fits best. Better to train on the mat then spend time in traffic. That said both Brian Johnson nwjja and Micah Reyes gb ballard are great to work with.
Good point. I haven't heard of Micah Reyes. I'll check that school out. Thanks for the reply.
See you there on Saturdays
[Northwest Jujitsu Academy] (http://www.nwjja.com/). I've only been training for a few months but I love it there. I've asked other people at the gym who have trained at other gyms and they've said its the best. Hands down. Brian Johnson is an amazing instructor with a real passion for teaching. Its evident that he really cares and wants to see everybody get better. Plus he teaches like 99% of the classes so you get the best instruction all the time. Also, it is a super clean gym and everybody there is pretty chill and willing to help a white belt like myself.
I've had some seminars from Brian and he is awesome. Would highly recommend him as an instructor.
I've also heard good things about GB in Seattle. They have several pods around town, I'm not exactly sure where.
I've also visited North Sound BJJ and really liked those guys too, but they're pretty far north.
Have you looked at Matt Hume's school?
I have and I've heard nothing but great things about AMC but Kirkland is out of my range. Thanks for the reply.
I recently returned to the Seattle area and decided to take up BJJ. Basically, my thought process was simple: 1) Who's the best in our area? 2) Can I go to their gym almost every day (an hour drive to and another to come back can really kill the joy) 3) Affordability.
After reading reddit and a few other online sources it came down to GB and Marcelo Alonso gyms. Then I went to Revolution tourney web-site and looked up who takes 1st places as a gym consistently. Been going to GB/Kirkland for a month now and can't be happier (super-great and friendly instructors and team mates).
Fun note, when I was reading reddit I came across someone answering the very question you asked. One answer stood out to me as particularly thoughtful and well put. Then I met the guy who answered on my first day in gym, haha (hi Alex)!
Good luck with your BJJ, even if you don't chose GB.
Yeah I looked at the revolution website too and noticed that GB seem to be the Yankees of bjj in the PNW. The schedule at the seattle location fits my schedule too. The only thing I didn't like was the requirement that You buy all your gear from them.
Question about the "basic instruction" and "live training" classes. Do you do any live rolling in the basic class? Thanks for the thorough reply by the way.
I don't know how hard Seattle actually enforces that. A lot of us GB folk out here own the spectrum of gis and never get scolded in any way shape or form.
Cindy out in GB Kirkland is awesome and so is Carlos Sievert over in GB Bellevue. Personally I've never taken a class from Sievert but I've heard good things. Cindy is a great instructor in every aspect.
The basic classes usually consist of a warm-up, lesson, situational drills, then organically flow into "live training."
Can vouch for Sievert. funny as shit and awesome. Great competitor too.
Hmmm, I bought my gi from them, but we had a few new guys who weren't wearing GB patches on old gis and that was still OK. Plus my coach waived belt fees and never pressure me into buying anything (and I haven't except for the gi).
Hell yes, rolling is an essential part of our training process. On top of that (incoming shameless plug for our gym) our coach opens the gym one hour prior to the regular class (on Tues/Thur) and anyone can come and do some extra drilling/rolling. I am taking advantage the shit out of it too (it is basically private lessons for FREE, or rather, no extra charge).
Our professor is also a professor at GB Seattle, so even if Kirkland is out of your reach I would encourage you to take the free class there and see for yourself (I think we have two locations there, one in SoDo and one in Ballard).
If you have more questions -- feel free to PM me!
FWIW, I haven't gone there yet, but there's Praxis BJJ in SLU. If anyone has any experience with him/them, please reply.
Also, there's a Straight Blast affiliate in Delridge as well. AIUI it's ran by a purple belt, don't know much else.
I've dropped by Praxis BJJ on my way through Seattle and met/rolled with the owner/instructor. He is super chill and I highly recommend checking it out! I can't comment on the style that he teaches since I didn't get a chance to roll with his students.
North west jiujitsu academy! Also when you have multiple locations using one name it gives your team a way better chance to rack up points with so many competitors. Not trying take away and credibility but that doesn't mean that's the "best" school to train at. Everyone has different training needs, I've trained and stopped by many gyms including ring demon and nwjja suited me best overall.
Gracie Barra Bellevue was dopeeeee Professor Carlos is the man.
If you or anyone else here is near capitol hill, come visit Summit BJJ. We're a non-profit club so our membership dues are only $60/month. We like to roll. A lot.
I would recommend Marcelo. He is a solid instructor and a funny guy. His Seattle gym has some monsters too.
I'm gonna visit his school for sure. Thanks for the reply.
Came here to recommend Marcelo's. If you're looking for high quality instruction in an intense environment Marcelo's is the place for you.