Grappling Gyms in Charlotte NC

[agsmoke]

Hello everyone!

I am moving to Charlotte North Carolina and I am looking for some solid grappling gyms that are not mcdojos, frauds, or with questionable lineage. Any suggestions are welcomed and here are a few I have found. Thank you!

Caja Judo Black Belt Jason Tacker under Pat Szrejter
http://www.judo-caja.com/index.html $50 month

Checkmat Black Belt Michael Allen under Joe Hurst
http://www.checkmatcharlotte.com/ $100

Dojo Body and Mind Black Belt Brandon Powell under Julio “Foca” Fernandez
http://dojobodymind.com/about-us/test/ $110

Atos BJJ Black Belt Fernando Loor Vera under Gilbert Burns
http://martialartscharlottenc.com/ $100

Lucas Lepri Black Belt under Elan Santiago (Lepri seems to be spread thin here doing seminars, compettitions, and opening multiple satellite gyms)
http://www.lepribjj.com/ $199

Rattlesnake Wrestling Club Coach Mike Corbi
http://www.rattlesnakewrestling.com/staff $100

 

[Headkicktoleg]

I train in Raleigh. Everyone that I train with who go to Charlotte go to Lucas Lepri for drop ins.

 

[agsmoke]

How is the training there and do you actually receive instruction from Lepri?

 

[GangstaBoogie]

Checkmat and Atos are hugely respected in the BJJ world as associations that produce large numbers of competitive grapplers.

 

[agsmoke]

Thanks GangstaBoogie! Where do you train?

 

[agsmoke]

What do you guys think of these prices?

 

[EGDM]

Can't get better than Lepri. I haven't trained at his gym in Charlotte, but he was a great coach when he was in Atlanta.

 

[agsmoke]

What the monthly rates during this time?

 

[Kenny from MD]

Do not judge a gym by the team they are affiliated with. A Checkmat gym can be someone that was brought up by the team, graded by Leozinho, and branched out, or it could be someone that wrote a check and put the logos on their website. They've recently expanded big time in the US for what it is worth. I don't know a single thing about the Checkmat gym in Charlotte, and I'm not saying anything bad, but it says he got his black belt from Joe Hurst, who has a questionable, muddied past, and Joe definitely has nothing to do with Checkmat, so I doubt there is a very strong connection between the gym and core team outside of marketing.

Really, this shouldn't be much of a question. Lucas Lepri is on the pound for pound shortlist of all time greats. Not only is his jiu jitsu top notch, but he is an excellent coach and instructor. His facility is beautiful. He does teach seminars and compete, but I am under the impression he is at his academy (including for his Worlds camp) a great deal. When I visited his school, he was teaching multiple classes a day personally, and training with his students in all of them. He made it a point to train with me every class (actually twice per class) as he circulated the room. Also, his home grown students are good, and he had a lot of Brazilians visiting for a short time that were very tough. Very tough room.

If you just wanna try jiu jitsu out and fuck around a little and have some fun, that's totally cool and you'll be satisfied with any gym probably. If you want to maximize your experience and take in as much as possible, see jiu jitsu in a completely different light, or have any interest in taking jiu jitsu seriously, whether by competing or committing long term, Lucas is the only answer, period, bar none.

 

[jr jr]

Do not judge a gym by the team they are affiliated with. A Checkmat gym can be someone that was brought up by the team, graded by Leozinho, and branched out, or it could be someone that wrote a check and put the logos on their website. They've recently expanded big time in the US for what it is worth. I don't know a single thing about the Checkmat gym in Charlotte, and I'm not saying anything bad, but it says he got his black belt from Joe Hurst, who has a questionable, muddied past, and Joe definitely has nothing to do with Checkmat, so I doubt there is a very strong connection between the gym and core team outside of marketing.

Really, this shouldn't be much of a question. Lucas Lepri is on the pound for pound shortlist of all time greats. Not only is his jiu jitsu top notch, but he is an excellent coach and instructor. His facility is beautiful. He does teach seminars and compete, but I am under the impression he is at his academy (including for his Worlds camp) a great deal. When I visited his school, he was teaching multiple classes a day personally, and training with his students in all of them. He made it a point to train with me every class (actually twice per class) as he circulated the room. Also, his home grown students are good, and he had a lot of Brazilians visiting for a short time that were very tough. Very tough room.

If you just wanna try jiu jitsu out and fuck around a little and have some fun, that's totally cool and you'll be satisfied with any gym probably. If you want to maximize your experience and take in as much as possible, see jiu jitsu in a completely different light, or have any interest in taking jiu jitsu seriously, whether by competing or committing long term, Lucas is the only answer, period, bar none.

My experience at his gym as well.