Hello everyone, I am not sure if I posted this in the correct place or not this is my first post. I apologize if this is incorrect, I have scanned the threads for this topic already but I haven't seen a direct comparison on the schools I am considering. I recently moved to Houston for law school and I am trying to find the school that is the best fit for me. I am hoping that gain some advice from the regular posters on this site since so many people here seem very knowledgable about BJJ. I am currently living in the northwest/ cypress area of Houston but I travel regularly to downtown. The two main choices that I have looked at so far are Gracie Barra (Westchase) I realize Champions Forest is closer; and the Rilion Gracie Academy. I have also seem Team Tooke but I am primarily interested in either GB or RGA. I have tried to analytically break this down but I lack the BJJ knowledge that many of you have to make a fair comparison. DISTANCE: They are roughly the same... RGA is slightly further away by like 3 miles INSTRUCTION: RGA has Jackson Fortunato a BB under Rilion Gracie, and of course from what I understand Rilion Gracie makes regular visits to the academy. This academy has BJJ instruction only. Apparently this is the only academy in Houston truly operated by a Gracie member. (I could be wrong) GB Westchase has Professor Ulpiano Malachias BB under Carlos Gracie Jr. who seems to be a great competitor, and champion from what I've been able to gather on the web. This academy offers BJJ, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and MMA. (I like the fact that there are multiple disciplines offered). PRICE: Both schools have minimum 1 year contracts and roughly the same initiation fee which I assume includes the Gi for each respective school. RGA is approximately $165 per month for unlimited BJJ training. Classes offered A.M./P.M. and Saturdays. GB Westchase is approximately $135 per month for unlimited BJJ training, and a "small" up charge for unlimited multi-discipline training. Both schools are good schools. RGA has many high level Gracie members like Rolles, Kyra, and other come through. While GB has Draculino (in the Webster location) and GB also has multiple schools that I could train at when I'm not in Houston. I am currently leaning toward GB Westchase but I would love to hear any good advice that anyone out there has to offer. I have tried to do some research and logically weigh the pros/cons of each school. Thanks again for any positive advice you are willing to share!
i'll mention elite mma. i'm only visiting houston but this place was excellent - great facility, tons of excellent and friendly guys. went to an afternoon class with 3 black belts, a brown, and tons of blues and purples - about 20 people. i was initially spooked by the mma tag - i only do bjj - but was pleasantly surprised. it's worth a look and it's only about a mile down the street from rillion's place. have no idea about the pricing.
I will always recommend Revolution Dojo. It's run by a friend of mine. He's got a gym downtown and on I-10. http://www.revolutiondojo.com/ They have a gym downtown, but they also have a gym about half an hour from Cypress, and apparently the traffic is much less than it used to be. The Katy location is awesome. Huge space. MMA cage, a large womans class if you have lady friends you want to get into the sport, and overall a very nice family atmosphere. The head instructor Jeff Messina is a black belt, an awesome competitor and an articulate coach. Very good gi, nogi, mma, and Judo. He's the kind of guy you want on your side. Elite MMA was really good. I loved the place. Apparently over the years they've gone a little bit too "structured" for me but I haven't been in a while so you should check it out for yourself. Great memories there though. As for the schools you mentioned, I know nothing about RGA, but it never hurts being part of the Gracie Barra network.
Regarding, Rilion's school -- Jackson is great, a very nice guy and excellent teacher. Rafael is the other main teacher there (or he was a while back), he's also a very technical blackbelt. There are many top-notch blues, purples and some browns training there. The atmosphere is very friendly and they believe in technique instead of training like meatheads. Rilion does visit and teach, it's certainly great to learn directly from the source. One big factor to consider is what time you plan to train, and how their schedule matches yours. Also, how far you will have to drive to get to class will be a major issue. My feeling is that for most people, if the drive is too far or the schedule is too much of a mismatch, the training will stop. There are exceptions, but with law school, you won't have tons of free time to be driving around. Houston has very bad traffic and these days there are alot of schools everywhere. So please be sure to take this into account. Also, it can be a challenge to train during the morning or lunch time, because you'll have to shower and also worry about getting back on time. I'm not saying you shouldn't try out Rilion's and GB, but definitely consider training closer to your house in the evening. If you live in Cypress and are thinking about training in the evenings, there are some great schools in the Cypress area as well. Are you close to Willowbrook, in the Cole's Crossing area, or down closer to Copperfield? Also, may I ask what is your belt level and how long you've been training?
Thanks for all the great advice. Regarding segfault's question, I'm a 3 stripe whitebelt, I trained for awhile in college (under a Carlos Machado 3rd degree BB). I am currently leaning towards GB because there are more locations, and the Westchase location is just a short trip down the beltway. The only thing I have hesitation about is the fact that Rilion Gracie does come and teach somewhat regularly from what I understand. From everything I've been able to gather on the internet he has one of the best guard games in the world, regularly takes the corner for people like Roger, and Renzo... I'm just a "know nothing" whitebelt, and it speaks volumes if these guys seek his advice. I'd almost feel like I was missing out if I didn't train with a legend like him. I'm wondering if anyone out there has any experience with Professor Ulpiano Malachias... i.e. How technical is he? and How relaxed is the atmosphere? I have a degree in science/engineering and I love the technical aspect of BJJ. I really appreciate someone who is very technical and has an analytical approach to BJJ, and can explain the principles of leverage and the biomechanics of the joints for all the armlocks, leg locks, etc... I just want to make sure that I'm choosing a very technical teacher while still maintaining a really relaxed atmosphere... somewhere that they know your name not just another face in a school of hundreds. If anyone has more advice or experience with either of these school I'd really appreciate hearing it. Thanks.
If you go to the GB school, can you also go to Draculino's? Because that would be the #1 place I'd want to train if I was in Houston. IIRC it's on the opposite side of town from you, but what a great teacher.
