Good BJJ gyms in inexpensive countries?

[Gentle Giant]

I could really use a gap year - somewhere else, mostly just training. However, my funds and means wouldn't last me long in Rio, San Diego, Singapore, Tokyo, Hongkong or Sidney.


I was wondering if someone was aware of some fairly inexpensive places with high quality BJJ? Both in the sense of training partners, instruction, but also just having a good time!

I checked online and saw there was a BJJ gym in Peru and Bolivia! Those countries are fairly inexpensive! You could survive there for a long time! I just have never heard anyone talking about the quality of the instruction.

I've also heard of a great academy in Costa Rica, but I've been told that, that country is getting more and more expensive, even while staying in cheap hostels!


There is also a BJJ team in the tiger may thai place on phuket, but I was surprised at how steep the prices of training was. Still, everyone says thailand overall is still a great value, so that could be a great option!





TL;DR - looking for being a BJJ bum for a year, getting better at BJJ and meeting new friends, but doesn't have a lot of money. Which of the more affordable countries would be better to spend 12 months at, training?

 

[Rulio Gracie II]

Salvador has to be less expensive than Rio and 'Paulo, right? And dos Santos trained there for a long time, so they must have some good gyms there. Besides that, there are some really nice beaches and colonial architecture there. There might be a few other more affordable Brazilian cities to train in as well, such as Recife, Manaus, Belem, etc. So I don't think you necessarily have to rule out Brazil altogether. Just maybe avoid going to the Gracie Camp in Rio or something.

 

[Marbig]

Why not work + train? You body can only take so much training + its good to have something else to think about.

Sydney is a really nice place to live & its not that expensive if you have a job here (dat $22/hr minimum wage)

 

[Einarr]

Thailand. The BJJ gyms are expensive because they're marketed for foreigners but everything else is cheap as shit.

 

[Gentle Giant]

Why not work + train? You body can only take so much training + its good to have something else to think about.

Sydney is a really nice place to live & its not that expensive if you have a job here (dat $22/hr minimum wage)

Sydney sounds amazing, but I heard it's more expensive than Tokyo and Moscow! I heard good things about the Holiday Visa, but I have no idea if I have any skills I could use. Nobody wants to look at my resume in my own country because I don't have a bachelors/masters, unfortunately.

If I could get one of those farm jobs! That would be cool! Just picking fruit!

Salvador has to be less expensive than Rio and 'Paulo, right? And dos Santos trained there for a long time, so they must have some good gyms there. Besides that, there are some really nice beaches and colonial architecture there. There might be a few other more affordable Brazilian cities to train in as well, such as Recife, Manaus, Belem, etc. So I don't think you necessarily have to rule out Brazil altogether. Just maybe avoid going to the Gracie Camp in Rio or something.

Hmm! I had not thought about that! Isn't Salvador not also where Buchechas first coach have his academy? Do you know how much cheaper Salvador is compared to Rio or Sao Paulo?

Thailand. The BJJ gyms are expensive because they're marketed for foreigners but everything else is cheap as shit.

Interesting! I saw there is a Gym in Bangkok! Do you know if that gym is good?



Thanks for the replies mates!

 

[georgegreece]

too many gangs in thailand peru bolivia and brazil.. :icon_lol:

 

[Rod1]

Dont rule out Brazil, you just need to get the proper contacts so you go and train in a real BJJ gym, not something catered to foreigners.

 

[jr jr]

Oklahoma City
Atlanta
Knoxville
Charlotte

All cheap places in the states.

 

[loyalyolayal]

What's your belt level TS?

I'm currently in Kuala Lumpur right now & training at Muayfit 8x a week. Just bjj. Dirt cheap imo. But we only have a handful of bluebelts, a brown & the 3rd degree black belt instructor from GFT.


Dirt cheap would be a bad description, more like a fcuking steal. Hearing stories from the prof about gym battles, Rodolfo, DLR, etc, are awesome.

 

[Einarr]

What's your belt level TS?

I'm currently in Kuala Lumpur right now & training at Muayfit 8x a week. Just bjj. Dirt cheap imo. But we only have a handful of bluebelts, a brown & the 3rd degree black belt instructor from GFT.


Dirt cheap would be a bad description, more like a fcuking steal. Hearing stories from the prof about gym battles, Rodolfo, DLR, etc, are awesome.

What's it costing you?

 

[loyalyolayal]

What's it costing you?

$430 for a year of training. Yes.

Nogi MWF- 7:30 - 9:00 pm

GI every weeknights - MWF - 9:00 - 10:00 pm, TTH - 6:30pm - 7:30pm.

I would have signed up for wrestling(coach was a 6x iranian national champ)as well. if my schedule permits but they start at 5:30pm which means I'm still at the office.

 

[Toothless King]

Go to Oklahoma City to train with Lovato Jr. World class instructor in a cheap part of america. For added bonus, you don't have to worry about someone kidnaps you for your kidney Iike in some third world countries

 

[217519]

Go to Oklahoma City to train with Lovato Jr. World class instructor in a cheap part of america. For added bonus, you don't have to worry about someone kidnaps you for your kidney Iike in some third world countries

You could buy a decent sized house for under 150k right next door to lovatos

 

[jr jr]

You could buy a decent sized house for under 150k right next door to lovatos

That is pretty much true for all the locations I listed. Quality of life!

 

[Combat Squirrel]

How about one of the smaller cities in Brazil? They probably have the same level of BJJ schools as Rio and Sao Paulo, but much cheaper and with much lower crime rates.

http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/brazil
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Brazil


I don't think Sydney would be a good choice if you want to save money. It's one of the most expensive cities in the world and even if you get a work visa and find a job, you might spend ages commuting. Public transportation sucks and the main streets are jammed. If you can live, work and train in the same neighborhood away from the center, it might be OK, but don't expect this to be close to the beaches.

 

[Einarr]

$430 for a year of training. Yes.

Nogi MWF- 7:30 - 9:00 pm

GI every weeknights - MWF - 9:00 - 10:00 pm, TTH - 6:30pm - 7:30pm.

I would have signed up for wrestling(coach was a 6x iranian national champ)as well. if my schedule permits but they start at 5:30pm which means I'm still at the office.

How much for rent, food and bitches?

 

[ibrahimovic1]

MuayFit have a pretty impressive gym and instructor: http://muayfit.com/instructors. I thought Malaysia only have one black belt (http://www.escobarbjj.com/home.php)

Very cheap, tasty food as long you avoid the city centre but accommodation might be problematic as it can cost USD500 for a small house/month. Expat forum might help in term on renting a room instead.

Malaysia is safer than many country (much much more safer than South America or Carribean). Avoid taxi (too much sharks) and take public transport. Great night life in the city and bonus if you are white (Asian chicks dig white guy ).

 

[Einarr]

Great night life in the city and bonus if you are white (Asian chicks dig white guy ).

I thought Malays were all Allahu Ackbars?

 

[Judo Thai Boxer]

?

Are you drunk? You're gona get dubs or banned from your last few posts.

 

[ibrahimovic1]

I thought Malays were all Allahu Ackbars?

lol the opposite if you are in the city. They say Malay girls is the wildest one in the party. Seen them before, its true.

Unlike what the news said, it is a moderate country like Turkey probably?

You can even visit Singapore (3 hours drive) and visit other BJJ gym along the way (some are free). Singapore is another different story . Hell, Malaysia is like in the middle of South East Asia. There is Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. All budget return flight ticket is <100USD.