At the moment, I am training 10th PJJ at the MMA gym I am at. I'm also looking to train some BJJ once or twice a week when I have some time free. Found a few places other than Roger Gracies (Been there before, pretty good I must say) Opinions on Carlson Gracie's (HI - Wilson Junior), Legacy (HI - Jude Samuel) Gracie Barra LB (HI - Eduardo Carriello) ? Correct me if I got any of the head instructors wrong.
Roger Gracie Cesar Lima located inside the Gymbox in farringdon is a pretty good spot. Budokwai I think has a BJJ program as well. London shootfighters, london fight factory.
GB London Knightsbridge has Lagarto as their head instructor. He's awesome. You're spoilt for choice in London. My pick would be Rogers.
I can't speak for the other gyms. Carlsons London has a great spread of teachers, there are usually 2 or 3 blackbelts in all of the evening classes. The gym has two dojos with different classes going on at the same times. Weights area, close to the tubes, as competition team that is large enough that there is always someone available to drill with, to spar with or do insane cardio with. They never run out of Acai or protein and the Faixa Rua shop is downstairs!
Mill Hill is run by a Roger Gracie black belt named Nicholas Brooks. David "Molandro" Onuma is a De la Riva black belt also trains there. BJJ artist extraordinaire and brown belt, Seymour "Meerkatsu" Yang, also trains there. Excellent academy with friendly people.
I went to Carlson Gracie last summer. It was one of the best gyms I've been to. Really tough guys and good instructors.
and i was even there last week! but really, london is massive. travel time will be a big factor in choosing your gym
Cheers for the responses everyone, I'll probably just head back to Rogers or change to GB knightsbridge with Lagarto, If I find that I prefer it there.
I'd also suggest checking Eduardo Gongalves based out of SOAS Russel Square, Horizon BJJ in Old Street and Alexandra Park BJJ in Muswell Hill
If you're already training somewhere in London, Carson Gracie may not be for you. While they welcome out of town visitors with open arms they don't encourage cross training with other London clubs.
There is a growing number of successful gyms in the UK and Europe. We've had a few Londoners on OMR. I think that wherever you are in the world you've got to hit the mats yourself. It's good to gather as much info as possible but nothing will replace a week on the mat at each of your choices. Just let them know up front that you're still looking. If you want to here a bit about the scene check out these interviews... Mauricio Gomes (Red and Black belt and Roger Gracie's father) http://www.openmatradio.com/2013/09/29/episode-85-mauricio-gomes/ Kev Capel http://www.openmatradio.com/2013/10/08/episode-86-kev-capel/ Sherdog's own, Oli http://www.openmatradio.com/2013/09/02/episode-81-oli-geddes/ Nic Gregoriades (the first show has the most to do with the UK scene) http://www.openmatradio.com/tag/nic-gregoriades/
Two of my friends used to train at Roger's, they always seem like they are about to salute the good old times any time someone mentions the time they spent there and the techniques they learned.
London fight factory and fight zone london. I also second Mill Hill as an excellent place to train. They are also very neutral, same with fight zone london. I never trained at rogers either. Roger Gracies gym is not the defacto best gym in London. Like others have said, travel time, gym costs and travel costs are a big factor. Transport in London is not cheap.
