I trained twice this Saturday. I started out around 3:00 p.m. at the Tozi gym, which is owned and operated by one of my instructors Park Jun-young who happens to be the first Korean to earn a black belt in BJJ.
I absolutely despise taking the subway on the weekends, and I decided to take the bus to the gym. Unfortunately, there was a lot of traffic, and my fifty minute bus ride turned into an hour and a half excursion. I got to the gym a little late, and class had already started. We learned one sweep from deep half guard and an ankle lock variation.
I actually earned my purple belt from Park Jun-young, but I haven't been training at his gym because of the distance of the gym and time constraints.
There were some new faces that I've never seen before, and it was good getting a chance to roll with some new people (one of my favorite things). There were also two members of Team MAD who showed up; Heo Yoon, an MMA fighter (and brown belt under Bibiano Fernandes) who just won his last MMA fight in Road with a beautiful crucifix, and a girl named Jade (an ex-collegiate wrestler I think) who has her first professional MMA fight coming up in Japan next week.
It was a good training session, and I'm going to try and start making it every Saturday from now on (if my lazy butt can wake up on time).
I made it to my main gym around 5:30 p.m. I had intended to just show up and lift weights and hit the exercise bike, but I ended up staying and rolling for awhile. It was freezing out, and not many people showed up. We ended up just hanging out and having an open mat class.
I rolled from about 6:30 p.m. to around 8:30/9:00 p.m. I also met a guy named Graham from Austin! We talked for awhile, and he went to UT, too. I picked his brain for awhile about gyms in Austin, since I will be moving back home next year. I only trained in the U.S. for three months, and I've been training overseas this whole time (first in France and then in Korea). There are a ton of gyms in Austin now, and it stresses me out just thinking about having to choose and join a new gym when I get back home. Graham had nothing but good things to say about a guy named Jeff Rockwell. Another blogger I follow Slideyfoot also spoke very highly of Jeff, so I think I will definitely be checking out his place when I get back home. I've also heard that there is a BJJ club at UT now headed by Jeff that I would also like to visit.
I finished off the night by lifting weights for an hour. I rule!
Yep, Jeff was awesome when I trained there. Very detailed, relaxed, articulate, open-minded (there were a bunch of people from other gyms on the day I visited) and active online (which isn't true of a lot of instructors). He regularly posts on The Underground.
ReplyDeleteThe only possible down side is that there aren't all that many higher belts. It was blues, whites and one purple when I was there, but Jeff did say there is a good brown that trains there too. I didn't get a chance to train at the University of Texas location, but he does indeed teach there regularly too.
Two other possibilities, with more higher belts, are Gracie Humaita (I didn't get a chance to train there, but from what Georgette says it has a more formal vibe) and Sean Cooper's place. He again is relaxed and friendly, like Jeff.