I have reached a reasonable level in thaiboxing over the past years.
I feel that the only aspect lacking is groundwork/grappling.

Can someone suggest a reputable place in Sheffield that offers high quality tuition in this. I have seen discussion threads where BJJ has been mentioned.

i welcome any suggestions

Thanks

i'll go first then, Gracie Barra Sheffield BJJ club, (see training times below)

but there is also Royce Gracie Yorkshire, there a good group of guys... Sheffield Shoot train at the same place as us at hillsbrough, Peps knows his stuff.

sorry if i missed anyone but these are clubs i have trained at so its only fair i recomend them.

are you getting any more people turning up to the sunday sessions with lagarto?

Sheffield Shoot seem to have fallen off the edge of the world recently, not sure what's happening there - might just be on holiday. Gracie Barra Sheffield is where I train and it'd be good to see you down if you fancy having a go! (393 club, Langsett Road, Hillsborough - pm me if you need directions or any more info).

lagarto is in brazil at the minute getting ready for the mundials (?spelling?) he not back till september i think, but we have another guy filling in. Sem, i've not had chance to train with him yet because i've been away.

but he is a black belt, and lets face it where else can you train with a black belt every two weeks.

i look forward to seeing any new or old faces soon,

gregg

Cool, will look forward to your return. Haven't been to a Sem class yet either, combination of bad timing and no money.

Thanks guys.

How many people train?

what's the structure of class?
are there gradings?

what are costs?

i haven't trained in over 3 months due to personal circumstances and changing commitments, but sundays at gracie barra could be a possibility in the near future. do you have many people on the mat? i find smaller classes quite helpful in terms of tuition.

Anvil: I don't go on Sundays so couldn't answer that, but have a feeling they are somewhat smaller than mondays/wednesdays.

fb: It varies but class sizes are usually fairly small, between 6 and 12 people. We get a mixture of beginners and more advanced students down, and everyone would make you feel welcome, there's no one with an ego.

Classes usually consist of a warm up, stretch, sometimes fitness drills, technique, and there's almost always quite a bit of sparring. Monday (6-7.30) and Wednesday (6-8 ) are £5, while Sundays (11-12.30) are taken by Sem, a world-class black belt who was one of the main instructors in Rio, and are £12. I'm only able to attend mon/wed though.

There are no gradings as such, belts are given out by higher-graded instructors (e.g. Sem) based on their observation of your technique, ability, attitude and personal development. Some people take a long time to reach the stage where the first belt (blue) would be granted (didn't get mine for around 5 years), whereas some people may already be near or at that stage, especially if they've done things before. Belts may also be handed out on the basis of performance in fight events e.g. the UFC. A blue belt is regarded as a general certificate of competence in grappling - from that point though, a purple is very difficult to achieve.

does sem teach all the sunday classes? aer they all £12?

Sounds good,

I'll pop down when get I time.

393 Club Langsett Road - Is that a sports centre community hall?

First of all I would like to thank Paul for looking after my classes over the last month while I was taking a break, well done mate!:thumbsup:

Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is now offering regular gi and no-gi classes as well as the opportunity to train with a world champion black belt on a regular basis.

Monday classes will be run by Paul and will be a Gi class from 6 till 7.30.

Wednesday classes will be taken by my self and will be no-gi/sub wrestling from 6 till 8.

Sunday class will be taken by me one week with a mixture of drilling techniques and sparring, gi and no-gi. Then on the next week the class will be taken by Legarto on his return from the Mundials (one of the biggest bjj comps in the world) and Sem. Both Gracie Barra black belts awarded by Carlos Gracie jn and world champs!!!!

The classes taken by myself and Paul will now only cost 3.50:o and the black belt class will be 12 pound.

It is mine and Paul’s hope that the reduction in the cost of our classes will make it easier for everyone to afford to train with a black belt and have classes to practice at.

Thanks
John

Thanks Truebjj,

The £3.50 charge is most welcoming.

What is a gi /no-gi class?

Do you have to buy/wear a suite or something?

The gi is one of these http://www.brazilianfightwear.com/store/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?shopper_id=717174354437171&Store_id=117&page_id=23&Item_ID=1356 (there are cheaper ones than that!)

But if you don't have one, just don't worry about it - I think we train without it more often than with it (which suits me fine, especially in this weather!). If you get really into it then it might be good to have one at some point. Shorts and tshirt is the apparel of choice to start with though.

Edit: Oh, just read that again - Monday gi, Wednesday no gi. Again, if you don't have one it doesn't matter too much or someone might be able to lend you one for the gi classes at first though. Otherwise you should be able to get an unbranded judo gi for about 25-30 pounds.

So it looks like the Wed class at 6pm is the one for me to start with then.

I just have to motivate/make time for myself to go down now!

By the way I'm 36 years old, I've not left it too late have I?

Nah, not at all - we have a few members of that antiquity or older, I think.

I'll look forward to seeing you one Wednesday!

Just so I can gauge this, how old are you guys?

(Crayfish, Anvil, Barragergus, truebjj, chefkicker)

I'm 20, but the others in the list you just made are all older

I'm 20, but the others in the list you just made are all older

Very true. Im 25, my profile on my website says so.

no, i wouldn't say 36 is too late - i'm 34

its never too late..... and you can train no gi even on the gi nights, its no biggy... oh and i'm 24...... but really unfit

TrueBjj is 55

I'm only 30:rant:

Oh Greg you never learn! If you thought the A$$ whooping I gave you on Sunday was bad, tomorrow I will make you squeal like a girl!!:gag:

llll_fb_llll don't worry about age make no difference Helio Gracies still at it in his 90s so we have many a year in us yet. Look forward to seeing you:thumbsup:

Thanks all, sounds encouraging.

I can't wait to learn something new after many years (15) of standing up fighting.

I was watching UFC on sky a few months back, and imagined myself being pinned to the floor, trying to figure out what I would do in that situation.
I realised that I wouldn't have a clue and would probably get battered, grounded/pounded on my back!

Also, I would love to learn some of those arm/leg locks, they look pretty handy too.

Trust you to cut prices after I leave :D

oh and Greg keep your hands off my blue belt ;)

TrueBJJ...... snitch

jim it was only a thought

The pricing thing is a great gesture guys, now we have to try and find 50ps! Seriously though, in an era where it's difficult to do martial arts without signing your life away with direct debits it shows that your interest is the art and not yourselves.

On the age thing as some of you know I'm 42 though I've less grey hairs than truebjj (I know I'm going to pay for saying that!). Have a go, BJJ is an amazing art. If you've got the heart for it, even though the body might be falling apart, just do it and enjoy it. I like the Dave O'Donnell advert for Blitz: '89-year old Judokas. 72-year old Karate teachers. 65-year old Fighters. Look around you. The world is full of them. People who forgot to retire. people who say it's easier to just keep going....Push yourself, don't give up. The only one who can tell you 'you can't' is you. And you don't have to listen...' Here ends today's lesson-what??

Cheers Themadrev,

Another thing I was wondering was how strong you have to be.

In a striking art, like Muaythai timing and technique can help when you lack
physical strength (like me). But when your grappling I thought maybe my less than adequate physical strength might be a big disadvantage?

I'm puny, physically I'm one of the weakest if not the weakest at the club - despite being 6'2" and having a fairly heavy bone structure I only weigh 10.5 stones. But what this forces you to do is to develop good technique and movement.

Size, weight and strength do make a difference and in many ways are an advantage, however they're not insurmountable if your technique is tight. I think for a new starter, being weak is probably a long term advantage as you don't have the strength to rely on and so learn faster out of necessity.

I doubt you'd have any physical / cardiovascular fitness problems anyway, coming from the wicker camp.

I have only a very basic knowledege of grappling and groundfighting, but I have found that a little well practiced technique goes a long way, especially in a self defense situation, coming from a striking background myself I realised too that there was a gaping hole in the style.

As for the price of the session, it's great to see clubs doing more to attract students instead of taking them for every penny. I'll definately be coming down.

Incidentally I'm 24, run several times a week and am shown a clean pair of heels by a 38 year old on a regular basis. Is there any hope left for us youngsters?

Size, weight and strength do make a difference and in many ways are an advantage, however they're not insurmountable if your technique is tight. I think for a new starter, being weak is probably a long term advantage as you don't have the strength to rely on and so learn faster out of necessity.



I would agree with that.

Have you trained at wicker yourself?

Have you trained at wicker yourself?
I trained there for about 3 months and graded once - I haven't been for quite a while though, mostly because of the distance and travelling time it involves.

I trained there for about 3 months and graded once - I haven't been for quite a while though, mostly because of the distance and travelling time it involves.

Crayfish,
Which is further away for you? AFK or wicker camp?

I was also thinking of taking a couple of younger relatives along with me.

They are 13 and 14 years of age.

What is the youngest age accepted for training?

Im talking about bjj at langsett road ofcourse

Can someone advise on above question?

Thanks

HI llll_fb_llll,

We don't usually have under 16s but as long as there ok partnering up I don't see any reason why they they shouldn't. By all means bring them along and we'll see how they go.

BarraGergus and themadrev consider yourselves on my s$@t list and a whoopin will be awaitin:thumbsup:

cheers truebjj, see soon

sorry you know how it is

wanting to do some ground fighting to compliment my stand up.. Any suggestions on a respected bbj club??

There is Gracie Barra Sheffield (where I train) in Hillsborough on Monday and Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings...

or the Royce Gracie Network club in Dronfield/Norton which I believe also trains on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Hello Fellas, just read through the thread and you've made it sound interesting, I'd love to have a go. You sound like a fairly sociable bunch, so I guess I'd be welcome.

Please just summarise for me, living in Nether Edge, where could I go for a session and when? I'm of 34 year old vintage, by the way, average fitness but looking to improve obviously.

Cheers.

Just got Martial arts illustrated
What do people think of women in the UFC type events:?: :?: :?:

Hey Draco,

You would be very welcome, always good to see new faces - we've had a few new people start over the last few weeks so you wouldn't be on your own!

The BJJ clubs around these parts are the one where I train at the 393 club on Langsett Road just up from Hillsborough Corner, and another club in Dronfield that also holds classes at Graves Leisure Centre. I don't know which one of these would be easier to get to from Nether Edge - if you do decide on the Hillsborough club (Gracie Barra Sheffield) I look forward to seeing you down there!

All the best,

Chris

Hi Draco

Being in Nether Edge you are pretty much slap bang in the middle of things (Gracie Barra and Royce Gracie BJJ). Royce Gracie BJJ trains on Monday at the Dronfield school 8.15 - 10.00 pm and Wednesday at the Graves Tennis Centre 7.15 - 10.00pm (class is cancelled Wednesday 19th) Fitness is not an issue, although we do some cardio work, it's a case of do what you can! We have a good mix in levels of ability and plenty of new starters (who are learning very quickly!!) to roll with.

Hope you can make it down for a session.

The best brazilian jiu jitsu clubs in this area is in doncaster. 393 is ok to have a roll but the best guys by far are in donny. just go along and have a try. poeple from far and wide travel to donny to learn with the experts

The best brazilian jiu jitsu clubs in this area is in doncaster. 393 is ok to have a roll but the best guys by far are in donny. just go along and have a try. poeple from far and wide travel to donny to learn with the experts

Hi Vindie
Who are the experts in Doncaster?
Just curious thats all.

The best brazilian jiu jitsu clubs in this area is in doncaster. 393 is ok to have a roll but the best guys by far are in donny. just go along and have a try. poeple from far and wide travel to donny to learn with the experts

to be fair, Gracie Barra at 393 club do have a blackbelt teaching every other Sunday...

Hi Anvil, are you going to Royce tonight? I'm very excited!! Ben Poppleton is a Gracie Barra black belt, based in Doncaster. He trained in Brazil for a long time (on and off for six years I think) and is really excellent. Mick Shore is a purple belt and there is another very good purple belt there (whose name escapes me). But, Sheffield is still a good place to learn BJJ: with a good standard of instruction and an excellent atmosphere among the guys who roll.

The best brazilian jiu jitsu clubs in this area is in doncaster. 393 is ok to have a roll but the best guys by far are in donny. just go along and have a try. poeple from far and wide travel to donny to learn with the experts


now be fair were all freinds, donny wasn't talked about because its not in sheffield, you might as well tell anyone wanting to find an MMA club to go to manchester and train at wolfslair.

Hi Anvil, are you going to Royce tonight? I'm very excited!! Ben Poppleton is a Gracie Barra black belt, based in Doncaster. He trained in Brazil for a long time (on and off for six years I think) and is really excellent. Mick Shore is a purple belt and there is another very good purple belt there (whose name escapes me). But, Sheffield is still a good place to learn BJJ: with a good standard of instruction and an excellent atmosphere among the guys who roll.

I'm not unfortunately. I haven't trained for a while now due to personal reasons, but i did go when he was last here and it was very good. Hopefully i'll be back training soon, but i'm not sure what i'll be doing or where.

Now then 'Anvil'! What's all this talk of not knowing "what I’ll be doing or where"!!!! You'll be doing BJJ, and hopefully you'll be coming back to see us in Dronfield/Graves!

It's been too long mate. Come and pop into the Royce Seminar tonight, I’m sure it'll give you the incentive to get back on the mat. Take care and see you soon.

Now then 'Anvil'! What's all this talk of not knowing "what I’ll be doing or where"!!!! You'll be doing BJJ, and hopefully you'll be coming back to see us in Dronfield/Graves!

It's been too long mate. Come and pop into the Royce Seminar tonight, I’m sure it'll give you the incentive to get back on the mat. Take care and see you soon.

haha! i didn't think you did this forum stuff!

unfortunately monday evenings are no longer going to be conveniant due to the arrival of a new baby and transport/childcare issues, and i'm not sure about wednesdays either, so Gracie Barra on a Sunday might be my best alternative :)

now be fair were all freinds, donny wasn't talked about because its not in sheffield, you might as well tell anyone wanting to find an MMA club to go to manchester and train at wolfslair.

The Wolfslair Academy home of Cage Warriors lHW Champ and now UFC star Michael Bisping is based in Widnes.

But there are plenty of MMA gyms around do a search on MMA Universe