Our After a Year Review
1. My Experience
2. My Son's Experience
3. My Wife's Experience
1. We have been a part of RPBJJ for over a year. This is my third gym due to relocating to Texas. What drew me to the school was Rodrigo's dedication to his competitors, and at the time, I was serious about competing. I haven't competed since joining RPBJJ because it became clear to me how much I had been lacking in the fundamentals of Jiu Jitsu. RPBJJ dedicates a class to fundamentals, which many schools don't, and it really shows. The fundamentals class is designed to acclimate new students' minds and bodies to the art without risking injuries that could occur from jumping into an advanced group. Additionally, I consider it an honor to roll with the many colored belts and black belt world champions. In many of the gyms I have visited, it is rare to roll with a black belt or even a brown belt. I was shocked to discover that RPBJJ has over 40 black belts. This means that your training is always at a high level of instruction every time you visit. My skill level has skyrocketed while training here. On top of regular sparring in advanced class we do specific training positions under resistance. This added to the physical challenge of the class and as a result my cardio has sky rocketed.
2. As I'm writing this and telling my 8-year-old, I'm writing this review, he said, "Oh, and tell them he really cares about his students." This brings me to how invested Rodrigo is in the kids' program. My son started training at 4 years old and has been a part of the program for just over a year. The term "bully proof" is commonly used among Jiu Jitsu schools around the world, and recently, I realized exactly what that means. I thought it was a cliche statement that was more of a marketing phrase that I honestly thought was overused. One day my son came home one day from school excitedly telling me a story about how he had encountered a bully. I was surprised by his demeanor because you would expect there to be some fear or frustration, but he actually found it entertaining. When I probed further, I realized it was because he had confidence in knowing that the threats this bully was making were empty. It became apparent to me that the confidence he had in knowing he could deal with any physical encounter protected him from the fear and intimidation that a bully relies on. My son is regularly tested physically under the conditions of fully supervised sparring experiences. These conditions, aside from the supervision, are very similar to any physical encounter your child may face in a bullying scenario. The kids' program includes sparring that mimics an actual physical confrontation. It is through this experience that my son chuckled at the fact that this untrained boy was threatening a physical confrontation. He invited the boy to the gym, but the boy declined. This bully has now become my son's fan because that confidence is contagious. In addition to sparring sessions, RPBJJ also hosts in-house tournaments for both adults and children, which elevates the conditions for the best training under pressure.
3. My wife, a blue belt, joined RPBJJ just over a year ago. She loves the women's class, and her confidence has also skyrocketed. She primarily trains with the women's group but also joins us for advanced class and fundamentals. They're a close, supportive group, and they rely on each other for support. My wife won her first tournament after training at RPBJJ.
In conclusion to this very long review, essentially, this gym becomes your family. Despite how large the school is, it feels like a small school. At first, I thought I would just be a number, but then you start to notice that Rodrigo and other black belts are intensely observing your training. You get a sense that they're aware of your skill level and promote accordingly.
Instructors
Facility
Classes
Atmosphere
Posted 3 years ago
