Hello All, I have been gone some time. I am looking at taking up BJJ but struggling to find a good school near me. Travelling is an issue but i have found a school not too far from me. I used to do TKD but stopped about two years ago, probably the time i stopped being active on MAP. Anyway i'm interested in taking up BJJ as sitting idle for two yeears or so is starting to bug me. I have found a gym but know nothing of BJJ (lineage or instructors), i'm Scottish and reside in the Glasgow area but places like the grip and GB Glasgow don't suit in terms of distance and timetable. The gym i'm looking at is Scottish Hit Squad. Would appreciate some input on this gym. Wanting to start in Jan 19. Gym linked below for convenience. Scottish Hit Squad - Mixed Martial Arts Baza
I've heard shady things about GB Glasgow in regards to belts and effort put in by instructors. That might have changed as it was a few years ago. Scottish Hit Squad guys are legit. A UFC fighter and a Bellator fighter both from that club. I fought someone from there myself too and his attitude both before and after was very professional and courteous so I would assume the whole place has a good culture. Great bunch of guys and I'm sure they'll have a lovely atmosphere.
I've heard of dodgy fee and belt promotions in Glasgow GB. Another vote for Scottish Hit Squad based on what I've read
I find that hard to believe, barra gracie in Bath is an excellent school, unless of course the warm up in Glasgow is 10 cans of mckewans.
There are lots of great Gracie Barra schools all over. I'm part of one, there's loads of great ones elsewhere. Just not this one.
I didn't think Rick Youngs place was a GB school? I Know his lineage is, But I thought he operated his gym as an independent?
Whilst generally GB is excellent, they operate so many schools theyre will naturally be a wide range in quality/practises, and Ricky's schools are well known to be at the extreme lower end of that range.
Well in honesty our lineage is from Mauricio Gomes but I'm sure I've seen Gracie Barra on the wall underneath. We definitely don't do the same thing a lot of other GB places do though. You can wear any gi you like (although I think there is a preference for a matching gi i.e the bottoms match the jacket) and we also don't keep a massive score of tabs (which I like). I've seen some GB places have ceremonies for stripes or stuff like that as part of a grading. We also don't charge for gradings although I don't know if anywhere else does do that.
Gracie barra is a franchise, so if your an official GB school, you have to pay a certain amount per year etc, so there's some great schools whose teachers lineage come from a GB Blackbelt, but the schools themselves arnt Gracie Barra schools. So Rick is a GB (M Gomes) lineage Blackbelt, but that doesn't necessarily mean the school is a Gracie Barra school, it might be though, in not sure. Iirc GB schools arnt allowed to be in the same area as each other either.
Generally charging for grades is a sign of a dodgy BJJ Gym. Although having a cheap/special seminar, and then a free grading afterwards is more common in the states.
