My Favorite 5 Schools out of 100
I think that everyone's criteria for judging what a "good" JiuJitsu school is will be different. That's one of the things that I like about having traveled is that I learned so much more about what is meaningful to me, and what I'm hoping to find for a home school. It's also interesting that while of course, good JiuJitsu is a must-have, what really matters to me is that tribe, that community, sense of belonging, and shared time off the mats just as much as on. When I think about time spent traveling, there are some great memories of times on the mats. Getting thrown in shark tanks, running the rank, training to exhaustion. What really sticks out to me though is the time off the mats though. The hostile in Portland where the team and I were laughing until we were crying at two in the morning over something no one remembers, the miserable first time surfing in ice-cold waters in San Diego, getting invited to the post-training lunch in LA and Louisville (I think getting invited to the post-training meal at a new place means the most to me). So when I talk about the favorite five JiuJitsu places I've visited, they all have phenomenal JiuJitsu, but really, they were places that gave me an immediate feeling of belonging.
CSG360 was everything that you want to find when you travel.
The school was recommended to me through a friend. The first night that I showed up to a Friday night class, but it was off night at the new school, and no one else was there but the instructor, Professor Charlie. Charlie and I ended up hanging out talking about JiuJitsu for four or more hours. Then the next morning I drove down with their team to watch them compete. Afterward, we partied, and it wasn't until the following day we trained together, which was an absolute throw down. I had just moved almost as far as one could across the country from Fayetteville, NC to Oceanside, CA for a short-term work contract, and was feeling a bit out of place not knowing anyone there. From the very first time that I walked in the doors there though I immediately was a part of the team and felt like I had been reunited with an old family.
about who is balling up who the next time I come back. I still sport their school patches because of how much that time with them means to me.
This place was everything that I think you want to find when you're traveling.
The Army's home for its airborne and special operations forces, Fort Bragg truly hosts many of America's finest. This is a community that values physical fitness and readiness, hard work, the team, and winning. This culture extends to the mats. I think most people would describe as fit or in great shape is average in this town, and there are some absolute monstrous humans that pack the mats in this town. They aren't just muscle-bound brutes though, but are thinkers, strategists, and have an unmatched work ethic that translates into reps while drilling JiuJitsu.
I lived in Fayetteville for four years and trained at Cornerstone BJJ while I was there. Team ROC is also
a great school that I've recommended to multiple people moving there, and UACTP just opened up which I just recently visited and is absolutely phenomenal. The real reason why I love this place though is because of the open mats on base. I say mats because there are multiple spots where it goes down on the base.
These training sessions don't have any type of affiliation, so they are packed with people from different schools in the area, and all are people that love JiuJitsu and want to roll (my favorite thing). I've greatly missed the ability to enjoy such training sessions since leaving Fayetteville. There was something unique and special about getting to train with new people from different schools without the typical social requirements that go into such a thing. It was a sort of no mans land that existed. The Army paid for the mats and to keep the lights on, so there was no financial motivation. It was just a bunch of Army dudes that loved JiuJitsu throwing down good hard rolls for 60-90 minutes and then heading out. This creates such a unique environment that I've never quite encountered anywhere else.
Home of the Chewy. Derby City is a well-known spot welcoming travelers and I'd consider it to be one of the must-visit spots in the US. The graffiti-covered walls match the vibe of the school, which is a place of good training and good times.
I'm a big fan of Chewy's content. I love to point beginners to his YouTube channel. His email newsletter has all sorts of golden nuggets related to things about mindset and training/competition. The Chewjitsu podcast is also a personal favorite for long drives. His technique videos are really good too, but I will rather reluctantly admit that I rarely ever watch any technique videos, and haven't delved into his like I should even though I own several of them.
It's always interesting to meet someone in person that you've followed for so long. Sometimes perception and reality end up being disappointing. That happily wasn't the case though, and taking a class with Chewy feels just like your hanging out listening to one of his videos. The next time I visited too I was greeted by an enthusiastic "STEVE! How you doin brotha!" by Chewy, which was way cooler for me than I'll ever admit. Chewy is also always down for a roll, and it's fun to get hit by the highlight reel.
Overall, what you expect to find at Derby City is exactly what you get. Super welcoming people and great training.
When I was set to move across the country again, I was a bit worried about what I'd find out on the small island of Oak Harbor, WA. Wakizashi didn't even come up on my initial google search for schools in the area. I was subsequently blown away when I found the best training I've ever experienced with Professor Eli.
Wakizashi utilized a structured, systematic approach to learning with tons of positional style rolling. I was putting tons of volume into training before coming here. My training volume was cut by almost a quarter because of the new job, but my technical progression exploded, which was obvious on the competition scene where I was constantly bringing home medals.
We hit countless tournaments together, and post-competition was always a riot. Probably my favorite was when Jules and miles flew down to meet me in Dallas for NAGA worlds. Jules does as much living in a day as I do in probably two weeks, and we did a week's worth of exploration in Dallas in one night.
Much like CSG360, Art of War in Jacksonville, FL has those vibes when you walk in that you know that you found the right spot. I met up with my long-time training partner Lenny Bro here, but the entire room felt like old training partners. I had such a great time training here that I shortly after went back, and have since sent three other friends that had recently moved to train there. I particularly enjoy the humor that Art teaches with. I spend most of my free time on the mats, and so I prefer a flavor of fun with that time. I enjoyed it so much so that last month I drove 5 hours round trip twice to hang out with him and my Lenny Bro and take pictures.
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