Zen Jiu Jitsu: East Side Austin meets BJJ

Date:
Mid December '12

Website:
http://www.austinzenbjj.com/

Instructor:
Paul

Lineage:
Rigan Machado

Credentials:
Brown belt under Rigan Machado.

Number:
512.517.1509

Location:
2200 E 7th St.

View Larger Map

Free:
One class

Price:
2   classes /week @ $80/month
7* classes /week @ $100/month

Classes are 1-2 hours each.

*There are 7 BJJ classes per week, and other fitness classes.
*Given that this place is relatively new, expect them to experiment with pricing plans and options. It seems that they've already added more classes to their schedule as of March of 2013.

Short review:
Friendly, East Austin feel. Maybe a bit too friendly, if that's possible, but it's hard to fault the instructor for kindness. A "Fitness" focus seems a bit odd for a BJJ gym, but makes sense at Zen, where the vibe is definitely one of, well, "Zen" "Wellness" "Fitness"... A very Austin spin on BJJ, perhaps. New gym and community fresh out of the garage, so students are closer to the beginner end of the spectrum. Cheapest gym in Austin. Small classes. Tight knit community.

============================================================

*I should mention, to be fair, that I am writing this review about two months after attending. Perhaps, at the end of this experiment, I'll go back and give an updated review. For now, this will have to do.

I walked into Zen Jiu Jitsu based purely on a flyer alone. (Huh, waddya know, they do work...) I was hanging out at Epoch Coffee,



and saw this green and white Japanese looking sun. Zen Jiu Jitsu.



Hey, I was looking for some BJJ. I saw times and a phone number. I called. Guy sounded nice enough. Sure, why not give it a shot?

I grabbed the ol' kickskin, the same one I got when I was 16, pants thin and already sporting a tear, and headed out one Saturday morning. I had a little trouble finding the place while looking straight at it, though its location is pretty straightforward--just no sign of any kind, and it still looked like it hadn't opened from the outside.

Once inside, though, Zen's place is pretty spacious, wide open. Windows line the front. There was some workout equipment on the side wall, a small stereo putting out some quiet dubstep from the instructor's ipod. The instructor was an incredibly welcoming and kind guy. I felt like his cheeks should get sore from grinning so often, honestly, though it didn't feel insincere--he's just a happy guy. Exactly the kind of guy who would name his place 'Zen Jiu Jitsu'.

We worked out a bit at the beginning, mostly some drills (which I generally am not fond of, but I didn't mind this particular morning). If I remember correctly, we did technique first, following the shrimping and rolling drills.

The instructor had just opened the gym shortly before, thus the flyers. His students followed him here from his garage, so to speak. The newness of the school showed; there was one blue belt and a few white belts with stripes. One got the feeling that people were still getting used to the new place. The instructor being a brown belt lent further to the feeling that this was a student teaching other students (albeit obviously a qualified one--a Rigan Machado brown belt is nothing to shake a stick at).

The teaching, as I remember it, was on the easier side of interesting. The rolling was all pleasant enough. I found myself tapping everyone in the room (aside from the instructor) with some effort, which, while it felt great to 'win', leaves me with a lingering feeling of doubt about growth potential there for myself. (I wouldn't be being fair if I didn't admit that I was rusty enough that I was winded at the end, in spite of the victory.) The feel was definitely very 'Zen', though.

Rolling continued past the 1.5 hour limit freely. One thing definitely in this gym's favor is that they have exclusive lease of the gym--they can do what they want. This isn't a timeslot-rented space, no one else is coming after you, so do what you like. Definitely contributed to the laid back atmosphere.

The teacher was capable and gave good instruction. The attitude was chill. Not to say people were going less than 80% when we rolled, but... A vibe you'd expect from friends rolling together on the side. And when I left, I felt good about the whole experience.

I remember prices being $80/month total--I'm not sure if memory deceives me, and it was always $100 for unlimited, or if he actually raised his prices. Even still, he's the best deal in town for someone on a budget, and so it's not unlikely that I'll show up again at some point in the future to give an updated review.

In December, he was saying that if I paid then, he'd go ahead and thrown in all of January with the rest of December, a promotional to try and get more students in. Seems he was doing the same buy-1-get-1-free for Jan/Feb as well.

If I was just starting out right now, I'd seriously consider this gym a bit more than I do at the moment; it would be pretty cool to grow with an instructor from the beginning, maybe someday be his first black belt student. I kind of still would like to find some group doing BJJ in their garage, but those people don't have websites. In the end, though, I am left with a feeling that I wouldn't have anyone at my level to roll with.

Oh, by the way. My old pants? The one rip I had turned into three, and they were officially retired from service. I paused my quest for BJJ while I looked for some money and waited until I could afford some pants--but that's a story for another day.

Anyways, goes without saying that this place is subject to change. Take this review as a snapshot of their roots if you're reading this a few months after the fact.

Pros:
Open, spacious gym.
Generous classes.
Fitness options, if you're into that.
Friendly.
Rigan Machado-trained instructor.
Clean, open, though pleasantly unpolished.
Growing.
Cheapest in town.

Cons:
Brown, not black belt instructor.
Students are lower ranked, bad high-to-low student ranking ratio.
Maybe a bit too laid back for some tastes.
Not very established.