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Providing a welcoming, clean and open environment is one of our goals at Brazil-021 Houston. If you are dropping in while visiting Houston or looking to start your BJJ journey, the doors are always open to anyone of any level!
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
My home away from home for two weeks. A very strong sense of family, ethos and mateship resonates throughout this academy - the Instructors are super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable (special shout out to Instructor Derry at the Downtown Club!). Professor Marcos' passion for BJJ, teaching and desire to further build his family of jiu-jitsu practitioners can be felt through every team mate and Instructor you encounter throughout the school. Whilst 5:30am starts before the work day might seem daunting at first, I always walked away from every session feeling rejuvenated, enlightened and energized to get through the rest of the day. Thank you for having such a strong positive and friendly culture and fully embracing me into the Brazil-021 family! The trifecta of expert guidance, friendship and awesome facilities are honestly my biggest reasons for wanting to keep coming back to visit Houston!
Was looking for a place to train while I was in town for the summer, and this gym was a fantastic choice! Extremely friendly atmosphere and excellent instruction. If I ever find myself in Houston, I will definitely be coming back.
I 100% recommend this place for anyone looking for a clean, friendly, and all around wholesome martial arts school. Professor Marcos and Sydney go above and beyond for everyone in their school, especially the children. They have definitely helped my two daughters (8 & 10) overcome hard days, whether it be something outside of martial arts, or in class. They have surprised me with how much they have learned and accomplished over the last year and a half. We love that we don't feel like just another number here, here we feel welcomed.
John A.
This is an amazing academy, full of highly-skilled practitioners, and yet still the most welcoming, friendly place you could imagine. I did an entire free trial week, but in all honesty I was 100% sure that I wanted to join after my first lesson. Great instruction, as well as generous, super skilled training partners. And on top of it all is this welcoming culture of safety, cleanliness, knowledge-sharing, and high-grade, technical jiu-jitsu.The instructors here are not only top-notch at jiu-jitsu, but are great people who take genuine delight in seeing the students get better and better each class. They're always watching and working to improve each student's unique jiu-jitsu game as it takes shape. The knowledge and insight they share is powerful stuff, often the kind of hard-won knowledge that they've earned through competition and grueling experience.A great place to learn, and a great place to train! They really do it right here, and I couldn't be happier.
Audra D.
Professor Marcos, Sydney, and the entire Brazil 021 team have been such a blessing to our family. My son (7yrs old) started here with zero experience and a bit of a discipline issue, and in less than a year Marcos has got him absolutely LOVING jiujitsu, listening, and being a model student in class. Marcos is fantastic with the kids and Sydney is so accommodating with families who have multiple kids and are trying to coordinate getting everyone to various places. This is a safe and fun environment that is well worth your money. They love and nurture your children and actually teach them the skills of the sport. They kids have fun and learn valuable life skills as well. Parents, sign your kids up! You won’t be disappointed.
Ben L.
Ibrahim A.
Martha G.
Josh K.
I've been to a lot of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gyms. A lot - from Orange County, to Brazil, to New York, to Fargo North Dakota.
I stopped by BRAZIL-021 (021 is the Rio de Janeiro area code) while I was in town for business. BRAZIL-021 is a BJJ gym that does EVERYTHING right.
What do I mean? They pay attention to all the little things that make for a great gym experience.
ATTENTION TO CLEANLINESS - This is super important in gyms. It makes people feel comfortable and keeps people from getting sick. The thing about cleanliness is that the responsibility goes beyond just the management to the class as a whole. Beyond a meticulously clean facility, the other students looked out to make sure I knew where I should and should not step, where to place my shoes, etc. It was clear they have been explicitly trained to care about cleanliness. This is good for everyone.
ATTENTION TO SAFETY - in a very professional way, BRAZIL-021 collected my info and had me sign a waiver before class. This is standard at any gym. I was surprised at the start of class when Marcos (the head instructor) asked me a question about some of the information I put down (related to a previous surgery of mine). In most gyms, waivers are just signed and forgotten. I appreciated Marcos' attention to any special needs I might have. Marcos also insisted on rolling with me before I rolled with any of his students. It showed his concern for their safety - he didn't know me and by rolling with me he made sure I wasn't some unsafe spaz or ego-case before mixing me in with his other students.
ATTENTION TO CULTURE - The attitudes of the other students were immediately apparent as they entered the class. They are there to train, to learn and to grow. This is not some meathead fight-club gym, or some place where the students just want to socialize and pretend they are training. Brazil-021 has a wonderfully dedicated and supportive culture.
ATTENTION TO EDUCATION - Marcos is clearly a gifted teacher. I was impressed by his ability to watch the whole class and provide individual instruction related to specific movements. I look forward to learning more from him in the future.
Did you have fun? Did you learn something? Did you get a good workout? These are my three criteria for evaluating the success of a jiu jitsu training session. Brazil-021 satisfied all three of those completely.
Five Stars. I can't wait to return next time I'm in Houston.