About GirouxBJJ
How is Giroux BJJ different than all the other academies?
- We are the only CT affiliate of BJJ America under David Meyer/Brian Johnson which is a program of Machado BJJ. You will learn solid fundamentals from a curriculum that blueprints what is expected to progress as a student. Techniques, strategies, and application are all included and help you to build your skills in a logical order.
- Our focus is on the art of BJJ, building functional (not fancy) self defense skills, physical fitness, and making great friends on the mat. Are you looking for a way to get in shape but hate the monotony of the gym? We have you covered! While you learn this a totally unique martial art you will build lean muscle, lose fat, boost your cardio, and get back flexibility.
- We are not a competition school. Our intensity level is a notch down from academies that solely focus on tournaments. We train hard and rolling does get competitive with the right partner…but we let go of the worry about the scorecard in lieu of working whatever it is we are trying to improve.
- This club is a small group of men and women who are like-minded in helping each other improve. Most classes are under 10 students in attendance. All students have the option to arrange a monthly private lesson w/ Jeff as part of their monthly membership. So the bottom line is you get loads of personalized attention. Add that to the structured curriculum and you now know why our students get really good really fast.
- This is not an academy where you will feel intimidated. We have a friendly & helpful mat culture. We are NOT an MMA gym. We are NOT a huge school where you are just a number. We do NOT requires signing a contract that binds you to payments even if you can not continue to train. We encourage learning from everyone including other schools and styles. Come on down and check it out…you won’t be disappointed.
Our adult program is for men and women of all ages. No experience is needed. The only requirements are an open mind & and a commitment to being a good training partner. Students are expected to attend training regularly in order to advance. Get in great shape and learn self-defense skills that could save your life! A typical workout involves warm-up, positional drills, the lesson of the class, and drilling and/or sparring w/ partners.
ALL students train with a resisting partner from day 1. Resistance starts low and increases as the student progresses. Drilling is stage 1 and free sparring (aka grappling) starts once you have completed the “Basic 24″ classes and drilled positional controls, escapes, & submissions. Safety is priority #1…why slam each other around if you don’t know the techniques. That type of training tends to build bad habits. We have you learn the basics and then use them live!
As a UFAF school we have a long history training with the Machado brothers since the early 1990s. We are affiliated with RCJ Machado under Carlos Machado as well as members of BJJ America under David Meyer, John Will, and Brian Johnson. Periodically throughout the year we host these and other black belt instructors to share their knowledge and experience. Don’t miss out! Get on the mat and start having fun.
Q. How do I start? Call or email and lets go over all your questions. Then come down and watch a class. Then come back and try out 2 weeks of training for free with no obligation. You’ll likely be bitten by the BJJ bug in that time and then you can take a membership and start your journey.
Q. Can women benefit from BJJ? Yes. BJJ is a martial art that relies on timing, leverage, and technique. Women or men who are smaller than an opponent benefit the most from BJJ as an “equalizer” form of martial art.
Q. Are players from other studios welcome? Yes, as long as you have an open mind and share our goal of helping each other…come on down. Pay mat fee per session or take a membership.
Q. Private lesson or group class? Private lessons have been the preferred method in Brazil since BJJ’s inception. If you have a crazy work schedule you may want to opt for private lessons which can be solo or with a friend. Our private lesson rates are comparable to other academies rates for group classes !!!
About me, the instructor…
My name is Jeff Giroux. I started this weblog to keep in touch with friends and fellow BJJ players that I’ve trained with… as well as to share 411 on our dojo events, training, injuries, BJJ news, gear, and anything else pertinent.
I am a guy who believes in learning from everyone. So all are welcome to blog as long as you have an open mind. Regardless on your academy, network, or brand of grappling…come on in.
Currently, my academy is the only RCJ Machado affiliate school in CT training under Carlos Machado. I am ranked purple belt under Brian Johnson/David Meyer. David is a black belt under Rigan Machado and Brian is under David. So all roads lead back to the Machado brothers brand of BJJ. But enough about official credentials and associations. I am a grappler at heart. Judo as a 9 year old and then wrestling in high school (that was in late 80s) and got bit by the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu bug in the mid 90s. I learn from everyone – my students, training partners, and my instructors. I stress this to my students and encourage them to be in charge of their training. Soak up as much as possible from everyone they train with.
BJJ is a passion of mine. It’s what I teach these days. And although we train self defense during BJJ class it is strictly functional standup. But I also hold a 4th dan Black Belt in Chun Kuk Do karate under Chuck Norris. So…who cares? Who knows. Some might want to know that. Others could care less. (don’t forget Chuck Norris can ski uphill!) But I mention it for those that care. I am proud of my accomplishments but will tell you that a belt is only a piece of cloth. It’s our attitudes, hearts, and knowledge that matters.
I’ve been a martial artist since I was the ripe old age of 9. That was 27 years ago. I started w/ judo but moved to karate after about a year. Standup karate was my passion but I always remembered my judo lessons. It came in handy as I started wrestling in high school. I loved wrestling and was an above average wrestler at 135lbs. I went to Bryant College and they did not have a wrestling team so my sport wrestling ended there.
But like millions of others my eyes bugged out and my chin hit the floor as I watched UFC1. I saw a skinny Brazilian beat all comers w a strange grappling style. Royce rocks! Lucky for me my karate style is headed by Chuck Norris who also was hooked up w the Gracie family. Not only did Chuck take lessons in BJJ he helped the famous Machado Brothers move to the US. How did I luck out? Well…I attend an annual training weekend and each year since about 95 we got to take seminars all weekend from the Machados. Pretty freakin sweet since at that time it was very very hard to get access to BJJ black belts. Hell, back then I thought it was incredible if I got to train w/ a blue belt.
Over the years since then I trained where I could…mostly my annual seminars with the Machados, random other seminars, and training partners that I met through karate. Briefly in 1996 or 97 I was stationed in Fort Hood, TX and worked out w/ Bill Vandry (he was a blue belt at the time). As a younger man in my early 20s I started to find access to great training but could not afford it. Some academies in the late 90s were $250/month when training w/ a BJJ black belt.
Time flies and I ended up in Glastonbury, CT with my wife Veronica in 2001. Shorlty after moving to CT I found that I could afford to join an academy and started training 2 to 3 times per week. At the same time I decided to open a dojo teaching karate in town to kids. This is a really rewarding outlet and it brings in a little extra money to pay for BJJ. I joined a Royce Gracie affiliate school and met my first teacher, Brad Wolfson. He is a great guy and one of the best BJJ technicians I’ve met. Unfortunately, after years as a member at the academy I had a falling out w/ the owner and left. Seems like a trend as many of his top instructors have had the same destiny. Ironically, I workout w/ a bunch of them now and it seems almost like a “best of the best” group.
Simultaneous to my training at the Royce affiliate, my karate organization integrated BJJ America into our core curriculm. Mr Norris feels strongly that any black belt under Chun Kuk Do should have the equivalent skills of blue belt in BJJ as a minimum. That is how I first met David Meyer and John Will. Both are legends in their own rigths as part fo the “dirty dozen” which are the first non-Brazilians to earn BJJ black belts. (both under the Machado brothers Rigan and JJ). David and John became fixtures at our annual training weekend.
David and John are incredibly nice guys who have tons of BJJ talent and experience. However, they are most impressive and sought after as teachers. BJJ America provides an outstanding curriculum and training/testing system for students who can’t train at an academy. And although I was training at an academy I found that their curriculum filled in a void for me. It helped me build stonger fundamentals and provided me a road map that I did not get at the academy. I think many BJJ academies still lack the blue print for students to see what they should focus on from white to blue belt, blue to purple belt, and higher.
Around 2006 I met Brian Johnson through David. (Brian was promoted to black belt under David and later to second dan black from Rigan Machado) He travels the country conducting BJJ seminars, private lessons, and BJJ America training/testings. Luck for me that he comes through New England 2x per year. So I traveled to Putnam, CT to check him out. And it was well worth the ride!
Brian is a smaller guy so I immediately found his game and guidance completely applicable. I’m 150lbs, 5.4 so I was stoked to find a hugely successful competitor who I could train w/ under BJJ America. Since that first year I’ve hooked up w/ Brian at other academies in CT and NH every time he comes through. And in 2008 started to host Brian at my academy. I truly appreciate Brian’s skill, experience, and dedication. If you have not hear of him you will. He is currently on an undefeated winning streak in 08-09. Check him out at http://www.nwjja.com/
I teach gi BJJ classes 3x per week plus private lessons on off days. I try to get to Dallas, TX to train under Carlos Machado at every quarterly instructor weekends. Brian comes through 2x per year for seminars and private lessons. I train w/ David & John every year at my karate convention. And when possible I will host BJJ seminars from other black belts that are coming through CT.
My club is made up of a group of good guys (women are welcome but none at the moment). It’s a small group. We train hard and love learning/refining our techniques. We are not a competition school so the pace is a notch lower than the tournament academies. I like to focus on the art and self-defense application as much as the sport aspect. I am also lucky to have made a bunch of friends around the central CT area. I’ll bring my guys to their academies to mix it up w/ different partners and styles. A few times each year there are BJJ tournaments that are within a few hours drive that we will compete in (mainly for the great training lessons gained from the stress of competition).
Train safe! Jeff
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