NYC Gym Series 01: Marcelo Garcia Academy

Facility / Location: I arrived early by an hour. Patiently waiting, I see Marcus Tinoco showing some of his patented lasso guard during the drilling class on one end of the mat, and on the other end, another black belt instructing a closed guard break for the foundation program. Marcelo's academy feels pure in every sense of the word. The bright white lights shining down provides your retina perfect resolution; the cursive yellow MG sign plastered against the wall-mat is beautifully contrasted; and everyone's energy in the academy is alike as Marcelo's. The academy gi's (not mandatory) are crisp, and the rash-guards are sleek.

But of course, with such a reputation, 50-60 people have now shown up for the gi class. The mats are beginning to feel crunched. This is New York City I remind myself, and if you are not comfortable rubbing shoulders with someone, then it's the wrong to place to live, yet alone train. And somehow, someway, I couldn't get over the academy's locker-room. Packed together like a jar of sardines, everyone's ball-sack is 2-inches away from you. Their one toilet and two open-floor showers feels too intimate, even for Jiu Jitsu. Putting on my clothes frantically, I try to not trip over anyone's bag, feet, or bent-over-torso. Immobilized and sweating, I start to fathom the repeated experience. Sure, these are going to be your brothers, but no... simply, no.

Instruction: After your standard warm-up (runs, jumping jacks, forward rolls), Paul Schreiner, the scientist, steps onto the mat to begin his lecture. He instructs us to drill a triangle and arm-bar. This goes on for about 7-10 minutes. Prepping us for his next technique, he shows a collar-sleeve guard triangle against an opponent who combat bases followed by a matrix attack when your opponent postures and shrugs off that triangle. At the time, I didn't know it was the matrix, and this just confirm's Paul's reputation of being a true student of the game. I roll with one of MG's most promising juvenile and he toys with me, relegating me into another existential blue belt crisis. With a few more rounds in the book, the class concludes.

Next class: The academy feels different today, Marcelo is teaching. But before he does so, he takes it upon himself to shake every single student's hand the moment he arrives. What a gent. As we gather around him, I see they're filming for MGinAction, which exacerbates the sudden stillness and laser focus of the students. In classic fashion, we work on a series of grip fighting details. Garcia, still with a slight brazilian accent, says, "Guys every-time I try to grip my partner, he avoids me. So I have to do something. I mean, I don't want to stay here and let him make his grip first, but it's the only choice we have. He might be stalling or scared, I don't know... but we have to win this battle." He wants us to bait our partner and then steal the grip at the last minute. Tactical jiu-jitsu. We do 1 minute rounds, 5 second breaks, rotating among the dozens and dozens of MG students, with at least 8 rounds clocked in to cement this idea. After, we finish with a hard 6-8 full rounds.

Cost: I can't remember the exact pricing but it was around 220-260$ a month. With such an array of helpful and amicable black-belts like Lutes, Tinoco, Gianni, Diniz, and others, there's plenty of support in place to justify the cost.

Schedule: Well put together, a dual focus on gi and no-gi jiu jitsu. (It's upside is my downside, an avid gi only practitioner.) A bit hard to read however.

Conclusion: By the love of god, the best competitor in 2000's era is there smiling away like he didn't maul grown men. Going here feels like the pinnacle of a Jiu Jitsu gym, crafted over a decade for all three types of Jiu Jitserios & Jitserias, hobbyist, enthusiast, and competitors.