NYC Gyms Series 04: Babs BJJ
Facility / Location: Today, I am scanning the street for "Babs BJJ" on the corner of Broadway and Reade in the heart of Tribeca. However, what I find instead is "Martial Arts - The Wat" and an arrow directing me down a flight of stairs. The studio is simple. Rustic, furnished with plants, small trinkets, and candles. I am also greeted by a faint smell of incense and the sound of Sarama, traditional Thai music that is performed before fighters clash. You can tell there's a sense of tradition and pride embedded in "The Wat". More than anything, however, I become nostalgic for my travels throughout Northern Thailand.
But let's get into the meat-and-bones ... where the martial arts occurs... through the next door. Unlike the first partition, there's a roaring cadence. Pads are being smashed, sparring is commencing, mutiple timers are buzzing down, and there's hollering. One voice that sticks out is emerging from the back of the studio from an atomic blue-mat space, perhaps 25 x 10 in feet. You might have recognized it from the Marcelo DVDs if you are a true enthusiast of BJJ, but it belongs to Babs Olusanmokun, a 3rd degree black-belt from Alliance and a former coach of the great Lucas Lepri.
Instruction: Bab's is seated down and coaching two female blue belt students 20 minutes before class starts. He's going over knee-cut details, directing them which way to drive their upper-body to shut down their opponents frames. Pondering, did I just walk into a private? No...shortly after, two more white belts assuage me of my etiquette as they begin to stretch and warm-up beside me.
Conscious of the time, Babs begins the class. There's no running around, jumping jacks, or bear crawls. None of that hoopla I'm told. We worked on a guard retention drill for 10 minutes, followed by another 20 minutes of drilling from the closed-guard -- Lo's Mermaid sweep and a standard arm-bar. He's thorough and vehement, reiterating his point as he dives into details. I try to engage in some conversation with my training partner as we drill, but I just receive cold looks. Whatever I say to myself. Later, I find out Babs frowns upon discussion in the place of drilling and that instead my training partner is really nice.
We then move on to do specific rounds for the rest of the time period. The mats are slippery as shit and space is limited. There's literally no rest in between rounds, and this man is putting me through an absolute ringer. Huffing-and-puffing, he expects me to carry myself with resolve. He seems battle-tested and possesses a certain bravado that cannot be ignored, so I push through. And keep pushing and pushing. And finally, gi drenched, the boot-camp concludes.
Cost: $180 month-to-month. Considering you're getting a lot of attention from two well respected black belts, it seems like good value. No Muay thai included.
Schedule: It's a really basic schedule. No 7 AM classes is a big downside here (not for me since I value sleep and recovery). All of the classes are mixed-levels. But other than that, there's enough training in my opinion with some No-Gi options as well. Dan Covel, who is a wizard in his own respect, teaches right after Babs. They have a partnership splitting the class load.
Misc: Babs has a distinct countenance and so you might have recognized him as an actor on Black Mirror or something else. Also want to note again how small the mats are, maybe 12 people can roll at the same time.
Conclusion: More appropriately, Bab's BJJ is a relic to vintage New York City. Walking down those stairs is like discovering your new favorite record shop in the 2000's, a time where stumbling upon a hidden gem in this city was possible. A time before Google Reviews existed; a time before Instagram biased you; and a time before you judged something so quick because you actually had to experience it. It's spirited studio, tight mat space, and instructor who flies under the radar, is what gives it that special 'New Yawk' charm.
Conscious of the time, Babs begins the class. There's no running around, jumping jacks, or bear crawls. None of that hoopla I'm told. We worked on a guard retention drill for 10 minutes, followed by another 20 minutes of drilling from the closed-guard -- Lo's Mermaid sweep and a standard arm-bar. He's thorough and vehement, reiterating his point as he dives into details. I try to engage in some conversation with my training partner as we drill, but I just receive cold looks. Whatever I say to myself. Later, I find out Babs frowns upon discussion in the place of drilling and that instead my training partner is really nice.
We then move on to do specific rounds for the rest of the time period. The mats are slippery as shit and space is limited. There's literally no rest in between rounds, and this man is putting me through an absolute ringer. Huffing-and-puffing, he expects me to carry myself with resolve. He seems battle-tested and possesses a certain bravado that cannot be ignored, so I push through. And keep pushing and pushing. And finally, gi drenched, the boot-camp concludes.
Cost: $180 month-to-month. Considering you're getting a lot of attention from two well respected black belts, it seems like good value. No Muay thai included.
Schedule: It's a really basic schedule. No 7 AM classes is a big downside here (not for me since I value sleep and recovery). All of the classes are mixed-levels. But other than that, there's enough training in my opinion with some No-Gi options as well. Dan Covel, who is a wizard in his own respect, teaches right after Babs. They have a partnership splitting the class load.
Misc: Babs has a distinct countenance and so you might have recognized him as an actor on Black Mirror or something else. Also want to note again how small the mats are, maybe 12 people can roll at the same time.
Conclusion: More appropriately, Bab's BJJ is a relic to vintage New York City. Walking down those stairs is like discovering your new favorite record shop in the 2000's, a time where stumbling upon a hidden gem in this city was possible. A time before Google Reviews existed; a time before Instagram biased you; and a time before you judged something so quick because you actually had to experience it. It's spirited studio, tight mat space, and instructor who flies under the radar, is what gives it that special 'New Yawk' charm.
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