Marlon Colorado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu NYC

“tl;dr friendly, generously priced, large training center offering multiple modes of combat and self-defense training with a large degree of personalization. I’ve been coming for a year for their Brazilian Jiujitsu and Judo programs with zero combat experience*. I do not think there is another center that offers the same level of approachability, space, or, for those who care, affordability in Long Island City. I pay monthly to get unlimited access to all of their BJJ and Judo classes. The environment is low-pressure with a high skill-ceiling I cannot yet fully comprehend. BJJ offers multiple classes from different instructors, each with their own strengths and all serious about their craft. Judo is offered thrice a week with a back-to-back basics class and a sparring class (randori). Our cohort is friendly, strong, and rapidly growing. Sensei will teach fundamentals with clarity and precision. This is a good place to make friends and get a good workout. I would encourage you to take them up on the free trial classes they offer for the individual programs. *10 years of play wrestling my little brother”

“I can genuinely testify that this is a good school primarily due to the personalities of the instructors which is quite important to me and for the foundations that one will develop in both BJJ and Judo. I signed up for this school primarily because they were offering Judo, a martial arts that to this day I am quite curious about. BJJ was a plus but, as you may well know, an invaluable asset to any martial artist. I have been looking for a martial arts school for over 5 years. And it is telling that I chose and kept with this one (considering that NYC has no lack of good martial art schools). It is not perfect and I would give it a 4.7/5.0 if I had the option, but since only whole number grades are allowed I had to round it to the closest unit. Here are the pros and cons: Pros: 1) Friendly environment. The teachers, staff, and students are very friendly. 2) Professional instructors who know what they are talking about. 3) Excellent instructions for BJJ and Judo. 4) Great community. 5) Competitive edge. This school competes and are ranked pretty highly in the tri-state area. 6) Affordable. With the price of BJJ and business models, it can get quite expensive to be part of a BJJ school. This school’s price is quite reasonable. Cons: 1) Emphasis on sports and competition. This is not really a bad thing since competing is how schools advertise. But if you’re like me and are above a certain age, competition would most likely not be your focus 2) Lack of focus on self defense. This goes with the first con, the focus is on doing well in competition so the training is primarily focused on that. Don’t get me wrong, there are ample of self defense techniques that can be applied from what you’ll learn. It’s just not the emphasis. So don’t think you’ll be ready to defend yourself from a knife attacker upon a few years of training.”

“If you are looking for a place to train then look no further. Rocian Gracie Jr. is the BEST! The facility is clean, everyone is so welcoming, Professor Marlon Colorado does an amazing job at teaching the true Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It has been an absolute gift to have this school as an anchor in our community and family. The welcoming atmosphere they provide allows anyone to learn and excel. From your first class and on, the friendly instructors are there to help you grow and progress in your Jiu-Jitsu Journey. The instant trust and camaraderie you develop with each of your training partners allows you to relax and know you are there to learn and progress together. The entire premise of the academy is to provide a safe place to learn self-defense through the gentle art of Jiu-Jitsu.”

“Had a chance to visit NY from the West coast, Marlon and his staff welcomed us and we had a blast. High levels instruction. Super clean gym, great mat space. The culture in the gym was great, would highly recommend to anyone who is in NY and wants to start their BJJ journey or is looking for a new home 👍🏽🥋”

“I joined the gym recently and absolutely loving it! Hitting mainly the 7 a.m. classes before work, Monday through Friday. The team and instructors are all excellent; the warm-up, drills, technique, sparring, and cool down are all wonderful to aid in learning, injury prevention, and safety. For morning classes, we do a warm-up, movement drills, submission drills, technique, sparring, and a quick yoga flow at the end! (shout out to Andrew). It's the absolute best way to start my morning. Each night I fall asleep, and I look forward to starting the day with a BJJ session! The spacious gym is in a newer building on the 4th floor, features all-white mats, and has a squat rack and more in the back. So far, I've learned a lot of new moves and refined old ones; the curriculum is very efficient, detailed, and accelerated. Also, Judo and women's BJJ classes are available! If you're looking for a good community with quality instruction, the teachers here are razor-sharp and will fix any mistake they see. There's a complete book with all the moves each belt/stripe level will be graded on; each student will know where they stand and what they need to work on to level up! Promotions are based on group tests that are held every few months. Students freely ask the instructor questions or for help with techniques, which is always a good vibe. Some other schools have large classes that don't allow much attention to each student! I'm digging the book/curriculum repetition system as it can help build an all around attacking game and accelerate the learning and mastery process. The first week we're drilling 7 submissions (guard/side control), 2 half guard back takes, and a few misc triangle and loop choke set ups! All in one week which is insane! Highly recommended for all levels, they have classes all day to fit any schedule. Competition Class: These classes can be brutal and absolutely fun! For experience grapplers, we start with warm up, technique, and spend the last 30-45 minutes doing 3-6 minute rounds. You get plenty of stand up rounds, competition style! My gas tank isn't where i want it to be, but I'm building up stamina and efficiency in my game. After class, we do a short stretch/yoga flow and rest, my body feels amazing (think runners high x 1000), its a feeling you just can't buy!”