2nd Gear Jiu Jitsu

"On September 26 2018 I walked in to 2nd Gear Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a free trial class. Close to 17 months later I was awarded a blue belt. Although I knew I was being evaluated and was expecting the promotion to happen sometime soon, the actual moment it occurred was very emotional for me. In my life I have received several recognitions for scientific achievements, but never for anything related to physical activity, so this is a milestone I will never forget. I owe everything to Professor Kenneth Brown who has been a wonderful mentor and coach. Professor Brown has managed to coach a clumsy uncoordinated 53-year old person like me and make him stick to the sport, this is not a trivial task. It is much harder than teaching to an athletic, talented, 18 year old. It is because of the training environment he has cultivated at 2ndgear that I have had the mental determination to show up to the academy and train almost every day, whether it has been an intense day at work and I am tired, whether my back, ribs, groin, ankles or other body parts are injured, whether I am doing well or feel frustrated with my progress, whether I notice all these younger people pick up new skills so much faster than me,… I just show up to practice, that’s all there is to do in order to eventually progress. Thank you Kenny for being such a great mentor, coach and amazing person, thank you Prof. Sundar Bjj, Prof. David Adams, Prof. Alex Dugas, and coach Matt Weinberg for the instruction at 2ndgear. I am especially grateful to all my fellow academy members who have been my training partners and have spent endless hours drilling and rolling with me!"

"I am so blessed for my boys to be part of this community! We have been doing Jiujitsu for ten years, three of them were with 2nd gear! So basically this review came little bit late 😊. Before joining them, I knew exactly what I was looking for and it took us around 3 months going for free trials in almost all the area of Columbia/ Baltimore and its surroundings. And it was a mess in almost all of them. I was told by one of the very famous gyms we want the boys and we will offer you an exceptional discount! At the end we decided on 2nd gear! What brought us first, was the kind of training provided by the coach at the time and the discipline he brought to the mat. Until we found that we landed on a real hidden gem. Watching different coaches in Competitions and how other coaches yells and gets furious on loss or even sometimes gives the player extra self confidence that they don't deserve, that causes harm rather than good. All this proved to me that Coach Ken deserves the word "Coach" and I feel safe my boys looking up for him as a role model! This kind of mentality and approach is very obvious in the gym. In 2nd gear you will see people from a very different background and all of them are working together in harmony. There is no room for the stressful , overwhelming social life that is being pushed on the people in other gyms to come together . In 2nd gear, all relationships and feelings are original, true and honest! Training in 2nd gear brings top notch quality Jiujitsu to the mat with no fake showing off! I also want to mention that the gym has many coaches and each one is unique in a way, that I wish I can write each one a review if I could! There's so many ways to grow and nourish in this gym and it's not just only in Jiujitsu, but in all aspects of life."

"Professor Kenneth Brown is one of the legends of jiu jitsu, but most importantly an amazing person to get to know and be around with. Coach Ken is the reason I spend most evenings at 2nd Gear Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, where everyone is welcome. The academy is fun, diverse, inclusive, with patient and caring coaches for the kids and teens, and highly skilled specialized instruction for adults. I highly recommend to come over to try out a class, just for the opportunity to experience coach Ken’s instruction and great training environment."