Today, Brian Springberg won the ultra-heavyweight division at the prestigious IBJJF NoGi Worlds. Brian, who is currently a white belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu registered in the Blue Belt bracket and won all of his matches. In the finals he submitted his opponent with an armbar in less than a minute. Team Renzo Gracie is very proud to call you one of our own.
Ricardo ‘Rey’ Diogo Seminar Sunday, October 27th from 11AM to 2PM. Rey is a legend of the sport and a part of the infamous Carlson Gracie Team. $50 for members, $70 for non-members. BBQ to follow the seminar. Do yourself a favor, don’t miss this one.
Ryan Healy recently inked a 3 fight deal with Bellator.
In preparation for his upcoming figh, Ryan sought out the groundwork expertise of Coach Aaron Milam. On short notice Aaron and Ryan have been doing some intensive ground and cage work sessions further refining the already impressive arsenal of Healy. Good luck this weekend Ryan – get that hand raised.
I am happy to announce RGA PDX will have a new home come mid October – our new location will be at NW 26th Ave and Nicolai, just off the 405. Additionally, we will be teaming up with Skogg Kettle bell Gym to move into this all new facility and offer:
- Expanded BJJ and submission grappling classes
- Kids BJJ classes
- Two matted training areas
- Full machine gym and Olympic lifting platform
- All day kettlebell classes
- All day open gym access
…not to mention plentiful parking in an easy to get to location
It has taken a little longer than expected, but I am very happy with our future location and this partnership with Skogg. Our anticipated schedule will be posted soon, in the meantime, I look forward to seeing you at Skogg during the day and The Playground Gym in the evenings.
The best of both worlds – committed to high quality instruction and training, but also laid back and relaxed.
You will be what you make of it and what you put into your training here. There is no pressure except that which you impose on yourself. If you are willing to push yourself, the tools to mold you into whatever you want to be are here. The instructors give everything they have to each student who cares and that is not to be underestimated. They provide all the basic, intermediate, and advanced techniques necessary to succeed and they do it with a high level of expertise at each and every turn. Their combined teaching methods apply to students of all learning types. They teach beginners how to survive while mastering the fundamentals necessary to progress. More advanced students are encouraged to develop their own styles once they are ready and their instructors adapt in order to nurture each students unique style. You just have to bring the motivation. You can flourish here and push yourself to the limit if that is what you want. These reasons are why you should train here. You will always receive individual attention from excellent instructors, experience great camaraderie with students and instructors alike that will likely last throughout the lifetime of your growth as a martial arts practitioner, and you will constantly have all the benefits of a small school where everyone pushes each other to be the best they can be.
I have had the pleasure of knowing and training with Aaron for 10 years and throughout those 10 years Aaron has unselfishly shared his knowledge of Jiu Jitsu with myself and everyone else at our academy.
I have been a Police officer for 23 ears and I can not tell you how many times Aaron has helped me modify certain aspects of my Jiu Jitsu game to fit within the strict parameters of law enforcement. The Jiu Jitsu lessons Aaron has taught me are indispensable for dealing with situations that required the use of force, yet always mindful of preventing necessary force from becoming excessive.
Some time in early 2006, I started hearing about this amazing new purple belt guy from California that was taking classes in the morning. A couple of months later I finally got to roll with Aaron. He was as good as the hype. He has a great all around game. I have seen Aaron compete at the highest level and do very well.
Aaron is a very gifted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, but more importantly for anyone looking for a school to train in, he is a great teacher. He is very good as passing on his deep understanding of grappling technique and the concepts behind them.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art. You need an experienced sensei (literally translated as “person born before”) to help you see the order in the complexity.
The best instructors do more than show a random move of the day (you can learn random moves on youtube). Great teachers set the tone of the dojo. They create a distraction-free oasis in a noisy world that is a safe, fun, and open workshop where people of all ages and backgrounds can work together to improve themselves and each other. Aaron’s gym is just that kind of oasis.
Aaron is a top guy from the Renzo Gracie Academy NYC, a black belt under Renzo Gracie and John Danaher. I have trained with Aaron Milam for over 6 years, and his insight as a coach and training partner played a big part in me winning my purple belt division at the 2011 Pan Ams.
One thing I really appreciate about Aaron is his openness to creativity. You will be given solid fundamentals and you will learn tried an true techniques. But, he is open to new ideas and always evolving, and not stuck in a rigid set of techniques (if you want proof, just ask Aaron about leg locks).
Training BJJ under Aaron Milam has been an extremely powerful and productive experience. The time I have invested in commuting from Long Island to Manhattan is a small price to pay for the rare opportunity to train with someone who not only has reached an extremely high level of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but who also has the intelligence, patience, and conceptual understanding to impart that knowledge on to his students.
The instructors and students are skilled, hardworking, and very friendly. The atmosphere on the mat reflects the students desire to improve the level of everyone training at the academy. By training here, you will not only become a quality martial arts athlete, you will also enjoy your time working with a great group of people.
Aaron is a phenomenal coach as well as BJJ practitioner. I had the chance to learn and train with him and gained lots of knowledge. Gi or No Gi he will be able to take your game to the next level.