bjj.ac

bjj.ac

One person, three gyms into a trip even my wife thinks is a stretch. I'm slowly visiting jiu-jitsu schools, rolling where they'll have me, and writing down what I find — the gyms, the people, a little data along the way. No big claims. Just honest notes from the mat, one visit at a time.

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A traveling consultant's BJJ tour

Hi, I'm Tyler Garrett.

2,045 gyms mapped across 7 states — first-person reviews, lineage, and full uncut recordings of every round.

Start with the Late-Starter pillar Browse gyms by city →

39, about to be 40. Long line of competitive athletes — I came up through tennis, met my wife while she was competing in swimming. Our kids, 4 and 9, aren't on the mats yet; they're watching with the kind of curiosity that tells me BJJ is going to find them too. I came to it myself through privates because the neck I built at a keyboard couldn't handle group classes cold. Now I'm visiting schools across the USA — asking about lineage, taking a private with whoever runs the room, rolling with whoever they'll put across from me, and showing my work in full.

The deal I'm offering each gym

Full recordings. No edits.

Three asks when I show up. None of them are favors — coaches get a broadcast-grade reference recording of their own teaching, I pay for the private, and the rolls are flow-first.

01 Recording — free

Broadcast-grade, no edits, you get the file

Audio on an AKG C214 large-diaphragm condenser through an open mic. Video on a Canon XF705 4K broadcast camcorder. The lesson should hold up five years from now, and the coach who taught it deserves to look like they took it seriously. You get the raw file.

02 Private — I pay

I pay for the private. No comp, no media rate.

Whatever the head coach charges, that's what I'm paying. If the answer is two hundred, the answer from my side is yes. I'm here to learn from the person who built the room — and I want them compensated for an hour of their actual work, on camera or not.

03 Spar — flow, best 2 of 3

After the private, ideally roll best 2 of 3

Flow rolling, not maxing out. I'm doing this across the country with a thirty-nine-year-old desk-worker neck — the goal is to learn, lose a lot, and stop mid-roll to explain what just happened on camera. Whoever wants to take it slow with me and actually teach is the partner I want across from me.

The three pillars

Every post belongs to one of these. They're hard to copy because they require showing up — not scraping.

Pillar 1

The Traveling Gym Reviewer

First-person gym reviews from a guy who actually showed up and rolled — drop-in fees, vibe, schedule, kids program, who runs the room.

Read the pillar →
Pillar 2

The Desk-Worker Late Starter

Starting BJJ at 39 with tech neck and a calendar full of client calls. Privates economics, recovery, mobility, what works for a 40-year-old body.

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Pillar 3

Curriculum & Culture Decoder

Honest comparisons of curricula, belt systems, and gym culture across the schools I've actually trained at — starting with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Gracie Barra.

Read the pillar →

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