bjj.ac

About Tyler Garrett

I'm a traveling tech consultant — calls all day, keyboards all night, airports in between — who fell hard for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 39. I'm about to be 40. The body that built my career also gave me a chronic upper-back and neck thing that group classes don't always respect. So I started with privates. That's still the on-ramp.

I come from a long line of competitive athletes. I played tennis competitively. I met my wife while she was competing in swimming. Our kids — 9 and 4 — aren't on the mats yet. They're watching, asking questions, and showing the kind of curiosity that tells me BJJ is going to find them too. Part of the reason for this tour is to find the right room for them when the time comes. It's in the blood; it's just a matter of where.

Because I work remote, I get to use my schedule like a gift. I'm touring BJJ schools across the USA — going city to city, signing up for privates with whoever will have me, and asking permission to record. The goal is honest, high-quality training in a casual environment with someone who comes from a competitive life in other sports and is now eager to dive in. School to school I learn the gaps: in curricula, in belt systems, in culture. I write all of it down.

Mixing schools is rewarding, but it surfaces things. The red tape unfolds and I keep finding weaknesses — on the mat, sure, but also in life. The discomfort of being squashed like a bug by a 23-year-old purple belt has, weirdly, made me a more patient parent, a calmer husband, and a gentler human in public. That's the through-line of this whole site.

I want to get squashed. I want to get flipped over. I also want to be safe. And I want to bring back something useful for the next late-starting desk worker who's trying to figure out where to begin.

How I record

Every private and every roll, with permission, is captured at broadcast quality. Audio: AKG C214 large-diaphragm condenser on an open mic so the coach's explanation is clean. Video: Canon XF705 4K camcorder. Full recordings, no edits — the lesson should hold up five years from now, and the coach who taught it deserves to look like they took it seriously.

What you'll find here

  • City pages — every metro I've toured, with the gyms I actually visited, ranked.
  • Gym reviews — first-person, with drop-in fee, schedule, vibe, kids program notes, and who runs the room.
  • Pillar content — starting BJJ later in life, desk-worker recovery, privates economics, curriculum comparisons across affiliations, family + kids program reviews.
  • Private lesson recordings — when the gym says yes, the relevant pieces go to YouTube and embed here with notes.

Standing offer to gym owners

If you run a school and you're open to a respectful visit + a recorded private — I will pay the drop-in, I will pay for the private, and I will write you up honestly. Reach me at hello@tylergarrett.com.