Teo Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

i’ve been to quite a few BJJ schools to get in any training i can get while on work travel, both US and abroad. Each time i visit a different school, I’m reminded of how proud i am to call this place my «home» to train.
facility is awesome, people are like family, and you can’t really get higher caliber instruction.
Prof. Teo brings in world champs on the REG.

I am the neophyte of all neophytes when it comes to the martial arts. Once I turned 38, and being a new father, I wanted to take control of my health. I’m 6’2″ and weigh around 260. I’ve been lifting heavy weights for a while now but needed something to complement it and thought I’d give BJJ a try. I have a UFC Gym right next to my home but decided, after exhaustive research, to travel 15 minutes to Renzo Gracie in Fort Lee. Doing a quick Google search on BJJ you will quickly find out the prestige that comes with the Gracie name. The Fort Lee facility is immaculate and inspirational. You would never expect the place to be as big as it is by looking at it from the outside.
I took a free trial BJJ Fundamentals class and stayed for the BJJ Mixed class right after. For someone in my shape, it was hard to say the least but as you keep at it you tend to suck just a little bit less. The instructors are approachable and very clear with how they teach. Josh, the general manager, was very informative in explaining to me everything that the center offered and I committed to 3-​days/​week package that was offered.
I had my 3^rd class last night with Prof. Alan Teo. While this was the hardest session to date, Prof. Teo is an excellent instructor and all-​around nice guy. As a white belt, I was paired with blue, purple and brown belts for instruction which helped a lot.
Like I said, I’m 6’2″ and weigh around 260. I had guys half my size tossing me at their will, but with each toss you learn something. As my pride is thrown out the window, I look forward to getting a little better with each session (and some private lessons, too). If you are just starting out like I am and have no martial arts or wrestling background, make sure to bring a big bag of humility with you because you will need it. But don’t let that thought deter you… Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was built, and it was built really strong.

When you’re walking into a place like this, you gotta ask yourself, «What am I looking for?» For me, Renzo Fort Lee was a life-​changing experience FOR ME. I can’t say the same for all of us who have joined but I can only write to whoever’s reading this that if you can dive into this program wholeheartedly, put in the TIME, put in the WORK, you won’t find anything that comes close to this experience. For me, this place isn’t even just about learning self-​defense; it’s about fitness, it’s about modifying your mindset, it’s about a different way of life.
I started at Renzo Fort Lee late December, smoking 1 – 2 packs of cigarettes a day, eating everything, around 260 lbs. But that’s not saying much, because I was living the life of an average person (minus cigarettes) who doesn’t really live an active lifestyle. 10 months later I am 25 lbs lighter, cigarette-​free and still eating pretty liberally, but with this kind of training, you’re ABLE to burn any crap you eat as soon as you hit those mats!
I suppose this is the part I tell you that Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu (BJJ) Professor Alan Teo transforms you from a complete bum into a star, right? Or how Team North Jersey Muay Thai turns your legs into rib-​breaking weapons? Maybe Judo Sensei Chris Skelley converts your body into an Olympic-​conditioned body-​throwing machine? Not exactly. Because if you came here thinking you were getting the same experience as a place like CKO or UFC Gym, thinking that doing 3 sets of 10 really did anything for you at your last gym, boy, were you wrong.
If you were wondering where you go for the REAL stuff, the AUTHENTIC training, THIS is the place you go to. Professor Alan Teo is a practitioner and affiliate of Gracie BJJ. If that doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps Google will enlighten you. North Jersey Muay Thai (NJMT) is a school that trains professional fighters with championship belts like Ognjen Topic. Sensei Chris Skelley is Senior Team Manager for the USA Judo team in the Olympic Games. Yes, the Olympics. We’ll even have guest instructors like former-​heavyweight UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez come instruct us for BJJ classes. Judo Olympian Travis Stevens comes to instruct us in both BJJ and Judo! Renzo Gracie Fort Lee is not just where you get the REAL training; you also get the REAL authorities! They are proven, experienced, successful instructors that will show you the way.
I pretty much lifted weights since I was 14 years old (I’m 28), played sports, rode 30-​mile bicycle trips, blah, blah, blah. In general, I thought I knew about what keeps you healthy. You always want to believe you’re in OK shape and your ego also wants to tell you that you can defend yourself. All of that stuff is nice, but that moment you walk onto the mats, you will learn how much you don’t know, how out of shape you are for this kind of training, and futile a lot of things you thought kept yourself ‘in shape’ were!
I am fortunate to be healthy enough to do all three arts that are offered at Renzo Gracie. When I first joined, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me, I just remember having a big wakeup call when I realized just how poor my cardio was just doing WARM-​UPs with these people, that doesn’t include the 50 Muay Thai heavy bag knee-​throws, the BJJ arm-​bar drills, the Judo ippon seoi nage’s! The way I feel after every single class is always amazing, totally drained, calm, and just better that I learned something new.
The employees, instructors, and members of Renzo Gracie Fort Lee are just one big family, and you come in as a person who’s never done anything before, you will be right at home. No one’s here to kill you, everyone’s here to learn. I left my ego at the door the very moment I walked in, because at the same time that you walk in and want to learn, you have to realize a lot of other members are skilled and practiced, bringing a fantastic level of competition in the Dojo, also providing a huge database of knowledge to learn from.
As far as the facilities, everything is brand-​new, top notch, and clean. There’s nothing else I can say about the place, you are in a 5-​star facility.
Please don’t have the mentality of «Oh man, I gotta go to the gym and get into shape before I get there, or I’ll just get my ass kicked!» NO! This is where and how you will get fit! The gym will NEVER prepare you for this kind of training Forget all of that other superfluous stuff. You want to get in shape? Put in the work and show up, Renzo Gracie Fort Lee will condition you into a machine; show you a world you’ve never seen before. You want to learn from the best around? You’ve come to the right place.