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BJJ in Australia

I recently came back from my trip to America where I went to compete in the World Masters Championships and train at some of the famed and much talked about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) schools on the west coast.

It’s been over 10 years that I have now been doing BJJ and I would say I have been training pretty hard during that time. At least I had thought I was until I went to the US. You see, the BJJ scene in Australia is still quite new here and has only recently received traction in the mainstream.

On the other hand, BJJ in the US is a lot more established and coupled with their larger population and World Champion Jiu Jitsu athletes from Brazil setting up schools all around the country, you can easily see why they’re currently producing some of the best athletes.

For over a year I had trained hard leading up to the world’s championships. I had a nutritionist, trained with as many high level guys whom I could get access to, had frequent massages and physio sessions and also made many sacrifices along the way all whilst trying to run a newly formed full time gym.

I was fighting fit and thought I was in with a decent position to take out the world’s with all my meticulous preparation. Boy, was I wrong! After training in the US I realised very quickly just how many full time athletes there were with so much depth of talent to boot. That’s not to say that Australia doesn’t have athletes with talent and heart. We just don’t have many full time athletes period! And it is for this reason Australia will always fall short against world class international competition.

We can do well in the whites, blue and purple belt divisions – and possibly produce more world champions in these categories like we have in the past. But when you’re talking about the brown and black belt divisions, that’s just another kettle of fish altogether.

So if you want to be a world champion in the brown or black belt divisions, you’re going to have to move to America or Brazil or wait another 10 years for the sport to grow at home. And even then, in my opinion, you may still be better off training in America and Brazil as it’s likely the sport will continue to grow at a faster rate there than at home.

Give our BJJ program a go and experience the improvements to all of these fields. It is considered to be an excellent first style where the skills are easily transferable.

What our members say

See what our valued members say, directly from Google reviews.

"ICC is such a fantastic martial arts centre. It provides the kids with such a caring environment and a place where they feel truly excepted no matter what their ability. My eldest son is autistic and the instructors have all gone out of their way to help him and make him feel included. They also have a wide variety of different classes and for all ages. I would highly recommend this centre to anyone that wants to give martial arts a go."

Jenny Abdul-Razzak

"An exceptional mixed martial arts centre led by a team of dedicated, highly-experienced, qualified and friendly martial artists, who are extremely passionate about teaching their students to embrace the form of martial arts.Their support and guidance has helped their students grow both personally and professionally. It has allowed them to build confidence, show respect towards others and themselves and most importantly to have fun doing what they love most.I highlighy recommend this centre if you’re looking for a family-orientated centre that prides themselves for continuous improvement, encourages their students to reach their full potential and is guided by highly-motivated, skilled martial artists."

Christina G

"As a doctor and a physiotherapist this is a great place for anyone looking to learn self defence as well as developing strength, agility, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. ICC is a friendly, family oriented gym without any over-inflated egos, they cater for a variety of martial arts across all ages and skill levels from beginner to competition. My wife, 3 children and I all train here and you should too :)"

Adrian Lo

"My experience with these people has been nothing short of brilliant. There is a high quality of training provided by dedicated instructors who provide the support needed to excel in your martial arts journey. I would recommend giving this place a try, and guarantee you wont regret it"

Kareem Taoube

"Attending a martial arts gym as an "older" novice student can be quite daunting. I found ICC had a very professional and welcoming atmosphere. Having attended other martial arts gyms over the years its great to attend one where ego is left at the door and all students are treated with respect, be it the novice who takes the plunge to learn a martial art all the way through to the high level competitors. In conjunction with the atmosphere having highly technical and detailed instruction by Professor David and Steven make learning really enjoyable. Fantastic place to learn and train."