BJJ in Australia

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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.

"I've trained with a few martial arts instructors before and i have to say Mario is one of the best i've trained with. He clearly knows what he's talking about and has a great teaching style that is both serious and light hearted at the same time, which was exactly what i was looking for in a club. In the adult classes they aren't too strict with the traditional rules (which is a nice change) and focus more on effective techniques. Ann-Marie and the rest of the black belts also help to make sure each individual is getting as much attention as possible in each class, which really helps to accelerate your learning.I did both karate and kickboxing and recommend both - karate for the the focus on technique/self defence and kickboxing for smashing pads and fitness. Also, both my kids also love training at ICC - it's really helping with their confidence.David and the entire ICC team also do a great job of managing the club. It's been an overwhelmingly positive experience from day 1."

Sam Jebeile

"I have been going to the bbj classes at ICC for almost a year. I think it was the best decision I made to join ICC. The instructors Prof. David Tong and Steven Tong are awesome with their teaching and catering for people with different abilities and for both self defence and competition. I highly recommend ICC for all sorts of reasons either for fitness reasons like myself or wanting to advance in competitions as they have produced champions."

Dre tats

"Great people. Family atmosphere. My first 6 months have been a great experience. Professors David and Steven have taught me alot. Looking forward to my future training."

Tritsloukas

"2018 has been my 3rd year training at ICC. It is by far the best, most welcoming gym in Australia and has a great family atmosphere that makes me look forward to training every single time. I have trained at ICC since I was 15 years old and I’ve made so many great friendships through the gym. All instructors at ICC have a profound understanding of their respected martial arts disciplines and this has been reflected in the success of the competitors on a local and international level. ICC is the gym to train at, no matter what your goal is."

Ethan Farrugia

"Friendly staffs and great atmosphere! Always feel welcome from ICC family! Starting my third month for my BJJ training now.Will continue progressing with my helpful instructors David & Steve! Looking forward to growing with ICC"