Martial arts is everywhere in Korea. There is no style that you can’t find. Though I’ve been training mostly at my local judo school, I’ve had many opportunities to venture out to visit the premier Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA academies in Busan. Namely, Barbosa Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the Kyungsung University area, and Team MAD MMA in Daesindong, respectively. Make no mistake about it, these places are top notch with some of the best talent you’ll find anywhere. With numerous professional MMA fighters competing in all organizations including the UFC, Team MAD is where you want to go if you want to learn to fight like a pro. They offer no-gi grappling, muay thai kickboxing, and MMA competition preparation with the pro team.
Recently, though, I had a chance to finally venture uptown to work out with my friend John at Barbosa Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This three story facility is for the serious grappler. Both master instructors trained in Brazil and received their black belts from Marco Barbosa. I had the opportunity to train with the guys no-gi on a Saturday night and I am happy to report that I could not move the next day.
Here is an introduction to the master instructors at Barbosa Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:
To find out more about these gyms, please visit their Facebook page: BJJ and MMA in Busan
John, a purple belt, also took some time to cement some fundamentals with me after class. I have trained BJJ on and off over the past few years, and I can confidently say that John is an advanced purple belt. I have rolled with players holding higher rank that weren’t as technically proficient or strong as John. That being said, John took some time out to make two brief instructional vlogs with me – reviewing two dynamic armbars that will be useful to any grappling practitioner.
Thank you for the kind words Tom.
You're welcome. Looking forward to working with you and Barbosa Academy again soon.
awesome post. didn't know there was much if any BJJ in Korea.
It's growing rapidly and there are some serious players here. BJJ is here to stay.