Author Archive

Posted on January 26, 2012 - by paul

Jim Hughes will be in New Haven on Wednesday, February 1st

For those of you who have asked, have been watching, waiting, patiently anticipating, I bring great news! Royce black belt, and network Head Instructor, Jim Hughes will be in New Haven on Wednesday, February 1st to evaluate and promote. Come down for 8pm and demonstrate your skills, train with some of the best training partners in the network, and make friends with some really great people.

Josh

Posted on December 1, 2011 - by paul

Come and join us this Saturday the 3 rd for a special seminar in West Hartford with Jim Hughes.

Come and join us the this weekend at 2:00pm Saturday 3rd in our West Hartford location for a special seminar with Royce Gracie black belt Jim Hughes. The seminar is open to all our members and their friends including our SuperKids Karate parents. Jim is an amazing instructors and has been a long time student of Royce and has many stories about his experience learning Gracie Jiu Jitsu back in the day, as well as his experience at the Academy with Helio Gracie.

Learn self defense strategy and technique that make Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu one of the most effective self defense styles in the world.

Also, we would like to take this opportunity to raise some food for our local food bank to help families in need over the holidays. Please bring canned and non perishable items. All your help will be greatly appreciated.

Also, there will be no open mat this Saturday, if you were planning to come, join us at 2:00pm instead.

Thank you for all your help.

Paul

Posted on November 16, 2011 - by paul

Next Tuesday Gracie Black Belt Jim Hughes will be teaching in Glastonbury.

Next Tuesday Royce Gracie Black Belt Jim Hughes will be teaching in Glastonbury. We are excited to have him come down, and it should be some great training! Bring your kimono, your questions, and your eagerness to learn. 7:15 pm, Tuesday 11/22… Don’t miss it!

Doug

Message from Paul

There will be no West Hartford class on that Tuesday, come and join Jim and Doug and all of our friends at the Glastonbury location for fun on the mat. If you have a friend that always wanted to do Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu or Martial Arts, bring them to the seminar.

Posted on October 29, 2011 - by paul

Class canceled west hartford location October 29

Class canceled in West Hartford due to snow. Stay safe.

Paul

Posted on October 26, 2011 - by paul

Norwich Gracie Jiu Jitsu Seminar with Gracie Black Belt Jim Hughes will be held on November 2nd, 2011.

Come to Norwich on November 2nd, 2011 at 7:45pm and get all the secrets you need to get your game to the next level. Learn from Jim Hughes, a long time student of Royce Gracie, all the little details necessary to make your Jiu Jitsu better. We will learn the rolling drill as well as review the basic guard pass and why it is important to know in order to improve our posture and our defense against the triangle choke and the arm lock. We will also learn the secret standing guard pass that Helio taught Jim. It so simple and effective. It will keep you safe from armlocks, chokes and triangles.
The best news about this seminar is that is Free to our members and their friends, so don’t forget to bring a good friend that always wanted to try Jiu Jitsu. This seminar will be Gi seminar, so if you don’t have a Gi yet, talk to your coach about getting one.

Also, there will be no regular class in East Windsor on the Wednesday the day of the seminar. I want to give all of you guys a chance to go and train with Jim and the Norwich crew, so take advantage of this great opportunity.

Best Regards,

Paul

Posted on September 6, 2011 - by paul

It was a great seminar taught by Royce Gracie Black Belt Jim Hughes held at the West Hartford Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu school with coach Paul Bratslavsky

It was an amazing turnout and even better class. Jim Hughes, a Royce Gracie Black belt taught the importance of Royce Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as it was conveyed to him through his close relationship with Royce and his father Helio. It is important to understand the roots of Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Helio’s vision of the art. It is a self defense martial art first. Helio was once quoted saying, it is not that his sons are great, it is that the art of Gracie Jiu Jitsu that is great. That quote made perfect sense to me, it demonstrates that the art is so effective that anybody who chooses to practice it will reap it’s benefits. How else can a 175 pound Royce been able to be victorious in the first UFC against much larger opponents with no rules, no time and no weight limit. Things are much different now. With today’s UFC there are rules, time and weight limits that change the dynamic of a match. It is no longer a fight, but a competition pitting amazing athletes agains each other. Nothing wrong with rules, if the rules did not change, there would be no UFC today. As for me, I am happy to be part of the Royce Gracie Network knowing that we practice the original, authentic form of Jiu Jitsu conveyed to us by Royce, as it was conveyed to him by his father Helio. If you missed the first seminar, don’t worry, there will be another one coming up at our Norwich location soon. Check in regularly for time and dates or become a fan of our Facebook page.

Best regards,

Paul

Posted on August 16, 2011 - by paul

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Seminar Tuesday August 23 with Jim Hughes and Paul Bratslavsky

Join us on August 23rd at 7:30 pm in West Hartford. We will be doing a special seminar open to all of our members and their friends who are interested in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If you are a beginner, intermediate or even an advance student, don’t miss out. We will cover some of the basic techniques, self defense and concepts that everyone should know, not only to do well in a Self defense situation, but also to help you move towards achieving your next rank. We will also hear from Jim about his experience of achieving his Black Belt under Royce, as well as, the mental attitude and training process that is required in order to get better no matter what level your training partner is. Everyone is full of techniques but not everyone is aware of the required mindset necessary to progress in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Come and train with Jim, who has trained with Helio and Royce and learn the Authentic Royce Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Posted on June 22, 2011 - by paul

Great class in West Hartford with Paul, Julian, and Kirkor from Royce Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu of New England (also my two cents on belt promotions)

It was an awesome class in West Hartford on Tuesday. We were excited to have Kirkor and Julian visit us from their Norwich location. We had great time helping Julian get ready for his MMA fight in July. They are great guys, a lot of fun and really good at Jiu Jitsu. It is no surprise because they both received their Purple belts from Royce Gracie. When it comes to belt promotions, it is good to know that we have Royce, who visits us regularly with his cousin Rodrigo Gracie, to check our progress and make sure that we follow the Authentic teaching and learning process that was taught to Royce by his father Helio. I know some people get upset about not getting promoted as frequently, but the way I look at it, is that we represent Royce and his family tradition, and we have to follow their example and make sure that our practice is always Authentic, Original and never watered down. Talking to Julian and Kirkor yesterday, we all agreed that it is much more important to be excellent purple belts, then mediocre brown belts. Unlike Karate where you can be a Black Belt and never really have the opportunity to test your self in battle, in Jiu Jitsu you get tested everyday on the mat, and your true rank will always show, regardless what belt you have. Royce always told us that your belt only cover two inches of your body, and the rest you have to back up with these, as he would raise his hands. Belt promotions are important, but they are not the only focus. You have to strive to get your next belt, but you also have to understand that your belt is based on your skill and not just on the fact that you show up to class. It takes practice, dedication and commitment. There is no short cuts.

P.s. If you never trained with Kirkor and Julian, make sure to make a trip to their location in Norwich and take their class. They are a lot of fun and have a lot to offer. Both Julian and Kirkor compete in MMA and Grappling competitions on regular basis. Every time they are around I always learn some thing new.

Posted on June 17, 2011 - by paul

Start you summer the right way and do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Have you always wanted to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but have been to lazy to try, then there is no hope for you. Not even kidding! This invitation is only for the motivated students. Come in to anyone of our locations and try out a class. You might actually like it. On top of learning great self defense and getting in the best shape of your life you get to become part of the Gracie Family tradition. We are the only approved network by Royce Gracie in New England. All of our coaches have received their rank from Royce and Rodrigo Gracie. If you want to get your belt from Royce Gracie and be part of the Gracie Family tradition then this is the place for you. Because we are a network of schools through out CT and MASS, when you become a member at any of our locations, you get to train at any one of our other schools for free. Giving you access to a wide variety of coaches and unlimited training.

Attention: For members only.

Everyone make a note on your calendar for Saturday, August 13. Royce will be visiting us in CT.

Looking forward to seeing every one on the mat.

Paul Bratslavsky

Posted on June 1, 2011 - by paul

Jim Hughes will be visiting the West Hartford location on Thursday June 2nd

Jim, and Paul Bratslavsky will be team teaching on Thursday, June 2nd in West Hartford. It will be great class, we will focus on basic, Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu self defense and fight strategy.