BJJ Schedule and Info

Schedule:

 
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
10:30 AM - 12:00 Noon
BJJ
8:15 PM - 9:35 PM
BJJ

 

General Info:

This is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) class. Instructor Rick Sparks (lightweight), is a BJJ and Judo (Sandan) black belt, and a 2 time champion and 4 time medalist in international masters BJJ competition. Co-Instructor Gavin Enck (heavyweight) is a BJJ Black belt under Royler Gracie/Rosendo Diaz, and former collegiate wrestler. The primary focus will be on BJJ matwork, but standup grappling (Judo and Wrestling) for BJJ will be trained to a lesser extent in every class.

This is an inexpensive class with no contracts. It is great way to try out or get started in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or for current students in other BJJ schools to get some different training one time per week, and work with different training partners. All students from all schools are welcome. It is also a great way for Judoka or other martial artists to add BJJ to their overall game. Since the instructor is also a Judo black belt, and holds black belts in various other martial art styles, he is very familiar with how to integrate BJJ into the Judo rule set, and its application for self-defense in conjunction with other martial arts styles.

The instruction is based on game plan theory. Instead of teaching you individual techniques, and letting you figure out over time how to put them together into an integrated whole, we teach an integrated game plan. This allows you after very limited training to know exactly how to proceed while sparring. Comprehensive resources are made available to our students, including on-line game plan flowcharts for all white belt stripe levels, and all 82 white to blue belt techniques are in video form on-line.

If you are interested in joining, please read the enrolment information, and download the enrollment documents below

Instruction:

Saturday Class will be taught by BJJ Black Belt Rick Sparks (For more info on Rick, Click Here). Gavin will also occasionally co-instruct this class.

Wednesday Class will be taught by BJJ Black Belt Rick Sparks and BJJ Black Belt Gavin Enck

 

 

Class Fees:

PLEASE NOTE: The rates below are per MONTH, NOT per week.

First Class

  • Free for Anyone, to give them a chance to try out the class

One Class Per Week

  • $30 dollars per month
  • No Contracts
  • Family: $30 for first member, $20 each additional member, per month

Two Classes Per Week

  • $60 dollars per month
  • No Contracts
  • Family: $60 for first member, $30 each additional member, per month

Mat Fees for Class (For single class, non-monthly fee payers)

  • Mat Fee for Single Class: $10

NO CONTRACTS, NO HIDDEN FEES

  • There are no other fees. We do not charge for belts, belt testing, or rank certificates.

 

Safety Policies:

  • You MUST agree with the safety policies (by signing the safety policy document), and sign a liability waiver prior to training
  • You must agree to be considerate of the safety of your training partners and yourselft at all times.
  • Allowed Submission holds:
    • Everyone: All Arm Locks, All Chokes, Wrist Locks
    • Blue and Above: Add Straight ankle locks, knee bars, bicep slicers, knee slicers, and toe hold
  • No explosive submissions, you must give your opponent reasonable time to submit.
  • No neck cranks
  • No heel hooks or any twisting leg locks for anyone.
  • No on the head stacking, your opponent's shoulder blades must remain on the ground
  • No slamming from any position
  • No throws or takedowns done in a manner that would cause your opponent to land on his head or shoulder.
  • Cuts or open abrasions must be fully taped, any blood on gi must be treated with alcohol or other antiseptic.
  • Please do not train if you have staph or ringworm.
  • Standard grappling rules apply, that is, no striking, no small joint submissions (fingers), no fingers in any orifice, no hair pulling, etc. See the competition rules in the resources tab for more information. Please note that tournament rules regarding allowable submissions are somewhat different than the club training rules.

Other Policies:

  • All Monthly Members must have current USJA memberships ($45 per year), for insurance purposes. This includes an excess medical insurance policy for you, and provides liability insurance for your instructors. You may postpone joining the USJA until your second month. If you have a true financial hardship, I will consider waiving this for you.
  • Anyone wishing to be considered for promotion must be a monthly member.
  • We greatly respect everyone's achievements in all martial arts, but this is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class, so please wear your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rank.
  • Dues are due on the first Saturday or Wednesday of each month

Enrollment:

Documents you need to sign and bring with you (click to download):

Gear you need:

  • Gi (BJJ or Judo Gi, required)
    • The difference between a judo gi and a BJJ gi is the cut. Judo gis have wider sleeves and pant legs, and a longer skirt. A judo gi is fine for training, but if you plan to compete, you should purchase a BJJ gi. A karate gi simply will not stand up to the demands of jiu-jitsu training.
    • Please see me at your first class if you need a gi.
  • Mouthpiece and Cup (Optional, but STRONGLY recommended) It is inevitable that you will occasionally take an elbow or knee to the face. If you chip a tooth, it is chipped forever.

 

Facility:

The building is somewhat run down, but the mat area is the best in the knoxville area. Large mat area covered with Modern Judo tatamis, some from the 1996 olympics. These tatamis are on a gymnastic foamboard floor, which gives like a springboard floor, but does not bounce back. It is really an awesome mat. There is a changing room, water fountain, bathrooms, heat and air conditioning.

Location:

1376 Wright Road
Alcoa, TN 37701

From Downtown Knoxville Area:

Go south on Alcoa Hwy. (129) toward Mcghee Tyson Airport. After about 10 miles you will see Green Acres Flea Market on the left. After about 3 more miles you will enter the "airport motor mile" area (lots of car dealerships). Turn left, just after the Shoneys, on Wright Road. Go down Wright road about two miles and you will see Appalachian Martial Arts (building with gray/brown front with Appalachian Martial Arts sign on front) on the left just before you get to the convenience store.

From West Knoxville Area:

Go south on Pellisippi Parkway toward Mcghee Tyson Airport. After about 12 miles Pellisippi Parkway intersects with Alcoa Hwy. Go south(right) on Alcoa Hwy about 1 mile. Turn left, just after the Shoneys, on Wright Road. Go down Wright road about two miles and you will see Appalachian Martial Arts (building with gray/brown front with Appalachian Martial Arts sign on front) on the left just before you get to the convenience store.

Maps:

More Info

In the class portion, white belts will primarily work on the Tennessee BJJ Blue Belt curriculum. Blue belts and above will work primarily on the Tennessee BJJ Purple Belt curriculum, or topics of interest for that week.

The TNBJJ curriculum is geared toward both gi and no-gi. The large majority of the curriculum can be applied in no-gi sparring with only small modification. However, white belts need to work gi because:

  • It slows down the game, promoting safety for inexperienced grapplers.
  • Because of the grips, the gi develops a mind set of technical problem solving, as opposed to using athleticism to explode out of pins and submissions. There is a definite place for explosiveness and athleticism, but it should be used at the appropriate times in conjunction with excellent technique. The gi promotes this.
  • The somewhat slower pace of the gi allows for the development of feel and skill for many positions and techniques that are extremely difficult to get started with during the fast pace of no-gi sparring. However, after developing these skills in the gi game, they can be easily transferred to the no-gi game.
  • Therefore, the majority of the class will be gi. During the final portion of the sparring, no-gi work will be permitted for everyone.

 

The class portion will typically proceed as follows:

  • Warm Up and Core Conditioning (10 mins):
    • Running, normal, sideways, high heels, high knees, both directions. (This warms up the legs and the cardiovascular system)
    • Crunches and other ab exercises (Warms up the core, and covers basic core conditioning)
    • Back extensions (Warms up the core, and covers basic core conditioning)
    • Hips down pushups (Warms up the front shoulders, pecs, and stretches the back)
    • Roll back knee pulls (Warms up the rear shoulders, and stretches the back)
    • Hamstring Stretch
    • Hip Stretch
    • Groin Stretch
    • Back Roll and Tornado Rolls
    • Breakfall Drills
  • Throwing Uchikomis (fit-ins), Throw/Takedown instruction on Saturdays.
  • Stand up (Throw/Takedown) Sparring (Two minute rounds)
  • Water Break
  • Ground Techniques Instruction and Drilling (~ 20 minutes)
  • Positional Ground Sparring (Related to that day's techniques)
  • Ground Sparring (20-30 minutes)