Gym Name: Consistency BJJ

Location: Fulham, London, UK

Head Coach: Diogo Borges

Mat Fee: Free trial class

Website: https://www.consistencybjj.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consistencybjj

Review:

Finally in London, and I felt somewhat overwhelmed in which gyms to (re)visit! I had a DJ gig which is the only reason I came in to London rather than carry on West. So, I opted to visit the gyms of past coaches/professors and the first one I managed to make work after a spot of bouldering was Consistency.

Diogo was the head coach at Guild (my main home gym for a couple of years after Lockdown) and awarded me my third stripe on my blue belt and my purple belt. He’s since opened his own gym and has a healthy community of adult and child students.

Visiting felt like coming home as I recognised probably 80% of the students who moved over with him as the location worked better for them.

Post Podcast Bluuurb:

Hey, thanks for being here! If you want a more flavourful review of this gym, full write-ups will be making their way up onto ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justshiggi.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Since February 2024 I’ve been travelling around Europe visiting BJJ gyms first-hand so I can build a network of like-minded badasses, experience new countries, cultures and most importantly BJJ gyms, their coaches, students and communities. Whilst my travels are mostly funded by my freelancing work as an audio editor on podcasts and audiobooks, I’ve also been kept afloat by donations.

If you can, and are able to, helping out with a small donation always adds up and helps in keeping on The Path to more gyms and bringing all of that back home to Kenya. You can also check out a full post on how I got to this journey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/just-shiggi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Gym Name: Royal Jiu Jitsu

Location: Birmingham, UK

Head Coach: Samantha Cook-Hill & Bradley Hill

Mat Fee: £10

Website: https://www.royaljiujitsu.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royal.jiujitsu/

Review:

My aimless noodling had me absolutely making a stop in Birmingham and visiting Royal Jiu Jitsu. Through my time in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu space, Samantha Cook-Hill and Bradley Hill were names and people that popped up regularly for being absolute beacons of inspiration on the competition circuits and within the community of BJJ.

I managed to attend a NoGi class that Bradley was leading and seeing and working through moves in person that I’d seen in competitions was pretty cool. Add one takedown that was taught has absolutely been added to my own game…

Post Podcast Bluuurb:

Hey, thanks for being here! If you want a more flavourful review of this gym, full write-ups will be making their way up onto ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justshiggi.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Since February 2024 I’ve been travelling around Europe visiting BJJ gyms first-hand so I can build a network of like-minded badasses, experience new countries, cultures and most importantly BJJ gyms, their coaches, students and communities. Whilst my travels are mostly funded by my freelancing work as an audio editor on podcasts and audiobooks, I’ve also been kept afloat by donations.

If you can, and are able to, helping out with a small donation always adds up and helps in keeping on The Path to more gyms and bringing all of that back home to Kenya. You can also check out a full post on how I got to this journey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/just-shiggi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Gym Name: 1st Legion Fighter’s Gym / Gracie Barra Leicester

Location: Leicester, UK

Head Coach: Jamie McManus

Mat Fee: £12.50

Website: https://1stlegiongym.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1stlegiongym/

Review:

After touching down in Manchester and spending some time rock climbing at a festival and speaking at the same festival - I headed over to my brother-from-another-mother’s place in Leicster as part of my non-London “noodling” through the UK to tie over a few other jobs I had taken up over the coming months.

Post Podcast Bluuurb:

Hey, thanks for being here! If you want a more flavourful review of this gym, full write-ups will be making their way up onto ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠justshiggi.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Since February 2024 I’ve been travelling around Europe visiting BJJ gyms first-hand so I can build a network of like-minded badasses, experience new countries, cultures and most importantly BJJ gyms, their coaches, students and communities. Whilst my travels are mostly funded by my freelancing work as an audio editor on podcasts and audiobooks, I’ve also been kept afloat by donations.

If you can, and are able to, helping out with a small donation always adds up and helps in keeping on The Path to more gyms and bringing all of that back home to Kenya. You can also check out a full post on how I got to this journey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/just-shiggi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠