In my opinion, this is the best, and likely one of the biggest BJJ academies in Ocean County, if not perhaps in all of New Jersey (There are many affiliated academies throughout New Jersey, like Brunswick BJJ, and any other Ricardo Almeida/ Renzo Gracie BJJ affiliated academies, so a lot of other ones are good!)
I started here when the school began in 2007/2008 timeframe, when it was a small academy in the Industrial area of Lacey, NJ. A year later it entered its current location in Lacey, where it has not only grown in size, but also in student numbers which speaks to the success and 5 star rating. Although I am no longer able to train here due to my subsequent relocation to another part of New Jersey, work, school, child commitments, etc, I would jump at the chance to re-enroll here if I had more free time.
If judging a BJJ academy by its instructors, then Tom Deblass is certainly one of the best around. He is a Black Belt under Ricardo Almeida/Renzo Gracie, and is an accomplished practitioner of his own, having won multiple BJJ competitions, participating in ADCC (pretty much the Olympics of BJJ), and having fought in both the UFC and currently with Bellator. However, despite his MMA and BJJ accomplishments, Tom is simply a great instructor and a great overall person. He is quick to point out the accomplishments of his students and BJJ peers rather than his own.
Speaking of which, if judging a BJJ academy by the accomplishments of its students, Tom has produced many accomplished BJJ practitioners, notably Gary Tonon who is an ADCC competitor in his own right, and perhaps had one of the best BJJ matches of all time via his ADCC match with Kron Gracie.
In general, this academy will help produce you into an accomplished BJJ practitioner, but as Tom often states you do not have to be an accomplished practitioner if that's not your goal. OCBJJ can cater to whatever goal you have, whether that is to lose weight, meet new friends, or anything else. read more
