Long review for those who need it:…read more
I've been a student now for just over six months after a long break from training with the Valente Brothers and other martial arts and sports, and here are my thoughts.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is widely recognized as arguably the most effective martial art out there. This goes for self defense, practicality, training no matter your size, gender or athleticism, and being able to be very effective well into old age. The Gracie system is the purest and most mature implementation of BJJ and the Valente Brothers name is unsurpassed in BJJ and Martial Arts. This isn't my opinion, it's widely recognized and well deserved. If you are doing your homework, please feel free to research and verify this yourself.
The big advantages of this school include first being part of the Valente Brothers network. Their instruction is very high quality and they frequently have seminars by some of the biggest names in the art: Gracie's Rorion, Royce, Rickson, Rener, etc. (and before he passed away Grandmaster Hélio was a frequent and visible presence).
The next advantage of the VB network is being able to train at any center with them: Ft Lauderdale, North Miami Beach, Pembroke Pines, Coral Gables, and Guatemala (of course you probably won't drive to the last one as easily) at no extra fee, just whichever part of town you happen to be in.
Finally, and probably most importantly, my feedback on this school. The Fort Lauderdale school is very much a reflection of the head instructor, Bruce Belfield, who is just one of the most impressive instructors I've ever met and I think you'll ever meet. Looking back on years of education, both for schooling and physical training, I've had very few teachers for anything who are this good. Bruce is very highly skilled, has a deep and extremely detailed knowledge of the art, and most importantly is an amazing teacher. It's almost weird sometimes when I think "boy I'm not sure how I'd do that move real time" and he'll say "I know you're probably thinking you're not sure how you can do that move real time, but try it out and I'll give you feedback!" He's just very good at getting the point across and I am surprised at my own pace of growth, which is first and foremost a testament to the quality of my instruction.
The school is very clean and the environment very friendly and professional. Many of the students are professionals themselves: police officers, lawyers, pharmacists, a dentist, several physicians (including myself) and medical students, business men and women, etc.
There is a big presence of female students. In some lessons they will even outnumber the men although it's usually just over one third of the regular class (I'm not counting the women's self defense, which is at least 15-20 women per class).
As for price they are about average for martial arts instruction in town. What you get is way above average instruction and you can come to as many lessons as you like at whichever schools you like, and you have plenty of resources for very high quality instruction, so it adds up to a better deal than average martial arts schools. Add to that the amazing environment and you simply can't do any better.
My biases: I'm still a student at this school (also spend time at the North Miami school), I'm about the same age as Bruce, I'm male, I'm a professional (who works lots of hours), I've trained other martial arts/sports before, I don't have any particular interest in sports competition (although wouldn't entirely rule it out), and I want something effective that I can reasonably participate in 100% for the rest of my life.
I hope my feedback helps. When in doubt, contact the school and stop by to see for yourself :)
------- UPDATE -------
It's been over a year and I'm more hooked than ever. I'm leaving my initial impressions above unchanged, but here are 3 take-home points I think are most important:
1) Quality of instruction.
The Jiu-Jitsu here is top notch. It's self defense, simple and correct moves anyone can do, and very refined and precise approach to self defense, fighting, and martial arts. Don't take my word for it, ask the biggest names in Jiu-Jitsu and martial arts. There's a reason "Valente Brothers" has such an amazing reputation.
2) Quality of instructor.
This I can't stress enough. Bruce is an incredible teacher. We can all look back on school and remember of those top few teachers in our lives and think "why couldn't I have that one for every single class."
Bruce is just very, very good at teaching, clearly enjoys it, and has a strong vision for your learning process. I appreciate this more even day.
3) Unlimited classes
Up to 4 group classes a day (depending on the day) plus any amount of private classes you want to sign up for. Train when you have time, or train all day long if you can/want!
Good luck finding the right school!