The Ultimate Jiu-Jitsu Gym Checklist: How Gym 1801 Measures Up

While there is no such thing as the “perfect Jiu-Jitsu” gym, we are striving to make it as close as possible here at Gym 1801. Below is a post by the popular Jiu-Jitsu blog The Grappler’s Diary describing what would be included in the perfect Jiu-Jitsu gym.

Building the Perfect Jiu-Jitsu Gym

Chris Wojcik

1. Clean facilities. Clean mats, locker rooms, and low odds of Staph infections. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
2. Large mat space. The reason everyone in this sport is so bad at wrestling is that most gyms don’t have the mat space for action-packed wrestling scrambles. We can’t have that.
3. A shower (or two). This enhances a gym’s appealability a lot. Deeply enjoyable to leave the gym in the same clothes you walked in. Also saves you laundry and probably some ringworm.
4. Multiple instructors. Not every gym can manage this, but I wish they could. You can learn from multiple people and avoid burnout as a business owner. It’s a win-win.
5. Strength and conditioning stuff. When the gym is a one-stop shop for all things fitness, everyone is happier. The perfect gym has squat racks, deadlift platforms, and a reverse hyper. Oh, and an assault bike lurking in a corner, probably collecting dust.
6. Recovery stuff. Sauna, ice bath, and more. Not a requirement, but hey, neither is perfection.
7. Class times several times per day. Having the flexibility to build your own training schedule makes a gym much more appealing. Bonus points if you have different class styles and instructors.
8. Nearby coffee shop or healthy restaurant. Post-training, I’m hungry, tired, and I want a coffee and a snack that’s not going to make me feel crappy. I also don’t want to drive far.

Let’s see how we stack up:

1. Our gym is professionally cleaned to keep the facilities as clean and safe as possible. Our mats are cleaned multiple times per day and between all classes.
2. At Gym 1801 we have over 2200 sq ft of mat space, that happens to be built on custom made sprung floor to make the space not only big, but safer to train on. If you haven’t trained on our mats you don’t want to miss out.
3. Gym 1801 has full shower facilities featuring three showers in both our men’s and women’s locker rooms, as well as additional showers in our recovery area. We also off complimentary towel service and toiletries for all members of Gym 1801.
4. No one person has all the knowledge or the ability to connect with everyone so we have 5 instructors on staff for our Jiu-Jitsu program at Gym 1801. All of them bringing high levels of experience with different backgrounds and teaching styles to our regular, competition, and women’s only classes. You’ll find the perfect class and style for your Jiu-Jitsu journey.
5. Gym 1801 is a full service gym beyond our world class Jiu-Jitsu program. We have a state of the art personal training area led by some of the top trainers in the area, as well as multiple different classes to help build your strength and conditioning and recovery levels.
6. We have recovery taken care of at Gym 1801 with a Cryobuilt Cryo therapy system, a red light therapy room, and a brand new sauna to keep students healthy on and off the mats. We also have classes like complete athlete that walk students thru workouts designed to help them recover properly.
7. Our Jiu-Jitsu program offers classes as early as 6am, a noon class for the lunch break crowd, and the standard evening classes most gyms offer. So if you want to train around your busy schedule or want to get multiple sessions in one day Gym 1801 has you covered.
8. We definitely wanted to have somewhere students could refuel after training so Gym 1801 partnered with Joe and the Juice to be our in house juice bar, coffee shop, restaurant, and lounge. After a hard training session and a hot shower you can walk under 50 feet and be ready to order your acai or coffee.

So while there is no perfect space Gym 1801 is constantly trying to add all the necessary tools and amenities that any Jiu-Jitsu student could want.  And while we are a brand new gym we will continue to add more for our members.