All regular classes will be canceled at Upstream BJJ for July 4th. We will have a no gi marathon roll at 11am. Anyone with 6 months or more experience is welcome to join! Open to all ranks and affiliations!
Two Pan Am Medals for Upstream!
Congratulations to Upstream BJJ Brown Belt Phillip Thai and Blue Belt Giada Bertonelli on making the podium at this year's IBJJF Pan American Championship. Phillip Thai took gold at Master 1 Brown Belt Light Feather and Giada took Bronze in Master 2 Blue Belt. They both had three fights and showed growth, skill and heart. We are so proud of you!
Gold in Atlanta!
Congratulations to Upstream BJJ assistant kids’ coach Giada on her gold this weekend at the IBJJF Atlanta Open. She showed a dominant, composed performance with no points scored against her. We are so proud of you, Giada!
Upstream BJJ Pan Champion!
Congratulations to Upstream BJJ brown belt Phillip Thai on his gold medal performance at the IBJJF Pan American Championships this weekend. Phil took gold in the Master 1 Brown Belt Light Feather division, winning two matches by points and a third by submission. Way to go Phil!
photo by Giselle Villasenor
Upstream BJJ Summer Belt Promotion
This past Thursday, 7/15, Upstream BJJ gained two new brown belts and one new blue belt. Instructors and active competitors Nora and Phil were promoted to brown belt, while Anmol was promoted to blue belt. Congratulations everyone and keep up the good work!
Kids' Class Back at Upstream
After a long hiatus, the Upstream kids’ program is back! We missed our young grapplers so much during Covid-19 closures. With both instructors fully vaccinated and guidelines relaxing, we finally have kids’ class again. Classes are every Monday and Thursday for 4:45-5:45 in the gi for ages 5-13. Be on the look out for more classes coming this fall!
New Class at Upstream
Upstream BJJ has just expanded its schedule! We have started a new 7am No Gi All Levels class taught by Upstream BJJ purple belt competitor Shane Rogers. This is a great option for early risers and those who want to get their training in before the work day starts. Work nights? Get some training in after a shift and sleep like a baby. See you on the mat!
If you are not currently an Upstream member, please contact us for more information. Upstream BJJ is still running at limited capacity due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Upstream BJJ World Master Silver Medalist
Upstream BJJ’s women’s instructor and gym manager, Nora, took second place at the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s Master’s Worlds tournament last weekend in Orlando Florida. After decisively winning two matches she lost by ref’s decision in the finals of the Master 1 Purple Belt Light Feather category. On to the next!
Upstream BJJ IBJJF Pan Am Champion!
Congratulations to Upstream BJJ Purple Belt Phillip Thai for his gold medal win at the IBJJF Pan Am Championships. Phillip took gold in the Master 1 Purple Belt Light Feather division with a stellar performance. We are so proud of you Phil!
Fourth of July
We will not be open for classes on Fourth of July. Friday classes are on and open to members. Have a safe holiday weekend!
Upstream Update
After three months of closure - Upstream is back! The state of Virginia has entered Phase 3. We are so excited to continue sharing Jiu Jitsu with you, but due to the very serious Covid 19 situation, we are not back to normal. We are currently on a temporary schedule with limited class sizes. We have incorporated ample cleaning time into this schedule, limited class sizes and will not have in-person kids classes until further notice. You can find our temporary schedule here. Want to learn more? Get in touch and we are happy to help!
Giftcards Available!
While we may not be able to train currently, there are still ways to support the gym and plan out future training. We have giftcards available which can be used for merchandise, block classes, or even private lessons! These are e-giftcards so no paper or plastic needed. Find the link here
We plan on rolling out some new merchandise soon that we think everyone will be excited about.
Stay safe! See you soon!
Upstream BJJ Update
Since 3/13, Upstream BJJ has been closed for in person classes and training. While we are very disappointed to not be able to train, public health comes first. Currently, we must remain closed until 6/10. We are following the situation and will keep everyone up to date. In the meantime, we have so many new courses and clips on www.upstreambjjonline.com We have techniques, workouts and solo drills to help keep you active and engaged even during physical distancing. Have a technique request? Let us know via email, Facebook, or Instagram. We are happy to share Jiu Jitsu with you! We are also holding Zoom classes for active members.
We hope everyone is staying healthy and safe! BJJ will be waiting for us all on the other side of this.
Upstream BJJ CLOSED 3/13 - 3/22
After careful consideration in light of the outbreak of Covid 19 and the suggestions of social distancing from medical authorities, Upstream BJJ will be closed for the next week. We will reassess the situation next weekend and provide updates. We never want to close our doors or stop training, but the current situation is such that for the health and safety of our community it is the right thing to do. There are no known cases of any Upstream student, instructor, or anyone affiliated or connected to the gym having any contact with Covid 19. This is a precautionary measure in line with the actions of local authorities, school systems, and other physical education and sport centers.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact the gym directly. We wish good health to all of the Jiu Jitsu and Richmond community in these difficult times.
Competition Season
Competition season is in full swing in the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! The IBJJF Pan American Championships are coming up this month in California as well as the IBJJF DC Open and US Grappling Richmond in April. In honor of the highs and lows and ultimately great rewards competing brings, here is an article from our friends at XY&Z Collective all about preparation. Enjoy and let us know your thoughts!
https://www.xyandzcollective.com/blog/2020/2/11/you-amp-competition-preparation
Holiday Hours 2019
Next week our hours will be as follows:
Monday 12/23 - Normal schedule!
Tuesday 12/24 through Thursday 12/26 - CLOSED
Friday 12/27 - Normal schedule!
Saturday 12/28 - Open mat 12 pm to 2 pm
Marathon roll and open mat are totally free! Open mat is for everyone, marathon roll is for those with at least 6 months BJJ experience.
Happy holidays!
Saturday Schedule 12/7 and 12/14
Due to upcoming tournaments we will not have our regular schedule the next two Saturdays. We will be CLOSED 12/7 to support our students and teammates at the US Grappling Richmond. On 12/14 we will be open from 12-2. Best of luck to all competitors!
Thanksgiving Schedule 2019
Our holiday schedule this week will be as follows:
Wednesday 11/27 - Normal daytime schedule, no evening classes
Thursday 11/28 - CLOSED
Friday 11/29 - Normal schedule
Saturday 11/30 - Normal schedule
We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday!
New Black Belts and Brown Belt at Upstream
This past Saturday 11/9 some key Upstream members leveled up. Head instructor Seph Smith promoted Andron Wright and David Story to black belt and Brad Ackerman to brown belt. All three are integral members of the team and have given their time as instructors and coaches. This was the first promotion of this kind at Upstream. Four years ago we opened our doors with only a few students. It is amazing and gratifying to see how much the gym has grown and how much the team has progressed. Belt promotions do not come easy at Upstream, but everyone who gets promoted knows they worked hard and deserved it.
We are so proud and thankful for these three excellent examples of martial artists!
No Open Mat 11/9
We will not have open mat on 11/9. We will be having a special event for our students. Any visitors are welcome at Friday evening marathon roll or at open mat the following week!