SBG Charlestown

East coast jiujitsu is by far the highest level gym in Ireland. Especially the comp classes Tues and Thurs at 12 are absolutely stacked with killers. There's also a bunch of gyms affiliated to EC all over Ireland if you're not based in Dublin. Other high levels gyms are Jungle BJJ, Royal Grappling Academy, SBG Tullamore and if you're up north New Ground source, 2023 ↗

neutral

All his gyms in Dublin are just stuffed to the gills with people paying money to roll around mats with little to no direction. I know more people that have left SBG then I do that currently train MMA. His one trick pony went lame a while ago and every other fighter with hype has pretty much been brushed aside. He likes to sound philosophical, but he’s full of shit. Also generally not a nice person to fans in real life or on social media. He used to regularly publicly take the piss out of people who would send him well meaning messages on Instagram in broken English (not sure if he still does source, 2022 ↗

positive

My memory Is a little hazy on the date but it was pre lockdown so 2019 is a safe guess. Johnny walker wasn't there. There was a jiu jitsu lesson going on and people spotted his car outside and everybody was whispering about it and then he came in with a couple people around him it was really cool. He came in through the front door and I was like a metre away but too nervous to ask him for a photo or anything but he did give me a head nod which is good enough and he just left and dissapeared into the back of the gym. This SBG was in Dublin,ireland I forgot which one exactly but I remember t source, 2021 ↗

positive

What? SBG is primarily a jiu jitsu gym, Holohan was a grappler, even Duffy put a lot of focus in grappling too. Where in the country are you that there's a stigma against grappling? In Dublin at least it's very popular source, 2020 ↗

neutral

Hi Ryan, Thanks for doing this. I realise I'm very late to the party, so not expect you to still be here. Bit just in case. * In 2015 after ADCC you commented that "...base and passing are a scathing indictment of the idea that leglocks are some kind of secret to beating elite grapplers"? Obviously you are not anti-leglock in any shape or form. Was that comment routed in a sense that the leglock revival was causing people to neglect other aspects of fundamental jiujitsu? * Prior to getting the call for the TUF finale you were training with SBG in Dublin. What was that like, training close source, 2020 ↗

neutral

Matt Thornton formed SBG in the USA in the 90s. Nobody of note really has come out of an SBG gym in the US. John Kavanagh in the early 2000s would have got his black belt in Brazilian Jiu jitsu (BJJ) from Thornton. Your instructor lineage is important in BJJ (not just for traditional reasons, it's also a form of quality control) so Kavanagh adopted the SBG name for his own gym to indicate his "roots". All continued as normal for over a decade. There were SBG spin offs that came and went, I'm not sure if any of the original branches still exist, there used to be one on Exchequer st. but HQ source, 2019 ↗

neutral

Dublin has a ton of good BJJ clubs, just find a place that's convenient and try a class as most will offer a free one. Some places are pure jiu jitsu clubs, some also have MMA, some also offer regular gym facilities. ​ Depending where you are try any of these or other places that suit or google as you'll likely find others too its not anywhere close to a full list: ​ Blanchardstown - Royal Grappling Blanchardstown - Satori Charlestown - SBG Charlestown Drumcondra - Balance Dublin 1 - Andre Ramos Dublin 1 - Jorge Santo Dundrum - Gracie Barra Finglas - Ryano Fin source, 2018 ↗

positive

SBG source, 2017 ↗

neutral