With Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts Academy being one of the top academies in Rhode Island, it’s not a surprise that we get students from every part of the state to come train with us.
Now as most of you already know (unless you are from a land far away), Rhode Island is not the biggest state in the country. It’s actually the smallest. When I tell Californians or Texans or even someone who lives remotely close to New England that I am from Rhode Island, they usually have no idea what I am talking about and most of the time they think that I am from Long Island, New York.
This can get somewhat frustrating sometimes as you might imagine. Although Rhode Island has the one particular downside of no one knowing where the heck it is on the map because it is the smallest state, it does include some benefits of being the smallest state.
Because Rhode Island is smaller and there are not that many BJJ or MMA academies close by, we can get people to come train at our academy from all over the state. Guys or Girls who live in the northern, western, or eastern parts of Rhode Island usually have no problem making the 30 – 40 minute drive to our gym.
For example, we have many dedicated students that travel a long way to come train with us. We have Andrew Desousa who travels from Portsmouth, Ben Burdick who travels from Westerly, and a few other guys that come all the way from Coventry.
Here is our Team Black Diamond photo (minus some people who couldn’t make it that day) from our annual party we had
So, why do these guys and girls make the drive to our gym week after week to come train with us?
Well, the answer is actually quite simple. Our Academy is run in such a way that no matter what your skill level is, you will get the best out of your time on the mats. It doesn’t matter if you are a competitive athlete that has been involved in MMA and BJJ for years, or a guy straight off the street with no prior experience.
Here is an example of what a person might learn in one of the intro/beginner classes that Black Diamond MMA has to offer:
Now, Here is an example of some more advanced techniques that one might learn once they have progressed to the Mastery level classes:
Another reason why we get guys from Coventry, Westerly, and Portsmouth to come train with us is the quality of instruction. You can attend an academy with a super high-level BJJ black belt or MMA fighter as your instructor, but if they do not know how to teach the techniques in a proper and effective way, then it can be extremely detrimental to the student who is eager to learn and improve. Sure, you might see improvement over a long period of time, but with great instruction comes even greater improvement and progress.
All of the coaches and instructors at Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts Academy are well versed in not only the sports of BJJ and MMA, but also how to teach the right techniques in the right way, to all types of students.
If you were to ask one of our students why they enjoy training with us, I guarantee you they would say that they enjoy the friendly and enthusiastic instructors, the sensible and easy to learn curriculum, and overall positive atmosphere.
If you would like to learn more about some of our students, check out our students page here
If you would like to know more about our instructors, check out our instructors page right here
I hope that this article has given you a bit more insight on our little state we call Rhode Island, and given you an incentive to come try out some of our classes (even if you do have to drive far to come train with us!)
-N
Chube Jitsu 
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