Head Instructor Danny Morera:

Danny (right) with Jiu Jitsu and MMA legend Royce Gracie.

Head instructor Danny Morera has over 20 years of martial arts experience. He first earned his black belt in Karate at the age of 17 after extensively competing in local tournaments. He began his career as an instructor teaching martial arts to kids, as well as running martial arts camps for kids. Around the same time Danny started expanding his martial arts career to include boxing, kickboxing and grappling, eventually running one of the most successful kickboxing classes on the North Shore.

 

Danny (right) with Professor Roberto Maia.

 

In 1997, he was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and took his first class with Professor Roberto Maia (himself a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr.) at Boston Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. After more than ten years of extremely difficult training and dedication, he finally earned his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt in 2008. Danny and fellow Boston Brazilian Jiu Jitsu student, Jake Healy opened North Shore Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Danvers in 2005. In 2006 Danny, along with his wife Angela, moved the school to its current location in Salem.

 

 

At NSBJJ we give students of ALL levels a safe and professional family oriented environment to learn and grow in their Martial Arts training. We offer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for adults & children, as well as Kickboxing, MMA & Self Defense for students wishing to add “stand-up” to their training. Please feel free to come by, email or call us for more information.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (often abbreviated BJJ) is a martial art that was once an offshoot of Kodokan Judo. Since it’s inception BJJ has had significantly different objectives and philosophies when compared to Judo, one of the most fundamental is the amount of fighting done on the ground. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, as a martial art, has no inherent striking maneuvers, and instead relies entirely on joint locks and choke holds to finish fights. BJJ, at it’s core, emphasizes the use of skill and technique to circumvent an opponent’s strength, and as a result is very useful for self defense, as a sport on it’s own, and serves as a base for a lot of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters.

Belts:

The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu belt ranks.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has five attainable rankings signified by belt color: white, blue, purple, brown, and black. As a student progresses they gain stripes on their belt to signify their progress, each belt can have four stripes before advancing a belt color.

For more information on the BJJ Belt System click here: http://www.ibjjf.org/graduation.htm.

Rules of the Academy:

Inside view of Academy

Keep respectful disposition on the mat at all times.

Classes begin and end with students lining up in descending grade order.

Classes end with a handshake to instructor and all fellow students.

For safety reasons, if you are late for class wait by the mat for permission from the instructor before joining the class.

For safety reasons, if you need to leave the mat or leave class early ask instructor before doing so.

Shake hands with you partner before and after practice.

Talking should be kept to a minimum level and should relate to class subject.

Absolutely NO foul language inside the school!!

Fingernails and toenails should always be kept short and filed.

Gi must be washed after every practice. A dirty Gi is a sign of disrespect.

Please face the wall when tying your belt.

All metal objects, jewelry, piercings, necklaces must be removed before class.

No shoes, food or drinks on the mat.

No cell phones in the mat area, they must be kept in the locker room.

No neck cranks, knee bars, heel hooks or intentional slamming during take downs, NSBJJ has a ZERO tolerance policy on unsafe training. First time is a warning, second time you will be asked to leave the Academy.

Workout within your physical limits.

Have fun! Remember we train together, not against one another!