Secure your spot and get started today with our EXCLUSIVE offer!
My daughter is 12, shes been training MMA for a few years, I felt it was time for her to take training to a different level and BJJ is what she wanted to learn, I did a search, found Evolution, the next day I took my daughter for her first lesson, she loved it, and the following day my 5 year old son had his first lesson. Now both my kids are training. All it took was watching one lesson to see Evolution is where my kids belong.
You won’t find a better teacher, team mates, or environment to learn Jiu Jitsu anywhere else in the Hudson Valley. That is why people drive an hour + to learn here.
I have been training Jiu-Jitsu for over 23 years and I was pleasantly surprised to find a school headed by a top tier competitive black belt, Mike Palladino, to train at. Great people, great facility and world class instruction!
Fantastic gym great people!
Next level!!! Perfect balance of traditional BJJ and modern grappling. Mike is passionate and well versed in a variety of modalities. The energy in the gym is fantastic. Perfect for all ages and skill levels.
Great atmosphere great coaches all around great place!!!
EGA is a fantastic gym with classes excellent for both children and adults. Mike is a wonderful teacher and he puts 100% in every day. All of the other teachers are great as well, and the students are all super positive and supportive!
Pressure and Performance * Contributed by Black Belt and EGA’s Head Coach, Mike Palladino I hung these belts up in my closet the other day, and it made me think about all the grapplers I’ve crossed paths with while wearing each of these belts. One of the most unfortunate things I witness as a […]
Taking Stock, Considering Lessons, Gaining Wisdom, and Setting Intentions: *Contributed by Laina Giselle Interrogating the concept of New Year’s resolutions is, in my opinion, a worthy endeavor. Often unfulfilled due to the unreasonable loftiness from the outset, we’re left with a sense of shame at what we perceive to be yet another failure of our […]
Coach’s Corner *Contributed by EGA Black Belt and Coach, Joe Pomarico In every major combat sport, from novice to the professional level, competitors rely on a coach or series of coaches for guidance before, during, and after competition. Competitive Jiu Jitsu is no different, and having an experienced coach is a necessity which should not […]
** This is a throwback to one of our best posts from our very own Lou Torres, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. If you’ve read before, it has some great reminders. If this is your first read, welcome, and enjoy! We hope you take away some beneficial information that will enhance performance both on and […]
Coach’s Corner Will Over Skill: A personal experience It’s September of 2014 and there’s no A/C in the basement gymnasium of upper Manhattan’s City College of NY. The air is thick and humid with the pungent smell of sweat and dirty clothes. The venue is playing host to this year’s No Gi Pans, an […]
Coach’s Corner I started BJJ in September of 2007. Three weeks later I competed in my first tournament. I was a senior in high school working part time in the evenings at UPS loading trucks for less than $100 a week. Tournaments back in 2007 were $120 so I told myself “there is no way […]
Coach’s Corner Happy May! As we head into summer and turn the page on the cold weather and leafless trees, I wanted to check in with all of you and share some exciting news. Thanks to all of you, we’ve officially won ‘The Best of Hudson Valley’ in TWO different categories! We’ve won ‘Best […]
As exposure to mixed martial arts has increased over the years, so has interest and intrigue into the world of grappling. From wanting to learn a new skill, find a new hobby, try a new way to exercise, find some camaraderie, people are looking for and finding their way to the ever increasing number […]
Coach’s Corner * Contributed by Coach Rocky Skrelja We often hear about martial arts being a great way to cultivate yourself and strengthen your character. We also separate Boxing from martial arts because it is a sport, however boxing is a martial art and can provide the same character building aspects as traditional martial arts. […]
Leg Entanglement Sequence Drill * Contributed by EGA Black Belt, Joe Pomarico Greetings Tribe, I’ve been asked on numerous occasions what it’s like to train jiu jitsu and the most accurate analogy which comes to mind is a ‘physical game of chess.’ In both BJJ and chess we cause our opponent to react with […]
Developing Confidence A dive into Dr. Nate Zinsser’s book The Confident Mind. Follow this series to learn from where confidence stems, how to cultivate confidence in your life, and how this translates as a student of Jiu Jitsu. Contributed by Matt Smith* This is the second in a series of posts on the concept of confidence […]
Coach’s Corner My martial arts journey started in 1988, when I was 10 years old. After being ruthlessly bullied by kids in my neighborhood, my mother enrolled me in a local karate program to help me build confidence and discipline. Through the years I’ve trained in karate, Aikido, Jeet Kune Do and for the […]
Allowing Our Kids to Watch Us Grow! Contributed by Nickie Smith Five years ago, my youngest boy (we have three boys and one girl, ages 13, 11, 10, and 8) stepped into his first BJJ class at EGA. He fell right into place and it became just a natural extension of his being. After watching […]
Coach’s Corner The new year is upon us! I’m very happy and grateful for a fantastic 2022 with our tribe and I’m looking froward to another great year in 2023. Our students make EGA the community that it has become and I couldn’t be more thankful. We have a lot of exciting things to […]
Developing Confidence A dive into Dr. Nate Zinsser’s book The Confident Mind. Follow this series to learn from where confidence stems, how to cultivate confidence in your life, and how this translates as a student of Jiu Jitsu. Contributed by Matt Smith* What is confidence? Merriam-Webster defines confidence as, “a feeling or consciousness of one’s […]
Conditioning for BJJ Part 1 – “Most of the Year Training” Contributed by Lou Torres Conditioning sessions should not replace your Brazilian jiu jitsu sessions; nothing beats Brazilian jiu jitsu rolling sessions and drills. I understand time is limited, so if you have to choose between going to the gym for a Brazilian jiu […]
Coach’s Corner * Contributed by Coach Nick Spencer I’d like to take time to talk about the importance of training partners. Without our training partners we literally cannot do jiu jitsu. This is something that we know and understand but although jiu jitsu is an individual sport, it takes a team to build a champion. […]
Coach’s Corner I am frequently told by both students and parents about their experiences regarding the benefits of Jiu Jitsu. There are few things that make me feel more fulfilled as a teacher and practitioner than these success stories. Recently a parent, whose child had been enrolled in Jiu Jitsu a couple of years ago, […]
Coach’s Corner Practice and the Importance of Approach In 2015 I read a book called Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Dr. Anders Ericsson. Ericsson, coining the term “Deliberate Practice,” was the world’s leading expert on “experts.” In his research he identifies two major types of practice of which I’d like […]
Coach’s Corner Hello Tribe, July was an action packed month for us! We had an amazing day for promotions down by the river on July 16th followed by a seminar by my Coach, Rafael Formiga. Our promotions at the water front saw the promotion to black belt for 4 incredible individuals. Al, Joe Pa, Billy, […]
Let’s Talk Competition Prep! Have you ever competed or thought about doing so? For our very first Feature Friday, we hear from active competitor and Purple Belt, Ashley D’Aversa. Ashley shares what the weeks leading up to competition look like for her and shares some encouragement for you! Contributed by Ashley D’Aversa* Competition is […]
Coach’s Corner Hey Tribe, I am happy to announce the start of a monthly EGA Newsletter to keep parents and students up to date with current events, future events, and announcements. We have an environment filled with dedicated and disciplined hard workers ranging from young children to adults. I’d like to use this as […]
Hey Tribe, It is with deep disappointment that I bring the news of suspending all scheduled classes at EGA until further notice. Please understand this was a very difficult choice to make but after speaking with an employee of the CDC and reading advice from former FDA Chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the best way to […]