Advanced Registration is required due to limited space. Please email us with any questions.

Weekend Training Camp, Mendocino Coast

• Experience other styles as you cross-train with Grapplers coming from a diversity of schools/teams/affiliations.

• Training sessions will be led by Roger Gracie's 1st Black Belt, Nic Gregoriades.

• Escape the city & let Grappler's Retreat welcome you to a remote stretch of Northern California's rugged coast!

The Mendocino Coast!

Grappler's Retreat is located on a remote stretch of Northern California's redwood coast. This isolated area is best known for its awe-inspiring natural environment, namely its secluded rugged coastline and old-growth redwood forests.

The coastline here is truly wild, with no major highways connecting it to the masses of the cities. To get here, one must travel a distance through winding country roads.

Once the home of fur-trappers, loggers, and fishermen, the Mendocino coast is today sparsely populated with roughly a dozen historic villages scattered along the coast.

Nic Gregoriades to lead our Summer Retreat!

Nic Gregoriades was the first person to be awarded the Black Belt by the legendary Roger Gracie. In addition to being a tremendously skilled grappler, Nic is also widely regarded as one of the outstanding jiu-jitsu instructors contributing to the art today. Nic’s competition accomplishments include:

• Abu Dhabi World Pro Cup veteran
• Abu Dhabi European Qualifier Gold Medalist
• ADCC-UK Grappling Champion
• Gracie Invitational Champion
• British Open Grappling Champion
• Paris Open Grappling Champion
• Grappler of the Year – France
• South African National Grappling Champion
• Absolute Submission Fighting Champion

Nic also holds a 2-0 professional MMA record.

Nic Gregoriades & The Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood

Nic is one of the pioneers of grappling and jiu jitsu in South Africa. After contributing immensely to the growth of the sport in his home country, he later moved to the UK to train under Roger Gracie, and eventually became the first person to be awarded the Black Belt from Roger. 

Soon after, Nic created the popular BJJ movement The Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood, a global community of BJJ practitioners who are united by a desire to share and learn by transcending the inherent limits of the ‘my school / team is best’ mentality. It was formed to help people remember that the art is about uniting people, not dividing them. JJB is a way of thinking – a way to approach your training and competing in a way that helps your growth and the growth of your fellow martial artists.

“Nic is an excellent teacher and fighter who understands jiu-jitsu on a deep level. I trust him to teach the art to the hundreds of students at my academy.”

Roger Gracie, 6 times Black Belt World Champion

“If you ever get the chance to train BJJ under Nic Gregoriades take it with ‘both hands’. Apart from being exceptionally good at BJJ he is a brilliant coach who understands principles of movement to a very high degree.”

David Webb, Tokon Academy

Event Schedule

Friday August 19th

• 7:30pm, for those arriving early, we'll have a fire going at the Russian Gulch headlands. Come on down and meet the instructors and some of the other participants.

Saturday August 20^th:

• 11:00am-1:30pm, Instruction/Training
• 1:30pm-2:30pm, Sparring (optional)
• 5:00pm, Barbecue at Big River Beach

Sunday August 21^st:

• 12:00pm – 2:30pm, Instruction/Training
• 2:30pm – 3:30pm, Sparring (optional)
• 6:30pm, dinner and drinks at Pattersons Pub (optional & not included in price of retreat)

Nic with Roger Gracie.

Grappler's Retreat Dojo.

Extra training on the beach!

Mendocino coast, Russian Gulch... one of the sites for our post-training barbecue gatherings. Located minutes from the Grappler's Retreat dojo.

What Sets us Apart - Other than our incredible Mendocino Coast Location?

We are capping the registration at only 25 participants to maintain an extremely productive training experience. Everyone will have an opportunity to work closely with Nic and the other instructors. Instruction will be in-depth and coaching will be hands-on. 

Many times, we see seminars advertised as “limited space only”, when in fact they are capped at as many as 40, 50, or even 60 participants for only one instructor.  You would probably benefit yourself more by staying home and watching YouTube instructional videos. Here, we will be limiting the camp to only 25 students, and several instructors will be present to offer their insights.

We wanted to offer something that is not simply about being in the presence of a “star grappler”, but more importantly about creating a genuine grappling camp for those serious about their training and for those interested in cross-training with like-minded individuals from different schools and affiliations. This will be an incredible training experience!

Getting to Mendocino

We are approximately a 3.5-hour drive north of San Francisco. The closest commercial airport is Santa Rosa Airport (STS), and there is an Enterprise Rent-A-Car located at the airport if you will be flying in. We may be able to arrange ride-share opportunities with other attendees if you will also be flying into Santa Rosa airport. Let us know and we'll try to put you in touch with others that may also be interested in sharing a rental car or gas expenses for the ride to Mendocino.

Where to Stay

Campgrounds, cabins, and inns are available on the Mendocino coast within minutes of our dojo. There are a variety of options that cater to different budgets and interests. If you would like any help or advice, please contact us and we will be happy to advise you on campgrounds and/or lodging options (lodging is not included in the price of the retreat).

  Watching the sunset on the Mendocino Coast after a good training session.