The U.K finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel with the Pandemic, the world and travel will slowly open up. While international travel will come later on, travel within the UK and Ireland will soon be upon us.

Here at Progress HQ we thought of some our favourite places to have a staycation and get some quality Jiu Jitsu training in to make up for the lost time over the past year. 

London – Fightzone

 It might seem cliché, but no staycation list is complete without London. Home to the Royal Family and the houses of Parliament. London is a city steeped in history and tourist attractions. Anything you can think of you can find in London, from food, music, the arts. London is also a hotbed of Jiu Jitsu with many great academies, from Carlsons, to Roger Gracie Academy, you can’t go wrong. However, our choice is Fightzone London, headed up by Marco Canha, Fightzone has recently improved its facilities with new matted areas, located just outside the centre near Bethnal Green, Fightzone is one of the busiest academies in the UK, it not only offers world class Jiu Jitsu but MMA and striking. You can’t go wrong with visiting Fightzone.

Dublin – ECJJA

The capital of Ireland, Dublin is city with gorgeous architecture while being a modern European city at the same time. Dublin is known for its Guinness storehouse tour and its world-famous Temple Bar neighbourhood. Just outside the city there are multiple parks and nature walks with striking scenery if that takes your fancy.

On the Jiu Jitsu front, there are multiple clubs that you can visit, however the obvious choice would be ECJJA headed up by Darragh O’Conaill. Home to Progress JJ athletes such as Ffion Davies and Marcus Phelan, ECJJA has proved itself to be one of the premier Jiu Jitsu academies in Europe for both competitors and those looking to just have fun and train.  

 Brighton – Elements

A seaside trip is always needed, and Brighton is a great choice, with its iconic Piers and the Royal Pavilion. Brighton also has some amazing Parks and gardens to visit if you want a relaxing day out. In terms of Jiu Jitsu, our choice is Elements Martial Arts, ran by black belt Yousuf Nabi, Elements boasts a 1800 sq foot of matted space. It has multiple black belts training at the academy and specialist wrestling and Judo coaches.

Cambridge – Rolling Dojo

Probably the most Picturesque city in the UK along with its rival Oxford, it is known for its famous university, it has some great attractions including museum’s, libraries, its beautiful architecture and its world famous canals. There is enough to keep you busy on a staycation in Cambridge, on the training front however, Cambridge is home to a couple of Jiu jitsu Academies, our pick to visit is the Rolling Dojo. Headed up by World champions Chelsea Leah and Tom Barlow, both are known for their technical grasp of the sport with Chelsea training extensively under the Mendes Brothers and receiving her black belt from Andre Galvao. Tom Barlow received his black belt from Braulio Estima and has competed on shows such as Polaris himself. The academy have some quality facilities and is definitely one of the best looking !

Liverpool – MMA Academy

Home to one of the biggest UK musical exports, the Beatles, Liverpool has been recognised as a European city of Culture, with that there is loads to see in Liverpool from the Docks and its maritime heritage to its sporting history with the football clubs Liverpool fc and Everton. In recent time it’s become one of the hotbeds for MMA in Europe with Fighters coming out of its many MMA Gyms. Our pick for our Jiu Jitsu Aficionados is the MMA Academy, run by Progress JJ athlete Jason Tan, an accomplished Jiu Jitsu Black belt and UFC veteran. Special consideration to Next Generation, Aspire and Team Kaobon.