Revolution Dojo

I am new to BJJ and never had much background in the sport. I have found a new passion that has changed my life. The coaches are all professional and super helpful. I feel more and more confident each day and look forward to each training session.
I want to add that although I have primarily do BJJ I am also interesting in adding Muay Thai to my training. The crew at Muay Thai are amazing.
All coaches and instructors in each sport all compete and are a wealth of knowledge.
If you are looking for a school that you can learn and grow look nowhere else. It’s not about the belt promotions but about the quality of the instructions. They are all passionate about the quality in which they train. You will be impressed as I have been.

A bit on my background. I trained 2.5 years MMA at Death Row MMA, 6 months (on and off) at Paradigm BJJ, and have trained 4 solid years at Revolution BJJ Houston. I’ve dropped in at a good many gyms around the state. I am a BJJ purple belt, and I train exclusively BJJ now.
There are dozens of BJJ schools in Houston, and it’s difficult to know what the difference between an mediocre school and a great one unless you have been training for a while, have trained at multiple gyms, and have seen what else is out there. Prof. Messina is the real deal, and his students and instructors are proof-​positive of his ability to lead and inspire. Revolution Dojo will push you beyond your comfort level no matter if its your first day or your sixth year on the mats, will challenge you, and will force you to rise the the challenge. This is not a casual gym, but if you stick with it, it will change you for the better.

Quite simply, if you’re not into competing and (more important), if you aren’t willing to shell out over $ 100 a month, then instructor Jeff does NOT want you. He has a lot of bills and overhead and has to pay a LOT of money to pay off his Porsche Panamera, and if you aren’t «respectful» and «dedicated» and «committed» to help him do that, then you are not a good student.
Oh, he’ll work with you one and one your first day to make it feel like you’re receiving quality instruction or that your instructor *gasps* is actually interested in training you as a student. And they’ll give you a nice introductory rate if you just want to go a time or two each week, but it’ll quickly be «uprated» to twice and much to give you a nice little «incentive» to go ahead and buy the monthly $ 80 package.
See, it’s all for your own good to «encourage» you by realizing you’d spend more by spending $ 20 per visit than to just go ahead and accept that it’s part of your martial arts training to submit to jeff’s personal needs and pay the $ 80 or $ 90 a month so he can maintain his lifestyle as a single parent paying excessive child suppport, rent, and car payments.
Plus, some real a**holes are like «upper students» here and no one sanctions their inappropriate behavior towards females (part of perks of being instructor i guess, you get first dibs on «talent» in the room), or their bullying attitude like everyone needs to be «MMA» or get lost. They have the «martial» part pretty good, but they’ve lost the «art». and it’s sad because the other instructor Bryan (who has to fill in for jeff all the time) is a great guy and i think unaware of the jerky quality of some of their longtime students. But i tried to visit like 6 weeks in a row for weekend class and no one showed up as far as instructors … because they were all off competing, and no advance notice so you didn’t waste your time expecting to be taught.
you can learn there, but you have to put up with a lot of bs to do it. however, i must say they jump around techniques all the time trying to give you «variety» and you never get to get anything down pat. it’s more like learning through trial-​by-​error. just go find a professional, clean, respectful dojo where you can learn and not have to be pressured to support someone else’s bad life choices and monetary needs.

Revolution Dojo is a phenomenal Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym. I have been involved in BJJ/​MMA/​MT for over 10 years, having fought professional MMA and still actively competing in BJJ tournaments and I love it here. If you are an active competitor this is the place to be. There is a high level of training partners, and someone is always getting ready for the next tournament, mma fight, kickboxing fight, etc.
Jeff Messina is a quality instructor and an active competitor. I have a high level of respect for him both as a Martial Arts instructor and as a man. He conducts himself as a quality role model both on an off the mats, and truly encompasses what it means to be a Martial Artist, not just a fighter.
If you’re just a beginner, don’t be scared off, they have a great fundamentals program, and lots of beginners to roll with as well. You will be treated with respect and taught everything you need to know. You will not be fed to the sharks so to speak.
I can’t speak on the Muay Thai program as my pro fighting days are behind me, but those classes are always PACKED, and everyone loves them. The Muay Thai instructors are constantly either prepping for one of their own fights or getting someone ready for a fight.
In short, I love it here. Ive been to a lot of high level BJJ gyms across multiple states and theres a reason I chose Revolution once I moved to Houston.
Take Care.

I’ve trained at a lot of different BJJ gyms around town, and this one is the best. It’s a perfect balance of intense, competition driven training and a supportive learning environment. Try it! It’ll change your life.

I am a traveling artist. Jiu jitsu keeps me happy on the road. At revolution dojo I felt very welcome being a higher belt outsider. Great instructor and good sense of community. Highly recommend them.

My non athletic kiddo is in it and loves it. I was afraid it wasnt going to be for him but they work very well with the kids. Score for us!!!

Excellent place to learn Martial Arts. I go for the Muay Thai Boxing Classes, they are very informative and fun. The Instructors are top notch and very approachable.
I had never before trained at a Martial Arts Gym and was afraid it was going to be intimidating. But the people at the location (Instructors and students) make this a Great Gym. I highly recommend.
I been going for about 3 months now and have learn a great deal. They also offer other Martial Arts like Brazilian JiJutsu and Judo, etc. that i might try out in the future. You can tell that there constantly adding to the gym and making it better. I come for the instructions, Cardio, and fun.

Whether you have never trained in any combative sport and are just looking to get in shape, or are an aspiring pro fighter looking to sharpen your game, Revolution Dojo is a great place to train. I work in sales, live and work in the Cy Fair area, but make the evening trip through rush hour traffic to train with these guys nearly every day.
The two story facility is located on Houston ave, just a few blocks away from Washington ave, and across the street from a lumber yard. However, there is no breaking of wooden boards in this school, only a focus on martial arts that actually work.
The curriculum of the school is segmented into striking, which is taught upstairs, and grappling, which is taught downstairs. We have several professional Muay Thai fighters who teach on Monday and Wednesday evenings, but train every evening at the gym. The equipment they have assembled upstairs include numerous punching bags, double end bags, tire bags, stations to focus on jabs, stations to focus on head movement, Thai pads for partner drills, etc. Basically, students will be using the same equipment and training methods that these guys use to train for their fights. The instructors are very nice, and the classes are very beginner friendly.
Grappling, which is my main focus, is taught downstairs by our head instructor Jeff on Tuesdays and alternating Saturdays. Jaime and Johnny teach on Monday/​Wednesdays and Brian teaches on Thursdays, some Saturdays, and even on some Sundays. The focus of our grappling program is on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the submission grappling martial art popularized by the Gracie family and frequently used in MMA. There is also an emphasis on Judo. The Judo + BJJ combination has given me a well rounded grappling game that has paid dividends in tournaments that I have competed in, and is very practical for self defense situations. The typical class format is a 10 – 15 minute warm up, followed by 15 – 30 minutes of technique demonstration and drilling, followed by open sparring, also called rolling.
Rolling is a very important part of the learning process because you are attempting to utilize a technique on a resisting opponent. For instance, we may have just learned how to take down an opponent, apply a pinning technique, and advance to a joint lock such as an armbar. Well, it is one thing to do the drill and another thing to do it to someone that is trying to do the same thing to you. This is where having good training partners is crucial.
You want to have partners that give realistic resistance so that you can learn the technique, but at the same time will work with you and train safely so that risk of injury is minimized. You also want training partners that are friendly and readily share their nuggets of wisdom, and don’t see you as just a grappling dummy to maul and toss around like a rag doll. We have a very good atmosphere at the gym and that training environment is why I drive from the other side of town to train at Revolution.