ABOUT PAGE: BJJ RETREATS
I had the idea to create an affordable, high level USA based camp since the early 2000’s. At that time I was always thinking of a smaller group type camp that was focused primarily on preparing for fights or competitions. That idea changed as I grew older and started to step away from fighting.
Fast forward to 2016 when I had put on my very first retreat in Mercer, Wisconsin. This event was called Big Frog’s BJJ Northwoods Retreat, open to all skill levels and was surprisingly a huge hit. The inaugural event ended up with a final roster of approximately 50 attendees in the dead of winter and in the middle of a blizzard. I would go on to do a 2nd Northwoods Retreat in the summer of 2017 that was another success but surprisingly not as large of a group as the winter prior.
At that point, I had made up my mind that I would move my event to Florida. I spent many summers and holidays as a kid in Miami with my Dad and my older brother after my parents got divorced when I was around 8 years old. I have always felt like Florida was a 2nd home to me and I had been thinking of ways to create a regular purpose for visiting Florida and being able to train and work at the same time.
Florida also holds a special place in my heart for me as my Dad’s ashes were spread in the Atlantic Ocean back in 1996 shortly after he passed away. I was 18 years old and my father was only 40. My brother had taken his ashes without me knowing and he spread them in the water off the coast of Long Key State Park. Since I was not a part of that ceremony, having a chance to visit the Atlantic coast in Florida is always something that makes me feel connected to him. Now, with my retreat’s home base being currently in Cocoa Beach, Florida I get to reconnect with him each year I return for the retreat.
My mission with my Retreat is to always have a non-political event/experience (open to all teams/affiliations) and provide high level instruction for all of my guests ranging in all skill levels. My guests can train as much or as little as they want and many teams continue to use my Retreat as their own personal retreat for their teams or small group. I want all of my attendees to leave with not only their skills leveled up, but their love for a Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle to become recharged.
To learn more about me personally and my background please visit www.teamcurran.com/about and be sure to watch the documentary that was filmed by Alex Brown at our 2023 Retreat here: