During the first six months of my original long term stay in Rio de Janeiro, while living at OTM’s apartment in Barra da Tijuca, is where it all began. Scotty Nelson with his busy schedule was traveling back and forth between Brazil and the US covering events and while out of the country began leaving me in charge of OTM apartment. It was in this same year, 2003 that both Scotty and Danny “do nothing” encouraged me to venture out and start a guest house of my own in Rio to help gringos come and train in Brazil.
At the end of 2003, that is when the first Connection Rio house began (before it was called Connection Rio). In the beginning, there were athletes from all around the World who visited the house guys like Travis Tooke, Max Masuzawa, and “Mad” Jack Magee along with his brother Adam Magee, just to name a few.
While spending a little over a year back in North America, during mid 2005-mid 2006 I continued helping visitors find places to stay in the city of Rio by corresponding with my contacts in Brazil. Upon returning to Rio, in the end of 2006, I slowly but surely started organizing trips to Rio to train with the best instructors in the world. This is how Connection Rio was born. It took almost a year for Connection Rio to get off the ground, nearly two and a half years for the Connection Rio HQ to be founded in May of 2009, thanks to the help of friend Prof. Rommel Cardoso it is now the premier place in Brazil for gringos to come and train.
Since May of 2009, Connection Rio has exploded attracting Jiu-Jitsu practitioners and professional athletes from across the entire World. Connection Rio is a part of me, I have invested and continue to invest a lot of myself into this ever growing project and the people that come here to train.
Having experienced visiting this great city and then eventually moving here from another country, I have something unique to offer people who are visiting Rio. I change my whole life by coming to Brazil and living the real Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle. It was a dream that it is now a reality. I would like to share this great city, the great training and the Carioca life style with you.
My timer here been invested in helping others get better but also time in the academy earned me the right to be the first foreign black belt under Professor Roberto Correa, and a professor in the Gordo Jiu-Jitsu academy. I take a lot of personal interest in all who stay in the city of Rio at Connection Rio, to ensure that their training is going well and they are in fact making the most out of the time spent here. As a professor at Gordo Jiu-Jitsu I even teach and train with the guests who stay here.
For those who have not yet met me, Connection Rio’s slogan “Live your dreams” is meant not as in, if you stay at the HQ or go through Connection Rio on your visit that you will necessarily be living your own dreams but to send out the message to all who will listen of the importance in life of actually going out and making your dreams a reality.
Live your Dreams – Dennis Asche
Details on Connection Rio
Connection Rio HQ is set up in a way that caters to a variety of people. There are five private rooms ranging from very basic to very comfortable. The most basic is the Private Room with a single bed and a good size closet, the most comfortable is the Master Suite with it’s own bathroom, small office space, queen sized bed, small fridge and a good sized closet. Accommodations at the HQ maintain the same fair market price all year round. I do not believe there is a real reason to raise the prices on people who visit the city any time of the year.
The training is next to the Connection Rio HQ at Gordo Jiu-Jitsu, one of the most sought out academies throughout the World. Now linked with Evolve MMA, the training at the newly remodeled academy is great for all levels.
My teaching there allows me to watch over and share what I have picked up over the years with everyone who visits the academy. As the number of long term guests grows, so does the number of guests competing here in Rio. And, competition training is done all together during the afternoon classes. It is great preparation for competing anywhere.
Training with renowned athletes like Pedro Rizzo who will come and teach connection Rio guests in GJJ is an option for all who stay at the HQ. This goes without saying the availability of the Professors at GJJ who are also available for private lessons. Aside from the academy there are city tours, and hang gliding trips set up by Connection Rio.
This year Connection Rio plans to open its second house, even bigger and better than the first.
For more information, send me a PM here on OntheMat.com or email myconnectionrio@gmail.com