paragon (par-a-gon) (par-uh-gon, -guh n) – noun : 1. A model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excelllenceWant to excel at jiu-jitsu – train at Paragon.
paragon (par-a-gon) (par-uh-gon, -guh n) – noun : 1. A model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excellence
Paragon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Santa Barbara, California is truly the paragon of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the U.S. under the driven and dedicated leadership of Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller, Paragon has been consistently producing the very best American jiu-jitsu athletes who for years have been making waves on the world stage. Paragon is the training grounds of black belt no-gi World Champion Jeff Glover, the incredibly technical jiu-jitsu encyclopedia Sean Apperson, female world champion Katie and 2008 Mundial black belt silver medalist and overall standout Bill Cooper (who in my opinion turned in the best performance of any non-Brazilian in the history of the IBJJF BJJ World Championships ever). Past champions include standouts like Adam Benshee and Tyrone Glover have moved on to applying Franjinha’s inspirational brand of jiu-jitsu to excel at other careers, but believe me, they are still bad asses on and off the mat. With no plans of stopping, Franjihna is busy building the next generation of jiu-jitsu stars with athletes like Sean Conley and Alfred Prado in the pipeline. However, for me the greatest thing about Paragon BJJ is the culture of the academy that Franjinha has created. It is one of the most fun, most demanding places to train anywhere. Franjinha brings an incredible work ethic and uncanny ability to bring the best out of all his students (not only those who compete) – to help spread the true spirit of jiu-jitsu – that practicing jiu-jitsu everyday makes our lives better by helping us have more control over ourselves, our lives and our relationships on and off the tatame. At Paragon, one can really understand Jigoro Kano’s concept of “Mutual Benefit” – that our training helps us, our training partners, and that the values we learn practicing jiu-jitsu spill over into public life, positively influencing the society in which we live.
Paragon has recently moved its Santa Barbara headquarters to a brand new, 5500 sq. ft. state of the art facility with locker rooms, showers, work out equipment, a pro shop, and a full schedule of jiu-jitsu and kickboxing classes for students of all ages and abilities. For more information, check out their website at www.paragonbjj.net