Featured affiliated academy: Switzerland – BJJ Lab Winterthur
Switzerland – BJJ Lab Winterthur
Where is the gym located?
Lagerhausstrasse 6, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland. It’s very near the main station of Winterthur.
How many people train there?
We have classes for children and for adults. In total we are about 40 people.
Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
We opened up in June 2025 and we are very happy about the amount of members we have. I don’t know the exact growth per month.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
Everybody is welcome to train at our gym and at the moment we have a lot of white belts. The highest belt training frequently at our gym is a brown belt. The association head coach (Patrick Louys) stops by from time to time.
When did the gym open?
We opened up in June 2025.
Some facts about you:
Name: Tom Rodriguez
Age: 28
Belt: Brown
Profession: PhD candidate in Economics
Years in BJJ: 9
Other martial arts: Thai Boxing experience
Currently living in: Zürich, Switzerland
Originally from: Switzerland
Switzerland – BJJ Lab Winterthur
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
Me and my brother wanted to have our own place to train and to teach people BJJ in a modern and relaxed environment. So we decided to open up a gym together. We found our gym space in Winterthur and were immediately convinced. We are still working full time so we are enjoying the gym without having to worry about the finances too much. We have a lot of cool new training partners and seeing how they are getting better week by week is truly the best part.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
We have people from all walks of life. Students, blue collar workers, desk jockeys, and everything in between. I think it’s like in every other gym and it is great to have both young people training for competitions and parents trying to stay or get in shape.
Why do they train?
As said, some want to compete one day and others just want to get in shape. But I think the common denominator is that they are having fun :) At least I hope so.
Switzerland – BJJ Lab Winterthur
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically?
It’s challenging to bring new people to the sport. I think a lot of beginners are afraid to visit a martial arts school because they have an image in their head about some aggressive dudes who might hurt them. Once you get them through the door though, most realize that it is no different from any other sports club.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
I think BJJ is growing as a sport and therefore I believe BJJ will become more common in our area as well.
What’s the best thing about your gym?
Our structured curriculum paired with a friendly and helpful environment where everyone is welcome to train and our goal is to help each other improve.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
Only two minutes away from our gym is the old town of Winterthur. It’s a beautiful area with historic buildings, cafes, shops, and restaurants.
I might be a bit of a nerd for this recommendation, but you should definitely check out the Technorama (Swiss Science Center). It has many experiment stations where visitors can discover natural phenomena first-hand and with all the senses. It is very cool and I can personally recommend it for all ages.
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