Open Seminar
The Open Seminar: a free monthly grappling deep-dive in Lisbon
Once a month we run a free, open session in Campolide that anyone can join, from any gym. People often find it while searching for an open mat or a grappling seminar in Lisbon, and it has plenty of live rolling — but it is really an open seminar: a longer, deeper look at how we train, built around one topic, with rounds and a Q&A at the end.
What it is — and what it is not
The Open Seminar is a free monthly session that introduces our method: the way we train grappling so it holds up in live rounds. Each one takes a single topic, explains the thinking behind how we train it, and then puts you into live games and open rounds to work on it. It runs longer than a normal class, because there is time to explain, train, roll, and answer questions properly.
It is not a traditional open mat — an open mat is unstructured rolling, while this is led, with a topic and coaching behind every round. It is also not a technique workshop: you will not leave with a list of moves to memorize. The point is the opposite, how to train so your grappling actually improves under resistance.
The method it introduces
The session exists to introduce one idea: you get better at grappling by solving problems against real resistance, not by collecting techniques. The grapplers who improve fastest are not the ones with the longest list of moves — they read positions quickly and make good decisions while someone is actively trying to stop them.
That skill is trained by doing it, through live games and constrained rounds, with coaching to keep the right problem in front of you. It is the constraints-led, ecological approach — and the Open Seminar is where we slow down and explain why we train the way we do.
How it runs, who it is for, and how to reserve
Every session follows a similar shape: we frame the topic and the thinking behind it, train it through live games scaled to your level, open up into full rounds with people from across Lisbon, and finish with a Q&A where you can ask anything. Because all of that takes time, it runs longer than our regular hour-long classes.
It is open to everyone — curious grapplers who want to understand ecological training, athletes from other gyms who want to test their game, people stuck collecting techniques, and beginners or visitors, since the games scale. It is free, monthly, and taught in English (Portuguese speakers welcome). The date and topic change each month, so reserve a spot to get the next one.
FAQ
Is this an open mat?
Not in the usual sense. It has open rolling, but it is a led session with a topic, coaching, live games, and a Q&A — closer to a free monthly seminar than to unstructured open-mat rolling.
Is it free, and can I come from another gym?
Yes to both. It is completely free and explicitly open to every gym in Lisbon.
Will I learn new techniques?
Not as a list of moves to memorize. The focus is the method — how to train so your grappling improves in live rounds. You leave understanding how we train, not with a stack of techniques.
How long is it, and do I need experience?
It runs longer than our regular one-hour class to make room for explanation, live games, rolling, and a Q&A. No experience needed — the games scale to your level.
When is the next one?
It runs monthly, with the date and topic announced on the signup page and Instagram. Reserve a spot or message us and we will tell you the next date.
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