Academia de la CostaLas TerrenasMore than a gym
A jiu-jitsu academy in Las Terrenas, part of a network that uses the mats to change lives.
The story
Academia de la Costa began on the north coast of the Dominican Republic as a social project: using Brazilian jiu-jitsu for community care and development, and giving kids and young adults a place to grow through training. The network now spans several academies in the country and an affiliate in Canada.
Las Terrenas is one of those academies. Here local students and visitors from all over the world share the same mats, the same coaches and the same rules: train hard, take care of your partners, leave your ego at the door.
Our classes are coached in Spanish and English, and the room is open to beginners, experienced grapplers, kids, boxers and anyone curious to try.
What we stand for
Community
Locals and travelers train as one team. Nobody is a stranger after their first class.
Technique
Clear instruction, lots of drilling and honest sparring. Progress you can feel.
Respect
Safe rounds, clean mats and care for every training partner, from kids to competitors.
The ocean
Train in the morning, swim in the afternoon. We are a coastal academy and proud of it.
Delvin "Pipiolo" Reyes
Pipiolo is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Tomas "Papo" Soñé, founder and head instructor of Academia de la Costa and the head coach of the Las Terrenas academy. He leads the adult and kids jiu-jitsu programs as well as the boxing classes, and coaches in Spanish and English.
Away from the mats he works in physiotherapy and acting, which shows in how he teaches: attention to how bodies move and a lot of energy in the room.
The Academia de la Costa network
Academia de la Costa has its headquarters in Cabarete and affiliates across the Dominican Republic and in Ottawa, Canada. Visiting students from any Academia de la Costa school are always welcome in Las Terrenas.