Serving Merritt Island
Brazilian Jiu Jitsunear Merritt Island, Florida
Pure Life Martial Arts teaches Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Indialantic, Florida under Professor Felipe “Balboa” Portela, a third degree black belt and veteran of the UFC's The Ultimate Fighter and Strikeforce.
Gi and no-gi classes cover the full curriculum: guard, passing, escapes, submissions and positional sparring, taught in a structured progression rather than a different technique every night.
Beginners train alongside experienced students from their first week. You do not need to be fit, flexible or experienced to start — those are results of training, not prerequisites for it.
Getting here from Merritt Island
- Distance
- About 19 miles in a straight line
- Drive
- Roughly 28 minutes, east on SR 520 to Cocoa Beach, then south on A1A
- after work
- 6:30 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — leave Merritt Island by about 5:50 PM
- early morning
- 6 AM on Wednesday — leave Merritt Island by about 5:20 AM
- Next door
- Rockledge and Cocoa Beach
Leave-by times allow for the drive and about ten minutes to park and change. Traffic varies, so give yourself longer for a first visit.
When Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trains
- Monday
- 6:30 AM–7:30 AM · Brazilian Jiu Jitsu6:30 PM–7:30 PM · Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Tuesday
- 10:30 AM–11:30 AM · Brazilian Jiu Jitsu6:30 PM–7:30 PM · Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (12+)
- Wednesday
- 6 AM–7 AM · BJJ No-Gi6:30 PM–7:30 PM · BJJ No-Gi
- Thursday
- 10:30 AM–11:30 AM · BJJ No-Gi6:30 PM–7:30 PM · Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (12+)