For Port Coquitlam Students

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for Port Coquitlam

True North Jiu-Jitsu is not in Port Coquitlam. We are at 814 Brunette Ave in Maillardville, about 12 to 15 minutes down the highway from most of PoCo. Plenty of our members make that drive several times a week, so this page covers the two things that decide whether it works for you: the route and the timetable.

Getting Here

The Drive From Port Coquitlam

Port Coquitlam is a city of about 61,500 people with no shortage of ways out to the west, and the route you pick matters more than the raw distance does.

From Central PoCo, Lower Mary Hill and Mary Hill

The Mary Hill Bypass is the cleanest run. Pick it up near the Shaughnessy end, hold it west along the river to United Boulevard, then come up through the Cape Horn interchange onto Brunette Avenue. It avoids every signal on the Lougheed strip through Coquitlam, and outside the afternoon peak it is a steady 12 minutes.

From Birchland Manor, Glenwood and Oxford Heights

The Lougheed Highway is the more natural choice from the north and east side of PoCo. You trade a few sets of lights for a shorter approach, and it drops you onto Brunette a couple of blocks from our door. Budget 15 minutes on a weekday afternoon.

From Citadel Heights, Riverwood and Lincoln Park

Come down to the Lougheed Highway first, then choose your corridor as above. From the far north end, realistically 15 to 18 minutes. Parking on site is free, which sounds small until you are doing it four evenings a week.

Ages 5 to 12

Kids Classes Built Around the After-School Run

The question for a PoCo parent is whether you can get a child from the school bell to a mat without the evening collapsing. Our kids classes run at 4:15pm and 5:00pm, which is what makes it possible.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays we run both blocks, 4:15 to 5:00pm and 5:00 to 5:45pm. Mondays and Wednesdays have a single 5:00 to 5:45pm class. If your child finishes at 3:00pm, the 4:15 slot absorbs the drive with room to spare. If you are collecting them after work, aim at the 5:00pm class on any of the four days and you will be back in Port Coquitlam before 6:30pm.

Two children at different stages often take the back-to-back Tuesday and Thursday blocks, turning one trip into ninety minutes of training. Details are on the kids Jiu-Jitsu page and the current timetable is on the schedule.

Ages 13 and Up

Adult Classes and a PoCo Work Day

Adult Jiu-Jitsu runs Monday to Thursday, 7:00 to 8:00pm each of those nights, plus a 6:00 to 7:00pm class on Wednesday. Seven is late enough that you can leave a Port Coquitlam office at 6:00pm, eat, and still walk in unhurried. It is the slot most of our PoCo members use.

The one worth knowing about is the midday class: adult Jiu-Jitsu from 1:00 to 2:00pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Very few gyms in the area put a class on the mat in the middle of a weekday. If you work shifts, work from home, drive for a living, or have a flexible schedule, that hour is the easiest one to protect, and the drive in from PoCo at 12:40pm is nothing at all.

Classes cover both gi and no-gi. Beginners are not held in a separate stream for months; you train in the room with everyone else and are shown the version of each technique that fits where you are. The adult Jiu-Jitsu page covers what that looks like.

Other Reasons to Make the Trip

More Than One Thing on the Timetable

Jiu-Jitsu is the core of what we do, but not the only thing on the mat. We also run kickboxing for ages 13 and up, a women's self-defense program, and wrestling. Some members drive in from PoCo for two disciplines rather than one, which changes the arithmetic on the commute considerably.

If the group timetable does not line up with your week, private lessons can be booked at times that do. We also host birthday parties, which is how many PoCo families first end up in the building.

Who You'll Train With

The Reason the Drive Is Worth It

A twelve-minute drive is only worth doing if what waits at the other end is better than what is close by. Our head instructor is Professor Khatib Ahmad, a fourth degree black belt, joined on the mat by Professor Mahan Salimian and Professor Ash "Smash" Mashreghi, both black belts, along with Coach Igor Vavi at brown belt and Coach Kim at purple.

That is an unusual amount of experience for one room. We hold a 5.0 rating from 116 Google reviews, the highest of any dedicated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym in Coquitlam. More about the school is on the about page.

Trying It

Your First Class Is Free

Every new student, child or adult, gets a free trial class. That is the honest way to answer the question this page cannot: whether the drive from Port Coquitlam feels reasonable once you have done it. Come at the time of day you would really be training, and you will know.

Wear a t-shirt and shorts or track pants with no zips, and bring water. We will lend you a gi if the class needs one. Call 604-777-0396 or use the contact page, and tell us you are coming from PoCo so we can point you at the class that fits your run in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions From Port Coquitlam Students

The things Port Coquitlam families ask us most often before booking a first class. If yours is not here, call the academy and ask.

How long is the drive from Port Coquitlam?

Roughly 12 to 15 minutes from most of Port Coquitlam. From Central PoCo and Mary Hill, the Mary Hill Bypass to United Boulevard and the Cape Horn interchange is fastest. From Citadel Heights or Riverwood, allow 15 to 18 minutes.

Can my child get here after school in time for class?

Yes. Kids Jiu-Jitsu runs at 4:15pm on Tuesday and Thursday, and at 5:00pm Monday through Thursday. A child finishing school at 3:00pm in Port Coquitlam comfortably makes the 4:15 class. Classes end at 5:45pm, so you are home before dinner runs late.

Is there an evening class that works after a PoCo work day?

Adult Jiu-Jitsu runs 7:00 to 8:00pm Monday through Thursday, plus a 6:00 to 7:00pm class on Wednesday. Leaving a PoCo workplace at 6:00pm gives you time to eat and still arrive unrushed.

Do you have daytime classes for shift or flexible schedules?

Adult Jiu-Jitsu runs 1:00 to 2:00pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Midday classes are rare in this part of the Tri-Cities, and from Port Coquitlam they mean an easy drive with no rush-hour traffic either way.

Can I try a class before committing to the commute?

Yes, and we would encourage it. New students of every age get a free trial class. Book it at the time you would actually attend, so you experience the real drive rather than a quiet Saturday version of it. Call 604-777-0396.