location_on

Balance Studios

categoryAcademy
calendar_month2002
location_onPhiladelphia United States

Description

Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai academy in Philadelphia, the only Relson Gracie affiliate in the city, co-founded in 2002 by brothers Phil and Ricardo "Rick" Migliarese, themselves Relson Gracie black belts. It is where the Migliarese brothers guided Lex Fridman from white belt to black belt.

Also known as

Balance Studios HQ · Balance MMA

Locations (1)

  • location_onPhiladelphia United States
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
    warning No sources cited

Founders

Phil Migliarese
Ricardo Migliarese

Instructors (2)

  • Phil Migliarese
    Head instructor
    2002
    Probable
    Probable
    The studio's own site names the brothers as founders; one side only.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    The studio's own site names the brothers as founders; one side only.
    “The Migliarese Brothers are the founders of Balance Studios”
    — (2026). Balance Studioslink history info
  • Ricardo Migliarese
    Head instructor
    2002
    Probable
    Probable
    The studio's own site names the brothers as founders; one side only.
    The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    1 source expand_more
    fact_check
    The studio's own site names the brothers as founders; one side only.
    “The Migliarese Brothers are the founders of Balance Studios”
    — (2026). Balance Studioslink history info

Trained here (1)

  • Lex Fridman
    sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu Confirmed
    Confirmed
    Lex Fridman's own Instagram post, quoted by Jiu-Jitsu Times and Jits Magazine, names Phil and Rick Migliarese as the instructors who guided him from white belt to black belt; Wikipedia corroborates that Ricardo Migliarese awarded a black belt to Lex Fridman
    The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.
    under Ricardo Migliarese
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    2 sources expand_more
    fact_check
    Lex Fridman's own Instagram post, quoted by Jiu-Jitsu Times and Jits Magazine, names Phil and Rick Migliarese as the instructors who guided him from white belt to black belt; Wikipedia corroborates that Ricardo Migliarese awarded a black belt to Lex Fridman
    visibilityFirst-hand
    “I got a stripe on my jiu jitsu black belt today from Phil and Rick Migliarese who guided me from white belt to black belt, as mentors and friends.”
    — (2023). Lex Fridman Awarded First Stripe on Black Belt by Philadelphia's Migliarese Brotherslink history info
    “Migliarese also awarded a black belt to research scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman.”
    — Wikipedia contributors. (2026). Ricardo Migliarese. Wikipedia (English)link history info
    sports_martial_artsBrazilian jiu-jitsu Confirmed
    Confirmed
    Lex Fridman's own Instagram post, quoted by Jiu-Jitsu Times and Jits Magazine, names Phil and Rick Migliarese as the instructors who guided him from white belt to black belt; Wikipedia corroborates that Phil Migliarese awarded a black belt to Lex Fridman
    The evidence establishes the claim: it is sufficient and consistent, and any conflicting evidence is resolved.
    under Phil Migliarese
    fact_checkassessed by FSMverified
    Frederico Muñoz
    Researcher, Martialis
    2 sources expand_more
    fact_check
    Lex Fridman's own Instagram post, quoted by Jiu-Jitsu Times and Jits Magazine, names Phil and Rick Migliarese as the instructors who guided him from white belt to black belt; Wikipedia corroborates that Phil Migliarese awarded a black belt to Lex Fridman
    visibilityFirst-hand
    “I got a stripe on my jiu jitsu black belt today from Phil and Rick Migliarese who guided me from white belt to black belt, as mentors and friends.”
    — (2023). Lex Fridman Awarded First Stripe on Black Belt by Philadelphia's Migliarese Brotherslink history info
    “Migliarese also awarded a black belt to research scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman.”
    — Wikipedia contributors. (2026). Phil Migliarese. Wikipedia (English)link history info

Tags

bjj · academy · philadelphia · gracie-lineage

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (2026). Ricardo Migliarese. Wikipedia (English)link history info
(2026). Balance Studioslinkhistory info

Cite and reuse

CC BY-SA 4.0expand_more
Plain text
Muñoz, Frederico (YEAR_PLACEHOLDER). Balance Studios. In Martialis: Martial Arts Lineage Database. https://martial.is/entity/01KZRA7SNMVWK28RJGRX690B7A - CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed ACCESSED_DATE_PLACEHOLDER.
BibTeX
@incollection{martialis_01KZRA7SNMVWK28RJGRX690B7A, author = {Muñoz, Frederico}, title = {Balance Studios}, booktitle = {Martialis: Martial Arts Lineage Database}, year = {YEAR_PLACEHOLDER}, url = {https://martial.is/entity/01KZRA7SNMVWK28RJGRX690B7A}, urldate = {ACCESSED_DATE_PLACEHOLDER}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }
data_object JSON-LDdata_object Turtle
https://martial.is/entity/01KZRA7SNMVWK28RJGRX690B7A

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