Gracie Barra Headquarters - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Self Defense — Local services in Irvine

I've been training here since 2009 and have had a great experience. The Gracie Barra motto is "Jiu-Jitsu for Everyone" and there is something for everyone here. I strongly encourage you to come by the academy and see for yourself, but if you need the information:

BEGINNERS / CASUAL BJJ PRACTITIONERS: If you're just starting, they always make you feel welcome here. Some of the best people I've ever met are from here at Gracie Barra HQ.

SERIOUS COMPETITORS: If you're a serious competitor, there is never a shortage of talent. In the advanced and black belt classes, there are so many tough training partners. Even during the lunch time classes, there are a lot of brown and purple belts to test yourself.

KIDS: Brearin is one of the best in the business when it comes to teaching the kids. He has a lot of energy and knows how to have fun, but he is good at keeping he kids focused on learning. Coach Rod is also awesome with the kids too. The curriculum itself is not just BJJ centric and teaches kids different life lessons as well.

WOMEN: Women are always welcome in the regular classes, but they also have a women's program that is geared towards different aspects of BJJ.

TRAVELERS: When you sign up at one Gracie Barra, you can go to any of them worldwide. That way, you have no excuse not to train! There are a lot in the SoCal area alone and it's also a good way to make sure you train with other people you're not familiar with and don't get too familiar with the same people.

OTHER NOTES:

Over the years, there have been so many great instructors. More recently, Professor Philipe Della Monica has taken over as the head instructor and has continued to grow ever since. He is very well respected in the BJJ and MMA community as a competitor and coach. He is super friendly, but what stands out is his passion for teaching and his professionalism. He runs the school meticulously and even when he travels to teach seminars or corner MMA fighters, he is always back as soon as possible to teach. We are lucky to have him.

The point is that they're always working to improve the BJJ experience for you and you can't ask for anything more out of a BJJ school or any organization for...

I'll start by admitting that I've only started training here very recently, so these are more of my initial impressions. I'll probably provide an updated review in a few months.

The tagline for the GB franchise is "Jiu-Jitsu for Everyone", and that describes the atmosphere at GB Headquarters perfectly in that it is excellent at accommodating people with different goals for learning BJJ. Some people are doing it for fitness, others for self defense (like me), others for competition and MMA training, and so on. The students are also of all different shapes, sizes, and levels of athleticism as well. Regardless of those factors, all of them are meeting their goals through learning the art of BJJ. The instructors have a base of expertise that is diverse enough to answer questions and tailor their teaching to accommodate these different perspectives and aims.

Everyone I've come across is friendly and willing to help, and I have not encountered any egos in the other students as of this writing. The instructors are also patient at breaking down moves and principles, answering questions, and teaching at a pace where beginners like myself can pick it up. Great atmosphere for a beginner like me - who is small, not very flexible, fairly uncoordinated, and pretty out of shape.

I've had classes with about 5 different instructors so far. The curriculum each week is standardized, so the techniques/principles that are taught are the same but each instructor has a slightly different teaching style where they emphasize different points about the same set of moves. I personally like this, as it allows a student to learn a technique not only by its steps, but by its principles and options for when and when not to apply them.

A final positive is that they don't have long-term contracts like other gyms, so if something happens such that you're unable to train, you won't be locked in. That was a deciding factor for me signing up here, since I'm a student.

In short, I highly recommend it so far, especially to beginners regardless of their goals or level of athleticism.

Check back in a few months...

Over the course of training in the last year, I've learned jiujitsu is a very complex skill and takes decades of practice and dedication to truly master, which means there is no better way to train than at a thriving gym with instructors that care about the sport with serious enthusiasm and patience for all levels of progress.

But great jiujitsu instructors can come from anywhere, so let's talk about why you should train at THIS gym. Personally, I enjoy the many friendly regulars that train here, practicing and encouraging one another in their training. Everyone here has the same mindset in training, intentional with learning and practicing often to get things right. I also enjoy that there are TWO classes that occur simultaneously, one basic and advanced class, so no matter how long you've been training for, there's always something appropriate to your skill level. Different people come from around the world to train here as well, both local and international. And speaking of which, if you ever need to travel anywhere, there's a pretty good chance that a GB is open in that region, so you can literally take your training schedule with you.

One more thing I learned (given that the cost of jiujitsu training is actually quite expensive, this may be a real concern for some of you reading): many gyms are on a pay-per-session basis, and some may even limit your attendance based on how many days per week you go. Some will even limit based on WHICH days you attend. GB is different. You have the option to train on literally all days their doors are open in the calendar year for the same basic subscription cost. Think about the value of that compounding over time especially if you plan to attend even, at a minimum, 4 days a week.

Overall, HIGHLY recommend this gym. There are many other options for training jiujitsu, but only one has the means to elevate your...