Gracie Barra Princeton Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Self Defense — Local services in Lawrence Township

Since April, it has been an absolute pleasure having my son attend Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu Jitsu School in Lawrenceville, NJ. Namely due to the fact that the staff (Professor Turtle, Coach Sarah, Coach Matt, Parker, Owden and Julie), take great effort in training my son; he is easily distracted and I give credit to anyone up for the challenge. Additionally it helps there is a large instructor to student ratio. Moreover the structure and class content gains my son’s attention and focus, assuring he's engaged in the sport.

The school has regularly scheduled training for all ages. Since my son is a smaller six year old, I found no issue fitting into a practical time slot with children his age, size and skill level.

Progressing through the levels without justification can sometimes be controversial. I don't want my son to think he only has to attend and go through the motions; he needs to participate. Kids earn their promotions here, which I appreciate and respect.

I'd also want to mention the pleasure it has been as a parent interacting with the staff. They are knowledgeable and very patient. I'd like to think that they must attend some mandatory training on dealing with unwieldy children. Believe me, there have been situations which have merit, but I've never seen them lose their cool. As a protective parent, I try to avoid establishments that do not practice proper customer/client edict.

Above all, after prospecting a few undisclosed locations, I found that this particular establishment makes you feel welcomed. Your child will learn a valuable skill here.

I would highly recommend sending your child/children here. They will be safe, happy, well rounded and learn immensely about the Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu...

My 5 year old son spent several months with GB Princeton. We went faithfully 3 times a week and I observed almost all of the sessions he attended. Although the positive vibes and passion for jujitsu are palpable and contagious at the school, ultimately we felt they did not deliver on a few critical factors for the younger kids. Specifically, we felt the teachers were not skilled at handling a large class of young students, and were unable to keep their attention throughout. We also felt there was very overt favoritism, with certain students receiving frequent accolades and other well deserving students were constantly overlooked. Instructors were sorely unable to provide structure and discipline when it came to basic skill-building wherein they allowed kids to make the same mistakes over and over and did not set clear expectations or provide corrections and feedback. Other issues arose around billing methods, and interactions with staff in which my son was cooed at and called cute every time he was there. Despite me reaching out to the management directly, these issues did not get resolved and we came to the conclusion this school was not the...

I first visited as part of an offer for free trial classes for two weeks. I got a membership after my very first class.

As someone with absolutely no knowledge of BJJ, I was unsure what the environment at Gracia Barra Princeton would be like or what I should expect. I’m happy to say that everyone I met (including those taking the class with me) were welcoming and helpful. The coaches took time to show me how to do everything from tying my belt to breaking/applying holds.

As a teacher/coach, I love the way beginner classes are structured. After a warm up there is a demonstration of self defense techniques and other components of BJJ. Instructors demonstrate several times at different angles to help you see what it should look like. You then apply what you learn with a partner with coaches nearby to provide feedback and give tips as you work. Towards the end of class you then apply what you learned in a live scenario with a partner. Coaches’ process of explaining, demonstrating, guiding, and then enabling is exactly what I do in my classroom/gym.

I am thrilled to be a member of Gracie Barra Princeton and would encourage anyone to come...