MBJJ - NOVA UNIÃO CALIFÓRNIA — Local services in Redwood City

WOMEN & NEWBIES - DO NOT TRAIN HERE!!!

I'm not usually one to leave bad reviews, but I truly hope that I can help others avoid the experience I had at Nova Uniao.

I signed up for BJJ, classes, interested in eventually competing. However, from the second I walked into the studio, every coach there started pushing me towards MMA classes, saying these are more appropriate for "girls". I tried several times to attend the women's BJJ classes on Saturday mornings, but each time the class was cancelled with no notice because no one had shown up to train. When I asked Coach Pedro about this, he just told me to show up for the next class, as if my time is valueless and I have all day to travel back and forth to classes that may or may not happen.

Because the BJJ classes weren't working out for me, I tried the MMA classes for about 3 weeks. I got about 10 minutes of beginner instruction at the very start, but after that Coach Carlos expected me to use equipment I had received no instruction on how to use, and to follow moves with no explanation of how these moves fit with the numbering system I had learned during my beginner instruction. I was completely unable to follow the class and had to rely on kind fellow students to take time out of their training to help me, because Coach Carlos refused to answer any questions or provide any further instruction. I tried to ask him for clarification several times over weeks, but each time he ignored me. When I finally essentially forced him to take 5 seconds to listen to my question, he snidely said he did not teach me that, and then walked away without answering the question. He made it clear that he thought I was being a huge problem and incredibly stupid for requiring any instruction at all.

Because I had been misled about the BJJ classes and Coach Carlos refused to do the bare minimum of his job, I asked for a refund on my membership. Coach Pedro tried to lie to me on the phone about how he had given me an inaccurate schedule with classes that didn't actually happen until I pulled up the schedule he'd given me and started reading directly from it. He also explained that, even though the studio falsely advertises that it trains women, no women currently regularly train at the studio. Coach Pedro then proceeded to string me along for months just to get a refund for the BJJ uniform I had purchased. Since I returned the uniform to him completely unused, there was no reason he couldn't give me a refund immediately, but instead he made up an excuse about how he needed to sell the uniform to someone else first, as if it's my problem that he misled me about what classes are available. It took 2 months to get a refund, with him telling me multiple times the refund would be available and then it wasn't. If it's so uncommon for someone of my size and stature to sign up for BJJ, he should have told me this when I signed up, but instead he just wanted to take my money.

Every staff member at Nova Uniao consistently and exclusively refers to adult female athletes as "girls". I am an athletic person who has participated in many sports and workout classes, and I have never been treated with the lack of basic respect or responsibility I received from Coach Carlos in Nova Uniao's MMA classes. It was really a bizarre experience. I guess don't attend Nova Uniao unless you're an experienced male fighter, because that seems to be the only type of student the coaches have any respect or...

I recently moved to Redwood City from San Jose and was looking for a new Jiu-Jitsu gym. I spoke to a few coworkers who train and recommended a few schools, MBJJ included. I did a few free day trials and even called/emailed other gyms who never responded back. When I reached out to MBJJ they were very welcoming and responded right away.

Meeting Pedro was like meeting an old friend I hadn’t seen in awhile. Pedro is very kind and personable. After rolling with a few of the other blue belts I knew this was not a McDojo. Myself being a blue belt for a little 2 years have had some experience rolling with others. That being said it’s obvious a lot of the students here like to compete, which I like.

I liked that Pedro wanted me to try out the gym for a few days before I signed up. I understand it’s a business, but I felt like Pedro was genuine in make sure this place was a right fit for me.

Fast forward a month or so, and my jiujitsu has improved quite drastically. I like that the school offers gi and no gi classes. I’ve also never felt pressured in buying any of the merchandise the school provides (not really a strict uniform policy which I like). I also enjoy how Pedro has other coaches run class such as Jordan who is a very talented purple belt.

In my opinion the curriculum can go from basic to advanced pretty quickly. I haven’t taken any of the begging courses, due to the scheduling conflicts but I’m sure the instruction is broken down in further detail. Lastly, every time I come in I see Pedro work with the children’s program. It’s always high energy and the kids seem to really enjoy the class. I’m excited for when my little one can start to train.

I would like to discuss some things, I wouldn’t call them cons but just,..things. This gym is located inside an actual weight lifting gym in downtown. That being said parking is limited, you’ll more than likely have to pay for parking. Being in the gym does have its perks though, such as having access to the weights and other gym facilities.

I also wish there were morning classes. With my life/work schedule 12:00 just won’t work for me except on the weekends. Mat space is also limited. If a lot of people show up, just know you might be standing out a round.

Who ever read this long winded review I hope to see you at a...

I have been training BJJ for four years and have had a lot of different training experiences during that time. What distinguishes MBJJ from the other gyms I have trained at (in the Bay Area, Corona/Riverside, Tucson, and even Spain) is the warmth, instructional clarity, and patience exhibited by the instructors here.

First, I have never felt afraid to make a mistake at MBJJ and am extremely grateful for the patient, warm, thorough, and clear instructions offered. I sometimes struggle to retain new information positionally, and I am always allowed the grace to mess up as many times as I need to before I master a move. No one is shamed for making mistakes, but, rather, encouraged to try, mess up, then try again until they absorb the material into their game.

Second, the very popular children and young adult program at MBJJ contribute to a family atmosphere, where growth is celebrated and deliberate effort is made to instill positive virtue and life lessons about resilience, hard work, discipline, and sportsmanship to young BJJ practitioners. It is my belief that these lessons will continue to serve these children later in life.

Third, the atmosphere between training partners at MBJJ is never hostile or overly competitive. The space is friendly and open to newcomers of all levels and abilities. The professors meet everybody where they are at and differentiate their instructions based on skill-level. Beginners and more experienced martial artists all have an opportunity to be challenged and learn new things from the extremely knowledgeable and experienced coaches at MBJJ. Additionally, as a female BJJ practitioner, I have never felt uncomfortable, unwelcome, or intimidated by the atmosphere in the training space at all. Everyone is welcome, no matter who they are.

Fourth, MBJJ is literally located in a gym! It is so cool to have all the resources of a fully-functioning, state of the art gym available to us before or after training.

In summary, MBJJ is a great place to train, learn, grow, and be. I am happy to have found a great place to learn and to have met instructors who have advanced my BJJ abilities and challenged me to be...