Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Savannah — Local services in Savannah

For those considering the opportunity to enter into the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, please read this!

Savannah Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, owned and operated by Pedro Sauer black belt James Finizio, offers world-class instruction in a remarkably friendly environment, suitable for both beginners and advanced alike. Ask anyone who has attended the classes there and you will find that the feedback is consistent: James is an outstanding teacher. Not only is he an outstanding teacher, but he is an absolute phenom on the mat. In a world filled with less-than-stellar "black belts", James is the real deal.

Side note: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an extremely effective martial art. Please don't be offended when I say that many people have a sour taste in their mouths due to the infamous "mcdojo". You might know these places and may have even trained at one before. These are basically confidence building classes with a few questionably effective moves thrown in here and there. Pay your money, show up once in a while, and get your belts. If that is what you are looking for, you do you, but you should probably reconsider this new path you are exploring. Any stripe or belt you receive from James will take a back seat to the very real satisfaction you feel from actually learning more about your body and, more importantly, yourself. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, when practiced correctly, is as challenging as it is rewarding.

I should probably end my review here as I could go on forever about how great this school is. James won't say it, but its the best in the area. I live in Pooler, but there are people that drive all the way from Springfield to attend his classes. They really are that good. The people are great, ranging from 15 to 65 (don't be afraid! I assure you, somebody there will reflect your own circumstances). Oh, and if you have kids, drop by for one of the children's classes. Jimmy, Jame's righthand man, has some of the best pure Jiu-Jitsu around and is great with the kids. The skills they acquire here carry on in very practical ways for the rest of...

Learning a practical, physical skill set to practice and apply for your entire life is a great thing to pursue, and Gracie Jiu Jitsu Savannah is the best place to learn! People who visit from other schools or areas are always commenting on how precise and expert the teaching style is with James. Jiu Jitsu is a gentle, non-striking, but extremely effective form of self-defense and caters to all ages and genders. This school focuses heavily on the practicality of fundamentals and self-defense. We drill real-life scenarios and learn how to respond to the dynamics of an actual physical altercation. By applying what we learn while training in a controlled and safe environment, we are able to confidently apply what we learn during sparring sessions. Learning self-defense moves is great, but applying them with a resisting partner is what increases your ability to handle situations in the real world. If you ‘don’t like to fight’, then knowing how to stop one is precisely how Jiu Jitsu can help you. Most people don’t look for altercations, but being prepared for the unknown is key!

I was hesitant to try Jiu Jitsu at first, then walked in and was able to attend a few sessions at no cost. Jimmy (co-instructor) and James (head instructor and owner) were very welcoming and knowledgeable. The experience exceeded expectations. I paid for a full year after my 2nd class. It is phenomenal!

Savannah Gracie Jiu Jitsu will teach you the most fundamental techniques of self-defense that are most important to learn. The gym is a low-injury school and you also go at your own pace. Train easy or hard, and compete if you’d like or not. This is a wonderful community of people who make you feel welcome from day 1! Very high...

've trained several places and this gym is my favorite due to a great mix of socialability & flow in training.

The gym leader, James, most always teaches classes, which isn't the case at a lot of other schools which put that responsibility on the highest ranking student.

James' instruction is seriously well thought-out. The path to the next stripe/belt clear. It's difficult to explain coherently, but James' lessons flow well into one another. At some schools, training is all over the place in terms of techniques or drills, but James focuses on specific things for a couple weeks at a time, as well as their appendages.

For instance, James would announce that we're going to be working on takedowns for a couple of weeks. In that, we'd training take-downs every day, but in a single class we'd train one specific takedown (lets say starting from t-stance (perhaps not the correct term:P)), but then train what to do in several instances. The next day, you might pick up slightly from that, but a tweak on it.

Another very cool thing which can't be understanded is the sociability. Savannah Gracie Jiujitsu attracts people of all kind, big & small, old and young. Your classmates are friends and everyone wants to see one another succeed.

I also especially enjoyed the 'games' we'd play, like "sweep or submit", weapons practice, or sparring with tennis balls in our hands to remove grip from the equation.

A lot of smiles, laughter, serious training and comradre.

The gym trains for combat BJJ more so than sport (IE, no dropping to your knees and ensuring you protect your head at all times) but it's also heavily involved in the sport side, with the team traveling together to tournaments and...