Tim Peterson Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

I’ve already left a review for Robot Fight n Fitness where Tim is the owner and BJJ head coach, but I feel that he definitely deserves a separate review as a coach/​trainer himself. 5 stars, no hesitation. I’ve been training with Tim for about 2 years, and have been fortunate enough to begin private lessons with him for BJJ a few months back. Echoing others, he is a great mentor and friend, and it can’t be emphasized enough how talented Tim is as an instructor, especially in the way he can describe the principles behind every movement he’s teaching you. There are undoubtedly many guys out there who have a great grasp on jiu jitsu — but not all (as in any sport) are meant to be teachers. I (and my private lesson mate) constantly talk about how blown away we are by Tim’s knowledge of not just BJJ but the body and awareness in general. This includes stretches, myofascial release, you name it. These things alone have helped me improve my game and even helped on the physical therapy side with some knee issues I’ve had for years. Not something I was expecting by the way, just something I mentioned to him in passing!
In any class you are bound to get multiple people that are not only at different levels, but learn in their own way. Tim takes that challenge and embraces it, something you get from not only how he frames his lessons, but from how he answers each question that’s asked. Also, if you have any questions during a drill or sparring too, it almost feels as if you’re in a private lesson with the attention and detail he’ll give you when answering your question (s). But that also means during actual private lessons, that extra time and focus he can put in will improve your game (and for me, my understanding of a lot more behind it).
If you check out all of these reviews I think you should have a pretty good impression of Coach Tim, and I definitely add my recommendation to try a class, do a private lesson with him, or even just visit if you already train and get to see for yourself. Happy training :)

Tim is hands down one of the best Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu coaches I’ve had the pleasure of training under or have known. He an amazing mentor, coach and friend. He has created and amazing place to train and I believe I have become better in every aspect of my life because of training with him. He focus not only on Jiu-​Jitsu but correcting your bodies poor movement patterns in order to make every day life better. I can honestly say its a pleasure to train under him and with him.

The head instructor, Tim Peterson, is an amazing teacher. He teaches jujitsu in a fun and memorable way that can’t be replicated. Coach Tim is a phenomenal coach, teacher, mentor, and role model for my daughters. They have been training with him for 3 years and I see improvement with each session. His instructions/​techniques are easily understood by people of all ages. Coach Tim has incredible knowledge on the art of jujitsu, making him the most insightful coach at Robot.

Coach Tim has changed my life. Period. Over the past 5 years I have been truly lucky to be able to learn Jiu Jitsu from him at Robot Fight & Fitness. His understanding of the sport, the human body and the mechanics behind each move is truly inspiring. I highly suggest not only training here but taking privates from him. I gain huge strides every time I work with him and couldn’t imagine learning from anyone else. He will show you a whole new world, change your life and you will have fun and gain confidence in the process! I guarantee it! Talk about a win win win!

Prof. Tim Peterson exemplifies the word instructor. Not only does he get on the mats and shows you exactly what he teaches in live sessions. He has the ability to break down and define every detail that makes a movement successful.
This is a very special instructor. Being a black belt myself and in the military, I have been blessed to travel the world and train. These types of instructors are very few and far between. If you are in the Santa Monica area, I highly recommend training here.

I’ve taken private or semi-​private lessons with Tim for over six months. Coach Tim is beyond phenomenal as a teacher, coach, competitor, and mentor. To me, his best quality is that he can relate to anyone, and make the sport of BJJ accessible to all. He is a master at decomposing BJJ into manageable components, and delivering the instruction in a way that lets you see, and feel, how each move should go. His delivery is always done with humor and humility. He wants you to be your best, and thoroughly enjoys his part in getting you there.
Coach Tim is the guy for anyone looking to start, or improve, their game. Whether you’re interested in BJJ for fun, want to become a serious competitor, or would like to improve your advanced competition skills, Coach Tim is your guy.
If you’re thinking of taking BJJ lessons, call Coach Tim. Do a lesson with him, and you’ll know you’ve met a master at BJJ, its teaching, and one of the nicest guys around.

Tim is one of the most articulate and studied BJJ coaches out there. No matter what fitness or skill level, he can work with you. He truly cares about his students and works hard to address their individual strengths and weaknesses and improve their game.

I’ve been training under Tim Peterson since 2009. Since then, I’ve grown from a beginner to a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Tim has been a martial artist his whole life, and it really shows in everything he does. He’s a perfectionist who sets that same standard for all of his clients, and he facilitates that excellence in a nurturing way. Whether your goal is to get in shape, learn self-​defense, or become a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu, Tim will help you reach your goals in a results-​oriented, structured way.

I think the photo of Coach Tim posing on the mat says it all, but I guess I’ll write a review anyway…
I have been training Jiu Jitsu under Coach Tim since January 2013. As a newb to BJJ and mixed martial arts I felt pretty intimidated, and being one of a few girls training only magnified that sentiment. Coach Tim has not only made me feel extremely comfortable in his class, but has given me confidence in my abilities to learn and train, and knows just how to push me when I need it most. He takes the time to really get to know all of his students and has an amazing ability to pay close attention to every single one during drilling and sparring. Even in a larger class he makes you feel like you’re in a private lesson, so you can only imagine what an actual private would be like.
Coach Tim’s passion for BJJ and his students is evident not only by his charisma on and off the mat, but the amount of time and effort he puts into lesson plans, BJJ weekly email updates, blog posts for women’s BJJ, driving students to and attending all students matches, (does anyone know when this guy sleeps?) and if you haven’t seen his instructionals on youtube, you’re missing out.

Coach Tim Peterson is an amazing Jiu Jitsu instructor! I have been taking Jiu Jitsu classes with Tim, and I have done a few privates with him as well. Such a pro and a wonderful person overall!!! He really is great at teaching something that is so complex, so that even in my very first class/​session I walked away with a solid understanding of what we were doing. It felt amazing. Originally, I was very reluctant to try BJJ at first. But after Coach Tim had urged me to do it, I found out that I really loved it. I was also terrified to spar, and he had pushed me to try it. Again, I found that I really liked sparring! Had he not pushed me, I probably would have never done it.
Also, I have dealt with an injury which has caused me to have to sit out a few times (not caused from BJJ) and ended up in Physical Therapy. I was starting to get a little frustrated and depressed, but Coach Tim showed me that no matter what, I could take whatever exercises that I was doing in PT and relate them to BJJ so that I still felt like I was advancing, rather than sitting out. So not only is Coach Tim a great teacher/​coach, but he is above and beyond. He shows so much care and understanding to his students.
Anyone that is interested in learning BJJ, I highly recommend him. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else to learn Jiu Jitsu. I see him working with children too and they always look like they are having the best time (as does everyone else).
He is also really funny, and he has a really amazingly sweet dog that I love so much!

Tim is a phenomenal instructor. He really knows bjj and you can tell that he’s passionate about it and just very knowledgeable overall (it’s also ridiculous how smart he is and you can tell when he has great metaphors that he comes up with off the top of his head…). I’ve told a lot of people that when Tim is explaining a drill or a move, it’s perfectly clear and I never need to ask again or get clarification. He makes it easy to understand. I absolutely love learning bjj from him and his classes are fun as well (in addition to a killer workout and a drenched gi at the end of class).
Also, he takes the time to get to know his students and really cares about the improvement of each person (I’m talking about guys AND girls– girls: don’t be scared to try bjj!). I was scared out of my mind to start bjj and if I had a different instructor, I don’t think I would have lasted for more than 10 minutes. He also has some top notch students and he kicks ass when he competes, so clearly this guy is the cream of the crop when it comes to bjj. But whether you are a measly white belt like me or a tough brown/​almost black belt (definitely NOT me), Tim is willing to put the time and effort into passing down his bjj wisdom regardless of your level. And that’s just because he’s a really cool human being.
Take his class and you’ll never regret it.

I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to train privately with Coach Tim in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and its been an absolute pleasure. He is able to break down the various elements of each movement while also putting them into a larger context which has allowed me to confidently begin my journey into this amazing sport. As a novice with no martial arts experience Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be very intimidating but he creates a safe environment that made this sport accessible to me and anyone who wishes to learn BJJ.
Most importantly, his passion for BJJ is only exceeded by his obvious love of teaching which makes the overall experience really fun and something I look forward to every time I step into Robot.
For a beginner to an advanced practitioner — you will not be disappointed.

Tim Peterson is arguably the best coach in the business. Not only is he amazing at BJJ (he’s won nationals and placed in worlds for starters) but unlike many great BJJ competitors, he is above all a fantastic teacher. He understands Jiu Jitsu unlike anyone I’ve ever trained with and has such a comprehensive understanding of the underlying skills necessary to perform as an elite athlete he can improve anyones game at lightening speed in just a few lessons. He’s been teaching for over 10 years and I know he spends more time off the mat preparing for your lesson than he does on, which is hard to find. Plus he’s a really great guy and not so bad to look at either ;-).