Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Santa Cruz

My 6 yr old daughter started at Gracie JJ a few months ago because her friend was taking classes. I hadn’t even considered it for her but she was insistent. I have been so pleasantly surprised by the program and Steve. She not only learning coordination and agility but the Bulleyproof program is teaching her confidence, self-​awareness and personal safety skills. These are skills that all children should learn. As a father himself, Steve is great with kids and approaches the kids with compassionate discipline… not ego or macho attitude. My daughter loves her weekly classes. I can’t wait for my 3 yr old son to start next year!

When I was looking for a school to start training in GJJ I found this one and Steve welcomed myself as well as my own students with open arms. He is a great guy and a great instructor, he breaks everything down in a way that is easy to understand and helps you retain the information. Everyone I’ve trained with has been super helpful and supportive. There’s a real sense of community and training to train, not just get belts. I would highly recommend this school to anyone looking to improve their ground game as well as a healthy lifestyle and sense of belonging.

My children, 11 and 9, have been taking bully proof classes at Gracie Jiu Jitsu Santa Cruz since April. They enjoyed the classes right away. Steve, their teacher is fantastic and creates such a fun and comfortable environment for the children.
My son is on the shy side and has quit every activity he has participated in. The confidence I have seen in him since taking classes is astounding! He speaks up in class, wants to demonstrate moves, and is comfortable there. He told my husband and I that he never wants to stop going!
Our daughter has had some experience with verbal bullying at school and it is so great that she can go to class and talk about her experience and get feedback and ideas of how she can stand up for herself.
We are very happy with this program and with the teachers who we can tell really care for all the children who participate.
We know that with the skills they are learning at Gracie Jiu Jitsu they will be able to stand up for themselves and for others with confidence.
We hope to participate for a very long time!

My daughter (almost 6) has been going to Gracie Jiu Jitsu since they first opened and has totally «caught the bug». She is a very shy and reserved girl but within weeks she has been a lot more assertive and confident in class even though she one of the younger kids. The atmosphere is very intimate and feels safe.
She attends the Bullyproof Program, which focuses on teaching kids how to deal with Bullys and difficult situations. First, they do a fun warm-​up and then during stretching/​circle time they can talk about how they helped their parents etc out that week. They can collect points for doing chores (more points if they do it without being asked) and then cash in those points during «Gracie Game Day». My daughter is all of a sudden very helpful around the house. :) Lastly, they learn a new technique and practice with the teacher and each other. I really like that they role play a lot and learn what to SAY in a difficult situation (e.g. «I didn’t want to fight you. When I let you go, will you leave me alone?»).
Classes are taught by Steve (owner) and he is amazing. I really appreciate his no-​nonsense approach. He is funny yet firm with the kids. It’s nice to have a male instructor for once — and my daughter loves him. He instinctively understands what each kids needs to get the best out of them.