Charlottesville Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

My husband loves it here and really wish he could go more often. The people are awesome– studio owner Gordon is fantastic as an instructor and a role-​model of sorts.
I would say that they make the practice really safe and really good for the body. They have fighting and boot-​camp classes and it’s always a kick-​butt worth every penny experience.

I was a member of this school for two years while living in Charlottesville. In short, I would recommend it to almost everyone.
Facilities: Their new location on Allied is fantastic — it is roomy enough for all the classes that they offer. There are multiple changing areas and a bathroom (no locker rooms or showers, but that isn’t really an issue). There is never trouble with parking. They have new high-​quality equipment for muay thai and conditioning. One of the top 5 things about this gym is how clean and hygienic it is. They disinfect the mats AND the equipment all the time, no other gym that I know does that.
Instruction: The instructors are overall very good. Kyle, who teaches Muay Thai is very good and has a great style of teaching, especially with beginners. Very patient and without any ego/​superiority nonsense. Gordon is fantastic as well. In fact, all of the teachers and assistants here are great: they spend a lot of time and clearly put a lot of thought into every class session. Safety is a priority here so you don’t have to worry about being recklessly instructed to do something you aren’t ready for. The muay thai classes have a warm up element, drilling combos, partner work, pad work, and there is controlled sparring and pad rounds for those who are interested. There are enough people of varying skills so everyone except the most seasoned kick boxers will have a challenge and a good workout. They are very beginner friendly, they will teach you the basics and you won’t feel like you are holding back the class. The conditioning classes are awesome; you get to start your weekend with a sense of accomplishment and a sick-​nasty workout while listening to 80’s rock ballads.
Membership/​Sales: Membership here isn’t cheap considering they only offer a couple of classes per day. However, since they are vastly superior to the competitors in the area, they can afford to charge what they do. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t unreasonably expensive, but since they have small class sizes and don’t have thousands of members like mma gyms in big cities, they don’t have the scale to offer bargain memberships. The flip-​side is that you get muay thai/​conditioning classes with 5 – 8 people and often two instructors, so it is like private lessons rather than group classes. The contract (if you choose to have one!) is not predatory (another top 5 thing about this gym) and while they do outsource billing, Gordon handles the contracts himself so you don’t need to jump through hoops when you have a billing-​related question. Another top 5 thing is that Gordon will accommodate students who spend their summers elsewhere — he will freeze your membership! If you move, he will let you out of your contract! I can’t emphasize how different that is from any other gym. That brings me to sales — CVille BJJ is catered to developing lifelong relationships with people and families, they aren’t trying to coerce people into contracts with shifty sales tactics. No upsell, no problems canceling, no written notice requirements, no nonsense.
People: The members here represent a cross-​section of the Charlottesville community. Good mix of temporary residents (students, contractors) & locals. They are friendly towards females, military, beginners, students, essentially everyone. Very accepting and genuinely good people at this gym. You always hear people helping each other out with finding apartments, jobs, recommending doctors, mechanics, etc…

This is a great school with a great instructor and great people. The tuition is reasonable and includes all classes. Gordon is one of the best martial arts instructors I’ve ever had and I’ve been training for almost 30 years. He explains technique and principles well and is patient. The school has a great atmosphere and everyone is friendly. It is a great balance of a good atmosphere but with serious training. I can’t recommend Cville BJJ enough!