Higher Ground Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Awesome place for anyone that wants to learn the «Gentle Art» of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The instructors have a wealth of knowledge they are willing to share and the environment they provide is perfect for learning a martial art. I highly recommend this place to train. They are open 5 nights a week and 3 morning classes during the day. Come by and check out how Jiu Jitsu can change your life!

I’ve been going here for about 4 months now and I’ve learned so much over the course. I use to train at mt. Sac for a semester many, many years ago, but lack of knowledge and skills over at mt. Sac compared to higher grounds are night and day. I’m definitely pleased that I’m getting the proper training now.

I moved to California in August of 2014, and was looking to find a new BJJ school with a warm and friendly environment with world-​class instructors. As soon as I stepped foot in Higher Ground, they made me feel right at home. Julio and Sean are excellent, high-​level instructors, incredibly friendly and welcoming, super patient, and very detail-​oriented. Even though I spend most of my time getting completely rag-​dolled, I know that my game has improved leaps and bounds. Everyone on the team is great, and will welcome you with open arms. Within a week I felt like I was part of the family. Amazing school!

My friends and boyfriend have been coming here since Julio first opened the gym since he used to train at UFC gym. My work schedule is very busy so I would only be able to come to Higher Ground and spectate once in a while.
Everyone here is so welcoming, humble, dedicated, friendly, and the list goes on. It hasn’t been long but I could honestly say that you won’t find another place with so many wonderful people under one roof.
I decided to give BJJ a try for the first time after I got off of work on Wednesday, February 25. The gym never worked out for me because I felt unmotivated and bored. Doing the drills and rolling around made me feel more engaged. It didn’t feel like a work out at all because I was having so much fun. I really learned a lot just within the first day!
I could see why girls would get scared off by all the sweat but it’s really not bad at all. It made me feel out of shape but things like this takes time. Waking up sore made me feel really good. Don’t get discouraged and frustrated just because you don’t get everything the first time.
I CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK!

Trained at this gym for about 4 months and planning to come back again soon (still a white belt). When I first started my «jiu jitsu» journey, I tried to do extensive research before I chose a permanent place to train. I checked out a few gyms before committing to this place and I’m so glad I chose HGBJJ!
My first month was surely a challenge, but both instructors (Julio and Sean) were so helpful and pushed me to break out of my comfort zone and got me to achieve some crazy techniques and physical training that I never knew I could do (back rolls, front rolls, sweeps, etc). It’s just a really great environment and positive vibe where you can release your stress in a positive way.
The class is very organized and structured, and the lessons are easy to understand and they will help you all along the way. I have since gotten a new job which is further, but I still plan to come back because there is no other gym that can compare! HGBJJ! OSS!

Julio and Sean are great instructors. If you want to train BJJ in a great environment, HGBJJ is the place. If your interests in BJJ are competition, self-​defense, physical fitness, or hobby-​related, it’s all here. The students here are respectful, friendly, and help each other to improve. With the top notch instruction, great teammates, and intense training, this is definitely the place to train. I plan on improving my BJJ skills here. Train hard, but train safe!

I have been to 2 other jiu jitsu gyms near my house including Caique and Gracie Barra and have tried trials at all three places before signing up with Higher ground.
Although the other two gyms were a bit closer to my house i chose higher ground for many better reasons.
I really enjoyed the friendly vibe of all members and staffs. The two instructors are very credible and knowledgeable. The mats are clean all the time. They got two seperate changing rooms for both men and women.
They will train and help u get to ur goal.
I highly recommend any future bjj practitioner to come for a trial class especially if u live in rowland, diamond bar, walnut, and chino hills area.

Place is awesome! Great instructors, great students and an overall a great vibe at this place. You’ll not only learn the most effective way to defend yourself on the ground, but you’ll quickly make friends with everyone includ9ng the instructors and owners. As an added bonus, you’ll learn some portuguese too. No watered down Mcdojo here, traditional amd modern training for every skill level and fitness level and age. I highly recommend it.

I started doing BJJ at Higher Ground when it opened last year and have fallen in love with it! Many woman are turned off by jiujitsu when they first see it because of the close contact, sweat, and awkward positioning (I totally was!), but when you try it, you realize that jiujitsu is an artform, and all those other worries just disappear as you practice this art with your team mates.
As a woman, our needs are different in this male dominated sport, but the instructors at Higher Ground know how to welcome everyone. The following are some aspects that I really appreciate about Higher Ground:
1. Like other people mentioned, it’s CLEAN. They scrub down the mats with bleach solution every day, so I’m not even worried about putting my face on the mat.
2. Environment is key. The instructors make sure to maintain good vibes at the gym. This always includes listening to Brazilian reggae music, lots of positivity, and the regulation of over-​aggression and too much ego. This is especially important for the safety of smaller grapplers (eh hem, myself).
3. Instruction is well organized and structured. Sean and Julio are very patient when explaining a new move and answer questions (not all instructors do this at other bjj gyms). They also go around and make sure that everyone is doing the move right when we are drilling the move.
Bottom line, Higher Ground is full of great people. If you are even curious to see what BJJ is, I encourage you to check out a class and really see what it’s about. Who knows, it might just change your life!

Gave this place a try because of all the good reviews and I must say I was very impressed. Right of the bat, I noticed the instructor’s attentiveness (His name is Sean. Cool dude! So patient). Even if you’re novice, he and the other instructor will include you in all the activities, and take a genuine interest in you mastering the craft. It’s a really supportive environment.
The place itself is very clean. I’d hate to grapple in an unkempt location so this was definitely a plus. The bathroom is very clean too!
They also have tournaments every so often so you can practice everything you have learned with others. I really liked this about Higher Ground. It eases you into getting used to having matches. But the best thing about these tournaments was that they really make you feel like winner because they know how hard you have worked.
All and all, my favorite BJJ joint.

I love this place!!! The atmosphere is amazing and the instructors maintain a place with tradition, honor and family fun. The best place in town!!!

I came here for a tournament and I was impressed with the academy and everyone there. I saw the people in the school compete and they are very skilled at what they do. The atmosphere here is welcoming and friendly. I also could tell that people do have a good time here. Another thing to add, is this place is very well kept and clean. To anyone, who lives around the Rowland heights area; this is the place to take BJJ at.

Great place to learn brazillian jiu jitsu. Julio and Sean are very helpful instructors. They explain techniques with a lot of detail, which is needed for the sport and motivate their students to be consistent with the training.
Clean mats, great instruction, and humble teammates… what more can you ask for?

I discovered this place at the recommendation of my friends, Matt G. and Isaac B who have been training there. I had a previous BJJ experience with Gracie Barra, and I was hesitant to try again. These guys are great. Julio and Sean make you feel at ease and the instruction is top notch. The members who I have attended class with are all very friendly and willing to help and instruct you along as well. There is no sense of false bravado — no attitudes of I’m better than you or any feeling that people want to «show off» their skill level. Down to earth. Great rates. Nice, clean location and people who epitomize the «gentle art.» Recommend this place hands down.

I have been training Jiu Jitsu for 9 Years and this place offers Great training with the Genuine Spirit of the gentle art. If you are interested in The art of Jiu Jitsu and desire good training, Good teaching and a humble but fierce teacher. Dont look any further.

Excellent place to learn technique and to build a solid foundation in bjj. The instructors are very humble and helpful. Highly recommend

This is a really cool Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu dojo in the heart of Rowland Heights. It’s a welcoming, clean environment with big mats — the fact that it has a women’s dressing room is a big plus! (A lot of bjj schools don’t). The owners, who are also the instructors are full of knowledge and experience, better yet, they are down to earth! You won’t feel intimidated about asking a question or asking for help on a move.
I recommend this place to anyone who is interested in learning about Brazilian jiu-​jitsu even with no past experience.

My 7 year old daughter was wanting to get into martial arts, so we decided to give Higher Ground a try and we were very happy! The instructors were awesome and soooo good with all the kids! I was very impressed and my daughter even more so! She loved it so much and she is excited and anxious to keep it up!