Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy

Ive been one of Chris’s students for 4+ years. I was 41 when I started was overweight and in bad shape and if it wasnt for Chris’s patience and teaching style I would never have been able to continue this long. At this point I’m a purple belt, Ive been training long enough to know what a good and technical instructor Chris is. We also have another amazing instructor «junior» and both of them are as good as any teacher out there in my opinion. Its a family atmosphere and I learn as much from the other students as I do from the teachers and thats how it should be if its done right. I notice that some of the other reviews talk about the contract and the fee. The reason for the contract is that Chris doesnt want people coming in and leaving all the time and as a student I apprectiate that but if you have a problem with it I recommend you talk to Chris. Also if the monthly is too much for you that doesnt warrent a bad review. Its a small academy and actually most of the adult students are professionals and thats exactly the type of place I was looking for. I hope this review is helpful.

Best bjj school on the peninsula. Great for kids, adult fitness and competition. Prices are fair for more than a world of knowledge and experience that these people are willing to share ! I love this spot !

I had wanted to learn BJJ for many years, but watching a few classes at different schools had me nervous and intimidated. Charles Gracie San Mateo was different. Chris Kelly was inviting and understanding, and the students were like me, interested in the art and the camaraderie, not there to prove anything. I joined the academy and never regretted it. Chris is a true student of martial arts. Not only does he understand the techniques, he also studies how to best communicate the techniques during instruction, and it shows! This made it very easy to learn. He has also done quite a great job at keeping the rougher element out of his school. I imagine that some of the negative feedback on Unilocal may be coming from this type of student who did not ‘fit in’. Not only have I spent the last two years learning an art that I’ve come to love, but I’ve also made friends that I will have for life. Thanks to Chris for opening this school. I’ve brought several of my own personal friends to the school, and I would definitely recommend it.

O Stars!
–Not a good place for children.
–They don’t have good instructors.
–They don’t pay much attention to what kids are doing.
–Very expensive.
–Their program is weak.
–Staff is dishonest.
–They tie you up to a contract.

If you’re looking for a mellow place to roll and learn some BJJ, this is the place. The head instructor Chris Kelly really focuses on communicating the technical details in a concise, comprehensible manner. All of the students spar with you at the pace you want, and are helpful with pointers and advice. Although somewhat small, the space lends to a collegial atmosphere where you never feel like you’re lost in the cracks. At other larger martial arts academies I’ve trained at, it’s sometimes a struggle to get the instructor’s attention to get hinters. I’ve been here for three years now and love every minute of it.

I’ve spent some time looking at different BJJ places in the area. Here’s what I found about CGA as it compares to what is recognized as the best place to train in the Peninsula, Peninsula BJJ:
Cost: CGA is about $ 200/​month, PBJJ is about $ 150
Size: CGA is very small, with no changing room, and not a lot of workout space; PBJJ is huge, with men’s/women’s changing rooms, workout/​stretching room, and a gigantic workout space
Contracts: CGA: Yes, and have heard they try to get you to sign 2– or 3-​year contracts; PBJJ: no contracts, no obligations
Instructor: CGA: was a purple belt only two years ago, doesn’t compete; PBJJ: run by a multiple Pan Am Game Winner, 3^rd degree black belt. PBJJ has a number of black belts that train regularly (CGA has Zero) and visiting instructors from Brazil
Students: CGA: Lots of people that are completely new, meaning they just muscle their way through things and don’t have anything to teach one another; PBJJ: lots of students, so lots of different groups — women, teens, kids, older guys, college students. Lots of very experienced guys that help the newer people
I’m not writing this as a commercial for Peninsula BJJ, just as the result of a lot of research — I was thinking of signing with CGA but wanted to check out other places before getting myself into a long-​term contract for a lot of money.
I don’t see any reason why this place thinks they can charge as much as they do. When I went to PBJJ, I spoke to a few people that had trained at CGA before and left with not a lot of good stories to tell.
I’m not including info on the other places I looked into, as they weren’t pure jiu-​jitsu places like CGA and PBJJ are.
Hope the research comes in useful. I’ll be a student at PBJJ as of next week.

Chris Kelly is a great instructor! He trained my kids when he was teaching at Charles’ Daly City location. He’s open-​minded and always looking for ways to improve his instruction. Consequently, my kids excelled when he was teaching there. He also incorporated practical self defense and stand-​up fighting, which is often lacking in BJJ training.
From my perspective, a purple belt is up-​and-​coming and hungry to excel, especially if they are running a school. They need to work harder to prove themselves. BJJ black belts have proven themselves on the mat, but they may not necessarily be the best teacher/​trainer. Chris is a great teacher/​trainer.

I can appreciate the other reviewers hesitance to respect a school taught by a purple belt, especially one that doesn’t compete (although his students have done very well in competition) as it doesn’t give anyone the typical base lines used to judge a BJJ school. However, I’ve been to a few (the rest taught by black belts) and can say that from a teaching perspective Chris is damn good at what he does. At other schools taught by BBs I’ve been surprised at the inability of the teachers to effectively communicate the intricacies of the moves, and the devil is in the details unless you want to thug your way (and probably gas in 30 seconds) thru moves.
My only beef with the school is the pricing it out of hand. I fully understand that rents in the Bay Area are higher than most places and can appreciate being slightly above the average school’s rent. However, you can train at Renzo’s school or with Marcelo at Studio X, both of which are located in Manhattan (not known for it’s cheap real estate costs) for less!

This is a retraction from my previous review of the academy. Chris Kelly is the head instructor here and is a very inviting and passionate fellow in regards to his forte. He immediately invited me back for a 2^nd opinion of his academy, thus he truly cares about the instruction he gives and the students’ experience. His instruction was sound and technical and is a great place to learn fundamentals at.
Only thing though is… the mat space is small so only a few heads can be down at a time when rolling.