Gracie Barra Culver City

Gerson is an amazing instructor, super technical and detail oriented. The gym is super friendly and welcoming to everyone. I’m in the best shape of my life training here. They offer a free class to people who want to try it out and see if they like it.

Amazing. Great instructors, love the sport. Whether you want to get in shape, or compete, this is the place to be. High level BJJ with great people. What more can you ask for?
Gerson, Jeremy and Daniel are great!
I’d recommend this place all day and night.
–Mike Oh

I am a Blue Belt in this place. I own a Martial Arts studio (tae kwon do) but I go here to get a good workout and a high level Jiujitsu training. No egos here and if there is, they are quickly checked by the Blackbelts. Ha ha ha
Anyways, good school and will recommend it to anyone willing to put up the workitakeprivate classes with Daniel (awesome instructor) and I also take the group classes with Gerson (nice guy and point by point great intructor/​owner)

I cannot believe that there aren’t more reviews of this place. I’ve been driving past the school for about ten years and finally decided to pop in and check it out mid-​week. The head instructor (Gerson Santiginitto) was there and about to teach a class. He took some time to chat with me. I found him warm and friendly.
I went back to the school the next week mid-​day to play on the mat. Gerson was friendly and low-​key. The other students (ranging from beginning to advanced) were also friendly and helpful. The class format is structured like a typical martial arts class: warm up drills, technical skill work, then sparring.
I watched the sparring (as it was suggested I not participate yet) and would describe it as a moderate intensity. No one was out of control or lost control. More importantly, everyone appeared to be be cognizant of his partner’s safety. I think the sparring was even stopped in one instance to prevent a possible injury.
The facilities are fine (a large room with a mat on the floor) with changing area (no shower facility at this time). The cost to train here is an absolute steal. (This is quite an understatement.) On top of that, Gerson offered to let me train a couple of times before making a decision. There’s not a single thing not to like. But everyone is different. If you’re looking for a place to train you should check this place out.

Been training here for the past 7 months and have enjoyed every single class that I have been to. The instruction quality is top notch and the training partners here are awesome as well. I wish I had started earlier, but better late than never. Give this place a try, Gerson won’t fail you.

I trained BJJ here for 2 ½ years while I was still in college (earning my blue belt =D)…great place with great people. Everyone is very welcoming and helpful. Gerson (the lead black belt) is a fantastic instructor who concentrates on technique rather then power and strength. Jeremy and Daniel (black belts as well) are also great instructors who anyone can learn from. There are no egos here and everyone encourages one another.

There are a ton of Taekwondo schools in Los Angeles, but one has to look very carefully to find quality. Most of the top TKD masters and teams reside far away in places like Chatsworth, Diamond Bar, and the OC. Choi’s TKD Club offers a school that is close to the LA area and provides top notch instruction and family atmosphere.
A checklist for someone looking to get into TKD (which is a great way to get in shape, learn an Olympic sport and Korean martial art, and up your daily energy level):
1. Is the instructor good — Check. James Choi is a former U.S. national team member at middleweight, and a medalist in many national/​international competitions. He was also the coach of the Penn State TKD team. He’s a great instructor, infinitely patient, but also willing to push everyone to their realistic limits.
2. Is the atmosphere welcoming — Check. The school is a great place. Everyone is friendly, and everyone trains seriously. They go out of their way to help newbies in, and there is a great family atmosphere here.
3. Is the quality of training up to par — Check. It is invaluable to have a former world class fighter teach you the art and sport of TKD. I highly recommend Master Choi as an instructor. And there are classes for every experience level, the classes are intense, and everyone trains hard to improve each other. I know there are several junior competitors, at the school right now, who are talented and working to breakout in national competitions. So the training partners are great here.
4. Is it affordable — Definitely. CTC was the best combination of top-​quality and affordable membership fees in LA that I found.
Overall, this is the best place in the near Los Angeles area to learn and train in Taekwondo. Go check it out! An added plus is that CTC has also partnered with Gerson Sanginitto, to also offer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu if you also want some grappling experience.

LOVE IT! where else can you take out your aggression on your boyfriend and get a blue belt for it!!! Just kidding! I started coming to this place 2 years ago when my brother and I decided to take jiu jitsu classes, we went to one place in Santa Monica which shall remain nameless and they do not allow women in their classes, they don’t even allow you to watch! what the heck! My brother was willing to join but he gave me a week to find an even better place for us to go to. Thank goodness for Mixed Martial Arts Center, the people there are amazing! So professional and friendly, when you go in they make you feel very welcomed. I reviewed and researched a lot of places around West L. A so I know that they have the best prices and people here.
They also teach Tae Kwon Do there, both the Jiu Jitsu and Tae Kwon Do instructors are amazing.
Here is a link to the schedule