Peninsula BJJ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

I feel lucky to have found this gym, and would recommend it to anyone in the bay area looking to learn traditional Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from a highly decorated black belt in a gym with a great family environment. I’ve been training here for almost three years now, and it’s been an incredibly supportive environment from day one, with some really tough training as well. As most reviews have mentioned, everyone from Marco (the head instructor) down the line of belts is super helpful and gives great advice for lower belts that really help them grow into their own game. The academy as a whole loves competing and places really well in tournaments. At the same time, many members also just train without the intention of competing and don’t feel pressured to at all. Everyone who trains here really loves Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Marco has a remarkably deep knowledge of the art that he passes down to his students. There’s an authentic family environment here as well because of the actual families that train here together and the friendships that are created on the mat.

I’ve been working in the area for nearly 3 months; when I first starting working in the area I wanted to find a good school that was inclusive and focused on traditional BJJ with an emphasis on competition. After looking around I found Peninsula Jiu Jitsu which seemed like a good traditional Brazilian jiu jitsu school. I wasn’t disappointed. For a small school there are plenty of high lever practitioners, the instruction is from a world class black belt, the gym has a good camaraderie and although I was an outsider from another team, I was made to feel welcome. Even their white belts are very skilled and enthusiastic about training and even competing. The team regularly competes and medals in the highest level of jiu jitsu competitions, which shows the schools commitment to technique and the art of jiu jitsu.
If I were to move to the area this would be my first choice for a jiu jitsu school. This is also a great school if you wanted to get into great physical shape while learning an applicable martial art or if you had kids you wanted to enroll in what I believe to be the best single martial art around.

I have been training here for almost 6 years and cannot say enough about this gym. Marco has provided a place to learn, grow and compete. One of the best teachers, great training partners and a spacious facility… if you’re looking for a place to train, this is it. You’ll find people of all backgrounds either looking to compete or just to get a workout in. Definitely stop by to see for yourself.

Great place to learn, to make mistakes, to relearn, to make diff mistakes, you get the picture.
Coming in, wasn’t worried about belts or advancement — just some physical exercise (office worker person) and you get exactly what you put into it here, no limits, no egos, no BS.

Top notch instruction, can’t go wrong here. Marco is an excellent instructor who doesn’t hold back and he teaches every class, on top of that he is pretty hilarious. The facility is quite spacious and comfortable. There are a lot of experienced BJJ players here who are very helpful and down to earth. Both myself and my 6 year old train here and love every minute of it.

They finally made me whole & refunded me. The guy was just flaky, don’t think he meant to not pay.

Best BJJ gym out there yet! I’ve trained from Berkeley to SF to SJ to SD and LA. Marco knows his stuff and creates an awesome environment to train in. It’s especially hard being a female and you have 300 pound guys trying to rip your head off at most gyms. but not at this gym. i feel safe and everyone leaves their ego outside the door!

One of my new year’s resolutions for 2011 was to get back into some form of martial arts. So in October I finally got around to looking up the BJJ academies in the greater bay area and was surprised to find this place, with such great Unilocal ratings, just 15 minutes from my house.
My roomie and I went to check it out for a free lesson and knew we were hooked 5 minutes into the first lesson with Marco. You can tell he’s truly passionate about both the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu AND the people that train at his academy. In fact, he let us attend 2 weeks of free classes before signing us up, and he makes sure to give all the new white belts extra attention their first few months to make sure they’re getting the basics down.
Beyond Marco’s passion for his Dojo, you can tell the place is great by all the other experienced guys who train there. EVERYONE has been nothing short of helpful– blue, purple, and brown belts will help explain the nuances of the moves, and everyone laughs and jokes with each other all the time. This is not a «hardcore» MMA gym, but a place for good people to get together, study some serious BJJ, and have a lot of fun. It feels more like a family than a gym, and I can hardly wait every Tuesday/​Thursday to get out of work and hit the mats.
Team Pitbull for life!

hi Unilocalers,
i’m still training here because Marco & his teacher Bitta from Brazil set the tone long ago. everyone helps you… i am extremely picky because i grew up along side many great old school martial artist/​instructors, non of this Mc Dojo stuff, you earn everything here but in a safe forum… this is not a buy ur belt program school. you will work, have fun, sweat but you earn every stripe on your belt.
he has many students with various backgrounds-​that all add to your ground game. on any given day i may be training with a bjj person with a boxing or wrestling or thai boxing, or karate background, etc…
MARCO teaches, his black belts teach, his brown belts teach, and down the line everyone teaches, we all help each other.
in the past he did run late at times but Rodrigo is his office mgr now and things are running smooth…
i am not an employee of this school… check them out

I can’t possibly say ENOUGH great things about Peninsula BJJ, Team Pitbull, and Marco Nascimento and the staff. I first went in with 2 friends; they’d been training for a few weeks and it was all that they could talk about, so I thought that I’d join them and see for myself. Shortly after I knew EXACTLY what they were talking about and was sold and joined on the first day. During my first lesson everyone went out of their way to make sure that I understood everything being done and to make me feel welcome. All the members of the academy are part of a family, and make this THE MOST friendly and inviting place to train that I have ever experienced. But don’t let everybody’s friendly disposition fool you into thinking that these are softies… nothing could be further from the truth. This place produces beastly competitors and the overall 2^nd place in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s 2012 San Francisco Open is a testament to that fact. Marco, a 4^th degree black belt, trains phenomenal grapplers and inexperienced students get the chance to roll with many different blue, purple, and brown belts as well as a a few black belts and Marco is always present to offer his wisdom and knowledge. During my first lesson Marco took the time to pull me aside, as he does all new faces, and ask about my background in training, my level athleticism, etc. and he is helping me to tailor a jiu jitsu game that favors my strengths and incorporates them into my training (again as he does with all of his students). He is easy to approach with questions (and always answers them and then provides more insight and info that never even occurred to me). In addition to that he is very friendly, very funny, and a pleasure to just hang out with. If you’re curious come and check out Peninsula BJJ and you’ll be convinced as I was that this is THE place to train.

I did my internship here for massage therapy and these are amongst the nicest people I have ever met. I really appreciated their great facility and enjoyed the classes I was taking while I was there. There is a lot of passion here and if your looking to learn out about BJJ or regular fitness, look no further. This place will whip you into good shape.
Marco is the nicest person and all the patrons that I’ve met are just as nice. Great place to learn, great place to train, great place to become a part of.

Marco is awesome! Great for all ages…

Instructor — Marco Nascimento … 4^th degree BB under Adilson ‘Bita’ Lima, well known and connected in the BJJ world, and still actively competes (and wins!) in Pan Ams and Worlds. He shows stuff that you look at and say ‘Gee, why didn’t I think of that before?’ — that is, a lot of practical, high percentage techniques that really gets the concepts stuck in your head. Plus, he is a super nice, laid back sort of guy who really cares and watches out for his students. He is at every class, which is so amazing that I’m stunned when I hear from my buddies that the head instructor is not there on a regular basis.
The school — HUGE mat space, means a LOT of rolling, and clean bathrooms and changing spaces. Also has a separate women’s changing room, which I am sure the ladies appreciate!
The students — Like Marco, they are all super nice, and helpful. Everyone is there to learn. We train hard, but we aren’t out there to dominate, rather try new ideas and play around. We do a good job of taking care of each other so no one gets hurt. Also, there is an excellent depth of blues, purples, a few browns, and a handful of black belts who show up regularly.
The seminars — Did I mention Marco is well connected? He’s had seminars by Andre Galvao, Adilson ‘Bita’ Lima, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, Eddie Bravo, and this Saturday Carlson Gracie Jr. It’s a great chance to get some world class competitors to share their stuff!
The guy who wrote this review — I’m a blue belt, practicing 6 years: 3 in NY and now 3 w/​Marco. Marco has completely changed my game from one of brute strength to one of (attempted!) relaxed finesse. I think Marco is awesome!

Looking for BJJ, look no further.
This is as good as it gets. I know. I’ve been training here for three years — after training at two different BJJ clubs on the peninsula.
Here’s what sets Marco ‘s Club apart from the crowd.
1. He’s not only a great teacher but also a great competitor as well – winning dozens of golds on the mat. (And he is still competing!)
So when he tells you what works and what doesn’t – he knows first hand.
2. He runs a great family club where everybody – I mean everybody– helps you improve. This a tone he sets from day one. As he put it to me when I joined, «We are all friends, here, so you must be careful with your training partner.»
3. Unlike other clubs you can try, you can walk in off the street to Pitbull and try a class without feeling you have to fight for you life. All the guys who work out here are great guys and want you to join. So you can count on learning something from someone you train with – and not get crunched like at other places.
4. You’ll also like the fact that you can drop in and try a class and NO BS «black belt club» or feel like you’re pressured to sign a contract like other places you’ll find. Marco is old school martial arts. You can pay monthly or, as I do, pay six months in advance and get a discount.
5. When you join, your game will improve rapidly. Mine has. Especially the half guard where Marco is simply the master’s master. It’s no wonder. He was Brazilian legend, Adilson «Bitta» Lima’s student and first black belt. (Who regularly visits the school and rolls with every single student!)
6. I don’t know about the night class, but during the day you can find four black belts on the mat nearly every lunch! Gene, Nat, Luiz, and Harold will not only roll with you but also add to the many details
Marco shares at every class.
7. I could go on and on about Peninsula BJJ, because this is truly a great club that I am proud to be a member with great guys who all love the sport and want to improve their games.
My advice: Stop by the club and check out a class. Better yet, bring your gi and roll with us. I guarantee you’ll find the club as I have described – warm and friendly– and the instruction the best you’ll find on the peninsula.

I wanted to start training BJJ to get in in better shape and learn something new and based on the reviews here gave Peninsula BJJ a chance. I wasn’t dissapointed, Marco is an excellent instructor and really cares about all his students. He teaches all the classes himself and there are always friendly and helpful people training to give pointers and help you work on your game.
I’ve gone from training two days a week to at least 4, it’s that much fun there!

I’ve done my research on BJJ here in the Peninsula and I thought Peninsula BJJ was the best. I came to visit late last year to observe and speak with Marco. He’s really cool and welcomed me to try it out free for a few lessons. I really enjoy MMA so I was immediately addicted to the training. I must admit that I was sore from my first lesson but it was because I am out of shape. Marco says that newbies like me don’t immediately jump into the sparring. He said that when you are so new, it is important to work on the basics with him and under his supervision. I can appreciate that.
I’ve met a lot of great people here who love BJJ. Everyone I’ve had a chance to train with has been friendly and helpful. I even ran into a buddy that I knew in high school here.
This has been the highlight of 2010 for me.

I visited the school last week when I was in town on business. Marco is a great guy and runs a great school. Everyone was laid back and easy to get a long with. There was no attitude that you sometimes find in the other schools. Typical night was spending an hour to an hour and a half drilling, then rolling for a hour or two. The guys stayed as late they wanted and Marco did not rush them to get out. Marco will roll with anyone. There are several purple and browns that just awesome, each of them let me play my game. In fact, I went out to Sushi afterwards with Marco and it was cool to hear about BJJ and growing up in Brazil.

Love it here. Had been looking around for a school for a while, and then found this place through Unilocal. (thanks Unilocal.)
Marco sets the tone – he’s really smart, friendly, and a great person to study with. His game is amazing, and it’s really something to learn directly from him. He’s great with questions and suggestions. The «on the mat» coaching is fantastic too.
Plus the chance to roll with Marco and the other experienced guys is a big plus – people are generous with advice, if asked for. I don’t mind it so much when someone effortlessly gets out of my mount, because I can ask them «How did you DO that?» and they’ll tell me.
This is a safe place to train – which matters a lot. Guys are very willing to give input, tell me when I’m making mistakes, spar at half speed, etc. It’s collaborative – «learning together» rather than «trying to beat the tar out of each other.» Having said that, lots of talent here, lots of people who know their stuff – they just don’t need to prove anything.
Am having a lot of fun here, learning a lot, getting a great workout. Feel like I’m being instructed in the inner game – relax, pay attention, be strategic. No injuries so far – going on 6 months since I joined. Oh yeah, also it’s month to month, so no need to sign a long term contract.
This is a good place.
====
UPDATE:
Going on a year now. Still healthy, still having fun. It just gets better.
If you want to check out the gym, just drop by.
M-​Th at 6:30pm is good from white and green.
If you’re blue+, 7:30pm.
Fridays are quiet, Saturday mid-​day is bustling.
M-​Fr there’s lunch time workouts, too.
If you have q’s let me know.

I started training here in Dec. of 2007 and they’ve reignited my passion for jiu-​jitsu. Come to train and check your ego at the door because the environment here is meant for those that want to learn and excel in brazilian jiu-​jitsu. You’ll notice the difference when you check out one class.

i have been doing Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu since 1997 and this is the best place I have every trained. I drive 40 miles each way just to train with the main instructor Marco Nascimento. I went through 5 different instructors before I met him and have been training with him since 2002.
Pros:
He will actually roll with the students during class.
He teaches all his classes.
Safe environment.
Takes individuals body type and shape into consideration when teaching.
Passionate about BJJ.
Cons:
Everytime he «turns it on», he makes me feel like a little biatch.