Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu

Great place to learn jiu jitsu. Kurt is one of the top BJJ instructors in the bay area if not the world. There are classes all day long that have have advanced to beginner practioneers. I’ve trained at multiple BJJ studios in the bay area and this is the best place by far.
The negative reviews on Unilocal for this place are from individuals that probably got smashed here.

I love dropping in to train here whenever I am in town. Everyone is always super friendly. They have a giant mat space, and clean facility.

Don’t give merit to the negative reviews. Training with Kurt was great. I was in town for business and set up a private session. Kurt quickly focused in on my mistakes and gave me some great feedback. Kurt and staff made me feel really welcome. The gym is super clean and spacious. Nice changing rooms with lockers and ample storage. I felt like he was really interested in improving my game. He has a real passion for sharing his experience. I can’t wait to come back and train again.

My work relocated me so I could not continue with the classes. I had already paid $ 500 for only three classes yet they still held me to a contract. With only 3 classes under my belt I continue to get bills in the mail, each time with their fee increasing. It’s now at $ 1,200! I have been to many schools but never have I seen one run so inconsiderate for their students. While the school may come well regarded, the place is run like a cut throat business.

Great Jiu Jitsu. Made me feel very welcomed. Jake one of the black belts is a beast and he’s super down to earth nothing better. Ralph is also super cool welcomed me with open arms his technique is insane. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s class.

This is a great school. I attend Muay Thai and Jiu-​Jitsu classes. Instructors are great, they really care about giving you the correct technic and proper skills and they’re very good in giving instant feedback on what you’re doing wrong.

Beware! The reviews regarding the billing scam are legit. After I broke my ankle I had to discontinue. I went to the studio and they assured me that they will stop billing me starting the following month. I have been in an ongoing dispute to end this nightmare. Their billing company (third party) ignores my emails. I have now engaged an attorney to finally resolve this matter. Find a more honest place, that’s my advice.

I had the opportunity to train here last week for the first time and was very impressed! Great instruction and training… will definitely go again when visiting!

I liked training here, but they have very strict cancellation policies. I had to pay several months of membership when I wasn’t there. I guess I should have paid more attention to the contract. I wish I could give it 5 stars because I really like Kurt and training there was great. But because I had to pay them ~$ 600 because I couldn’t get out of my contract after I moved 3 months into my contract, I’ll have to take my stars down to 2. That’s pretty generous, and like I said it’s based on the gym having great people and I support the bjj community, but I felt like the contract policy is fairly predatory, whether intentional or not.

Great experience when I visited a few weeks ago. It was a Saturday open mat session with great technique taught & a tough rolling session. Everyone was very welcoming, I’m definitely visiting again next time I’m in town!

I have been attending this gym since April, I started off in Berkeley. Although Kurt normally doesn’t teach the 730 class (beginners), I have had a great experience with everyone in this gym. The vibe is amazing! Having been a BJJ fan since seeing the US open in Santa Cruz (I also met Kurt there, saw Woolf Barnato compete) — it is truly awesome I get to train here. With active competitors, a list of black belts (Dave Camarillo, BJ Penn started here, Alan ‘Gumby’ Marques, the list goes on), the environment is very competitive. Alas, since starting jiu jitsu I have quit smoking, gone vegetarian and completely changed my life! EVERYONE SHOULD DO THIS. Seriously, most people dont know what their bodies are capable of and have no way to measure their health. Trust me, when someone is trying to choke you, you find out where your health is. I ate Taco Bell once before class and did terrible. No more fast food. I drank a soda before class once and felt dizzy during sparring. No more soda. Now, fast forward about a year in training — I feel better than I ever did in my mid 20s. I make lifestyle choices so that I can train better. Kurt is a supportive instructor with a sharp charm to him. If you ask Kurt for help, he WILL show you! Many times he has made sure my technique was correct. Shoutout to Ramie (he does JustTheGiTop podcast), and the rest of the colored belts for their contribution to my learning environment. Everyone is trying to get better at jiu jitsu, which in my experience means they get better as people. Something weird happens when you tap out constantly, it gets rid of the douchebags. You wont find the ‘MMA bros’ here as they dont last. They cant handle the ego damage. You will find, down to earth, humble and healthy friends here. Most of us are passionate about Jiu Jitsu because we embrace the lifestyle. I want to train for the rest of my life — when I get outta class (after pushing myself to the limit) the feeling is unlike anything else I have come across. Euphoria doesn’t do it justice. Its a peace like state of mind — when your in motion nothing else matters. Now, GO TRAIN!

This is by far the best organized most challenging academy. As a USMC veteran and and a native San Franciscan I felt right at home at the academy. If you want to break the chains of the monotony — Ralph Gracie BJJ will do it. I went from training twice a week to 4 or 5 days a week. This place turns the average person into a superhero. It just takes desire and a little free time. It will change your life, It certainly did mine.

within 30 seconds of meeting Kurt and simply asking him how his dojo works in terms of beginner vs advanced classes in BJJ, he says to me
«i dont do that faggot shit here»
when i called him out on his inappropriate and homophobic language, he just looked arrogantly surprised at me. I said Os and peaced out.
any place that has someone running it using that kind of language, on the mat, wearing a black belt, in SF for that matter (my native city), doesnt deserve to represent Ralph Gracies name on its dojo.
outside of all those factors its still extremely inappropriate and unacceptable, they just make it that much worse.

Great place to learn BJJ. Now GO TRAIN!

World class across the board–
This school is the stomping ground for some of the Bay Area’s top jiujitsu athletes, a handful of which are world class competitors. Many of the top Bay Area black belts were bred at this school and has also produced UFC athletes.
Kids, womens and adult classes in jiu-​jitsu, muay thai, and judo. If you are in San Francisco– this is the place to train.

Since I joined a company in the city and ideally would like to continue to train BJJ at lunch I tried out this place.
FACILITY: Its big with two separate areas with mats. There is a shower (just one, but its clean) and lockers in case you were wondering.
CLASS: Class times are not accurate on the website. There is no 11 am class — it starts at 11:30 am. There was a very intense 30 minute workout and then we worked on 1 technique (just 1, but it was a cool technique) and then you have rounds. Classes here are 90 minutes. So there’s an early morning class, a 10 am class, an 11:30 am class and then evening classes I think (for gi BJJ)
PEOPLE/​ATMOSPHERE: People seemed serious but nice. Its cool to meet Kurt Osiander since you can see him on BJJ youtube videos. I was a little intimidated and basically forgot everything I had learned last year but people were still cool. I did not get to roll because I showed up at 11 so by the time 12:30 came I needed to jet to shower and rush back to work.
In the end, my work situation and the distance made me decide not to try it out again but I thought it looked like a good place. In another circumstance i would have tried it out some more.
PS while i was there two bums started fighting with each other across the street. not a reflection on the gym but it was a little weird.

I was visiting San Fran and decided to drop in for a class. Kurt Osiander himself was working the door and gave me a solid welcome.
Class started out with a solid 30 — 45 minutes of warm-​up. Even if you’re in shape, you’ll be sweating freely by the end. Expect sit-​ups, bear crawls, running and sprawling. After warm-​ups, Kurt went through a couple linked techniques. He is thorough with his explanations and technical with the details. We watched and drilled what we learned for a while. Then it was open rolling as we bounced through partners.
There is a lot of talent here. I can’t speak for every class, but in the two classes I attended, there were a dozen blues, 4 or 5 purples, 2 browns and Kurt.
Overall, it’s a great school: friendly guys, huge space, high degree of talent and detailed instruction.

The facility is nice and the guys were friendly enough, but that’s where the positives at Ralph Gracie’s studio ends.
Maybe I was there on an «off» day, but I felt that the level of instruction and the team’s work ethic were unusually poor compared to other studios based on the class I attended. The warmups were pretty dysfunctional in their organization and half-​assing every exercise seemed to be the norm. It was not a high quality training environment. Even though the class size was relatively small, about 15 students, the black belt who was present (I didn’t catch his name) didn’t seem to be doing any instructing at all. I’m tired of self-​satisfied black belts like this who rest on their laurels and act like it’s some kind of blessing just for them to be present, without having to do any teaching whatsoever. He was also swearing indiscriminately at one point, with kids present.
I recognize that it’s not the studio’s responsibility, but it’s also worth knowing that parking is a bitch and the meter maid got to my car THE MINUTE after the time was up, in the middle of class. So have someone drop you off or find a longer-​term parking spot if you decide to give Ralph Gracie’s a shot. I wouldn’t recommend the place.

I did a 7am kettlebell session with Patrick on Monday. It was great. He coached me on the swing and gave me some good ques to improve. We went through get-​ups, carries, goblet squats, one handed swings and two hand swings, deadlifts, pushups, planks, and halos.
The pace was more challenging then I’m used to but not overly brutal. I’ve definitely been slacking so this is a good pace setter for when I work out on my own. The early morning class size was small, so there was time for some personalized instruction which I really appreciated. By the end of the class I was tired but feeling good. I’ll be back next week.
The mats are huge and the bathrooms are clean. There were dudes rolling on the other mat which was pretty cool since I rarely get to see that in person.

I started learning bjj at this school, and if I hadn’t moved away, I will still be a member. First off, Kurt is a great teacher. The Rhino is world class, and he teaches the basics in simple terms that you can learn and remember.
Classes start off with 30 minutes of cardio, and it’s is one helluva workout. Aside from the normal stretches, pushups and squats, you’ll be doing 30 minutes of lunges, hip escapes, rock climbers, up-​downs, fireman carries, bear crawls, crunches, back rolls, front rolls, and every once in a while, rope climbs. The workout can get intense, and it’s not uncommon to see someone take a breather, but once you’ve come consistently, you’ll be amazed at how much you can really do.
After the cardio there’s the technique part of class, where Kurt will show you a one or two moves, and you’ll practice with a partner. This is key so that you can learn the movements and positioning required to successfully initiate the technique.
Lastly, you end the class with sparring, and depending on the time of day and the attendance, this can be a good workout, or it can be one of the most difficult and intense sessions you’ve experienced. The guys who roll here are all good, and you’ll learn a lot just rolling with them. Most are very professional and looking to perfefct their technique, but you will still face stiff competition every time you roll.
The best part, Kurt has no time for guys looking to establish their dominance and break limbs, and I’ve seen him kick guys out who didn’t personify what bjj is about. Kurt is a great teacher, a successful competitor, and if you want to learn bjj and you’re in the bay, I can suggest no one else.