Brazilian jiu-jitsu & OTHER
PROGRAMS
Classes For All Levels
Offering a wide array of different programs and teachings. Take a look at a few of them below.
Little Champs
Our “Little Champs” Program gives your child the self control and the ability to handle threatening situations while building a strong foundation of self confidence. This will help enable your child to develop a calmer and more social active life.
Gracie Gym Jiu Jitsu will help develop an emotional balance.This is an important key to inner peace, leadership, responsibility, courage and other important moral values.
Each class consist of physical exercises, self defense techniques and educational games. Our method will develop your child’s coordination, agility and flexibility in a fun and safe environment.
Open to ages 4 through 8.
KIDS / JUNIORS
Would you like to see your children to be confident, healthy, and respectful with a lifelong love of learning?
Bring your little champion to the Gracie Gym Kids / Juniors Program. It is definitely the place for your kids to learn skills for life!
Our program takes a two-fold approach to developing skills for children: Martial Arts and Personal Development.
Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an excellent martial art for children, focusing on technique rather than size, encouraging self-defense without anger. Because Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu uses the entire body to perform techniques, children build valuable motor skills and are confident in their ability. Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu builds balance, coordination, and good conditioning. Gracie will develop an emotional balance that is a important key to inner peace, harmony, leadership, responsibility, courage and other important moral.
We also put an emphasis on the personal development of our Youths—on the mat and off. We encourage the values of honesty, integrity, and good citizenship while focusing on self-confidence, goal setting and achievement, and using good judgment.
Kids Juniors are excellent on and off the mat.
We build champions in life!
Open to ages 7 through 12
PRE-TEEN ADVANCED CLASS
Would you like to see your children to be confident, healthy, and respectful with a lifelong love of learning?
Bring your little champion to the Gracie Gym Kids / Juniors Program. It is definitely the place for your kids to learn skills for life!
Our program takes a two-fold approach to developing skills for children: Martial Arts and Personal Development.
Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an excellent martial art for children, focusing on technique rather than size, encouraging self-defense without anger. Because Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu uses the entire body to perform techniques, children build valuable motor skills and are confident in their ability. Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu builds balance, coordination, and good conditioning. Gracie will develop an emotional balance that is a important key to inner peace, harmony, leadership, responsibility, courage and other important moral.
We also put an emphasis on the personal development of our Youths—on the mat and off. We encourage the values of honesty, integrity, and good citizenship while focusing on self-confidence, goal setting and achievement, and using good judgment.
Kids Juniors are excellent on and off the mat.
We build champions in life!
Open to ages 7 through 12
BEGINNERS / ADVANCED
People start training in martial arts, especially Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), for many different reasons: fitness, fun, self-defense, self-confidence, competition, or maybe just for a hobby! No matter your reasons, Gracie Gym is a great place to accomplish all of your goals. Men and women, children, families, and friends find a home at Gracie Gym OC.
Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that focuses more on technique and physics than size and speed, making it a perfect art for any person, any body shape, and any level of fitness. Gracie BJJ enables people to be confident in their self-defense ability without using kicks and punches, keeping themselves safe. Get fit and be more confident, while gaining effective self-defense skills!
Your first lesson at Gracie Gym will show you just how you too can learn and use Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and have a lot of fun along the way.
NO-GI
Do you already hold a rank in Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Then come join the ranks of Gracie Gym, where the best of the best train to be even better.
Are you looking to advance your training and understanding of Gracie BJJ? Come try our Advanced Program at Gracie Gym. Magno Almeida, our head instructor, has extensive experience can push you to break through your plateaus and accomplish your goals.
Are you looking to compete? The competitors at Gracie Gym work as a team, pushing one another to be stronger and more technical, along with winning medal after medal.
No matter your goals, Gracie Gym is the right place for any belt rank to train and learn and better yourself. Competitors, athletes, and hobbyists are right at home at Gracie Gym OC.
LAW ENFORCEMENT FRIENDLY
Law enforcement officers encounter many situations that the average individual will never have to. They count on bullet-proof vests and guns when encountering life threatening events but anything that can be used to their advantage is crucial. The earlier one can take control of a situation, the better the chance of a positive outcome. Jiu Jitsu adds to the arsenal of available means by which to do this.
Being knowledgeable in using holds, joint manipulations and takedowns is critical when encountering a subject that does not want to be restrained. The quicker one can control the subject and handcuff them, the less chance there is for them to flee or flight, reducing the possibilities of injury to the officer. Additionally, Jiu Jitsu teaches one techniques that make up for body size disparity between the officer and the subject, which is essential in such things as close quarter combat and gun retention.
Law enforcement officers make use of many of the skills that Jiu Jitsu has to offer, and it has been credited to many situations that had a better outcome due to the techniques that the officers had learned.
Gracie Gym has special prices for Law Enforcement Officers
Your First Class is on Us
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is a self-defense system that was developed by Carlos Gracie in Brazil in the 1920’s. This martial art focuses on techniques that will allow a person to defend themselves against an attacker who may be stronger and faster. Over the last 80 years, the techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu continue to evolve. What started in an academy in Rio de Janeiro has now spread across the world. It is used by law enforcement agencies across the nation, and is taught to U.S. Special Forces in their study of hand-to-hand combat.
OTHER TEACHINGS
KICKBOXING
Kickboxing is a group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate mixed with boxing. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defence, general fitness, or as a contact sport. Japanese kickboxing originated in the late 1950s, with competitions held since then.
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
Strength and conditioning training is the form of exercise which emphasises on building the strength, size and endurance of the skeletal muscles. … Strength and conditioning training is highly beneficial for those who undergo the training as it helps in improving the overall health and well being of an individual.
1-ON-1 LESSONS
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Professor Magno had his first contact with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 13. After moving to America in 2010, he has been dedicating all of his time in providing the best martial art self-defense to the communities near and far through his knowledge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His method of instructing technique is done so with patience and encouragement.
Both students and parents alike look up to Professor Magno as a mentor and a friend.
He is available for seminars and private 1-on-1 lessons.
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Testimonials
I have been a police for close to 16 years and I’ve been involved in martial arts for than 35 years. No one has prepared me more than Magno Almeida for the streets of south central Los Angeles. I have learned and trained with Magno Almeida for more than 7 years. You couldn’t ask for a better professor in order to reach your goals.
I started my Brazilian Jiu jitsu journey in May of 2008. I was 60 years old, and 3 months shy of my 61st birthday. I was introduced to BJJ by Brian Beauchamp, a friend and business colleague who is a high level Judoka Black Belt. Brian lives in Canada and was going to compete in a tournament Long Beach, California and asked to stay at my house. I assumed he was competing in a Judo tournament, but learned it was the 2008 IBJJF Pan Tournament. When we walked into the Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach I knew almost immediately that I had found the martial art I had always looked for. A few days later I started training BJJ. When I first started BJJ I was also taking Aikido. I loved Aikido, but stopped training in order to concentrate on BJJ.
After almost 12 years of BJJ training, my only regret is that I did not start earlier. It helps me to stay fit, it helps with self-confidence, but more than anything, it’s the people. I have a whole second family of people who share my love of BJJ. I am particularly grateful to Magno Almeida at Gracie Gym OC for his willingness to share his knowledge, his encouragement, and his not allowing me (or anyone else for that matter) to make excuses for not working hard. I am also grateful for his friendship. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and I look forward continuing.
Our son started training with Professor Magno when he turned 5 years old. He’s now 9 years old and still loves going to class every week. Professor Magno is extremely patient and makes his expectations very clear to the kids. The classes are very structured so there is no down time or guessing how class will start. Professor Magno’s instruction is very clear. He is very good at explaining techniques and really makes the most of the hour. Professor Magno understands that kids do not have a very long attention span so lessons are chunked to ensure that the students have a chance to practice before adding onto the technique. Professor Magno is also very in tune with the class and realizes when it’s time to push the kids and when it is time to go back and reteach. As a teacher for over 20 years, I know how important it is to realize when the students need further explanation or practice before continuing to ensure success.
Besides being a great teacher, Professor Magno teaches the kids many life lessons. He stresses respect and hard work. He does not expect your child to be perfect but he does expect your child to always try their best on the mat. He is aware of each student’s ability and pushes when he sees that they are not trying. He has high expectations and gives the kids more responsibility as they get older. The higher belts are expected to help new students and demonstrate their knowledge by guiding the new students. I have watched my son correct and help new kids as well as take on more responsibility. As a parent, I appreciate that he teaches my son to always listen and to not give up when something gets hard. I think that’s a lesson even we as adults need. Professor Magno also stresses that the higher belts and old kids set a good example for the younger kids and I witness the older kids being kind to my son when he was little and I see my son replicate that with the little ones now that he’s one of the older kids.
When my husband and I decided to put my son in jiu jitsu, we thought it would be good for him to learn some self-defense, but he has gained so much more than just that. I have watched him learn to control his emotions when he is frustrated or loses. Professor Magno often reminds him to breathe and keep going. I think that has helped him not only in jiu jitsu, but in his other sports as well. He has learned to think through situations and stay calm when things don’t go his way, another life lesson that is never too early to learn.
RESPECT.DISCIPLINE.MINDSET
DEDICATION
Gym H0urs
Mon/Wed/Fri: 9:30 am – 12 pm, 4:30 pm – 10 pm
Tue/Thur: 7:30 am – 11 pm, 4 pm – 9 pm
Saturday: 9 am – 1 pm
Sunday: Closed