Ralph Gracie Berkeley Jiu Jitsu Academy

First off, this sounds like a red flag like a Gracie Barra or Gracie combative crap. Bjj in general is more expensive as a lot of instructors try to do this full time and or rent the building instead of renting mat space. Cost will depend on what you're getting and where you're at. I've paid as little as $75 a month for access to 6 classes a week plus open mat, nothing much there but a room with mats. I've seen 125+ a month but with access to more classes, more space and a variety of instructors. This is in a low COL area, go to San Francisco and I am sure that changes a ton. As state source, 2022 ↗

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Ralph Gracie jiu-jitsu San Francisco. Lots of hard rolls. source, 2021 ↗

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Even dismissing all the weird gym cult (creonte traitor talk) as hearsay he straight up assaulted Flavio Almieda at a BJJ tournament, and by assault he did it when Flavio was looking away knocking three teeth out. Some say it was for "encroaching on ralphs territory" in san Francisco. Then dude flees to Brazil. source, 2020 ↗

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For a big city with awesome culture and diversity and plenty of things to do I would personally recommend San Francisco. I spent 2 summers in Berkeley right across the bay from there & loved it. There's so many activities and ways to get involved it's really easy to make new friends if you have good hobbies. I did improv comedy and brazilian jiu Jitsu, went to poetry slams while I was there. Really anywhere in the Bay Area is hard to go wrong. Everyone is super chill and laid back. I'm curious as to whether there are any other places like this or if this is where I should relocate too. source, 2020 ↗

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In San Francisco, all the traditional jiu jitsu schools are Ralph affiliates or taught by Ralph guys. Everything I hear about him though sounds terrible. Heard he is sexist towards female students and uses a ton of homophobic language (not the best move in San Fran). Last I heard he cheap shotted someone at a bjj tournament and ran back to Brazil. Doesn’t sound like the best guy. source, 2020 ↗

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There’s a place in San Francisco that sells MANY past issues of Black Belt Magazine, Grappling Magazine, and martial Arts Insider with Gracie Jiu Jitsu on the cover. I picked up a Grappling Magazine issue featuring Jean Jacque Machado and a huge 1999 ADCC review for $3. source, 2019 ↗

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I used to live in San Francisco. It is one of the meccas of BJJ and martial arts in the United States. It's practically impossible to say which of the gyms in the city is the best -- they're all very good and very different. You have to try a few and see which one you vibe with. Below is an admittedly over-simplified stereotyping of a few of your options Bay Jiu Jitsu has a lot of locations, is very family-friendly and caters to a hobbyist crowd. Mix of gi and no gi. Big new space in Pac Heights and Reilly Bodycomb teaches at the Berkeley academy. Magalit BJJ opened up earlier this year. The source, 2019 ↗

positive

"Over the past couple of days, I have heard a number of rumors about my gym in San Francisco and its former instructor, Kurt Osiander, and I feel the need to address this misinformation. First, I did not sell my gym to Gracie Barra. Ralph Gracie San Francisco is my gym and will forever be my gym. Second, I am saddened to say that, after nearly 25 years together, Kurt Osiander has chosen to leave Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Kurt was not fired nor pushed out. He made the decision to leave our team and start a new gym in the same neighborhood. I was made aware of his decision while I was out of the source, 2018 ↗

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