We love Bay Area Capoeira Jiu Jitsu. The studio has a great family vibe. Bubba is the main instructor for the younger students, and he usually brings his kids (college & high school age) to teach the classes too. Other parents who train in jiujitsu help coach and assist the main instructors. It's a beautiful community. They offer a subscription model that allows kids to attend up to 4 classes per week for an affordable, fixed cost. The classes are for mixed ages, so my sons (ages 8 & 5) are able to train together on the same convenient schedule. My boys have been training at this studio for about a year now, and they still love it! Highly recommend! read more

Great gym and super clean! Strongly recommend the Saturday morning classes taught by Coach Daniel if you're looking for very practical self-defense read more

My friend told me about this entry-level self defense class at this gym. I came in to the class 3 weeks behind the other students and the teacher (Daniel Wilson ) had a warm all is welcome and skill level at any kind is welcome to his class. The would show the sequences for the technique in slow movements so everyone would see how to do it, and then would have you try it out . Hewould come by and give pointers on certain movements to make it easier. He would keep the energy and warmth though out the class, I would totally recommend this class to anyone! read more

This place is fantastic. Incredible teachers whose mastery of their craft is equaled by their skill as teachers and ability to work with every skill level. This has been a wonderful experience for my 6 year old son. Great blend of discipline and fun :) read more

I've trained at several gyms over the years, and this one stands out in every way. The coaches are not only highly skilled but also incredibly patient and encouraging--they break down techniques clearly so everyone, from beginners to advanced students, can improve. The atmosphere is welcoming and supportive; there's no ego here, just a group of people who want to train hard, learn, and help each other get better. The facilities are clean, the mats are well-maintained, and class times are flexible enough for any schedule. Whether you're here for competition, self-defense, or just fitness, this gym is the perfect place to grow in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. read more

Mestre Itabora is extremely knowledgeable! His class brings a lot of fun, safe and great workouts to keep the body healthy. His Capoeira class brings movement, music and art with friendly environment. I highly recommend. read more

Nadi Jiu Jitsu epitomizes a vibrant community centered around the practices of Jiu Jitsu and Capoeira. I enrolled my son here about a year ago and I got to witness not only his technical growth but also his development as an individual. Beyond imparting self-defense techniques, Mestre Itobora cultivates confidence and instills crucial discipline in every student, including my child. Thank you! read more

This is not only a place to exercise, it's a true community. Mestre Itaborá pours his heart into the classes, he's so knowledgeable, kind and teaches with lots of patience. I specially love when Mestre shares pieces of history and contextualize capoeira to his students. Hands down best place in the bay! read more

An absolutely amazing and welcoming jiu jitsu community!! As a beginner, I felt included in my very first lesson and felt that everyone cared for each other. I really love how safety is a priority and is emphasized with each technique. Everyone is friendly and there is a family feeling to the gym which is important to me. Super excited to be taking more lessons here! read more

Itabora and Chitra are excellent teachers. I have been training Capoeira for over 10 years and I've never had such good instructors before. The group is a fantastic group of people and friends. The academy is absolutely full of love and amazing people. read more

Mestre Itaborá is nurturing a friendly, safe, caring and fun environment for everyone who is interested in the martial art of Jiu Jitsu. As a beginner and a woman, I feel included and respected. Mestre Itaborá and the professors of the dojo are not only experts of this art form, they are also outstanding teachers of Jiu Jitsu techniques and its transferable skills in life. I am grateful to be part of this family. Love, Grace read more

I love this place! I tried to start training Capoeira in many places, and when I found this academy I finally did the step to become a Capoeirista. The teachers are very knowledgeable and conscious about body movement. Here I feel safe training. They teach you how to take care of your body while training Capoeira. Music classes are awesome too; not many places take the time to teach capoeira music fundamentals to beginners, and they do it. Itaborá is also a very special Mestre. He teaches you how to connect with your capoeira and others thru love and respect. I encourage everyone to want to start this wonderful art to start here. read more

We tried out 4 Jiu Jitsu locations near us and we knew that Bay Area Capoeira Jiu Jitsu was the one. Our kids enjoyed their free trial and Mestre Itabora and Coach Bubba are amazing teachers. They teach with focus and discipline but also introduce a little fun. You can feel the family vibe and how there's community here and we loved that about it. The parents of the kids are so nice and all the kids are respectful of each other. We would highly recommend to everyone. read more

I have been training here for around 7 months and I could easily recommend this school as one of the safest, fun and friendliest dojo while also being extremely thorough and rigorous with the Alliance jiu jitsu curriculum. Mestre Itabora is really a special guy. In spite of him being so respected in the jiu jitsu community, he's extremely humble and makes you feel very comfortable right from your first class. He treats everyone like he would his family and you can feel this culture in every one of his long time students. This school is the reason why I am in love with jiu jitsu. Absolutely recommended for anyone who wants to really understand the philosophy and discipline of jiu jitsu and learn this important life skill. read more

Institute of Brazilian Fitness is a wonderful family run capoeira and Jiu Jitsu school managed by world champion Mestre Itaborá. I recently started Jiu Jitsu for first time and Mestre Itaborá is very knowledgeable, professional, passionate about his students and experienced! I transferred here from another school and been practicing Capoeira here for almost a year and Mestre Itaborá, his wife Chitra and students at all levels are very caring, courteous and helpful. HIIT and music classes are a great way to enhance music skills and work on conditioning. The value for money, small size of classes, and level of attention that each member receives makes this place unique. I recommend IBF to anyone who seeks to practice either Jiu Jitsu or capoeira. read more

I started my BJJ journey originally with Mestre Itabora (Institute of Brazilian Fitness/Alliance BJJ) at a boxing gym in 2013. From the start he led a very welcoming and respectful group of students which were a direct reflection of his style of teaching. Mestre stresses on keeping an ego-free and safe learning environment that I appreciate. Not once did I feel like I was in danger of a loose cannon but with his proper direction I was always challenged by every training partner and taught to even challenge myself with taking uncomfortable positions and to take risks in exposing myself to the unknown. Only from practice of every escape, every submission, every position/movement can you find out your own personal limits. Because of reasons unknown to me Alliance broke away from my boxing gym. During that phase I continued to train at my gym for their boxing classes (also I was still on their 1 year contract) and they even hired a new BJJ coach. I won't name the new coach but you can tell his style of teaching didn't feel as engaging as previous experience, granted he had a champions pedigree. After a couple months I guess the commute became too much for him and his training staff so they parted ways as well. That left me with membership to a boxing gym but no BJJ coach. As life turned out I heard Mestre Itabora had relocated Alliance not far away. A couple of my friends were a bit worried about moving back with Alliance because they may have thought "oh now you're coming to us after the last BJJ coach failed?" but of course there was no ego with Mestre Itabora, only respect. And for that I'm truly grateful. I'm currently a member of both a boxing gym & Institute of Brazilian Fitness/Alliance. I train for my half marathons & boxing at my first gym but at Alliance I learn about Jiu Jitsu, translating challenges on the mat to challenges in life, setting new personal goals, and comradery through respect. Oss! read more

I trained with M Itabora and the 2 groups, Capoeira Brasil and Alliance BJJ, that he runs out of the space routinely between 2010-2013, and more intermittently since then. I live in Seattle currently. Having worked for Lululemon Athletica, a huge fitness community-centered organization during some part of that time, and having had exposure to Crossfit, yoga, run and many types of communities, I can honestly say that this is the closest I've come to calling a training academy home. In many respects, I still consider it my home. And if you stop through during certain times of the year, you're likely to see mine among the faces that grace this academy. As for the training, it's first-rate. M Itabora is steeped in not just his instruction, but also the nuances of community building and getting you to your goals-whether that be removing road blocks, challenging you in ways you didn't think possible, or good ol fashioned hard work. "So fica bom quem treina" as he says. I'm grateful to call some of the other coaches one-time training partners and friends. If you're stopping through after reading this, tell them Cardeal sent you. And show them some love for me. I've an immense amount of respect and love for the people here. Valeu P.S. You won't know how big of a deal M Itabora is until you go and find out for yourself. I've got family I don't even know, all over the world, on account of him alone. The man's reputation stands for itself. read more

It's been 7 years since I started training at the Institute of Brazilian Fitness with Mestre Itaborá, 2.5 years since my last review... and I still think this is such an energetic, welcoming, safe, and fulfilling environment. I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Capoeira here, and take the HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) class on Thursdays. The classes are great for ALL levels, adults and kids! read more

Bay Area Capoeira & Jiujitsu - Cultural Center Near Me - Belmont, California

No matter what level of Martial Arts ones acquainted with will have fun from day-1 here. Friendly and Perfect environment all over the GYM to learn BJJ. The team is welcoming and encouraging, helped me a achieve my fitness goals. Learned a lot from Mestre Itabora Ferreira and other instructors in the gym(John, Ron, Leo etc.,). Master conducts Camps on a regular basis which helps everyone to learn new techniques. Love this place and recommend it to anyone whoz interested in learning BJJ or Capoeira read more

Incredible atmosphere, family environment and wonderful professionals make this small gym in Belmont a gem. If you are a martial arts enthusiast or just looking to get in shape, it's a must! read more

I came up to SF for an internship and had the pleasure of training with Mestre Itabora and his students for capoeira while I was there. They welcomed me with open arms and it was almost like training at my home academy. The academy itself is nice and open with a small area to watch class while you're waiting for your own. Mestre takes incredible care of his academy and it shows in the quality of the training, the classes, and the community it brings together. Whenever I'm up in the Bay, I try to make it up to see him. read more

My experience at the academy has been nothing short of amazing. I began training a little over a year and a half ago and I can truly say that Mestre Itaborra and my fellow student are a blessing in disguise. Training is intense, progressive, very detailed but also fun, healthy, and life changing on a personal level. You can truly see his passion for capoeira and jujitsu not only in his teachings but through his students as well. I highly recommend trying a class with him whether you are interested in Capoeira/ Jujitsu or Martial Arts in general. read more

I love this place, the trainers are very knowledgeable and are very patience and love to motivate-- I have been coming here on and off, due to my work schedule however they work with your schedule and have many time slots read more

I've been taking adult capoeira classes with Mestre Itabora for a little over two years. Let's me get a workout, practice Portuguese, and sing all in one class! The sequences can be intense, especially for beginners, but I like the challenge. read more

Best BJJ school ever! Our instructor is great, he cares about each student no matter what their level or background. Wants everyone to work in a safe environment. It's a great way for women to start learning self defense since we have a lot of women in our school. Everyone is supportive and want to help everyone succeed. Master Itabora is knowledgeable and is willing to help everyone. Love my school! read more

My son goes here and he loves it . He's coach is very nice , very patient and sometimes they stay after 6 when the training session is done which is very nice . Beautiful people all together! Now "jinga" ;) ! read more

Teacher is awesome and it has a really nice team of students. I highly recommend.

This is not a strip mall martial arts business where you take some classes and graduate annually to another belt or higher classification. Itabora Ferreira is a master practitioner of both Capoeria and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who not only teaches the fundamentals of both, but their history and ethics as well. You'll better learn the mechanics of your own body and how to either stretch outside or work within them. This academy is a clean, safe and friendly environment to advance your conditioning and training, wherever you are skill wise. read more

Been training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for about 8 years now, albeit with a lot of gaps in that training. When I moved up to the Bay Area from Los Angeles a few years ago for a new job, I was just looking for a school that wasn't too far away from home (Daly City) or from work (Redwood City). This was the first one that I visited, and I liked it so much that I didn't even finish the free week - I signed up as a member as soon as I could. While the classes are great and you'll find good training partners of all sizes and skill levels here, the community atmosphere of the school is to me what makes it stand out. You can feel it in the air when you step inside - it's like walking into a loud, happy family reunion. And that attitude carries over into class time and sparring. I highly recommend this school for both newcomers and people who already have some experience in the sport. read more

The place is amazing in how I'm able to learn so much from not only the master but many other people that help out, not only does the master bring you up but the students too!!! I just have to give a five star for it read more

The Institute of Brazilian Fitness is a very welcoming place! The students are really friendly and helpful, and the teacher Mestre Itabora is really well known in the Capoeira world. I live in Berkeley, and come down specifically to take classes with him. If you are looking for a community and a place to learn about Brazilian culture AND also get an amazing workout, this is a really great place to be. read more

This is a great place to learn a new skill set. Experienced teachers, friendly learning environment. They do capoeira, bjj, and HIIT. The main teacher, Mestre Itaborà, has over 40 years of experience in capoeira which is more years than my life! That is amazing knowledge! Highly recommend this place to all levels of students. read more

This group of people, and our leader, have changed my life. I adore the physical challenge as much as the friendships that have been found here. It's as much about respect as it is personal growth. My whole family trains here - husband through kids - and I wouldn't have it any other way. read more

I've been taking Jiu Jitsu classes here for less than a year and have already felt a positive impact on my overall health and well being. Mestre Itabora Ferreira is an outstanding instructor who cares about the development and safety of all of his students. The atmosphere is also very welcoming to new students who are new to the martial art. I highly recommend this place to train. read more

Great capoeira training, world-class Mestre and inspiring community. Try and you would love it.