Today we took our daughter for the first time ever to this place to see if she would like it. She ended up really enjoying it, however things took a very strange turn quickly. Again, this is the first time she had ever tried this so expectations should be low. From what I could see my daughter was doing great, but the instructor seemed to be very serious and in the end she said my daughter was not "ready" while she seemed to be doing just fine compared to even some of the kids that were there for awhile. How is some supposed to learn if you don't train them and give them more than one chance? You don't just give up on someone with only one try. My daughter was very excited when she got home and was hoping to go for a second round. Very disappointing and unprofessional as you're supposed to train these kids and not give up on them this quickly. These aren't adults and the instructor is supposed to teach them the skills if they feel like they are initially lacking. As someone who did martial arts around the same age as my daughter and for many years of my life, I'm shocked and appalled and the lack of empathy and care from this place. read more

This review is based on a trial for the age 4-7 kids class. Before class started, the coach was speaking to a kid in a "you better or else" way and we thought maybe he was a parent speaking to his kid. He wasn't. It wasn't. The coach shoved a kid forward, and our initial thought was the kid tripped and lost his balance but no.. it was clear he was shoved when the coach shoved another kid and he did the same topple forward motion, while saying "get over there you know where you're supposed to be" NOTE: he did NOT shove every kid. These 2 appeared to be particularly familiar with the coach. The coaches made little to no attempt to build rapport, engage or really help the new kid. When said new kid raised a concern, he was ignored by the main coach and then brushed off by the second one. Overall, Lute is a little cheaper, but not a great environment for kids IMHO. It's a shame as it is physically the closest gym to us so would be the most convenient. I really wanted it to work out, but I just couldn't get on board with their environment and approach (or lack thereof) Whoever does the email correspondence comes off a little abrasive, but the woman filling in for the front desk person was nice enough. read more

My family has trained at Lute for the last two years. Lute has a great Jiu Jitsu program for adults and especially children. The students respect the coaches and the gym. Both of my kids have developed strong friendships with the other jits kids. My husband loves getting "beat up by the black belts." Lute also has a "women's only" class on Saturdays. Lute is a great environment, this is more than just a "gym." The staff plans events for everyone to bond outside of the gym. Fight nights, beach days, trips to Great America, even wine trips! read more

My five year old girl has been training here for the last few months and absolutely loves it. Out of all her activities this is the one she looks forward to every week. The coaches are super nice and great with kids. They explains all the moves very well and take the time to help any child that needs a little extra help. My daughter is making a lot of new friends and building great self esteem here. Not only that but as a parent I am meeting a lot of new people and also making new friends. I can't wait until my younger one is old enough to join. Highly recommend! read more

Can't really comment too much on the actual school because I only came here for a free woman's self defense class on the last Saturday of the month. I was told that they don't have this class all the time. It just depends if there's an event or not that day, but there is a schedule posted on their website. For this class, I RSVP'ed through Eventbrite. I wasn't really sure what to expect but my friend twisted my arm into going but I'm glad she did. I had fun and it was a great to learning experience. Our instructor was Chris, who is the owner and co-founder of the school. We learned a few basic moves on how to defend against an attacker and several different moves to get out of pinches like if you being choked or hugged from behind. I think these are very good things to know especially if you are a smaller person. read more

Amazing atmosphere from the moment you walk in the door. Both of my kids train here and love it. The coaching is amazing. Plenty of experience on the mats white to black belt. It's so great to see parents and their children training together. Highly recommended!!! read more

Amazing people and amazing environment! I only got to train here for a couple months and had to leave due to work and distance , but I highly recommend this place! read more

My Kids absolutely love coming to this place. They have been training here for over 2 years now and each time they step on the mat you can see the improvement in their skills.. Everyone here is really friendly and the times of the classes fit perfect in our schedule. I highly recommend this place! read more

LUTE! Training Academy - After their belt test! - Martial Arts Near Me - San Jose, California

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My son LOVES this place! Even in it's early transformation days, weeks before their Grand Opening, we'd drive by the building daily and my 9 year old would say "I wanna check THAT place out! When can I sign up Mom?". Our first experience just pulling up to the building to try to find out an opening date, some guy came out and introduced himself as he probably noticed we stopped to peer into the business. He was very friendly and welcomed us to come back and check out a class. No in your face sales pitch...just a friendly face with a welcoming invite. We didn't know until later that it was actually the owner, Coach Chris. I admittedly don't know much about Jui Jitsu but what I do know is a happy active kid and this program has my son's attention...in a good way. We have had nothing but positive experiences with not only Coach Chris, who my son greatly admires, but with all the staff at LUTE. Ms. Stefanie who runs the show is super helpful and is pleasure to work with when it comes to finding out what's right for your child and or yourself, if you're looking to get on the fitness track. We have had some real negative experiences with other places that shall remain unnamed (I don't care to put bad joojoo out there...just saying). We are proud to be associated with such a professional, family-oriented and talented group who are serious about their craft. You can tell these folks practice what they preach, literally, and I for one appreciate that type of business and am more than happy to advocate for their program. Kudos to LUTE for "doing it right" and introducing this awesome establishment to our neighborhood. read more

Best Jiu-Jitsu academy in San Jose, good training, good people and amazing atmosphere!

I've been training at LUTE in their Adult BJJ Checkmat classes for about 6 months now and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. Coming from a background in consulting fitness professionals, I can appreciate the professionalism and commitment to excellence and quality that LUTE fosters. I'm no spring chicken, and starting BJJ at 35 years old, I'm not looking to getting crushed by aspiring MMA fighters. What I am looking for are professionals that can understand what I need and lead me down the BJJ path through strong fundamentals for supporting long term development and that's exactly what my coach, Chris Coldiron, has provided me. Chris is the embodiment of BJJ and all the positive aspects that come along with it. The 1-on-1 lessons that we do provide me with many skills that go well beyond the mat. Chris, a veteran, is exactly what we need more of in our communities. I normally attend Coach Leandro's morning classes and it's always a blast where we get a mix of looks between warming up, drilling, and live rolls. Coach Leandro always keeps the atmosphere light while balancing getting hard work done. The mom and pop of the academy, Stefanie and Shawn are GOOD PEOPLE. They are the reason why "LUTE! is Family" and why I believe their youth program is so strong. I have my 2.5 year daughter that I'm looking forward to getting acclimated to the environment. A few months into training, I participated in my first BJJ competition and both Stefanie and Chris where there every step of the way with me literally walking me through the entire process and coaching the heck out of me. Beyond the leadership of the academy, every single person that I've come into contact with and trained with whether experienced colored belt, or newer white belt, has been nothing but supportive and encouraging. I walk away every training session at LUTE! with a sense of accomplishment and peace and I look forward to more people supporting more small businesses such as LUTE who have their hearts and passions in the right places. read more

Lute training Academy is such a great place to train. I currently take bjj and can say the instructors there are truly excellent. They not only possess a high level of skill but are very passionate and truly care about their students. The students there are also very good and are all very down to earth. I have taken a few wrestling classes as well and can attest they are top notch. A lot of conditioning, drilling and live wrestling. It's great for beginners and veterans alike. If you want to get to notch training this is the place to go! read more

Let our son try out this place and he enjoyed it very much. He tried the wrestling class to supplement his current wrestling program in middle school. The coaches and staff are VERY kind and helpful. A smaller gym w/ a more intimate setting putting more pressure on the kids to perform. I love it! read more

I moved from AKA to Lute Training Academy. It features top notch Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, and MMA style circuit training. The BJJ program is headed by Chris Coldiron, Leandro Vieira, and Leo Vieira - all Checkmat blackbelts. If you don't know Checkmat, look them up. They are world-class. I have been training under them for a couple years now and their instruction is definitely second to none. I am an active competitor in local tournaments and I have taken gold in several because of their instruction. Class starts with warm-ups, drilling, instruction, more drilling, and then sparring (gi and no gi). It's a great workout. The wrestling program is headed by Daniel Cormier who is a former two-time olympian and UFC number 1 contender. The wrestling class is high intensity and very detail oriented. The Combat Circuit Training is headed by former Strikeforce MMA fighter Nate Moore. It is a 30 minute workout that is the highest intensity I have ever come across, but I feel great afterwards. All of the instructors are awesome, friendly, and extremely knowledgable. Better yet, everyone who trains here is super nice and easy to work with even if you are a beginner. It just opened and there are already a bunch of kids in the kids program and at least 6-10 adults coming into class every night. I really do believe this is the best gym around. read more

This place is great they are so friendly and great instruction.you know the lineage of your instructor you know your in good hands.

Took my very first Gi jujitsu class here. It was very intimidating walking in but I was greeted and welcomed instantly. I came towards the end of the kids class and it was very awesome to see the instructors really engaged with the class. The fundamentals class was very fun, we worked on skills, and I even learned the Bow and Arrow choke. They walk you through step by step and give you a lot of attention. Chris was the head instructor that class. I highly recommend Lute Training Academy. read more

There are plenty of great BJJ gyms in the Bay Area, but what makes Lute stand out is the attention you get from high level instructors. It's one of the few academy's that always has a black belt on the mat. I personally trained with Chris for the past 4 years and I could only tell you great things about his academy. He is a BJJ black belt that actively competes in high level competitions, such as the Worlds and the Pans. He is very involved with his students, and is very passionate about the art. He truly cares about your progression, and that's why I have him as my instructor. If you want an academy with tough training partners and an academy you can call home come to Lute. read more

Awesome place to train. I attend gi and no gi jiu jitsu, combat evolution and the wrestling program. The jiu jitsu taught there is the world famous Checkmat program which is also the program used by AKA pro fighers like world Champion Cain Velasquez and other top MMA fighters. The wrestling program is taught by world class wrestlers Daniel Cormier and Shawn Bunch. Combat Evolution is the best 30 minute workout on the planet. The atmosphere is very friendly and people train as a team. read more