I have been practicing jiujitsu for almost 10 years. A friend invited me to join her for a noon class at mountain. Paul greeted and spent a little time getting to know me before class. Everyone who came in, introduced themselves to me. Such a friendly and inviting environment. Professor Paul's teaching is a clear indication of his deep experience. Complex movements in jiujitsu, when in the hands of a great coach, are delivered with simple language so all levels can learn. That's exactly what I saw. He was very clear, concise and watchful as we practiced. Love it!! After the lesson was open sparing and that was tremendously fun. Everyone was challenging, but showed excitement and sportsmanship during and after the rolls. The culture here is great. All together, I was very happy walking back to my workspace after class. And I look forward to returning for more learning! Thank you for the very warm welcome and for the teaching. Kids, adults, noon and evening classes. If you're in Arcadia, check this place out! read more

So there I was, dripping sweat from every pore on my face and puffing like a steam engine on an old-time freight train hauling a load up a steep grade on the Sonora Pass. In a more unrestrained (and less truthful) story, I'd say this scene took place at the apogee of a multi-hour training session, matching wits and physical acumen with opponents of progressively higher rank. In reality the only opponent I was facing was holding a turtle position beneath me, as I spun from side to side across his back. My internal dialog was persistent repetition of a simple mantra: "Just don't quit". I was a blue belt at the time, and that was my first day after a long break in training. Finally in a position to get back on the mat, I did my research and put together a list of jiu jitsu schools to visit. At the top of the list was a little school on First Ave. in Arcadia with basically no social media presence. I went to a noon class, came back for the rest of the week, and never made it to any of the other schools. That was five years ago. It was a Yelp review that brought me in the door to Mountain so after training here for a few months, I left a review of my own. Then I brought in a friend. Then a few more. Now, some of those friends have brought in other friends, the mat has filled with different colors of belts, and it seems like time to update my review. After all, I read Yelp reviews. If I see one from almost half a decade ago, I think, "Fantastic that the business was great back then, but how is it now?" At Mountain BJJ the answer is "Even better". BJJ has exploded over the years and there are lots of great places to train. Downtown Arcadia alone has three excellent academies. Why choose Mountain? Good question. Some good answers: - Because you value detailed, precise instruction. - Because you believe in building a strong base of the fundamentals and practicing until you do them right every time. - Because you've always been curious to try BJJ and you want a school that values mentoring and retaining its new students. - Because you've got enough years to remember when Royce Gracie was the biggest name in MMA and now you've got a life and a career, and you want to train hard with an equal emphasis on not getting hurt. - Because you want to train around other people who feel the same way. It's a long road. You could use a skilled teacher and dedicated training partners to help you along the way. That's exactly what you'll find at Mountain BJJ. See you on the mat! read more

Every member is treated like family. All aspects of training and the business is ran by the owner. No gym politics at all. Kids classes are age oriented and upper belts very involved for quality instruction in small groups. Affiliate of street sports juijitsu read more

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I have been an off and on again practitioner of BJJ. i was looking for a place that fit my schedule. I have been to several studios (Gracie Academy, Gracie Barra Arcadia, and Cia Paulista) and this place ranks high up on Instructional quality taught by a great quality instructor Paul. He takes the time to assess and adjust the moves to your abilities. I have been coming here to refresh my abilities along with working on my weaknesses and bringing new moves to my game. His curriculum are thoughtfully planned out and flows to connect to the next movement without having to be overwhelmed by information. The place is very spacious and clean with a good size locker room and plenty of mat space throughout the studio. The price is excellent and there are no minimum monthly contracts that are required. Whether you want to train for competition or just for self defense or as a general lifestyle practitioner, this place is a great BJJ studio to come train. 1st week is free to experience what this place has to offer. read more

Coach Paul and the rest of the team at mountain are first class. Coach Paul is highly knowledgable in the art and a fine practitioner of it as well. He'll take the time to explain things, and he explains them well. Very thorough instruction, both in class and one on one. Holes in your game will be noted and addressed. Good mix of young and old, male and female, competitive and hobbyist. Friends all. No egos, just solid BJJ. Very clean academy. Been training here since 2017 and recommend it to everyone. read more

Yep, this is still the place to train! Now learning the lapel guard! If you want train against butterfly and half guard players. Train here! read more

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Coach Paul is a great instructor and understands the intricacies of what makes a gym great. I walked into the gym with zero prior Jiu-Jitsu experience and was welcomed in like family. Coach Paul is hands-on and does a fantastic job at explaining the meaning behind techniques and motions. The gym itself is in fantastic condition and well maintained. The mats are always clean and don't show any signs of wear-and-tear or mistreatment. The inside is well lit, clean, and inviting. Everyone that I've met at the gym is extremely friendly and legitimately tries their best to provide useful advice during training sessions. I can't recommend this place enough and can't wait to be back in the gym to train more! read more

I've been training at Mountain BJJ for ~3 months after a layoff of many years, and I'm thankful I landed here. Here's why: GREAT instruction by Coach Paul. I've trained at a handful of other schools, and this is the best I've experienced hands down. You are getting a very carefully curated lesson plan every week, and I especially appreciate the detailed focus on setups and transitions, rather than just showing static positions and techniques. Teaching aside, culture is what seals the deal here. Friendly people, respectful training/learning environment. There's a good vibe, and I've felt welcome from day one. Folks are here to learn, not beat up on one another, and are generous with their time to help you improve. The space itself is clean and functional. Plenty of mat space, cubbies in front, and a changing room in back. Zero complaints. Give it a try! read more

Jiu Jitsu has become a lifestyle. When I started, I thought twice/week would be an incredible commitment. Now it feels strange if I don't roll five days per week. Not only is the jiu jitsu instruction top notch but it feels invigorating to improve my fitness while making new friends. Over the years, I have tried going to the gym (not really fun), playing basketball (knees don't hold up), and biking (too solitary). Jiu Jitsu fits a unique intersection of being an effective martial art, being able to go almost full bore without significantly hurting yourself, and being integrated into a cool community of folks. read more

A couple of weeks ago my friend invited me to my first BJJ class and I am glad it was at Mountain Brazilian. I was a bit intimidated at first since I didn't know anything about BJJ but all of that went out the window as soon as I stepped in. Coach Paul and the rest of the students were very friendly and welcoming. There were only a few of us that night and I received a lot 1 on 1 time with coach Paul. I could tell he had a game plan on what he wanted to teach me first. His instruction was clear and his explanations were well thought out. The facility itself was very clean and mats looked very well kept. After class we all sat on the mat and talked about whatever was on our minds. It was a great time with great company. If you're looking for a new gym and want top of the line instruction along with a welcoming environment, this is the place to go to. read more

Want to learn Brazilian jiu jitsu? You've got tons of options these days. Want to learn Brazilian jiu jitsu in the most effective and caring environment? Come train at Mountain BJJ. Paul, the head instructor and owner, teaches every class from kids to womens to adults. His jiu jitsu lineage is being a black belt under the legendary Renato Magno at Street Sports BJJ who came to the US from Brazil to teach bjj with the Machado brothers. Paul is a highly intellectual professional who ensures you learn jiu jitsu fundamentals first in a safe environment and will then cater his teaching for you to learn more advanced technique that will work best for your body type. Paul focuses on proper technique that will work using minimal strength if done properly and breaks it down on why something works as opposed to simply showing technique (similar to Ryan Hall's level of detail). If you're in the area and remotely thinking about it, drop in and you won't be sorry. Tell him Henry sent you. read more

I started my Jiu Jitsu Journey last year at the age of 47. It has been an absolutely amazing experience. I wish I didn't wait so long! My initial reasoning to start was to just find something active to do and to lose a little bit of weight, but it has become so much more. Jiu Jitsu really challenges your mind and body in different ways. I guess they call it "Human Chess" for a reason. My first six months were done at another gym in Pasadena. I still had fun over there, but there is just something different about the way that Coach Paul teaches his classes. At the other gym, you would usually be taught a random technique each day. With the amount of things you can learn in Jiu Jitsu, it is difficult to retain all of that information. Coach Paul goes about it a different way. It is very evident on the amount of thought he puts into his classes about what he is going to teach and how he teaches it. For instance, the last couple months were dedicated to a specific position. He would go over all the intricacies of that position, such as counters or what to do if your opponent responds a certain way. Last month we did Half Guard and this month we're working on Side Mount. I've found that this has helped me retain a lot more information and thus progress much faster. Everyone at the gym is always eager to help. There are no egos at this gym. If you want to roll or just drill something in particular, there is always someone available. Another amazing aspect of this gym is the kid's class. I have twin boys that are taking the kid's class right now. They also started with me at the other gym. When I first told them I was planning to switch gyms, they didn't want to. They became comfortable with their old gym and the friends they made there. Change is hard for everyone, especially kids. I told them to just try one class to see how they liked it. After their first class, they were already comfortable. Coach Paul has a unique ability to keep the class fun and competitive at the same time. My kids have tried everything from basketball and soccer to piano and coding. Jiu Jitsu is the only thing that they have stuck with and really enjoy. If you've thought about trying Jiu Jitsu, just give it a try! read more

I started jiu jitsu at 40. Everybody told me that I was crazy. But is it very challenging and fun and a great workout. This academy really stresses safety and a team environment which is great for learning. I don't think I would get the same experience at another place. Solid! read more

I love jiujitsu! BACKGROUND: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (or "BJJ"), is a great sport. Conceptually, it's a self-defense based martial art that revolves around ground fighting, similar to Greco Roman wrestling (the type of wrestling usually practiced in high school and college). However, the difference between wrestling and BJJ is that practitioners of bjj can be offensive while laying on their backs! We've all seen the cool moves on UFC!!! That being said, Jiu-Jitsu is an art of submissions and controls whereby the practitioner uses leverage and technique rather than size and strength to manipulate their opponents. In competition, jiu jitsu players focus on the sport dynamic of BJJ, while in self-defense situations, more practical applications of the moves are applied. Mountain BJJ teaches both street and sport jiujitsu!!! With that brief introduction to the budo ways of the art, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this sport and totally want my kids to learn it as well! MY EXPERIENCE: I have trained at this school several times, including rolling with Paul and many of his students during open mat, an inherently jiu jitsu concept whereby different students (from different schools) are welcomed to another school to "roll" or spar with various opponents of different sizes, body-types and ages. Open mat at Mountain BJJ is friendly and Paul is always very generous with his time and knowledge of different techniques/moves he may execute against his opponents regardless of what school you come from! His philosophy is to selflessly share the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu without any conditions or reservations because he loves the practice of the art that much. His passion really shows through in everything he does at his school. In class, Paul is very detailed-oriented and breaks down each technique in a very understandable manner, first explaining the overall concept, then detailing the intricacies of the move, and finally showing its applications in action. He also tries to explain the different nuances for each position so that techniques are executed purposefully and efficiently. The details in jiujitsu are what separates a good practitioner from the greats. LOCATION: The school is located in the downtown district of Arcadia, but Paul caters to all comers, including students who are firefighters, police officers, veterans, women and children from Azusa, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Duarte and Pasadena. What really caught my attention was the free "Woman's Night" class, whereby any woman could show up and train for free at his school. It speaks volumes about the school's philosophy in that they are trying to spread the art and teach men and women alike how to defend themselves in all situations. IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PARENTS: I've seen the care and attention Paul devotes to the kids' classes. As a parent, I previously sent my 5 year daughter (now 7) to a Gracie Barra, where a young inexperienced blue belt girl (that's one level above white belt) was teaching the kid's class. That girl from Gracie had NO control over any of the kids in her class and even let the bigger, more experienced boys smash my daughter and keep pushing her to the ground like a school yard bully. That was my daughter's very first formal experience with BJJ!!! Needless to say, it completely turned her off to BJJ despite the fact that my daughter was always really into it, since I love and train in the sport, and we used to roll around at the house all the time before that bad experience. Importantly, this became a huge factor for me when seeking out new schools for my kids thereafter: Whether the instructors were experienced, qualified and just had some dag nab common sense!!! Paul (a 20 year+ black belt with a wealth of knowledge and experience) is the one teaching the classes (including the kids), and he makes sure their experience is fun and that the environment is always safe to learn in. The kids absolutely adore him! CONDITION OF SCHOOL: The school is brand new and all the mats and equipment are BRAND NEW! There is a very spacious area to train in and the changing room is huge! Paul has really created a very comfortable, spacious and functional environment at Mountain Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I would highly recommend this place to men, women and kids of all ages and sizes! Give Paul a call to chat about BJJ and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. Go for a tour or try a class: You won't be disappointed. Good luck and go train!!! : ) read more

I rarely write reviews on Yelp but I felt this is one of those special gyms that warrant a review. I have trained at other gyms and felt that this was the right fit for me. I am a working professional and am not looking to be the next jiu jitsu superstar or anything; rather, I am looking to stay fit and learn the art of jiu jitsu while also meeting the demands of my sometimes hectic work schedule. Coach Paul is extremely knowledgeable, humble, friendly, patient, and understanding. Jiu Jitsu is a deep art and it takes time for someone like me to learn the technicalities and the fundamentals. Coach Paul gives each of his students attention, often fine tuning details in techniques. He goes above and beyond in answering any questions students may have. That's why I really appreciate his deep knowledge and the fact that he cares about his students' progress. You can also see and feel Coach Paul's philosophy and ability to instruct manifested in his students, which is why I chose this school. Every time I attend a class, I always feel like I am progressing in some way, shape, or form and hope to grow further under the Mountain BJJ banner. Other than that, the gym is really clean, has ample parking, has plenty of mat space, has some weights available, and is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Arcadia. If you're serious about improving your jiu jitsu, I highly recommend this gym. read more

A great place ,with a great hospitable environment. Everyone over here makes you feel that you belong to this place from your first day on the mats as if you were training there for years.Coach Paul is really great and friendly and welcomes you to the Mountain jiujitsu family read more

There are black belts and then there are black belts who can truly teach and instruct. Paul has a very special ability to carefully dissect each movement/position involved in a technique and explain it so that each individual in his classes will understand. He acknowledges that everyone has different body types and personalities in which he takes the time to customize his way of teaching per student. Grappling with Paul is yet another prime example that not only is he a great instructor but he is also a very high level practitioner. Whether you are looking to get into shape and/or learn self defense that works, Mountain BJJ is the ideal academy to join. read more

Awesome professor, awesome atmosphere, and awesome family. If you want to get better and build great friendships this is your place. I've rolled many places and finally found a home. read more

Gorgeous new Brazilian jiu jitsu gym in Arcadia. Paul is such an awesome instructor with 20+ years of jiu jitsu experience. I had a one on one session with him and it blew my mind. I'm definitely going to purchase some class packages from him to sharpen my jiu jitsu game. If you are in Arcadia and are thinking about trying jiu jitsu you should definitely check this gym out. read more

I joined Mountain Brazilian Jiu Jitsu almost 3 months ago and could not be happier with my decision! I have never done Jiu Jitsu or any form of Martial Art and decided to give it a try. I yelped nearest gyms and looked at the ones with good reviews and Mountain came up. I emailed the instructor, Paul, and he welcomed my boyfriend and I with open arms upon entering the gym. After my first day of Jiu Jitsu I bought a gi and it was a done deal. Coach Paul is an amazing teacher and emphasizes technique in jiu jitsu. He does his best to work around your schedule and jumps through hoops to be there! Some days I can't make the adult class at night so Paul has made an effort to meet me at 6am instead. I consider myself lucky for finding an amazing gym with amazing people on the first try! I have learned so much in the few months I've been here and plan to stay a long time. Anyone who chooses to come here would not be disappointed! read more

With its convenient location, immaculate facility, and expansive mat space, Mountain BJJ has it all. However, what makes it stand out from other BJJ studios in the area is its Women's Class. I came across Mountain BJJ right here on Yelp while searching for local martial arts academies that offered self-defense classes. I felt it was imperative to learn self-defense, but I was unsure where to start. Reading through the reviews, Mountain BJJ seemed like the place to begin. Although the Women's Class is free, Paul--the owner and head instructor--puts in an incredible amount of detail and focus in his teaching. He genuinely wants to ensure that women learn proper and effective technique. As a skilled and experienced teacher, Paul adapts his teaching style to your learning style. All of the moves are taught at a slow pace, shown at different angles, and repeated multiple times, ensuring full understanding of the techniques. You practice with fellow women, but you also drill with Paul. Drilling with Paul simulates what could actually happen if you are attacked. Sometimes he incorporates surprise moves to test your instincts, which allows you to recognize areas of improvement. I appreciate how Paul is very generous with his time, energy, and knowledge. His dedication and passion for BJJ radiates in all of the classes he teaches. I have been attending the Women's Class for a few months, and can say the quality of the lessons are always top-notch. I am now even considering attending the Adult's Class. I know a big concern of mine prior to getting started was getting injured. If you come here, you won't get hurt. If you train here, get ready to feel empowered. This is a safe, fun, and nurturing environment. You are not only learning how to defend yourself physically, but also how to develop yourself emotionally and psychologically. The Women's Class equips you with the tools you need to defend yourself in a threatening situation. And it also fosters two important life skills: recognizing your emotions without allowing them to overcome you and staying calm under immense pressure. I highly recommend the Women's Class at Mountain BJJ. The knowledge I have gained here is invaluable. read more

First yelp review ever, but this place definitely warrants it. Excellent training partners, an excellent head instructor, and easy parking. Over the years I've attended a couple of different schools, but I've never been to a place that has the same level of instruction and attention to detail that this school offers. I've learned so much during my 5 months here, and feel very lucky to have found this place. Paul is an incredible instructor, and really breaks down techniques and their applications in a very detailed but easy to understand way. Furthermore, Paul is a really down to earth guy that honestly just loves to teach Jiu Jitsu. On top of that, there is an excellent stable of training partners that attend this school: humble, respectful, hard working, and eager to learn come to mind. I honestly believe that you would be hard pressed to find a school in the area that can match the instruction, training partners, and overall vibe that this school has. But don't just take my word for it, come on down to give it a try, and see ya on the mats :) read more