I made the mistake of not doing any research or reading reviews before joining William Vandry's BJJ gym. Just a few minutes reading some past reviews (see below) could have saved me time, money, and peace. I'm not surprised he has the worst reviews of any BJJ school in Austin. I am writing this review as someone who has been a student and has attended his evening classes 2-3 per week for the last 9 months. On the positive side, (I am a beginner in BJJ) but I do believe that William is extremely experienced and skilled in BJJ and has a wealth of knowledge to give students wanting to learn. He's probably ideal for black belts. In almost a year of going, I only met a few of the guys on his website photos. I have met many who left now. The guys I met were a really good group of guys. In fact I learned mostly from them - Ian, Tony, Markus, Clem, Ben, and Nan. I'm super grateful to have met them and will miss them. They are an older, wiser, humble, and patient bunch - almost all are black belts. William keeps safety a priority and with likeminded students I felt safe there. I believe William has learned from past criticisms and keeps the gym fairly clean. William conflates his mastery of BJJ with his expertise in all other disciplines. He is compelled to pontificate on everything. It is very common to hear him wax (not so eloquently) on any random subject for at least 15-20 minutes of an hour class. HE WILL NEVER START A CLASS ON TIME. To be fair, he will always go over on time. I think he understands that starting late and hearing him talk about random things other than BJJ takes at least a half hour or more of his instruction and rolling. William is a large man but that pails in comparison to his ego. His regular rants are negative and belittling of all areas of life. He thinks he knows more than doctors but has never been to medical school. He knows more than lawyers but has never been to law school. He knows more than politicians, pastors, Wall Street, pharma, the media, Universities, and other gyms. I will miss rolling with his students but will not miss his toxic environment of negativity and criticisms. While William is strong in stature, he is equally fragile in character. When you go to his gym he is god and the ultimate judge of everything. If you are not a yes man, you will find it hard to fit into his cult. (And yes he has bizarre thoughts on religion and theology too) Again, I am writing this review so that no one else loses their time, money, and peace. Consider yourself warned. read more

UPDATE: Business manager had responded with false information. My review was 11 years ago. The business manager recently responded with a story about someone else (or perhaps made the story up completely, not sure). The story describes completely different situation I am a father of 1 child (not 2) like the other father, and no one cared for their child to win or had a screaming child. There was no second son, no pushing the son to win, no issues at home, no refusal to take my child out. I took the child out and the owner asked me not to do so but it was a safety concern. PERIOD. No drama. Just wanted a clean break. My review was not a personal attack. It was simply a review of the business. Business has changed locations since then, so the smell is probably no longer an issue (increasing to 2 stars), but it was a well-known FACT at the time. The comradery for adult members was superb(not sure now), but there were serious safety issues for children at the time and hopefully in 11 years some improvements have been made, and I will keep my review right where it is because it will motivate children's safety, which is important. read more

I debated whether or not to post this, but I decided I'm going to. I will talk about my own experiences, and then offer some insight into what other reviewers have said. I'm sure you will get decent instruction into BJJ here from William. I asked how much he charged, he asked what my budget was, and me, not knowing that BJJ in Austin is pretty expensive, said if I could keep it to 150, that'd be swell. Well what do you know, he then said he charges 150 a month. How about that. The people in the class seemed okay. Definitely more down-to-earth than every other box o' tech bros in this city. Instruction was...hit or miss. I.e., them telling us to do a certain move and then, upon actually trying to copy what he said, that move turned out to be a complete waste of focus. Something Mr. Vandry said to me stuck with me. Keep in mind I did judo about 10 years ago and was just getting into martial arts. Mr. Vandry said, walking around slowly with his fingers interlocked: "So, [my name], like I told you 23 minutes ago, you do it like *this.*" And afterwards, when I told him I would consider the class, he immediately--and I mean, IMMEDIATELY--lost interest and went to take out the trash while muttering something over his shoulder. Yeah, not someone I want in charge of my money. Everything else that people have been saying about this guy does not surprise me at all. In fact, if you scroll down to the bottom of this page, you'll find something like 11 hidden reviews. I would read those hidden reviews, if I were you. I get having a budget, but at some point, it's just better to save your money. read more

Pros: William Vandry is great on the mats. Nice facility, good location, good people training under him. He absolutely positively knows the subject matter and is capable of instructing to a high level. Cons: Don't sign a contract, rules and class schedules are subject to change and you won't get a refund if you can't make it to the new times. Also, if you're a beginner, you might not get the attention from William that you'd like. If you're a chick, you might get attention you don't like.... or comments... unprofessional comments... Some favoritism observed, as well. read more

When I decided to get back into the martial arts after a long layoff, I was told point blank that I needed to train at Vandry BJJ. I was originally attracted to the variety of classes because I wanted to train in Muay Thai kickboxing, as well as Jiu-Jitsu and because I wanted to introduce my shy 10 year old daughter to a martial art. But variety is only one strength of the Vandry academy. The best part of training at Vandry is Professor Vandry and the people he surrounds himself with. The culture is both supportive and friendly, despite the fact that most students are blue belts or above (and thus completely capable of tearing my white-belted, 42 year old body limb from limb). But, this is not the place for someone with a mere passing interest. They are not casual about their sport, and every student there is dedicated to preserving the standard of quality that professor Vandry has set. If you want the most technical training in Austin, this is the place to be. Be warned though! This will be a humbling experience, even for people with past experience in the martial arts. I have to say though, I feel much stronger and more than capable of defending myself after just 6 months. The other positive aspect of the academy has been the kids program. I must have been crazy to think that my daughter, for whom soccer had been too rough, would make it past the first day. She has many strengths, but toughness, confidence, and athleticism were not at the top of the list. Somehow, in the first class at Vandry, a change started to happen. Maybe she felt empowered, was curious about something new, or just wanted to make some new friends. She's been training for 6 months now and shows no signs of losing interest. What is really amazing is her personal growth! The other day, she battled another little boy on the mat for several minutes, back and forth, with neither wanting to give an inch to the other. I was so proud of the guts and determination she displayed. The Vandry academy has made an enormous impact on her and I will be forever grateful. read more

Professor Vandry is a master at teaching Jiujitsu. I have my two teenage sons in his classes as well as myself for over one year. Many students have been attending 5-15 years. Besides Professor Vandry there are all the other amazing , belted, students ranging from white, blue, purple, up to Black. They are also great asset at Vandry Jiujitsu for learning and camaraderie. New or experienced, at any level, you will not be disappointed as the studio is filled with nice and experienced helpful students. read more

I've been a student of Vandry's since 2000. He first met me when I just graduated from UT and he's now training my 9 and 11 year old sons. Because of that fact, I consider myself uniquely qualified to give some insight into his community and school. There are a few things that keep me coming back, even when life gets busy. First, Vandry is a fantastic technician and strategist. If you want to learn every variant of a technique and how to use it, as a 6th degree black belt, he has the tools and temperament to help. There isn't a question that he has trouble answering, or a technique that he isn't at least VERY good at. As the author of a few books on BJJ, Vandry continues to learn and bring new variations to the mat every year. Second, the community is top notch. I enjoy my team members and consider the friends. It's an eclectic group of lawyers, business owners, programmers, and salesmen, to name a few. Regardless of the background, we're there to learn, have fun, and take care of our health. Trust me, Vandry wants you coming there year after year! Third, the kids program at Vandry's is excellent. My boys love it. If you are thinking of taking your kids, do it! You won't be disappointed. They'll learn respect, technique, coordination, and confidence! read more

I have trained at many BJJ schools around the world. Rio to LA to here in Austin - Vandry's is the best in Austin let alone leading in the USA. Sheer technique alone is unmatched. William and his team of Black Belts offer consistent and superior instruction. Many schools simply practice rolling around and basic movements. What is taught drilled and applied at Vandry's is one of the few true representations of Brazilian JJ. It is rare to find such a great school. Jump on it read more

Jiu Jitsu for kids? I was a bit skeptical before I enrolled my son. So, I watched the first lesson and waited for the after-talk. It's now been 3 months since he joined--My Son Loves it! I cannot say enough positive things about Vandry Jiu Jitsu. The coaches and professor Vandry are truly gifted instructors of this wonderful art. Now, I need to work out before my son goes knee-on-belly and then North/South on me... :) I recommend Vandry to all my friends! read more

I came to Austin July of '14 with a Blue Belt from a great RCJ affiliate in Fort Worth Professor Marcos Santos. Vandry BJJ was a must, a 30 plus yr practitioner of the art and with a great lineage this was what I would now call home. I train at least three days a week as does my 8 year old daughter. The environment is welcoming with its quirks and we have made great friendships. Their is a number of Gyms in the surrounding area and am sure that most have a great program but for me and what I want out of my BJJ experience Vandry BJJ is the place to be. In closing wether you decide to train at Vandry's or any of the great gyms in the area do your research and find a place you feel comfortable at. Keep training BJJ changes lives. Oss. read more

Vandry Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - Kids group . - Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Near Me - Austin, Texas

I do not recommend Vandry BJJ. I trained there for a year and I agree with the posts about the favoritism and lack of professionalism by Vandry. In regard to BJJ skills, Vandry knows what he is doing and I learned a lot from his classes. My complaints are about the shockingly poor standards of hygiene at his school and the way that he treats a lot of students as just a means to pay his bills. When I trained there, the mats were dirty and did not appear to be cleaned thoroughly after every class. Also, some students would just leave their filthy uniforms in the changing room after every class instead taking it home to wash. There was a particular guy that I would try to avoid rolling with; he always smelled so bad that I would rather tap out right away than continue with him. Vandry allowed these students to get on the mat each class. While it was not his fault that these students lack personal hygiene, he must surely be aware of them and should have enforced a standard of cleanliness as the instructor. Eventually, there was an outbreak of severe skin rashes among several students, probably caused by the combination of dirty mats and dirty uniforms. Vandry gave a 10 minute pre-class talk about staph infections, but that was as far as he went to keep his students healthy. Instead of pulling aside obviously affected students and asking them to seek medical attention, Vandry did not care and allowed them to get on the mat each class. I know this for sure because I overheard him telling some students to avoid rolling with a guy that had skin rashes, saying that he had a staph infection. WTF -- why did Vandry allow the guy to remain on the mat if he thought he had staph, putting the others at risk? Why did he not quietly tell the guy about it instead of telling people to avoid him? This unprofessionalism and lack of care made me decide to finally leave Vandry BJJ. There are better schools in town that have an excellent worldwide reputation with impressive instructors. read more

Okay, so first of all, I've been spoiled in the past with jiu jitsu schools. I trained as a total beginner in Oklahoma at a school called Titan Martial Arts, and then trained at HBJJ in Los Angeles, under Shawn Williams and Sean Patrick Flanery, where I got my blue belt. And both of those places have great instructors, some of whom are world class competitors, and some who are not, but are still great teachers. I'm not a phenom, a seasoned competitor or high ranking student, but I work hard, and I'm developing. So what I look for when I try out a jiu jitsu place is an open, honest, safe, helpful environment from moment one. I expect to be welcomed, and I expect the focus to be on me. I'm a prospective client, and there are many schools that I could train at if I want to. Any school worth its salt shoud offer the first class for free, and should have the attitude that you will sign up only if you are sure that's what YOU want to do to meet YOUR goals. I didn't get that at Vandry. I got no greeting, a kid at the desk who didn't know anything, and once I spoke with William (it's pronounced Vaundry), I got a full of himself attitude, and a defensive feel when I asked questions about class prices, and lengths. He has recently removed his rates from his website, because they are much higher now. (I believe it's now $160 unlimited, down to like $110 for 3/wk, lowest rate is like 1/wk for around $70.) Not competitive for Austin rates. In a recession, that's not good, in my oppinion. He also critiqued the way I have trained in the past--"If you're training 2 or 2 1/2 hours, you're way overtraining." (You're paying high rates for only a one hour class at Vandry with class only 5 days, with only one day of open mat.) Look for a school that allows you at least some time to do positional training or open training every day after you learn a lesson. I would have asked for a free class anyway, to compare with other local schools, since I'm new to Austin, but I felt I had already gotten the info I needed. I know from Vandry's resume that he has been a top level competitor himself in jiu jitsu, and that he trained under one of the Machado's, but I was not impressed by what his school had to offer at my first visit. I've decided to train elsewhere in Austin, even though it's a longer drive. He may have a great school, with great competitors, but the rates and lack of openness drove me away before I stepped on a mat. Also, there is only a small window for parents to watch through during the kids class. Strange, and the first time I've seen anything like that at a BJJ school. read more

Trained at Vandry's for a couple of years when I first moved to Austin. Saw horrible injuries, and no restraint of out of control aggressiveness from the instructors. Win at any cost attitude was encouraged along with an "everybody else sucks" attitude. Students who didn't "get with the plan" were ostracized and denied promotion. I finally woke up to the reality and found a far better place to train. read more

DON'T go. Toxic Gym. Try any other gym. Don't let your children attend. Keep your women away... and You, Don't go!