Highly recommend, very open yet competitive. With all of the experienced instructors making proper…read moreaccommodations to new students, it makes a better experience for anyone who is getting interested in the sport.

I don't review stuff very often, but I wanted to say a few words about SMBJJ and how it's changed…read moremy life, and hopefully give anyone who hasn't been to the gym a good idea of what to expect. I've been training here for about 5 months now and I've absolutely fallen in love with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I've always been kind of a skinny nerd, into computers and never did any real sports throughout my life, but I was encouraged by a close friend to come check out SMBJJ sometime and I'm glad I finally took him up on it and dragged my butt out of bed and made it here for the 5am class. I had no idea what to expect coming into this gym, but I realized right away that the camaraderie and humility demonstrated by everyone who trains here is absolutely fantastic. These guys are here to train and keep the drama out of the picture. No egos, no bullying, no BS. I've improved my BJJ game from knowing absolutely nothing to holding my own against guys almost twice my size in the matter of 5 months. Not only that, this sport has taught me discipline and given me an incredible amount of confidence that I never had before. I constantly find myself watching videos online to learn new techniques and methodologies of BJJ and I love trying and learning new things every morning. Oh, and I've never been in better shape, which is fantastic for someone almost in their 40s! Though I've only interacted with Chris a handful of times since I started here, I know he is an amazing stand-up guy who takes his gym seriously and constantly demonstrates his commitment to making every person here feel welcome and part of the SMBJJ family. He's always quick to respond if I ever need help with anything and his dedication to making sure everyone grows together here is great. I love that he puts on BBQs and does fun stuff for everyone in the gym from time to time too. I usually train with Ethan Brown in the 5am class (yes, I know that sounds way too early, but it's worth getting up for) and it has been fantastic. His dedication to the art and excellent teaching skills have can brought me to a very high level understanding of the art of BJJ in a very short time. I love how he focuses on the critical fundamentals in order to create a more effective jiu jitsu game instead of just teaching "move 1 into move 2 into move 3." He also keeps it fun by sometimes throwing in some sneaky techniques or new ways to pass guard while keeping his overall teaching method laser-focused and pushing everyone to be their best. Aside from the fantastic community, the gym itself is great- the mat area is HUGE and very high quality. Parking can be a bit crowded for some classes, but there's always a spot somewhere. There are no showers, but that's fine- I prefer to shower at home anyway. TLDR: gym is 5/5, people are 5/5, you will learn a lot very quick and it will change your life for the better! Come check it out!

I've dropped into this gym a couple of times now, when I'm vacationing in the area. Fun and…read morefriendly gym. Looks nice and it's clean. I'm a black belt and I've been training for about 16 years, so I've been around long enough to know what I'm talking about. Would recommend

In town for work and dropped into the 6pm gi class. The kids class was still just ending when I…read morearrived. Met with John Marine and Ashley and they were both welcoming and their class was fantastic. A little over an hour is technical drilling and then open rounds after. The Muay Thai class started towards the end of open rounds and as I was leaving they started the Escrima class so I stayed for a few minutes to watch. The community was nice and the rolls were even better. Highly recommended. Will be back whenever I'm in town for work. See you guys back on the mats soon. Thanks for the hospitality!

I was visiting SLO and wanted to get some cross training in. Luckily, I was able to drop in at this…read moregym. The mat space is huge and the coaches are extremely knowledgeable. I had some great rolls with the students and really enjoyed the training. Both the instructors and the members made me feel very welcome. I definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the area!

Awesome! Everyone was great and helpful, I enjoyed meeting and rolling with everyone.read more

Came over here about a week ago on Thursday evening to drop into a pit jiu jitsu class. I phoned…read morein earlier in the day and John himself answered the phone and welcomed me to come to the pit jiu jitsu class. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Class started with a nice warm up and some self defense before we got into some positioning drills then some rounds of rolling. Overall it was a great experience to check out The Pit. I am usually visiting the area on the weekends so I would give 6 stars if there was jiu jitsu then. Thank you John, Adrian, and the Pit crew for the hospitality! Sammy

We tried out their classes for free for a week. No one was at the front counter to greet us or help…read moreus get a waiver, explain anything to us. We waited a good while before someone greeted us but then told us that they weren't in charge. Since nothing was explained to us, we didn't know what to do or where to get supplies like gloves when all the other kida did. The teachers tried to help the kids and were involved. Overall the class was fine, but not the best fit for my kid so we ended up not registering.

All I can say is that it was a joy sharing a mat with Jeremy and the rest of the coaches. These…read moreguys are professionals, very courteous and polite. If you guys looking for a good gym and some good flow rolls paragon BJJ is where is it at ! Can't wait till next time.

On a family road trip up the coast and part of the plan was to let our kids cross train while we…read morevacay. My kids are very competitive and all we hoped for was the kids to get in some good rolls and learn a technique or two. Decided to hit up local gyms near our hotel location and found Paragon Atascadero, a city we never even heard of. We set everything up through text message with a lady named Mallory and just like that the appointment was set. The gym is located inside a fitness gym which is pretty unique to us. Once we walked in, the lady in the front desk welcome us with open arms. Professor Chris was so welcoming, it was like we already knew each other. I can tell this man loves the art of Jiu Jitsu and the further development of it, in this area. We were the only Asian family in there but everybody that spoke to us was so welcoming and friendly. It was a small town but the people had giant hearts. This is all based off one visit and we got exactly what we were looking for. There is tons of potential for this place to grow. The mat space is huge, it's clean and the professor and coaches seemed very caring. My kids are grey belts, competed in many tournaments and won lots of medals. We been to many gyms to cross train all over Southern California and based off my own assessment, this gym is a must join if you live in the area. Highly recommended.

Today was our first time here The visit was to introduce my…read more3yr old granddaughter to martial arts The class for her age group was small and the teachers were friendly, approachable and kid friendly The games to introduce martial arts was age appropriate and kept the students motivated I gave an average rating due to being the first visit

We are very pleased with the caring professional teachers here. Our daughter is shy and she is…read moredoing great learning karate. We can't recommend this business enough!

We've been at paragon for almost 2 years now. Our son started in the little kids class and is now…read morein the big kid class and it has become such a staple in his week, there's never any debate about going, he loves the structure, the coaches, the workouts, the friends he's made and the skills he's learned.

i called to possibly sign my daughter up and left a voice mail. I also sent a text message about…read morebeing interested in signing her up. Upon receiving a call back days later the girl on the phone was rude and hung up the phone. I guess she was mad that i had asked why the other paragon gyms were listed as vendors with such as paragon Santa Barbara and paragon Goleta were listed as vendors. However, Santa Maria wasn't. Her response was "we got in a fight with heartland and won't be a vendor for them again" Before I could ask any more questions or say anything else she hung up the phone on me and refused to answer when I called back. This is terrible customer service. If their actual customer service is this bad I can only imagine what their training is like!!!

If you've been debating on starting, or what gym to join, start here. Team Moreira is not just a…read moreJiu Jitsu academy, it is also a safe learning environment with a huge family. The way the coaches bring a move to life, breaking down every movement, to an understandable and duplicatable process has brought great strides to those just staring out. This is not a throw you to the wolves gym, this is a learn together, drill, repeat space, allowing confidence to grow before performance. I have attended each coaches classes, and there are so many benefits to all of them! Join us, and bring your kids! The whole family will benefit from the discipline and techniques! This is not a quick fight, this is a years long battle, and I'm so excited to have joined the tribe!

I have been training at this academy for 3 and a half years. My 5 year old son has also started his…read moreJui Jitsu journey at TMLO as well. We both cherish the coaches and community of this amazing academy. If you are looking to start training, or are new to the area and are looking for a chill, fun, welcoming, and challenging place to train BJJ. Look no further!