Claudio Franca – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

This is a great gym. After moving to the Bay Area from Sacramento, I’m happy to now call this place home. The instruction here is superb, the facility is clean, training partners are respectful and competitive.
I greatly appreciate the variety of instruction at this studio. During any given week, you can be exposed to 5 or 6 high level instructors with their own unique style. I tried many gyms in the San Jose area and finally landed here. In my opinion, there’s no comparison.

Great place to train. Dropped in on a free class (no gi on a Friday evening) after emailing. Not too strenuous on the warmup, helpful, technical instruction, friendly staff as well as class goers, what seems like fair rates for membership. Most importantly, no macho-​aggro big league prick-​ery. I’ve been to gyms where the attitude is «oh you’ve trained? Ok…» And then they throw you to the wolves and make you an example of what bad asses they are. Not the case here. Just solid technical instruction.

Best martial arts gym in San Jose! I have searched for many and this one is the one. The instructors make newcomers feel comfortable and learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu possible and exciting! I found this place through Groupon but now I will become a member.

awesome place to train! My son has been training here at Claudio Franca Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu academy for roughly 6 years. The whole family has taking classes here. very friendly and professional environment. Great instructors who are experienced and knowledgeable.

Great dojo! Awesome instructors, cardio & core fitness classes are no joke. I fully recommend.

Excellent training, family oriented, and FUN! Left for a while and have missed everyone in my absence. Great watching everyone grow and excel in life and jiu jitsu.

When I first started at Franca Claudio’s school I had no experience with grappling. Its natural to feel nervous and intimidated when attending a new school but I got over that fear quickly due to the great atmosphere and culture that thrives at this school.
The people and instructors here are great. Your training partners become your family and everyone has a high level respect for one another. The instructors here all are very knowledgeable, friendly, and will personally help you with the most basic techniques. I have been training here for about 7 months and training here as already made a significant impact on my life. Every single person here is willing to take the time to be patient with white belts, and share new techniques they have developed during their years training BJJ. There are no egos here and constructive yet friendly criticism is given everyday.
If you are looking to try a new hobby and get in great shape, I would highly recommend coming to this school. I can guarantee that on your first day here you will be welcomed by all the members and they will share their experiences as a first time grappler to help calm your nerves and help you transition into the love of this sport and our team.

I always wanted to try BJJ being of fan of MMA for a long time. Never had the time or chance to do it. I recently moved to the area and my schedule had time open. I emailed the gym and quickly got a response. I was invited to watch a class.
I was greeted by Eric who is the main teacher. Great laid back guy. I watched a class and decided it was for me. One month into it and I am mad at myself for taking so long to join and learn BJJ. Great teachers and team members. They take the time to teach you techniques and are always encouraging. Not to mention the shape I’m in. They are open all week basically. Afternoon and night classes so it’s convenient.
Really glad to be here and I can’t wait to learn more everyday.

The best school to train BJJ.
–Excellent Instruction
–Clean Facility
–Positive Atmosphere
–Flexible Training Schedules
–Training Partners Are Respectful

If I had to sum it up in one sentence: Great instructors, great experiences, great people.
I’ve been training at Claudio Franca’s San Jose for about a year and a half now and I’m glad I did. The instructors, Claudio, Erik, and Tyson are top notch and the members are very helpful and friendly. They have a new location which is much bigger and can accommodate more students. Stop on by and come roll!

THE TL;DR SUMMARY:
Amazing school! It has turned me into an addict! To get the most out of this school:
–Ask questions
–Train with as many people as you can
–Don’t be discouraged
–Keep coming to class
You will see MASSIVE improvement in your bjj
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If you’re in the San Jose area, this school is AMAZING for bjj. I didn’t have a car for the summer, so I spent over 25 hours a week in public transportation to get to classes 6 days a week. That’s addiction.
My review will be for those who are new to BJJ.
COST: There is a free trial class for those who aren’t sure. Their prices are also fair, and they’ll work with you to find an appropriate plan. I did the unlimited plan, because I trained 6 days a week.
TEACHING: The instructor definitely knows what he’s doing. All the instructors and higher belts have a very competitive background in BJJ. Many times (in the evening classes), there will be multiple black belts, all willing to help you. Even the purple belts are extremely knowledgeable and can give you detailed assistance. I’ve been to other BJJ schools and there is a HUGE difference between the purple belts here and purple belts elsewhere. Other purple belts can’t run a class, the purple belts here can. Did I forget to mention almost half the class has purples? You won’t have any trouble finding a quality partner/​instructor to work with you.
On a side note, A LOT of the students here are veterans to martial arts. Some have very strong wrestling credentials, some have trained in MMA. This encourages you to train with all the students, as they can show you some amazing things, both applicable within BJJ and outside. If you train here, and then you spar with a student of another school, you’ll shock them! You’re going to do moves they’ve never seen before, and they’ll be like «WHAT? Where did that come from?! Show me!»
ATTITUDE: The best I’ve ever seen in any martial arts school, or any school/​academy period. Everyone is extremely positive and friendly. They will answer your questions, and they’re very encouraging. Everyone is there to help everyone get better.
I’ve made a lot of friends at this school that I still keep in contact with.
TRAINING FACILITY: Dojo is very clean and spacious. They clean it after every class. There is only 1 bathroom, but if you wanted a private room to change, they have multiple closed rooms.
There isn’t a water fountain or shower though, so make sure to bring your own water bottle (dollar store is next door if you forget)
SCHEDULE: They have very flexible schedules and different kinds of classes. For adult BJJ, they have 2 classes a day on weekdays, and another on Saturday morning. There’s also other classes too, like kids BJJ, conditioning, kickboxing, MMA, etc.
A basic class is broken into conditioning, drills, and then sparring. The conditioning is INTENSE. I lost 20 pounds over the summer from how intense the classes were.
They do lack an adult beginner class though.
MY ADVICE: Try a free class. If you like it, start training with them. If you like it A LOT and you have the time, do unlimited classes a month and try to come 6 times a week.
The quality of their instruction and the ability for their schedule to support an enthusiast like me really shows. I trained 6 times a week for 12 weeks. I came back to Texas and tried a local gym. I was able to beat all of their white belts and fresh blue belts. These are students that have been training for a year.
To get the most out of the school, there is a certain way you must approach it. The reason they don’t have an adult beginner class (aka, Fundamentals), is because they don’t have many white belts. This might sound as a negative for new students, but it’s actually a plus. This school is growing, despite the low number of white belts. It’s because everyone who trains at this school, stays at this school. That is a STRENGTH. That means that the school and their students are very stable. That means you have plenty of higher belts who can work with you 1-​on-​1. The most important piece of advice for a beginner here is to work with the higher belts and be inquisitive. Yes, you will be losing all your sparring sessions because you only have higher belts to train with. Don’t be discouraged, ask questions after losing. Your partner will be knowledgeable and capable enough to teach you what you did wrong, and what you should do. Also, for students who have ego-​issues, and don’t like to constantly lose, come to the sparring sessions anyways! In any contact martial art, you ALWAYS learn the most from sparring. Forms and drills can only teach you the movements. Sparring is where you learn how to apply it against a resisting opponent, which will teach you timing, correct application, and how to apply it tactically. If you still have morale issues, just keep training, and you will improve. Your first submission will feel GREAT, your first submission against that senior who’s always taught you… will feel SUBLIME!

I have been training at Claudio Franca’s BJJ for some time now and i can tell you this is a place you will want to come back
belt instructors several classes a day and childrens classes… me and my son train here everyone is very respectful helpful and NO EGOS if you want to learn BJJ in san jose there is nowhere else better than here… they also offer muay thai with training from a pro fighter and muay thai for kids this is a place for the whole family and every penny you spend you get back 2x in knowledge and fitness i suggest you come and try out the free class and i know youll join the Claudio Franca BJJ Family

This is one of the best BJJ/​martial arts school I ever attended. I am in my late 40’s and wanted to learn some ground fighting skills. I went to another school, and all they wanted to do was to choke me out or tap me out. It was not a good learning environment. Whereas, at CLAUDIO FRANCA’s, the instructors are friendly and the classmates are supportive. The classes are technical, but not fancy; the training is progressive and enjoyable. They also have guest trainers from the famous GFT Team of Brazil to train us. I learned a lot here, and I look forward to the BJJ classes after a long day at work. I highly recommend this school if you want to learn BJJ. Lastly, all Egos are checked at the door in this Academy. Please check it out if you want to learn!

I’ve trained at a handful of bjj gym in the bay area and as far as Straight bjj goes, this is the best gym to train at hands down. From great instruction, to great staff and training partners.
Oh and I love how they bring black belts from brazil that stay and teach for months or weeks at a time. They need a translator most of the time but it really gives you the feeling of training in brazil :)

I’m very happy training here. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, very patient (this is a big plus for me seeing as I have no previous grappling experience) and always willing to help. A lot of successful competitors. The environment is very friendly w/​no egos. Everyone I roll with genuinely wants to see me progress and not simply wreck me. Afternoon and evening classes are available to fit with your schedule. Take a free class and give it a shot.

Claudio’s SJ School has revamped their Schedule: They now offer MMA training & morning/​afternoon BJJ classes for Adults. What i feel seperates CF from other BJJ schools, besides from already having excellent instructors, on occasion we have special guest instructors from Brazil.

Please read my review on the other address. He just moved but still rocks. Bigger place, more mat to roll on!

One of the best BJJ schools in the bay area. The instructors are extremely knowledgeable and approachable. Very supportive and respectful environment, no egos. Most students are committed to the art of BJJ and not focused on MMA fighting, per se. This is a place to become technically sound at Brazilian jiu jitsu. Claudio Franca can trace his lineage back to the Gracie’s and it shows. Awesome conditioning plus sound technical instruction make for an awesome school.

good instruction. cool people. decent place to train in the bayarea.