Good coaches, deceptive business practices. I do not believe the way this business is run is in line with the Gracie values. Called to cancel was convinced to "freeze," and was then told we still had to pay for 30 days before the freeze. I called before the freeze was over in order to cancel and they said I had to re-activate and pay 30 days again in order to cancel. This was not explained when I originally wanted to cancel and froze instead. There were other things like this even when we first signed up that should have been a warning. They were and are dishonest in their business practices, rushing you through signing up without reading the contract (it's on me for not stopping them, but also they should be entering a contract in good faith which they did not). The coaches were great with our kids, even though the classes were over filled. They are good instructors who are kind. But the people who run the desk and finances are not trustworthy. Find another school if you can. read more

Completely unprofessional, take sides, and choose who they want to promote based off of nothing, I do not recommend this place, and take caution before joining. There are plenty of other better gyms in the area. read more

First of, Five stars for the tentative and caring instructors. My 2 stars are given because of the classroom conditions, administrative restrictions on cancellations and account freeze policy. Recently, the class gym was so hot and they are too cheap to turn on properly working AC. The poor instructors and kids were profusely sweating and my little one couldn't participate bc he was too hot and sweaty in his Jiu Jitsu uniform. But yeah, you are stuck paying for your annual commitment! BEWARE! Also, We signed our kids up on Feb 7. We already had a trip planned for March 1st. No one explained the 30 day notice policy and discussed how we would or would not have been able to freeze our account and not pay for tuition since our kids are going on a trip so soon after signing up. Too soon to even have a 30 days to give "advance notice." They literally just throw you a 10 page fine print with all kinds of financial obligations without going over it with you. Then decide to make no exceptions because now that you are signed up are stuck to the agreement, they could care less about customer service! read more

Avoid this gym at all cost. When we first started 4 months ago, it was great. 3 coaches to 15 kids. Blue belt teaching but we were ok with that because 2 brown belts were co-coaching. One of them stopped coming to class after a month and half. He was the best coach out of the 3. No disrespect to the other brown belt. Very nice guy but had a language barrier so a little harder to get on kids' level. Main coach had mood swings and would treat students unfairly. He is a younger guy with obvious inexperience with children. He would do or say things a certain way that was not necessary. I don't mind tough love when needed but this was something else. Just inappropriate at times. He also withheld promotions because those children's mother complained about things he did or said. Wow, way to take it out on the kids. Just last week we had no coaches so instead of the professor being responsible and teaching himself, he put in his admin who is blue belt, and a coach's wife who is white belt that just started a week ago! Warm ups are not relevant to the art of jiujitsu. Techniques are sometimes taught incorrectly, like to bulldoze opponents with your head. Submission is not taught. 10mins spent playing games like dodgeball. Another 10mins spent in circle time where poor life lessons are talked about. So when are they actually learning jiujitsu? They teach 2-3 techniques each week, at twice a week classes, in a rotation. They teach these techniques like it is new each time instead of inproving. The moves are not connected at all so if my kids went to competition, they would be lost after mount or back control. My biggest issue with the teachings was the bad ideologies. Like if the child doesn't help mom and dad, they will not get a belt promotion. No promotions if they don't do chores and homework. And cleaning your own room isn't helping parents. If they talk about belt promotions, they won't receive one. We don't need these coaches to step over our parenting boundaries. We are very involved in our children's lives. We teach natural consequences. That isn't how belt promotions work. Speaking of belt promotions, they are given with time, not skills at Gracie Barra. Corporate has terrible business practice. There is a 60 day cancellation which is in the contract that is signed but no customer service at all. Sometimes things happen in people's lives and they straight up don't care. They lose a lot of students that would actually return this way just because they want to push their "policies". In my case, we are moving outside of the 20mi distance requirement of this facility but there is another facility closer to where we are moving to. This place will not honor same price and does not offer same time class. But because this facility still exists within 20mi radius of my new home, I cannot cancel immediately. I can't drive 1+ hr to continue here nor can I attend other place at a time that does not fit my schedule. Aside from their policies, this program is the mickey d's of jiujitsu. There are other places that I would have sent my kids to but at the time, this one fit my schedule and budget the best. If you are wanting your child to really learn jiujitsu, there are other places that are way better and better worth your investment. read more

Have been training here along with my son for 4 years (he started at 13 and I started at 38). Great atmosphere for both families and high level BJJ as Professor Fabio is both great with kids and a world champion competitor. Firmly believe BJJ is the best martial art to learn for anyone and this is a great environment in which to learn it. Have built many strong friendships and have continuously become a better version of myself through jiu jitsu. read more

I have had my doubts about this place for a while, went there for over 2 years, along the way a few good people left, now that I moved they have shared their stories with me and I can't support my previous review. read more

My two sons have been coming to Gracie-Barra for a year now. Both have flourished at Gracie-Barra and made tremendous gains in confidence, stamina, fitness and self-discipline. Black-belt Fabio "Gigantinho" Villela is truly gifted in working with children and he has a great staff of coaches. read more

We trained there for a year. This is the worst BJJ gym I have even been in and been a part of and there were not a lot of options in the area that specifically deal with children and BJJ at the time. Thankfully we moved and were able to find a different gym with quality instruction. This guy is only about money and lineage. He's so arrogant he has his picture on the wall with this long lineage of Brazilian BJJ masters as if he is on par with them. Who cares where you came from? The professor, Fabio, would have one of his blue belt underlings teach class for the kids. This person was often hungover or drunk even and was not even a striped blue belt. Why pay for someone to teach your kids that isn't even as experienced as you are? When I asked about why I was paying for lesser belts - I had a higher rank in BJJ at the time than their volunteer "instructors" - their excuse was that "black belts don't teach children." Uh huh. Maybe in Brazil but not here. Then his wife screamed at me - literally screamed and I mean that like I typed it - in public because she thought that I had said that the professor, her husband, was gay. I told her that I said no such thing and had no idea what she was talking about and besides the point, it's America. Who cares what you do in your bedroom. They then sent me an email banning us from their crappy gym. Later I found out that she confused me with someone else. Did they apologize for it? Nope. The Austin area is an incredible place. But I would avoid, avoid, avoid this gym if you want to train jiu-jitsu. They will not treat you well or with respect. They will charge you for every penny that they can get out of you and then not follow through with their commitment. I will never go to a Gracie Barra and I advise you do the same to this gym. read more

Whether you are looking to get into martial arts for yourself or for your kids, this is the place. Professor Fabio has been training in Jiu Jitsu for over 20 years. He is a champion and a great inspiration. He breaks down the techniques into simple but effective moves. Men, women, and children can feel comfortable in his presence. He is always welcoming and so are the other students. Come out and try a class for free. It's hard not to get hooked. read more

I trained with Fabio for 7 months as a white belt before switching to a better gym. My reason for leaving was that he choked me unconscious after I tapped, cancelled the no-gi classes, skipped out on my personal training for 3 weeks in a row right before he took a 2 month vacation leaving the noon classes for blue belts to teach! But it's what he did AFTER I left that compelled me to warn others. First he didn't reimburse me the over $1k I spent on my privates. He also continued charging me and my 2 sons for months after we left. He kicked me from the group chat so he could trash talk me and call me a creonte (means traitor. his students gave me screen shots of the dialog). What happened next really creeps me out. At the 2018 Houston Open he stayed 7 hrs after his students fought just to coach the guy i was fighting. He wasn't even a student of his. He insulted me right before my fight calling me a creonte again. He and his 3 watching students heckled me during my match and encouraged my opponent to try to hurt me! Because my opponent was being so aggressive he ended up hurting himself and paramedics had to come to stop his bleeding. It was then that Fabio turned tail and left the guy he was coaching without an ounce of regard. The match restarted and he was left with a very annoyed opponent, a split head, and no coach! I submitted him soon after. It is worth mentioning that a lot of students were upset that Fabio required everyone, even toddlers, to wear GB rash guards. This was after everyone already purchased non-GB rash guards from him! His greed didn't stop there, the next scheme was to buy knock off Gi's from Brazil he then sold to his students at a markup. They were such bad quality, they bled on the mats. It bugs me that there is a monster like this still teaching out there, and to children. Please heed my warning and steer clear of that place. read more

Prof Fabio Gigantinho and his team of coaches do an extraordinary job, maintaining an elite Jiu Jitsu school for all levels and age groups, highlighting the kids programs that are one the strongest sports and martial arts programs in the area. GB Cedar Park is clean, friendly and the instruction is second to none. If you're near Cedar Park looking for an outstanding martial arts experience look no further GB Cedar Park is the right place for you. read more

Tried to get pricing from these guys. I didn't think a Gracie location would be one of those salesy Jiu-Jitsu spots where they won't tell you the price unless you come in for a class. I guess I was wrong. They straight up refused to let me know about pricing unless I came in to take a free class. When someone won't tell you the price of something before you come and look at it it's usually not a good sign. Of course, finding the right training spot isn't all about the money. With that being said it's nice to know walking in that it's within your budget. I don't want anyone trying to sell me on spending more money a month than I am comfortable. I found many locations willing to share pricing info and very welcoming to their free trial. I would suggest looking elsewhere. read more

My son started to go and convinced me to start attending as well. It was fun at first then I hurt my shoulder and had to have surgery and could no longer attend. My son started to get busy with school and extracurriculars and he could not attend either. I canceled our memberships and was told we had to pay 60 days. I was fine but the end of our 60 was in December and in January they took the amount for both of our dues and checking my account today 2/1/18 they took out my amount twice. Stay away far away. read more

Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Cedar Park, TX is an amazing place to train at! Professor Fabio "Gigantinho" Villela is a terrific instructor! Professor Fabio Villela, on top of being an incredible Brazilian Jiu-Jistu competitor, his leadership skills are outstanding! He shows every student the proper techniques in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu art form. It helped me become more confident in the outside world knowing I am being taught by one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor there is! Now, my 7-year-old son wants to start training at Gracie Barra Cedar Park, TX! Incredible place to train at, come check out the classes and you won't be disappointed! read more

When my son started going here in January, I was impressed with the overall instruction and progress that my son was making. However, in the last couple of months the quality of instruction has taken a huge nose dive. Professor Fabio rarely teaches the class, instead relying on "helpers" to teach the class. For younger age groups this does not work. The higher belt/older teachers that help out cannot keep the class focused and don't provide the optimal training environment. Also, the cancelation policy is horrendous. You have to give a 60 day notice and will be charged those 2 months even if you child doesn't train. There are many other martial arts/ jiu jitsu places in the area, take your business some where else. read more

The gym, it's members, and the owners are good. However, BEWARE, should you need a short moratorium for a child with a medical condition, that can also put you in a financial strain - corporate still charges you $20/month IF the moratorium is approved but yet still requires a THIRTY day notice (which was not explained by the kid who signed us up but briefly mentioned "Oh yea, if you ever need a break from membership we can do a stop payment for up to 3 months until you come back"). Since a THIRTY day notice is almost impossible to give when a medical condition comes up - then they still charge full membership fee for the next month that the child is unable to participate, then if approved, $20 for the month(s), you are out. Also, if you tell corporate (Brett) that you weren't aware of the stipulations, he gives you the "it's all layed (*laid) out in the paperwork you signed" spew. Very inconsiderate of the special circumstances and situation and ultimately calling me a liar. Very bad business practice treatment towards a loyal member for the past year. Canceled membership just based on this experience. read more

Great BJJ school! My 9yo son, 6yo daughter, and myself have been training here since July '15. It's a privilege to be learning JJ from a world champion. Thank you Professor Fabio, Leandra, and staff for providing a positive learning environment in the GB tradition. read more

I've been coming here for 2 years now and I love it. I mostly attend the fundamentals class and the instruction is always great. What makes the place great is the people. No one is trying to rip your head off here and the professor is EXCELLENT at making sure we are practicing SAFE technique. Everyone I've encountered has been willing to teach and help each other. I'm excited to eventually sign my son up when he's older. He will be able to learn BJJ from someone who learned directly from the Gracie family in a positive and safe environment. read more

We're still going here, same great family atmosphere and personal accountability to each other. I also joined recently and started 'rolling' on the mats---it's a great workout! There's no longer a fitness class, but the rolling keeps you in shape if you go at least 3 days a week. So far, I've lost 13 pounds in about 6 months and I'm learning some great self defense techniques to boot----that's better than the gym! Thanks again, Leandra and Prof. Fabio, for providing a clean, amiable facility where we can have fun. read more

My son went there for over a year. Things started going down hill when they had a bad instructor teaching kick boxing. My son and his friend complained weekly about it. We weren't only ones that felt this way as that instructor is no longer there and they no longer offer that class. But I still had to pay for 2 months even though we stopped going to kick boxing. Thus, the biggest problem I have is there greedy and unethical cancelation policy. They require 60 DAYS cancellation. My son can not attend anymore due to medical reasons. I provided proof of this and they still want to charge me for 2 months even though we will not be attending. Beware of these crooks. They may seem like they care about your child, but they only care if your credit card is good. read more

My two sons have been training for 5 months here and it is awesome. They also take the boxing class. They have been to a few different places not going to mention any names but I have to say this is definitely the BEST PLACE to go if you actually want to learn self defense. And they have no contact every other place I have been to wants you to sign contracts. Two months notice to cancel is not that big of deal. My boys will be training here permanently. This place is simply the best. Oh by the way no one asked me to write this review or I'm not going to be getting any rewards. read more

What a fantastic group of guys and gals! Great attitudes, great training, and top level instruction! Everyone there is extremely welcoming and a pleasure to train with. Class schedules provide a variety of different classes geared towards all levels and interests. The mats and facilities are extremely clean and inviting. This is definitely my top choice for jiu-jitsu in Austin Texas! read more

My son goes here and he has really enjoyed it!! I think it's a great place and feels like a family friendly environment!! If you want to get your child into this type of program this would definitely be the one to do!! read more

This is a review from a white belt, on the Adult classes at GB Cedar Park. The level of knowledge and skill at the GB Cedar Park school is top notch. I've trained for some months at 2 other schools in my Jiu Jitsu journey, and did a free trial class at a few others, and all places were very different. This school practices "specific training" for adult classes which is a much safer approach for beginners, at first I was thinking, this is too easy, when do we get to spar for real? Sometimes there is no submissions. But a few months went by, I got some stripes and now it's regular rolling everyday. I'm glad I started with the "specific/ positional training" because it really helps you learn to escape the bad positions with out having to worry about the submissions on top of the escape. It helps you get out quicker from those bad spots. This approach they take also helps students who, unlike me, did not have hundreds of hours rolling on the mats, and understand basic safety practices, like staying calm, using force in a controlled way, not gassing out in the first 5 minutes, and maintaining composure, not going crazy trying to break someone's arm, etc... It took some time for me to feel like it's the right place, but I stayed the first two/ three months and that's when it really started getting fun. I say give it at least 6 months, and you will start to get to know everyone better and see that it's a passionate group of instructors and students who all want you to grow into a great Jiu Jitsu practitioner. By that point it will become a healthy addiction where you get tougher and stronger, more fit, maybe loose weight, and most of all get to fill your mind with some of the never ending knowledge that Jiu Jitsu has to offer! read more

We had our teen at Gracie Barra, this Cedar Park location. First thing to know is he has had writing a review contest. He will give a period of time ask students to write reviews and the best review will be given a private class or free Gi. So you can't take all his reviews for face value. The professor, Fabio is very arrogant. He does know the skill of Jiu Jistu but that is about it. And it is hit or miss if he wants to teach. There will be some of his adult students or parents of children students that he will go over sit down and just visit with when he is teaching the class. He will go up show a move, then go back sit down and visit. You can see that students on the mat are doing the move wrong or need help, but he to busy visiting. Also he will choose who he instructs more than others. I have seen students rolling together doing the move wrong and he will just walk by. I big Jiu Jistu tournament organization came to Austin. He was all about getting his students ready for this tournament, extra Saturday workout and training, Fabio really stepped up, it was nice. Only one BIG issue. My teen is tall and skin, like a pencil. In these tournaments you are put in weight groups, belt groups and age groups. The group my teen was in was had a 15 pound range. Most were 10 but not all. My teen was 5 pounds away from being at the top of his weight group and 10 pounds away from being at the top of the next lower weight group. Remember my teen that looks like a pencil, has no extra weight to loose. Fabio gave all students competing advise on their weight. Fabio stated our teen should loose 10 pounds to be at the top of the lower weight group. And what he could not loose in weight, a day or two before the tournament he could put on a sauna suit and sweat off some water weight. I know he advised us and another mother that her child that has the same build as my child. We both talked about his advise and stated "no way we would do that to our children." I think if adults want to do this, fine. But you don't have kids that are growing loose weight they don't have and dehydrate them selves to meet a weigh in. Now once the tournament was over he was not happy with how it was run. So next year when that same organization came back to town. There was none of the extra. Even knowing that a lot of his students were going to compete. It is in town, easy for many students to take a day and compete. But nope, no extra training from Fabio. He did promoting more out of state tournaments which is not as easy for students to take the time and be gone for a couple or several days. I could give more examples but you get the idea. Last thing, if you sign up at this school then at some point want to leave you still have to pay for 2 months. They will try to tell you all these school have the same or worse contracts. Not true. When we were shopping for new Jiu Jistu schools. Yes we came across some that had contract and if you want to quit in the middle this contract you are up a creek. But when your contract is done renew or leave no extra 2 month charge. One place was month to month after your first and only six month contract. We found a great place they have no contracts and a 30 day cancellation. So please look around, there are place out there that are good Jiu Jistu place that don't have costly cancellation policies. read more

I attended yoga on a Monday night here. The instructor and class were both great, but the environment was absolutely awful for yoga. Young kids were running around the studio. A loud class was taking place in the room next door that commanded attention throughout the practice. It was impossible to think, let alone focus and hear the instructor. If you want a truly beneficial yoga experience, this isn't it. The open doors and design of the room make it impossible to have yoga at the same time as any other class. read more

This is an amazing Brazilian Jiujitsu school. Professor Fabio is kind, warm, funny and devoted to teaching his students many of whom are kids. The entire school has a very close family like atmosphere and he's helped me drop almost 60 lbs and get in shape even as a 40 yr old! He's nurtured me through the bumps and bruises and emotional ups and downs of getting in shape and he's a true motivational force. Even if you just want to get in shape or you want to get into competition, this is the school for you! read more