Great place to train. Instructors are fantastic and passionate about the sport. They have a very welcoming environment.

Stopped in for a session while traveling and these guys were more than hospitable! The advanced class was really good, the staff and students were very friendly, and also tough grapplers :) After the class was over a guy offered to do some one-on-one rolling with me just for fun. I'm super grateful for the experience. I'd definitely go again. read more

Professional training services intertwined with courtesy and respect. Combined with clean facilities we feel Heilo Gracie and family would be proud. Six stars. Senior instructor Randell 7 stars. We cannot say enough about him. It feels as if Rener Gracie and family is in the house. read more

Learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was the best decision I made while living in Cincinnati. Not only did Gracie Cincinnati provide me with world-class instruction, but the school also served as the setting in which I would make several lifelong friends. When I first walked in the door, I had absolutely no knowledge of Jiu Jitsu. While the idea of training for the first time with people who are experienced in one of the world's most effective martial arts will invariably be intimidating, the instructors at Gracie Cincinnati did an incredible job helping me to acclimate (both physically and mentally). Especially when compared to other Jiu Jitsu schools in the area, the professionalism of the school's staff is plain to see. After having trained at several BJJ schools both in the United States and overseas, I can confidently say that no other school has come close to offering the same combination of top-level instruction and friendly community that I found in Cincinnati. While schools in larger cities often use "star power" to draw in new students, Gracie Cincinnati doesn't need a gimmick. If you have even the slightest desire to begin training in BJJ, you owe it to yourself to check out Gracie Cincinnati. The high quality facilities, instructors, and community make it by far and away the best school in the area. read more

I began Brazilian Jiu Jitsu a few years back at a school in Anchorage AK, and relocated to Cincinnati where I began training as a four stripe white belt. My past job caused me to travel often so I have experience visiting several schools all over the country, and Gracie Cincinnati made me feel welcome and I could tell after a class or two that it was the type of place I wanted to train due to the gracious students and instructors and highly technical instruction. Being a very small girl, I am very discerning of my training environment and I would never train at a place where your safety, well-being and the learning environment were not top notch. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a tough sport both mentally and physically, but all of the students and especially the instructors are always more than willing to answer any questions and practice anything you may need. Everyone has a positive attitude, and any problem I may have had was immediately discussed and addressed by all instructors. Gracie Cincinnati cares about their students both on and off the mat, and leaving my "Jiu Jitsu family" here will be incredibly difficult. read more

I was pretty nervous about starting jiu jitsu, as a middle-aged, overweight guy who had never been athletic. My experience at Gracie Cincinnati Jiu Jitsu was nothing short of life transforming. It's a place where everyone feels welcome, regardless of age or ability. Even as a white belt right off the street you get a chance to train with guys of upper level belts, and they don't just toss you around to make themselves look good--they love their sport and want you to have a good experience of it and love it too. The health benefits are amazing. Within a year I had lost 42 pounds and no longer felt I needed anti-depressant medication. It seemed to me like you have to work a long time to earn belts. That might sound like a bad thing, but actually what it means is that when you earn one of their belts it REALY means something. In fact, I came in one day and found the senior instructor actually custom sewing blue belts for his students. After one year of instruction I didn't earn a stripe or advance to blue belt...but outside the club I ran into a guy once who claimed to have a blackbelt in jiu jitsu. We rolled...I quickly submitted him with an Americana. I attended competitions and watched our guys take home medals. A couple of the guys were successful in actual MMA fights. Seeing their success in competition, and my progress, made me feel that the money I spent genuinely was getting the best quality jiu jitsu instruction available anywhere around. By far the best part of the experience was the camaraderie and growing friendship with students and instructors. They have a really diverse group of people, men and women, different races, economic levels, worldviews. Everyone treats one another with respect, finds common ground in their sport, and keeps conflict to a minimum. I had only one negative experience. Another white-belt, an older man with a background in wrestling in high school, was really impatient with my mistakes when we were training. I told the instructor later that I didn't feel comfortable training with that guy, so they just never paired me with him again. What made me leave the school was simply a lack of time. With three small kids at home and working two jobs, something had to give. Now we've moved to another state. I stay in touch with some of the guys through Facebook. It sounds really cheesy, but I will look back to the year I spent at this club as one of the best of my life. So I'd say, don't think you're too old or too fat or would embarrass yourself or anything like that. Just try it. It's money very well spent. read more

I will start by saying I had an awful experience at Gracie Cincinnati so you know exactly where this review is going. While there is no doubting they have excellent Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instruction (why they are one of the most expensive martial arts schools in Cincinnati) and they house a lot of black belts the heart of a martial arts school falls on its integrity and its focus on well being of its students. Which from what I witnessed was very little. I took exactly 2 classes a Gracie Cincinnati, the 1st day was BJJ and it was a good class and was run by the head instructor and Owner Justin. The 2nd day of classes was run by a brown belt student, the first class was striking. This class was first off not very well structured for a new student. The instructor blasted past basics and had amateur strikers do light sparring at the end of class, even new students on their first day of striking; red flag. The next red flag was the teacher told me a mouth piece wasn't required as we would be going light, which I'm pretty sure insurance companies require a striking martial art school to have their students use a mouth piece. The next red flag was when my partner punched me in the face as hard as he could and knocked me unconscious despite the drill be for "light" contact. The instructor wasn't even paying attention or moderating the sparring since he was training with another partner on his own. So you guessed it, unsupervised sparring. Remember this is my first day. Instead of worrying about my health they told me to shake it off and get my gi on and get ready for the BJJ class that would be happening next. I sat on the side in a fog for about an hour before I was able to drive home. Over the next tow weeks I had migraines due to the concussion I received as a result of the punch. Hundreds of dollars in medical and hospital expenses and a week of missed work later I was able to call the school back to tell them my condition. Additionally, they never called to check on me or even worried about the seriousness of the injury. When I spoke to the owner Justin, no one had even told him I'd been injured and he was completely unaware of what had even happened or the drills or structure of the striking class. Apparently brain injuries aren't important enough here to be told to the head instructor. He did however immediately realize the seriousness of the situation and refunded the money for my classes and did apologize, probably so it wouldn't become a legal matter. So, while the BJJ is definitely strong at Gracie Cincinnati, don't be fooled that their best interests lay in their students well being. With their large class sizes and their high tuition costs I wonder if they concern is on the money. So, if you're looking for a school with little to no concern for the health of new students, you've found your school. In my opinion there are several other schools with competent BBJ in Cincinnati at a much lower cost that put more focus on students health and well being than turning a buck. read more