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El Cajon, CA

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Silva Jiu Jitsu Academy

5.0 (22 reviews)
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Veronica S.

Our journey with Silva Jiu-Jitsu academy has been amazing! The coaches are supportive, and the results speak for themselves, my daughter is more confident, focused, and strong. I love how family-oriented the academy is and how they truly care about building character, not just skills. We're so grateful to be part of this community! Thank you Profe Paulo and Mrs. Mel!!! We appreciate you!!!

Sparring under the supervision of the awesome "Ms. Mel!" :)
Mike S.

1 YEAR UPDATE -- STILL AMAZING!! The family that owns ands operates Silva Jiu Jitsu are absolutely amazing and SO committed to the kids that we parents trust them with! 1 YEAR SINCE WE STARTED My two kiddos have transformed from little kids messing around into legit jiu jitsu apprentices! They listen, follow directions, build strength and have SO MUCH FUN! ARE YOU CURIOUS? If you have any curiosity, I highly encourage you to just come by and see how many kids find PURPOSE, develop STRENGTH and create FRIENDSHIPS here! This amazingly pristine, well-kept gym and the people who run it are a blessing to our family and our community! THANK YOU SILVA JIU JITSU TEAM!!

Jessie G.

Home away from home! Family-like adults class and one of the best kids programs I've seen. Melissa is the absolute best with the children. Facility is beautiful, and clean!

This Is M.

When my daughter was 8 years old she was a victim of bullying. They had targeted her because she was slightly heavy for her age. Kids would follow her and pull her hair, call her names, and she was hurt and scared. We quickly moved schools and started looking for ways to rebuild our daughters self esteem and confidence. This is how we found Paul and Melissa Silva. They made us feel so welcomed and our daughter quickly made friends there. She wanted to practice everyday and even started doing competitions within her first year. 4 years later, we are still here. Our daughter has lost all of her baby weight and is no longer being bullied. She is never scared to roll because they are boys, older, heavier or a higher belt color since there is much to learn in losing and she knows she can also possibly beat them, her self-esteem is back!! She loves BJJ and aspires to be a black belt so she can help Paul teach the kids when she is an adult. This BJJ family has taught her how to be a team player, to be healthy, confident, to be a lead and respect everyone.. especially your fellow teammates.The kids, parents, adults are all very cool. The gym is very clean, spacious, good parking and the new ceiling fans rock!!

Learning from Master Carlson Gracie Jr.
Gonzalez R.

I'm writing my own review and also answering to some of the "complaints" written by NoOneUKnow N..... My kids and I have been coming to Paul since feb this year. We love this place... it is a family here and everyone looks out for each other. What my wife and I saw in the trial class alone was the camaraderie here... the kids are all nice to each other and help each other out... In regards to this fan thing... no one ever mentioned to us since joining about a gofund me page for fans... yes there were floor fans in the seating area but actually this month Paul had ceiling fans installed over the mat area. All of this persons talk about child abuse.. this part really bothered me.. a lot.... NEVER have our kids been abused here and never have we witnessed any of this supposed hair pulling, biting, ear gouging or pinching that is claimed to have occurred. This is a martial art, there will be bumps and bruises ... Paul is very clear and verbal about tapping out so no one gets injured. He is stern when he needs to be,making sure that all of the students are paying attention when new moves are being shown.. you're not bringing your kids here to be babysat.. they're there to learn. We did have one incident with a new kid that came from another martial arts gym... this kid is very aggressive and not what we are used to seeing or dealing with at our gym... I did request that my child not roll with this other student when my child forgot their mouth guard... Paul did not think twice before putting my child with someone else.. there was no favoritism, there was no snide comments.. he simply said ok and put my child with another student. From what we've seen this past 5 months is nothing what this other person is claiming. My wife and I have recommended Paul's gym to many of our friends. This is a family, this is a great place for your kids to learn in a safe and friendly yet stern environment.

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7 years ago

Paul's classes are amazing. Very unique approach with a family focus. I was very impressed and of course coming back.

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Review Highlights - Silva Jiu Jitsu Academy

“She loves BJJ and aspires to be a black belt so she can help Paul teach the kids when she is an adult.”

Mentioned in 6 reviews

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I've been going to Switch a little over 2 months now. I'm a complete beginner, overweight, almost…read more40, and had absolutely no experience in any type of MMA, team sports, or group exercise, so if I can do it, you can too. Switch offers a wide variety of classes. They have a gym on one side with strength and conditioning classes, and MMA and boxing classes on the other, they sell gear, the bathrooms are clean, the music is great, plenty of parking, and I think they have a shower. The classes are consistent and run throughout the early morning into the evening, which makes it easy to find something that fits your schedule. The best part of all is the people, the coaches and the students. You really do run into every type of person there, and everyone is welcome. I genuinely feel that. You just have to show up with respect and a little dedication. I've had the pleasure of learning from Coach Marvin, Coach Andre, and Coach Rob, who owns the gym, he is definitely doing something right. They all have so much to offer. The 7am Muay Thai Coach, Coach Marvin has an incredible eye for detail and can explain or show technique in different ways depending on what clicks for you. He doesn't just explain how to do something, he explains why, which shows how deep his knowledge really is. He also has thoughtful things to say beyond technique and understands that everyone comes in for different reasons, which makes his perspective really valuable. Rob and Andre have also coached early morning Muay Thai, and they're both extremely talented and give you personal pointers. It's cool getting a mix of styles, but what stands out is that they all build off each other's teaching and give each other credit. There's a lot of respect there. All 3 make it fun and motivating. It's a perfect balance of work, discipline, and even humor. You walk out feeling accomplished and better than when you walked in. The environment stays positive. I haven't met one rude person. Everyone has been cool, understanding that I'm new, and willing to offer support or advice. Watching the more experienced students drill together gives you something to work toward. At first there may be disomfort like youre slowing people down but everyone starts somewhere. Many great things in life take the most effort. They offer free trials, what do you have to lose?

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Extremely Disappointed - Felt Neglected and Discriminated I…read moredon't usually leave reviews for a Jiu Jitsu establishment, but I feel compelled to share our experience with Infinity Jiu Jitsu. My son, who has been diagnosed with ASD, was scheduled for his second trial class. We showed up early and waited patiently--for over 35 minutes past our appt time. There was no front desk staff to check him in, and the coach told us to wait for the check in person and proceed to completely ignored us. He clearly started the 4 PM class we were scheduled the trial for. Shouldn't there be a list of students prior to starting the class for the coach to see? It felt like we were invisible just because we weren't paying members yet. This was supposed to be a welcoming environment, but instead, we were left feeling neglected, disappointed, and discriminated against. On top of that, the facility itself was cramped and located next to a foul-smelling dumpster--not the kind of place I'd want my child to spend time in. I don't know how this place had operated before with all previous year 5 star reviews, but as of today, they have clearly lost their touch and a potential enrollment. I'm so glad we didn't sign up. No child--especially one with special needs--should be made to feel this unseen. If you're looking for a place that respects and supports every student, I strongly urge you to look elsewhere.

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