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Premier Jiu-Jitsu & Muay Thai in Sunnyvale, CA | High-quality coaching, family environment, largest mats in Bay Area. Free class to explore NOGI Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, & GI Jiu-Jitsu. Kuleana Jiu-Jitsu: Your growth, health, & wellness.
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Awesome mat space and great instruction (love both Machine and Darren). As everyone states in the reviews, truly a hidden gem in the bay area. Students are very welcoming and kind. Wide variety of belts, ages, and skill levels. Highly recommend.
An awesome place, especially for women! I was so scared to try Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but the instructors and students at Kuleana always make me feel safe and encouraged. This is definitely a special community. Instruction feels personal — instructors make a point to know your name and ask for feedback. Special shoutout to Kyssa, Machine and Darren for being awesome coaches :)
This place is becoming a second home! Everyone is friendly and willing to help out and train beginners. Love the attitude and culture at this gym. I’m learning a lot and the instructors are incredible.
InstructorsAtmosphere
Posted 2 years ago
Fizzah
This place is becoming a second home! Everyone is friendly and willing to help out and train beginners. Love the attitude and culture at this gym. I’m learning a lot and the instructors are incredible.
Kuleana is an amazing place to train! Variety of classes - gi, no-gi, judo, wrestling and striking. There is a wonderful community of welcoming women, and women’s class twice a week.
I waited a few weeks before writing this review to give a comprehensive picture of this training facility and its teaching style. Having attended several classes now, here's my insight.
But before I share that, let me give you some context about my own abilities. Approaching 50, I have no formal background in physical sports, two left feet, and a memory like a goldfish. I've spent the last decade desk-bound in tech, only getting up for lunch and occasional breaks.
As my birthday in June approached, I felt a need for change and sought out a nearby gym. Despite my lack of preparation and conditioning, I took the plunge.
Their website is loaded with information: class schedules, costs, etiquette, and what to expect as a new student. Once you sign the waiver, just show up—they have plenty of loaner Gis (uniforms) available, but don't forget your sandals or slides. The instructors are eager to help with belt tying and are incredibly supportive.
It's a judgment-free zone; the instructors are exceptionally patient, and fellow students are equally welcoming. The instructors' skill level is impressive, and the detailed knowledge they impart is invaluable. They break down seemingly complex techniques into easily understandable steps.
While I don't aspire to compete, just aiming to get in shape and learn a new skill as an average middle-aged guy, this place caters perfectly to those with competitive ambitions. You can train here morning, noon, and night to refine your skills.
Whether you're aiming to excel in the sport or simply get fit, this is the ideal place—I'm so glad I found it. Try just one class; I'm almost certain you'll be hooked.
Great space for a newcomer, Justin is a great coach and the gym has a very welcoming atmosphere. I'm an older first timer and the Kuleana team made me feel at home and I started learning from the get go.
Nothing but positive fun experiences. Both of my boys enjoy every class. My oldest has a wrestling background and being able to tap into that and learn something new keeps him intrigued. He loves the atmosphere and the great group of people. All of the coaches are very knowledgeable and bring something different to the class. Their experience along with the positive competitive environment is a must. My youngest is new to jiu jitsu. His background of boxing and football has got him hooked. He’s eager to get to class early to learn something new and practice whats he’s learned the day before. I definitely recommend Kuleana to all. It’s a wonderful academy for the whole family!
Hands down the best Jiu-Jitsu academy in the Bay Area for any level. Experienced practitioners will find solid competition, and beginners get plenty of support—everyone is treated with respect. The mat area is super spacious and clean. Highly recommend!
Incredible mat space and some of the most detailed and student-focused instruction I’ve ever seen. If you’re focused on competition or just trying trying to develop a hobby, this is the best gym in the area for sure.
Darren and Justin have created an amazing training space with a family like atmosphere. A total joy to train and learn at, with a great student vibe. Looking forward to the years ahead!
One of the best gyms in San Jose! I’ve learned so much through Darren and Machine (Justin) in my jiu-jitsu journey. The community that they’ve built in this gym, is second-to-none, promoting growth and positive vibes at the same time.
The best Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy. I’ve been training under Darren and Machine for some years now, and they are truly amazing people and coaches.
They’ve created this family vibe in the academy where there is hard work and respect among the teachers and students.
There are GI, no GI, wrestling, judo, competition prep, fundamentals and advanced classes, along with Muay Thai and kids classes. You can really build yourself up as an all-around athlete at Kuleana.
We compete, potluck, train and grow together. Happy to be here.
Train here, you'll love it.
I recently dropped into Kuleana together with a bunch of friends, all having trained jiu jitsu before (some white belts, some blue belts). We've been trying out and deciding between gyms in the area for a while, but after having trained just once with instructors Darren and Justin, it feels like that search is over.
--Vibe--
As another reviewer wrote: I love the vibe here. I've tried out several different gyms with several different instructors, and there's nothing like Kuleana. Everyone here is friendly and welcoming from the get-go; they're a super open community, and having trained at gyms where people are more closed off, strict, and "culty" (more common in jiu jitsu than you'd think), that's really important.
From the moment you get on the mats, people are friendly and you're treated and respected like an adult in an environment where everyone's there to learn.
--Instruction--
Few instructors have the ability to explain techniques as clearly and intuitively as Derren. I dropped in for an advanced nogi class having trained primarily gi, and pretty much never even having done a leg lock.
Within one hour, Derren taught the class various different submissions from different positions I'd never seen, guards I hadn't learned yet, but at no point did I feel lost or overwhelmed. He explained techniques in a way that made sense, bringing in the mechanics of the different joints to both show you how to do it correctly and how to not unintentionally hurt your partner in the process. He walks around afterwards to help correct your form and mistakes during drilling, and you're free at any point to ask questions if something isn't clear. The content itself is also interesting and unique, I genuinely see myself learning A LOT here.
--Intensity--
The first thing I noticed was that there was no traditional warm up, the second thing I noticed was that none was needed. I've trained at gyms that left me physically devastated by the end, I've trained at gyms where I haven't even broken a sweat after a two hour class. Kuleana's strikes a perfect middle where the warm up is more technical, you start off by drilling techniques, takedowns, pummeling, trying to take the double-underhand; the focus on training skills that also happen to warm you up, as opposed to just a workout for its own sake.
Don't get me wrong though, by the end of the two-hour class, I was drenched in sweat because the whole time through you're either drilling and learning in real time, doing situational/positional training with resistance, or fully rolling (which they give ample time for, something I really missed in other gyms I've trained at). I woke up sore the next day, that's a thumbs up from me!
--Competitive, or Hobbyist?--
Having been on both ends of training jiu jitsu as a hobbyist and also going hard, training 10+ times a week for competition, I immediately noticed that Kuleana strikes a balance where it really feels like they're made for both. I have a friend who's just starting BJJ as a hobby, and another who's been training for years and wants to compete within a month. Both had an awesome time! Also, even the competitive people aren't out to kill or hurt you, which is very refreshing.
--Growth--
So Kuleana is a pretty new gym (apparently they opened less than a year ago!), but you wouldn't know it from training there. They have plenty of white belts, blue belts, purple belts, brown belts, and even black belts. Plenty of women who train there too. The gym itself has more students than other, more established gyms I'm familiar with in the area.
Instructors Derren and Justin were already experienced, well known instructors at a Ralph Gracie gym before starting their own. That reputation brought with it plenty of students, and the gym's been growing so fast that they're ALREADY going to be moving to an even bigger, nicer location less than a year after having been founded. As gym owners, they're also both super friendly, welcoming, and helpful!
All in all, a wonderful experience I'd highly recommend.
Currently am a blue belt and have been looking for a gym to call home. I've trained and tried many places in the past 5-ish years and this is an absolute gem of a gym. The rigor of the BJJ is exactly what I'm looking for - there is a perfect synergy of well articulated technique/mechanics, drilling, sparring, and open time to learn. They're made for the hobbyist AND the serious competitor. Well rounded schedule and curriculum! A generous split between gi and nogi; they even have judo and wrestling. Their facilities are roomy, extremely clean, and cleverly planned out. Nothing but thumbs up and praise for Coaches Derren and Justin.
Have been training here many months now. Everyone is super welcoming and fun. Darren is a great instructor and always takes the time to not only explain the moves to you but also feel comfortable in the class. All the teammates are super nice too. Also there's always free candy.
very fun and welcoming experience. can go as easy or as difficult as you like, they have many different skill levels on the mat. Variety of technique styles and the vibe is just right.
