I recently became very interested in learning martial arts, and BJJ was one of the disciplines I decided to start learning. I tried out a few different gyms when I moved to the area but found myself coming back to Austin Jiu-Jitsu Collective consistently.
Firstly, the program is top-notch. Eric, the lead instructor, is extremely passionate, empathetic, and a genuinely good person who is greatly invested in the success of his students as martial artists and as human beings. He takes great care in planning his lessons, so training under him gives a real sense of progression as you continue to attend classes.
Class sizes are between 3-8 people most days, which is the perfect size in my opinion. It's small enough where each student gets a ton of individual attention, and large enough where you get experience training with students of different sizes and styles. The gym is super beginner friendly, as a complete newbie to any kind of martial arts I found training under Eric to be very streamlined and easy to digest. He's also great at tweaking classes to match the overall experience level of the students.
Classes are held 1-2 times a day, and 6 days a week, so there's a good amount of class availability with the potential for expansion (classes have already expanded since the few months I've been here).
In addition, his classes are really a safe space for all. I've always felt very comfortable training under Eric, as he welcomes everyone regardless of race, gender, religion, etc. Diversity is something that's always been important to me and his classes definitely deliver on that front. His other students are also incredibly welcoming and very eager to share their learnings with newcomers, something that really helped me get up-to-speed with the program. I've become good friends with other students outside of class!
Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with my time training at the school and under Eric, and don't see myself leaving anytime soon. If you're looking for a safe space where you can learn BJJ with no expectations and no judgement among a group of great peers, this is the place for you. Would highly recommend trying out a few classes if you've ever been even remotely curious about BJJ!
5/5
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Posted 1 year ago