Adult Program
Jiu Jitsu | Striking | MMA
Class Schedule
Everything you need to learn how to fight.
When Renzo fought to establish the credibility of Gracie Jiu Jitsu on the world stage, he did it using every aspect of the art — takedowns, grappling, submission hunting, and striking. His legacy of being an innovative, highly skilled, and well-rounded martial artist lives on in our curriculum. We’ll teach you everything you need to learn how to fight.
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This is an introductory course designed for beginners.
“Foundations” gives you a roadmap of Jiu Jitsu.
It covers the most essential skills you need to get started. You will learn how to use your body to control another person, and how to escape when someone is trying to control you.
After taking this course, you will have a clear overview of the main positions in Jiu Jitsu and understand what to do no matter where you are in a match.
Each class includes 45 minutes of live, skill-development “games.”
This course is taught and trained no-gi (no uniform required).
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"Gi Mastery" builds upon the skills acquired in the Foundations course.
You will dive deeper into the main positions and understand how to control & escape against more skillful resistance. This includes takedowns, guard passing and retention, dynamic pinning, and escapes.
In the Gi Mastery course, you will also learn how to finish a fight through the systematic application of submissions — techniques with the power to incapacitate an opponent, by breaking their limbs or rendering them unconscious.
Our philosophy is that as a fighter, you should be a finisher. Someone who can not only control their opponent but finish them at will.
This course includes upper body joint locks and strangles that involve use of the gi (uniform).
Each class includes a full hour of instruction and a full hour of sparring.
This course is taught and trained in the gi (uniform required).
To begin earning rank, all students must attend at least one session of Gi Mastery per week.
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In "No-gi Mastery," you will develop a nuanced understanding of how to control the human body directly without use of the gi (uniform). This includes no-gi takedowns, guard passing and retention, dynamic pinning, and escapes.
You will also learn how to finish a fight through the systematic application of submissions — techniques with the power to incapacitate an opponent, by breaking their limbs or rendering them unconscious.
You will learn how to attack the entire body, including leglocks and no-gi strangles (guillotines, anaconda, d'arce, etc).
Each class includes a full hour of instruction and a full hour of sparring.
This course is taught and trained no-gi (no uniform required).
To be eligible for this course, all students must also be attending at least one Gi Mastery session per week.
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This course delivers a modern approach to self-defense and combat, based on techniques and strategies used by the best MMA fighters of the present day.
Our MMA course focuses on the integration of striking and grappling skills.
This is striking for the streets — the kind of smart, realistic striking skills you’d need to keep yourself safe in a fight.
We do not limit ourselves to a specific style or ruleset. We cover all kinds of strikes, in the spirit of Vale Tudo (“anything goes”) — punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and headbutts.
We explore the four essential domains of modern MMA: using strikes to set up takedowns, how to strike effectively in the clinch, doing damage with strikes on ground, and fighting against the cage.
Each class includes 90 minutes of instruction.
To be eligible for this course, students must also be attending Gi Mastery and No-gi Mastery every week.
Equipment required: MMA sparring gloves, shin guards, elbow pads, knee pads.
An expert guide you can trust.
Skills from the source
We are proud to have a strong lineage that flows directly from Renzo Gracie. Our head instructor, Alex Aung, earned his black belt from Shawn Williams — one of Renzo’s very first American black belts. At our academy, you’ll be learning authentic Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu.
Seeking out the best
Alex began training Jiu Jitsu in 1996, after being inspired by watching Royce Gracie fight in the first UFC and Renzo Gracie fight in the World Combat Championship. For the past 30 years, he has been obsessed with seeking out knowledge from the best instructors and competitors in the world — learning directly from Shawn Williams, John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, Roger Gracie, and more.
An expert in human psychology
In addition to being a lifelong martial artist and third degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Alex has more than 15 years of professional experience as a psychotherapist. He is an expert in the art of helping people identify problems, develop insight, and accomplish their goals. Alex is the expert guide you need to help you discover your full potential.
You can play the game from day one.
Skills made simple
We use an innovative training method known as the “Ecological” or “Constraints-Led Approach” (CLA). With this method, we break down complex skills into simple games that even brand-new beginners can understand and play from day one.
No dead drills
Most Jiu Jitsu schools teach using the traditional approach, where students memorize a series of steps to perform on a cooperative, non-resisting training partner (“dead drilling”). This method is time-consuming, inefficient, and doesn’t help you understand what to do when someone fights back.
the most Efficient method for beginners & busy people
The Ecological Approach is backed by modern research on how human beings learn movement skills. We’ve evaluated the evidence and done all the work to optimize your training experience — no dead drills, no repetitive warm-ups, no wasted time. We’ll help you get good as efficiently as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Jiu Jitsu is a martial art that teaches you how to use your body to control another person. It is a complete art that includes standup and striking, though what sets it apart from other martial arts is its sophisticated system of fighting on the ground.
The literal translation of Jiu Jitsu is the “gentle” or “yielding" art. Rather than meeting force with force, the promise of Jiu Jitsu is that you can use technical skill to defend yourself against someone who is stronger than you.
It’s called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because the modern art as we practice it today was developed by a family from Brazil, known as the Gracie Family. The Gracies are the most famous martial arts family in the world, and are credited with revolutionizing our understanding of what works in a fight.
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No experience? No problem. We specialize in working with beginners. The majority of our students come to us with no prior Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or martial arts experience. We understand the worries and concerns that beginners have, and are here to support you.
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It’s not too late to start, and you’re not alone. Many of our students discover Jiu Jitsu later in life. In fact, more than 50% of our students are 40 and older. Nearly 30% are 50 and older. At Renzo Gracie Pasadena, you’ll find that we have a conscientious community of responsible, respectful, and mature students just like you.
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Yes. It’s natural to feel nervous about starting something new, especially a combat sport like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Many adult students choose to take private lessons first before transitioning to group class.
Our Beginner Blueprint Program is a series of 8 half-hour private lessons specifically designed to help beginners get an overview of BJJ.
Learn more about the Beginner Blueprint Program here.
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We welcome drop-in students by appointment. The drop-in rate is $50.00 per class. To request an appointment, complete a Drop-in Request here.
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Membership is month-to-month. There are no long-term contracts. We offer multiple flexible membership options, based on which courses you want to access and how frequently you plan to train.
We recommend that beginners start out by training once per week.
Memberships begin at $140/month for one Foundations class per week.
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The best way to get started is by completing an Adult New Student Application here. Applications are reviewed daily. Once we receive your request, we will reach out to you by text to coordinate your first lesson.