Reviews of Gracie Barra Birmingham Academy

I only train as a hobby but really found it great in all areas of my life. The team really helped me and made me feel at home. Instructors are very well train and it was also great to watch them train. I've had the pleasure to train under Stuart, Bradley and Nathan and also have had a few classes with Braulio himself.

I read a few reviews on here and was a bit put off but decided to give it a try as I felt the stuff was just people making things up. I'm really glad I decided to try it as it's the best thing I've ever done outside my family.

I should point out from the off set that this review is not done out of bitterness as I personally wasn't treated badly at this academy, however, I have witnessed all the negatives points raised in this review and those reviews submitted by others. This academy is interested in your money and not much else. Overpriced fees with additional costs for training gear, seminars, etc. Students who pay for privates are looked after better than those who dont. You will also be treated differently if you are know to train at other clubs even though the instructors train at other clubs, but it's ok if they do it. You will not learn how to do takedown properly at this club even though it's a martial art focused on ground fighting!! Some instructors cross train at other clubs to learn wrestling/judo because the black belts don't even know themselves how to do takedowns but yet they charge students overpriced fees to learn a ground fighting art. It's a big academy so charges so much to cover their overheads, however, there are far better places to train in Birmingham. There is a culture of bullying and idol worship of some of the instructors who love to be reminded on a regular basis how awesome they are. Don't be blinded by the medals and trophies the head instructor has won because you will hardly see him there. Before joining think about what it is you want out of it. If it's self defence forget it as 80% of what you will learn will get you in more trouble. If you want to learn a sport then give it a go.

Wow bullied autistic kid. well no wow jokes cuz this gym cliqy n bully ppl all time. i heard Stuart guilt broke students ribs n seen him put few students too sleep like yvan even heard Stuart say beat UFC fighters but that's bullshit he pussy learn bjj from braulio who learned from Gracie's take Stuart bjj n hgh away he a pum. I was leave average review till seen he bullied autistic kid which I know him well n he done that. they only grade u on ass missing n if ur in the cliq. U must buy Gracie barra training gear made by them which is way over price 80 times 12 for year train n training gear do math. there better gyms in renegade n pro jiu jitsu utc fearless which all cheap really n learn really martial arts. fix up braulio get off the roids fire ur rude staff be how u was u was in acocks green. take example from victor estima he shid stay bham teaches here. am not bitter person at all I just watch how Gracie barra Birmingham has become

Bullied and victimised a lad with Autism. Did not acknowledge his complaint of mistreatment, then victimised him by withholding grades. This took a negative effect on the autistic student, who started having issues with his life in general, felling he was less of a person, or there was something wrong with him. He went through mental health assessment, found out he was autism Asperger syndrome. He went back year after year to the club, but they never acknowledged his complaint which came between him and his brother. There is no equality and diversity here, only pointing the finger back at you if you have a problem.

I have been at GB Birmingham on and off for over 3 years. When I first joined it was an enjoyable place to train. I soon realised that's it's all about money and it's very clicky. Also they promote this Anti Bullying program for children but the Adults are the worst for it aren't they Stu/ Nathan!!! with their bad attutudes!! The way Stuart talks and acts as though it's his academy, turns up late to open the academy on numerous occasions and I'm surprised more members haven't complained. Braulio hardly ever at the club, I understand he needs to earn money doing Seminars etc but he needs to show his face more often. Also where has Norbi disappeared to? I haven't seen him around for ages!!

I've trained in the fundamental classes with professor Stuart Gwilt and coach Mikial Mir. I really enjoy my training there. I try to train at least two times per week and I feel I'm making great progress and can't wait to start competiting soon.

Great place to train, good instructors who know what they're doing, structured classes and friendly atmosphere!

I have been attending for just under a year and would recommend this place to anyone interested in taking it up ! I usually attend the daytime classes with professors Dave, Stuart and Bradley, all with their own different styles and teaching skills but all equally as effective . Great place to learn .

I love Training here been here 7 years on and of nogi mainly, but the last three years, i have been doing Gi, privates with Stuart Gwilt. In my opinion he is a great coach, i have learnt so much from him. The sparring is hard but that's why i am there for at the end of the day. its a combat sport and gets hard now and again . He has a great sense of humor loves a bit of banter, and easy to get on with I don't understand the negative feedback he has received on here. I now bring my family here including my son, daughter, son in law and daughter in law they get on with him great and are very fond of him

all the other instructors Dave Iverson, Bradley Hill Norbs are all good people easy to talk to and offer good advice. As for being all about the money well i'v never experienced that, both Braulio and Stuart were so generous to me when i fell on hard times for a short period and encouraged me to keep coming and not to worry about the money, True Braulio is away allot doing seminars, teaching and obviously competing but hey like us he has bills to pay a academy that size needs vasts amounts of money to keep open and operating, do you think selling GB wear and tuition fees cover the cost of that ?

In general a great place to train i have only experienced positive things, and myself and my family will continue to train here.

My overal experience and training was excellent. I'm a student and was placed in Birmingham for 2 years. I trained at least 4 times per week and really enjoyed the way it wasn't just about teaching, the doors were always open for me to go in and chill out when I'd finished my studies. Some days I'd even do my studies in the academy where the staff and instructors were very friendly.

Above all this and the main reason I joined was because of the Jiu-Jitsu. My instruction through fundamentals right through advanced was great, with every instructor seeming to be as good as the other. I was lucky enough to also do lots of classes with Braulio himself.

Way Over priced, poorly managed, Braulio never there, way too focused on sport bjj, you will not learn self defence Gracie jiu jitsu here. However, there is a high standard of sport jiu jitsu. Elements of elitism with some people truly believing their own hype and thinking they are superstars. No one knows what is required to progress it is all based on attendance and if you are liked. Poor people skills by some instructors. Inner circle cliques going on and not a family atmosphere as it insists on using in its marketing. You cannot train unless you wear their Gi etc and I have witnessed students removed from classes due to not wearing their Gi / rash guard etc. All this said there is a good level of bjj here but if you are looking for self defence / protection you will not find it here at all.

Not long joined and have to say it's the best thing I've done. I used to train weights and decided to try a martial art. Great place to train no complaints just good training and a place I can chill away from my problems. I thought about other martial arts but after gettin into the ufc I decided to give this a go.

Really enjoying my training here . Have training in a few places in the UK and have to say I find this one is the best. Great matted area. It has showers and a big changing area. I went through the fundamentals with Stuart and David, both instructors were very welcoming and had great understanding of jiujitsu. I'm now in the advanced classes with professor norby who is great. Overal all the instructors here are great and you can tell they have been training and teaching jiujitsu for a long time. I would recommend this academy to anyone.

Such an uncomfortable place to go Stuart is just cold and emotionless but the place is very clean . And Maliki is an amazing instructor

I've been training here for 5 months now and really enjoy it. The whole school feels more like a family. I train in the fundamentals with professor Stuart and coaches Roy and Mikial. They all make my training fun and easy to learn. I pay £40 a month as I'm a student and train around 4 times a week meaning its cost me around £2. 50p per class. I glad I found jiujitsu and this school has it has really refocused my life.

I didn't really know much about Jiu-Jitsu or any martial arts but after visiting Gracie Barra Birmingham I know this was the place for me . I was very welcomed by staff and the coaches made me feel at ease. I enjoyed it so much I've now joined my kids. Overal I was very impressed with this school and would recommend it to anyone

I have been reading some of the comments on here and some are just down right malicious. i. e. From what I found none of the instructors are deviants and there is some banter which can get a bit edgy sometimes, but it's not bullying. Anyway I thought I would write a more balanced and sensible review.

Positives

*Good facilities to train in.

*Plenty of black belts trained under Braulio.

*Shower facilities.

*Warm ups are good.

There are some higher belts that are happy to help you out.

Negatives

*Over priced classes with contracts that tie you in.

*Braulio is rarely there.

*Expensive Gi's (you have to wear their's) that are low in quality.

*Class structure is not there. Meaning several key basics are not taught with key details also not taught. If you train elsewhere at a good school then you will soon realise this.

*There is an element of elitism where some higher belts stick to each other and don't make you welcome.

*Sparring is less co-operative in some cases with some 'smashing' going on.

*You are not told what you need to do to get your next stripe/belt so when you get it then it is a surprise (which is a little positive I guess and everyone likes a nice surprise).

*There is an element of favouritism from Instructors towards certain students.

* There does seem to be an element of making money first and teaching second.

I hope you found my review helpful. Overall there are much better priced schools in the West Midlands area that offer better teaching. I must also stress that what I have written is merely based on my experience and certainly not written with any malice.

I was a member for about 7 months. The price was very overpriced for what you get. But I still wanted to train in a place that is known, thinking that the quality of teaching will make me forget how much I am paying. The lesson's start off with you warming up for about 20 mins. So the class itself is around 40 mins maximum. Warming up includes nonsense drills, and star jumps. I'm talking about 20 minutes worth of warming up!! The teaching quality is average at most because you have purple belts / brown belts who mainly teach you (Norbi / Stuart). The teachers are average teachers who work for Braulio, and 1 minute they are behind the desk counting money, next minute they have a Gi on and they are teaching you. The teachers don't seem like they care and it seems like they are just wishing for 40 minutes to pass. You don't get any sense that the teachers are putting any effort or care about your skills. . . your just a standing order to them. I only saw Braulio do 2 classes while I was there for about 7 months! You sign up thinking that Braulio will be there most of the time teaching, but that's not the case in the least! You will not see Braulio and he won't teach you, instead he has his purple / brown belts who teach! They just use the name of Braulio's to get customers in, and then sign you up for lengthy periods of time, with very very overpriced fee's. You as a newbie think that it's normal, but when you do about 3-5 classes, you quickly realize that you made a mistake. But sadly you have already signed a contract and it's too late to cancel!

This gym basically wants your money and that's the main thing they want. Other clubs want to produce good BJJ artists. . . and those clubs are the place to be! Please look around and find a more politics free club! where instructors care about you improving and making money is maybe 2nd or 3rd in their list.

hello people am leaving honest review, i went to this gym with a dream of learn great gracie jiu jitsu, i went for few months. its very clean gym but very expensive but i notice there was a group n gangs there and people only spoke to ppl they liked there a lot student stand round and dont mix in u must kiss ass here, and this coach stuart gwlit is very very rude he ignore u when u say Hello and is very arrogant, anyway i tell how got in debt, i had good time learning jiu jitsu then i missed 1 contact n was sent no warn stuart gwilt then told me i had not paid was in debt not welcome back gym till i paid that ok, then i paid went bk they made me pay for 2 moths i didnt train and i spent my bday money to pay and ended in debt they still sign u in year contact soo they get a grand of of u for 1 year, am sad and depress and never trust this gym or other 1 big con heart broken i love the gracie family this not the way shud be

Everybody body here has mentioned about Stewart Gwilt. He is the cause of the demise for our beloved Gracie Academy. He is always making fun of one student or another. When he should be welcoming, he puts on this blank expression when someone says hello to him and totally ignores them! If any other business was operated in this manner, it would have folded long long ago. Good thing we have training partners who are willing to help each other.

i would not recomend this school it is verry money motivated and proffesor gwilt is a sexual deviant and when we was doing guard work he would make volger comments about my girth they also have no intrest in helping students they only want your money

I am mat perry, I did not and have not made any review about gracie barra birmingham under any false names like northern rock or any other, I'm presuming it was either nandip or norbi who assumed that northern rock was myself and then decided to make up a review slating people, however whilst I am here I will include a review

Management is very poor as people have stated, Price is ridiculous as people have stated, Braulio doesn't take many classes as people have stated, The classes themselves were ok, I learned a lot whilst I was there and made some good friends like Dave iverson (in my opinion the best instructor there), Bradley wasn't instructing when I was there but he was always a sound kid I'm not sure why he's been slated by other people, Stuart gwilt probably isn't the best manager but we had great banter which I miss a lot, norbi. . . . we didn't get on and never will, I don't like him, but I'm not going to name call on here as I've already said what I wanted to say to his face, but be warned if you go there he doesn't quite grasp the British sense of humor and doesn't get banter!! Neil simkin good guy takes a good class, good laugh, there's some good lads there Christian the big mikes, loz, but like anywhere there are the nobs aswell, so that concludes my review, and if norbit, norb, Norbert or whatever ur name is, if u have a problem with me then please get in touch u know where I am

Gracie Barra Birmingham is a great places, management is shit, only been there like 3 months now but there few guys to watch out for if your looking to join. Stuart gwit here's one of the instructions and manger there. Doesn't know to manage anything, he's a waste of space but he's jiu jitsu class's are greats but he's people skill are shocking. Also there a kids instructor there, he's the same people skills are shit, he thinks he's the bees knees there, he's needs to wake up. Other then that it's a great place to train jiu jitsu and they run great classes throughout the week. Led by incredibly knowledgable of the black belts. Really friendly atmosphere.

Quoted 50 pound for fundamentals, 45min classes. 80 pounds for unlimited and told that I would need to buy new gb gis only. Bunch of greedy buggers

Guys the level at gb is good very very high level of jiu jitsu. I think your getting your money worth there. But the management is a knob. Couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag. Norby and Stuart there people skill are shit but there jiu jitsu is good. Gb has a lot more professor and coaches there. The prices of gi's are too much. But I know in USA a lot of non gb gym are starting to make there on gi's and uniforms. It is clicky but you show me a gym that isn't. I a lot of People say that Braulio's not there and he isn't. But we don't really need him

When you have 3-5 black belts on the mat a shit load of purples and blues. People like northern rock no one really liked them, they was the sort of people who would chat shit behind you back, the was on the roids didn't and couldn't really do jiu jitsu because he didn't have a brain. Northern rock aka mat perry is the biggest dickhead we ever had at gb. Other the. Stuart/Bradley, he always offer you out in jiu jitsu then when you kick his ass started crying. Rolling stone is a nice guy when you get to know him. His jiu jitsu is good tho. And you are cheeky to talk about dirty people and gym.Went to the toilet bare foot when doing classes and mma. Talking about hairs on the mats they was ducking your hair. I moved to London now so I train down there but when I come up I'll still go to gb to see the guys and chat up. To sum it up the jiu jitsu and training partners are good. The price is understandable because of the level of teaching. Management is shit. But your don't care because your there to learn jiu jitsu from the best. There a woman at the desk who thinks her kids a super star. Wake up lady we live in the really world it's not going to happen. Other then that it's good gym.

The academy is run and coordinated very unprofessionally, Braulio is hardly ever there, but when he is there all he is concerned about is his "yes men" it is ridiculously over priced, I trained here for a year and learned more training for 2 months at another academy which charges almost a 3rd of what Gracie Barra Birmingham charges. If u like to waste money then train here.

OK, so to be clear. Management are Cunts and run the dojo as a money machine.

Macdojo bullshit selling Gi's and rashies etc which are shite and too expensive.

Instruction is OK unless they are swanning off giving seminars in which case you get Stuart who is shite but thinks he smells of roses. Braulio is great but is never there.

Good for visiting dignitaries etc but shite if you value camaraderie and esprit de corps.

Like most I was sucked in with the glitz and glamour of training in a huge dojo with Braulio Estima. After signing a 12 month contract I soon found the place to be more like a regimented corporate Mcdojo I was consistently harassed to buy Gracie Barra merchandise. The staff were not interested in anything I had to say or my needs as a beginner and felt isolated and alone.. Not knowing any regular training partner.. After a while I asked about ending my contract. I was told if I pay the remainder I could leave. I said I couldn't afford it and at that point was the victim of bullying by the coaches themselves.Needless

To say I left owing money. I have now found a home at a new smaller club. It is friendly and I feel part of a team!. My advice is don't be sucked in try a few clubs and see how they fit..

Firstly can I start this review with agreeing with the guy who believes there is some trolling going on this page. It does seem that one guy has left several reviews under different guises.

I started BJJ under the club manager Stuart Gwilt at the MAC academy in Halesowen. Stu is a great coach (recently awarded black belt) who is very oldskool in giving out belts and tags which I respect immensely. I only moved club to spar with bigger guys to prepare me for competition.

Gracie Barra is a big gym and I can see how some people may be intimidated by the size. Maybe thats where the 'Clicky' comments spur from? Generally speaking though I found most coaches and students approachable. Stand out teachers there would be for me Ronnie and Sean the MMA coaches. Smaller classes with a tighter family spirit compared to the BJJ classes.

Unfortunately I do have to agree with the following comments that the club is a tad commercial though. They insist on students wearing Gracie merchandise to train in (This wasnt actually the case in MMA or Muy Thai, just BJJ) which personally I find pointless. If its a safety issue im down 100% with it but its not its just a source of revenue. I understand its a business but I was there to learn not look like a drone. Maybe if the merchandise was better priced and better quality then I'd have bought into it more but I purchased three Gi's in two years. The first two literally disintegrated in sparring!!! They did replace to be fair but other Non GB Gi's I owned were cheaper and more robust.

The other vein of these reviews have been about Braulio Estima never being there or taking classes. This was not issue for me as his coaches were all top notch and his tutorship shone through. I can see why some maybe peeved by this though as you do expect him to take more classes than he does. It was constantly discussed between students as well but no one ever seemed to voice these concerns to the management, which If it was a problem for me I'd have delved deeper. Maybe they found the management unapproachable? Maybe they were just whiners? This wasnt my view though.

In summary GB Birmingham has great coaches but could do with assessing their approach to merchandising.

Trained at various BJJ academies and moved here to up my game.

Firstly as stated before the place has a tight clique vibe going on. Norbi has his followers who latch onto his every word. Theres an Indian guy there who reports back to the management about any discord amongst the students. I even heard he regularly takes black belts out for dinner!!? Very romantic lol.

Secondly belts are dished out for attendance (and in the Indian guys case Nando's lol) not skills attained. They have a card system that dictates when you get bumped. I find this watering down of the art very disturbing. My fellow purple belts (Which I sweated and toiled for may I add) were way under par for the title. This is not me saying I should be a brown belt but me saying that a high percentage of belts at this academy are way premature.

Thirdly the club is very badly managed. They are completely obsessed with brand naming and financial protocol. They expect you to ditch your gi, rash guards and board shorts in favour of inferior GB products. I wasnt actually refused tutorship for not buying into there commercial BS but I heard of others who had. Could just be dojo gossip?.

On the subject of gossip and rumour I heard certain accounts of bullying by professor Norbi and a brown belt called Stuart Gwilt. These tales ranged from name calling, racism, sexism and aggressive over the top sparring. Other stories were of discourse between black belts. All very childish but they seemed to have substance. I did personally witness both the above mentioned act in a very aloof manner as if their s**t didnt stink.

Finally as stated by others Braulio Estima may have his name over the door but you barely see him. He's a nice enough guy (actually the only time I ever spoke to him was at the British opens lol) Hes always on tour giving seminars.

I feel though one should give balance to this tale and say that its not all bad. Met some genuinely nice and humble guys there. Names that stick out from those on the GB payroll would be Bradley, Dave Iverson, Sean (Thai Instructor), Chu and Ronnie Mann.

Im now out of the Birmingham area but If i returned GB Birmingham would not be my choice of dojo. Too expensive and way too much attitude.

I had a free lesson at this school first off I wasn't impressed I had to complete a beginner's programme with only clueless white belt's to train with. I was then told I would have to buy a school uniform all their kit to train with pay £60 a month for 2 45min lessons a week with a minimum contract... And to top it off Braulio Estima is hardly their you get a polish guy or a brummie teach you... IF by chance Braulio Estima is their you have to pay extra to train with him.

After i bought gi's, a bit later they had club policy about gi's so ended up buying they gi, witch i never liked. Prices way to high and they have 12 month contract too. So if you change you mind you can't quit the office not approachable. Enjoy 12 month motgage

First of all if ur hoping to go n train under braulio estima 4get it he hardly ever teaches a class,and when he does half the time is spent sitting around talking bollocks,he's a nice enough guy but likes every1 to tell him how great he his so pucker up cus he likes ass kissers,the classes at first I thought were ok,but the instructors just get more & more immature,there's a polish guy parading around thinking he's a comedian,he's not! He's a bellend,there's another guy who's the manager but couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag he hasn't got a fuckin clue what he's doing,and all for £15 a pop!

The fees are a rip off and you don`t get value for your money. Teaching is very poor and given by unqualified teachers.They are just using the name Braulio Estima to promote the school, altough Braulio himself is a very humble friendly person.He rarely teaches classes.

Way too expensive,the instructors are bellends,and the place is too clicky nuff said

tried this gym as my friends raved about braulio estima,went there a few times he was never there,paid £15 for tuition i could have recieved elsewhere for a fiver,theres a big matted area and its good for sparring but i personally wouldnt reccoment it,very badly managed,how they came up with £15 a lesson ill never know

The instruction here is excellent although it could be run a little more professionally. Training is very good with plenty of sparring and a wide variety of training partners.

The bad reviews below all seem to have been written by the same person considering the same poor spelling and grammar and the constant use of the non-word 'clicky' (I presume they mean cliquey) which i don't feel the gym is at all. I'm sorry this person had a negative experience but I feel GB Brum is very inclusive and welcoming.

Trained here a few times,the instructors were more interested in standin round and havin a laugh than botherin with us (the students) £15 a time way over priced,had better trainin at small places that charge about 3 quid

If you like wasting money then this is the place for you,£15 per lesson are they serious??? It's very poorly managed,I've had way better training for more than half the price at other places,the five ways fitness is a joke they have a guy teaching the classes who can barely lift anything and doesn't know what he's talking about,braulio is hardly ever there and the place is very very clicky! If this sounds like your cuppa tea then go and waste your hard earned money

As one of the other reviews mentioned its very overpriced,£15 per lesson? As braulio hardly ever teaches I really don't see why they value the classes at such a price as you can get better instruction and training for half the price elsewhere! It's very very clicky,very poorly managed all in all i would avoid the place and train elsewhere it's a joke

very impressed with everything overall. You can see braulio Estima's teaching in all he's instructors. Very experienced teaching and a friendly atmosphere. Large matted area up stairs and down. lots of different cultured people enjoying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and other martial arts. I'd give it a try and see for yourself.

I’ve seen a dark side to this academy, victimisation & bullying of some members, clicky, very clicky! all in all a total disgrace to Carlos Gracie jnr, BJJ and martial arts as a whole!

The classes here are rediculously overpriced,atmosphere's very clicky,instruction is average,wouldn't reccomend this club you can getter better training elsewhere for a lot less

Been trainin here for the last year,braulio estima himself rarely teaches and is hardly ever there,the classes are mainly taken by a polish black belt called Norbi,this guy is a prick with no sense of humour,the teaching at this club is pretty average and way to overpriced,

World class instruction & friendly atmosphere.

All BJJ classes taught by brown/black belts

very large matted area, half cage for MMA / MT