In 1925 the Gracie family opened the first Jiu Jitsu academy in Brazil. For the Gracie brothers teaching the art was more than an occupation- it was their passion. One of the brothers, Helio Gracie paid special attention to leverage within the art, making it possible for a smaller opponent like himself (135 lbs) to defeat a larger one. He and his brothers began experimenting,modifying and enhancing the basic techniques to make them effective for a person regardless of his/her stature. Thus began the development of a new and more effective art – Gracie Jiu Jitsu. It has since become a staple art for many MMA fighters and is largely credited for bringing wide-spread attention to the importance of ground fighting. Ralph Gracie has been a champion fighter for over ten years and has been called one of the best ground fighters in the world. He was born into and has studied Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for over twenty years. Ralph has dedicated his life to teaching the incredible fighting system known around the world today as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Ralph’s focus on his teachings consist of learning the techniques, executing them correctly, training and more training. He currently has 7 academies in California which are all run by Black Belts directly under him.

Berkeley is led by Black Belt instructor Eduardo Fraga. Eduardo has been training Gracie Jiu Jitsu for over twenty years and teaching Gracie Jiu Jitsu to both children and adults for more than 13 years in addition to no-gi and mixed martial arts classes. Eduardo likes to focus on the strength, conditioning, and technique of his students Instructor Fraga is also a very accomplished competitor and has regularly competed in state, Pan-American and International tournaments. Besides Jiu-Jitsu, Ralph Gracie’s Berkeley location has a full-service training facility that also teaches Muay Thai Kickboxing, self-defense, MMA and Judo for adults and children of all ages and abilities. So whether you are interested in martial arts for self-defense, fitness or fighting, Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has what you are looking for, including easy parking.

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