Caio Terra Academy - San Jose, California

Matt W.

I dropped in for a couple of their morning classes while I was in town for work. The academy was very clean and the people were phenomenal. They welcomed me as if I was already a member of the academy. The classes were very well organized and the material was very well taught. Highly recommend dropping in on a class if you’re coming into town for a few days or if you’re just looking to start training. Quality facility and quality training. Made me wish I lived in the area so I could train here regularly. Thanks for a great experience!

Rishikesh D.

I’ve been training here for about two years now, and I absolutely love it. The structure and curriculum are top-notch, and the coaches are incredibly detail-oriented, giving plenty of individual attention to help you nail your technique. Easily one of the best spots in the Bay Area for BJJ! The community is amazing too—everyone, from the coaches to the front desk team, is super friendly and welcoming. Highly recommend!

Brandon A.

My daughter and I dropped in for Friday night No Gi class while out of town. I cannot express my gratitude enough to Professor Mason and the whole Caio Terra Academy HQ for all their hospitality. Such a clean, well run school full of knowledgeable instructors and kind students. Good, clean, fun rounds and excellent instruction. We will definitely return.

Balboney L.

The membership is 300 a month, expensive side for jiu jitsu. Tons of RED FLAGS. First red flags are you're told you can not cancel verbally and you are given a "rulebook" that says you can not ask higher ranks to roll and you have to wait outside the mats if youre late.A black belt told me caio had him give up his purple after training 5 years because he didnt know the curriculum, but that's wrong because jiu jitsu is an art to express yourself not a method."Caio is never there himself. If you want to roll NoGi they will force you to pay an extra 60 bucks for their rashguard if not you can't train. That'll add up quickly and if you thought the weights were included you're wrong you're gonna be milked another 75 dollars a month for a small weight room, might as well train somewhere else cause they try to rip you off as much as possible. Their saying is "One team one family" I got late to class and I was told I could NOT train after driving an hour to get there while paying 300+ for that very service the instructor said it was company policy. Then when canceling my membership the manager tells me its up to the instructor its not a part of the rules, so the 6 am instructor lied to me and wanted to kick me out just because. This instructor vitor paschol has a record of 8 wins 20 losses. Family cares for each other. I treated them like family, I would help clean the mats even but they didn't want to help me by letting me simply train after I paid for that and also drove from an 1hr+ away on multiple occasions(instructor knew this). I canceled my membership immediately. So if youre new dont think these things are normal because theyre not. I helped clean the mats a couple times this one time I was told I could use the shower only on the condition I helped clean the mats? They also make students clean the mats in general. Every gym ive ever trained in had their front desk management doing it and I was paying alot less than 300 all those times for better service and training.
It's bad culture and bad business if I'm paying for a membership I should be able to attend if I'm late thats what youre paying for, in the 8 years I've been training I never had a problem with this before in any of the gyms I've gone to. I only saw caio once in the whole month I was there, and he was just attending not teaching, he also sounded very frustrated and impatient with a student I could hear him across the mat scolding him. Save your money and go somewhere where they're going to treat you with respect and as a paying customer. Dont believe this family thing because its clearly a gimmick.
UPDATE: the intro packet was given to me after I signed up not before, that's why I posted the review so you know what yall are getting yourselves signed up for. Real leaders are going to help you the best they can for you to succeed, not send you home because it hurts their feelings you unintentionally showed up late. You can see their professionalism and willingness to grow in their responses. The fact they continue to lie saying they gave me the packet before signing up is an interesting strategy. I'm gonna say what they responded with in another review "I don't know what they are teaching you there but it's clearly not integrity" I chose CTA first when I arrived to the bay area because in the pictures you always see caio smiling and the video where he got his black belt he seems like he would be very humble and I thought I could relate. I had then read some things about him on reddit being on his phone during seminars and rude to students. With the beautiful website and gym I didnt want to believe this but after being there a couple weeks I can say this is more than likely true considering I saw him annoyed and being rude to students myself( the one time I saw him). So no I never had any problems with any gym here. On the contrary if your gym has such good rules and caio and vitor are great instructors why did Mikey Musumeci leave? No comment from Caio on his goodbye post as of today and other cta commenting saying he is a traitor?

Brandon F.

My 11 year old son is a highly active competitor in jiu jitsu and has wanted to train here for a very long time and meet Professor Caio. He finally got his wish and was not disappointed at all. This was the highest level and quality of training in the world and my son was able to get a private lesson with Mason Fowler and talk with Professor Caio. My first impression upon arriving at the academy is it’s very clean and the staff at the front desk are very kind and friendly and very helpful. The kids instructor Professor Rafa is amazing working with the kids and makes it fun and learning at the same time. My son was afforded the opportunity to take all of the adult classes and it was the highest quality of instruction anyone could take. This academy has something to offer anyone weather it’s to get in shape, learn self defense or be a competitor. Everyone here is extremely friendly and kind and respectful. Everyone here that we saw and interacted with were amazing people from the front desk staff to Professor Caio. I would rate 10 stars if I could and hope to have my son here soon.

Ant N.

So very lucky to be able to train here, with incredible instructors and fellow students who all share the common love for jiu jitsu and how beneficial it is in our own lives. Everyone is super friendly and we take great pride in being part of this community and having such an awesome place to come together and train.

Shane H.

This academy is phenomenal. I came down from WA state with my son, who has been practicing BJJ for about 10 years, to spend a couple of weeks training. The coaching staff is world class and Caio and his competition team are not only extraordinary athletes—they are simply great people. Thanks for everything!

Jeanelle B.

I’m not a review person but I gotta give this place a shoutout.

I had zero experience walking into CTA. Everyone from the front desk to the instructors and classmates are the most friendly people and want to help you be successful. So if you’re on the fence about giving BJJ a try just do it. Everyone at CTA will be there to help guide you through your training. Huge thank you to everyone at CTA for being patient with me and keeping me motivated. You guys are all awesome.