I started my Brazilian Jiu jitsu journey in May of 2008. I was 60 years old, and 3 months shy of my 61st birthday. I was introduced to BJJ by Brian Beauchamp, a friend and business colleague who is a high level Judoka Black Belt. Brian lives in Canada and was going to compete in a tournament Long Beach, California and asked to stay at my house. I assumed he was competing in a Judo tournament, but learned it was the 2008 IBJJF Pan Tournament. When we walked into the Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach I knew almost immediately that I had found the martial art I had always looked for. A few days later I started training BJJ. When I first started BJJ I was also taking Aikido. I loved Aikido, but stopped training in order to concentrate on BJJ. After almost 12 years of BJJ training, my only regret is that I did not start earlier. It helps me to stay fit, it helps with self-confidence, but more than anything, it’s the people. I have a whole second family of people who share my love of BJJ. I am particularly grateful to Magno Almeida at Gracie Gym OC for his willingness to share his knowledge, his encouragement, and his not allowing me (or anyone else for that matter) to make excuses for not working hard. I am also grateful for his friendship. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and I look forward continuing.

Our son started training with Professor Magno when he turned 5 years old. He’s now 9 years old and still loves going to class every week. Professor Magno is extremely patient and makes his expectations very clear to the kids. The classes are very structured so there is no down time or guessing how class will start. Professor Magno’s instruction is very clear. He is very good at explaining techniques and really makes the most of the hour. Professor Magno understands that kids do not have a very long attention span so lessons are chunked to ensure that the students have a chance to practice before adding onto the technique. Professor Magno is also very in tune with the class and realizes when it’s time to push the kids and when it is time to go back and reteach. As a teacher for over 20 years, I know how important it is to realize when the students need further explanation or practice before continuing to ensure success. Besides being a great teacher, Professor Magno teaches the kids many life lessons. He stresses respect and hard work. He does not expect your child to be perfect but he does expect your child to always try their best on the mat. He is aware of each student’s ability and pushes when he sees that they are not trying. He has high expectations and gives the kids more responsibility as they get older. The higher belts are expected to help new students and demonstrate their knowledge by guiding the new students. I have watched my son correct and help new kids as well as take on more responsibility. As a parent, I appreciate that he teaches my son to always listen and to not give up when something gets hard. I think that’s a lesson even we as adults need. Professor Magno also stresses that the higher belts and old kids set a good example for the younger kids and I witness the older kids being kind to my son when he was little and I see my son replicate that with the little ones now that he’s one of the older kids. When my husband and I decided to put my son in jiu jitsu, we thought it would be good for him to learn some self-defense, but he has gained so much more than just that. I have watched him learn to control his emotions when he is frustrated or loses. Professor Magno often reminds him to breathe and keep going. I think that has helped him not only in jiu jitsu, but in his other sports as well. He has learned to think through situations and stay calm when things don’t go his way, another life lesson that is never too early to learn.

I have been a police for close to 16 years and I’ve been involved in martial arts for than 35 years. No one has prepared me more than Magno Almeida for the streets of south central Los Angeles. I have learned and trained with Magno Almeida for more than 7 years. You couldn’t ask for a better professor in order to reach your goals.