Team Andre Cia Paulista Jiu Jitsu

Andre is a wonderful coach for adults and kids. The whole community at Cia Paulista is welcoming and encouraging. BJJ is a life changing skill and there are few things better you can devote your or your kids time to.

I do not recommend this BJJ academy nor the owner André Glodzinsky. While his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is at a decent level, he as a person, instructor, and coach is not. He has physically assaulted a student, bullied and yelled at other students and in front of the whole class. Also, he changed the name of the school from Cia Paulista BJJ to Team Andre Cia Paulista Jiu Jitsu. Coincidentally the truthful bad reviews by me and other students in the past do not show up anymore.

I am one who loves being active, but seriously hates lifting weights, or running in place. Team Andre Cia Paulista introduced me to a whole 'nother world of working out.About Andre: 2nd Degree black belt as mentioned in other reviews. Andre puts a huge emphasis on the little details of every technique. These little details go a long way; It allows you to apply a move using the least amount of energy necessary to gain leverage on your opponent - one of the fundamental concepts of Jiu Jitsu.The gym: It's in a warehouse building setting with abundant parking. It doesn't smell musty like some gyms, and more importantly, there is plenty of air flow and lots of room to hang out if you decide to come early/stay later.You: Just go. The first week is free. Oh! and students have special rates :)

Amazing jiu jitsu school, would highly recommend to anyone starting out or experienced. They treat you like family, always willing to help you learn and teach you technique. It's nice to have encouragement and have someone always want you to get better. Will keep training at this gym and stick with jiu jitsu. Highly recommend again, the best gym to train.

I practiced BJJ in Wichita for several years before moving back out to Sacramento. Even for those of us that have practiced BJJ before, finding a new gym can be a daunting prospect. We know what to look for, but there are a lot of "less than reputable places" teaching their "version" of BJJ. Cia Pualista (Andre's team) is a professional, humble, respectful, and efficient gym to learn, explore, or continue to improve in BJJ. The standard of instruction here is above reproach for sure, but the most important aspect of this gym is the feeling of togetherness that Andre brings to all students. Anyone who has been to a gym that is aggressive or overly focused on competition knows how fast BJJ can turn from a healthy positive way of life to something that is not healthy for anyone to be around. I hope that some day in the future I can be rolling in the same class with my own children at Cia Paulista. Whether you are a skilled BJJ practioner or a first day novice this gym is for you.

I'm going to keep this part short because a lot of people have said it already: this place is great. The instructors are great; they are all very different, the students here are all friendly. The training is tough but people are careful and respectful about injuries. Here's some additional information:From what I've observed, since jiujitsu became such a large component of modern MMA, a lot of gyms will position themselves as MMA gyms that only have jiujitsu as a component. My impression has been that Cia Paulista is primarily a jiujitsu gym. As a result, it still retains some traditional elements that MMA gyms may have lost. For example, we do things like line up by rank, bow to instructors, bow to the front of the class, start in certain positions based on rank, etc. And I want to emphasize that it's not done in an "oh, I'm better than you! get in your place!" sort of way! But it can still be a bit jarring for people coming in from a school that didn't have you line up ever, which is why I'm noting this down.Also! A lot of people compete! But this gym isn't a competitor-outputting-machine. If you choose to go to competitions, then everyone will be helpful and supportive, but if you choose not to, then you won't get any less attention than the competitors get. I've seen places make the mistake of treating non-competitors as less important. Not this one!Finally, what's one sign you can think of that a place is a safe environment? Did you say "babies!"? Well, probably you didn't, but it's a good one. Because, if people feel safe letting their tiny childrens run around and play and explore the gym, then probably it's a pretty safe place, right? Well, guess what? There are babies! I REST MY CASE.

I started training here in June 2013, about a month after I moved to Sacramento. I had never previously done Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) or martial arts but have been very active in sports my whole life. I started going here on a bit of a whim and because of the free week trial and that it was so close to where I was living. In short, BJJ is an awesome activity. It has challenged me mentally and physically and I have steadily felt myself build skills and improve since I started (8 months ago). I love activities where I can get a great workout that has components of strength, flexibility and flow and this is definitely one of them. Coming here and having zero martial arts experience was intimidating for me personally but I am glad I stuck with it. More so, there is really a great community at this gym and that has been one of the highlights for me. Andre is a giving teacher and coach who is sincerely interested in your improvement. All the other teachers (Chris, Nick, and Manny) all bring something different to the table as well.If you're looking for a new hobby, physical activity/exercise, or have always been interested in the martial arts, I could not think of a better place.

I've been training in martial arts for a while now, and one of the main things I have come to look for in a school is not only the quality of the instructor but that of the team itself. I have been trained with Andre for a little over four months now after a two year absence from martial arts and I don't think I could have found a better fit for myself by way of the students in the school as well the instructor. Don't get me wrong, you will work your tail off; but if you are willing to do that Andre will work with you every step of the way and the senior students will help you as much as they can as well. Oh yeah, love the new space; plenty of parking and very easy to get to.

An amazing place to train at. They're very welcoming and consistently do well in competition.

I've been training for around 14 years, travelled to many bjj academies, and have had the pleasure of learning from some of the best instructors in the game. Professor Andre and his team, were very welcoming and hospitable. As an instructor, he is extremely detailed...and takes the time to teach each technique thoroughly. His style is very progressive, but he does not overlook the fundamentals, and his students' Jiu jitsu absolutely reflects that. I'll make it a point to visit the academy every time that I'm in Sacramento, and I'd recommend the school to all levels of practitioners.