I Became the Teacher
I Needed When I Was 11.
35 years later, this school is still built on that one standard.
I was 11 years old when my mother took me to my first martial arts class. The instructor looked at me and told her I was too young. She kept asking. He finally said yes.
That yes changed my entire life.
I grew up with a single mother. There weren't a lot of men around who were going to teach me how to carry myself in a room, how to handle pressure, how to stand up when I wanted to sit down. The instructor who said yes became the person who did that work. He knew me by name. He knew what I was capable of on my best day, and he didn't let me settle for less. He was the mentor I didn't know I needed until I walked into his room.
For 35 years I've been trying to become the version of him that the next kid needs.
The goal is who you become.
Ivan Kravitz, Founder
Jiu-jitsu was never meant to be a sport. Hélio Gracie built it so a smaller person could defend themselves against a larger attacker in a real situation. Every decision in the original curriculum was made with that in mind. When the sport version took over, most of those decisions got reversed for the sake of tournaments and medals. Very few schools never followed. This is one of them. Ivan trained directly under Royce Gracie, son of Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, and has been teaching at this school for 35 years. The original Gracie philosophy... jiu-jitsu as a self-defense art and a character development system... is what's taught here from day one. That's not a marketing line. That's what's on the mat every class. Some of our members have been training here for 15 to 20 years. That's not a retention number. That's what happens when people finally find the right room.
This school is built for families who want more than technique. Parents who are invested enough to trust the process. Kids who are ready... or ready to become ready... to be held to a standard by someone who isn't their parent. It's not built for every family, and we'll tell you that during the first visit if it's not the right fit. Both outcomes protect the environment for the students already in the room.
Direct Lineage to Hélio Gracie
Ivan trained under Royce Gracie, son of Grandmaster Hélio Gracie. The self-defense-first philosophy of the Gracie family is taught here the way it was built, not the sport version that dominates most jiu-jitsu gyms in America today.
Teaching the Original Philosophy. Not the Sport Version.
Most jiu-jitsu schools in California teach sport jiu-jitsu... the version built for tournaments and medals. This school is one of two in Los Angeles still committed to jiu-jitsu as a self-defense art and character development system. If you don't know the difference, you will after your first class.
35 Years Under One Instructor
Ivan has been teaching at this school for 35 years. Some of his students have been training with him for 15 to 20 years. The relationship between instructor and student is not rotated, outsourced, or delegated. If your child trains here, Ivan knows them by name from their first class to their last.
35 Years. One Standard.
Ready to See If This Is the Right Place for
Your Family?
The first step is a visit. Tell us about your family, walk the floor, watch a class. If this is
the right place, you'll know it when you're here.
What This School Is Built OnJiu-Jitsu Was Built to Make People Capable. Somewhere Along the Way, Most Schools Forgot That." >
