Nor Cal Fighting Alliance Santa Rosa

This is the best No Gi Jiu Jitsu in Northern California. I have been coming to this Gym for over 10 years now coming from Bay Area. I wish I could train there more often. I recommend this gym to everyone. If you want to learn great Jiu Jitsu, then this is the place for you. They have a great kids program. I can see that kids love this place.
Jan 15th, 2024

Very professional the trainers are very dedicated to their work I highly recommend them, thank me later
Jan 1st, 2024

My son did a drop in for two days and has really wanted to train here for awhile. Professor Dave and his wife Jessica were super awesome and open to him coming down and training. Professor Dave is a phenomenal instructor and teaches the kids just as serious as teaching adults which is really important to me. Very detailed in his teaching and patient. I also noticed there is all walks of life that are welcome here. Older, younger, athletic, over weight and out of shape. Seems to me this gym trys and works with everyone and help them succeed at their goals whatever that may be. If we lived closer this is the gym myself and my son would want to be a part of. For now we will hopefully come back and do some more drop ins as my son gets ready for some high level competition, but this place really is amazing and doesnt get any more high level and better then this. Thanks!
Jan 7th, 2024

This review is related to the kids class ages 4-7. I have a newly 4 year old who has lots of energy, so we tried to find a class that would get out his energy and would have structure and an instructor who would encourage. He has never been in any organized sports or preschool so this was a big step for him. If that sounds like something you are looking for I do NOT recommend this class. For the first two weeks he was very publicly kicked out of the class (which was kind of embarrassing) because he would run off the mat to check in with me, which was too distracting for the class apparently. I would also like to add that there are was no real structure to the amount of children to teacher/volunteers. Also, when we asked for advice on the class with him he proceeded to call my son very negative.. yall hes 4 he was nervous. BUT we did work hard with him on using positive language (from I cant to Ill try). The next two weeks we noticed a huge confidence change because other parents (not the instructor) who I guess volunteer randomly started to help him and he started to stay out on the mat the whole class. Half the class was them doing warm-ups and the other half was practicing takedown moves. My son (which I had no problem with so far cause we were so new & there were lots of kids) was not getting picked to participate, so he would get fidgety out there just watching. So, by the end of the first month in the middle of class I guess the teacher guy decided to again kick my 4 year old out of class and was told not to come back. Im all for teaching my kids consequences of their actions (like leaving class early several times). My son was not being disruptive, he was fidgety and slow on some of the exercises which I guess was annoying? Please, just look into all the other classes out there before taking this one. Good luck!
Jan 6th, 2024

As a volunteer parent helping out with the Nor Cal Fighting Alliance little kids jiu jitsu class, and someone who trains with the adults in jiu jitsu, I am constantly in a state of gratitude and amazement that we are as lucky as we are to have David Terrell teaching us the art of jiu jitsu. Not everyone realizes how elite David Terrell is in the sport of jiu jitsu (most likely due to the fact that David is as humble as he is talented). If you are in that category I would encourage you to look him up for yourselfsuffice it to say he is one of the best ever. I have been helping with the 3-7 year old class for a couple of years, and it is clear to me that David truly loves his students. It is equally clear that they love him back as is evidenced by all of the handmade cards, drawings, and notes that he receives from the little kids on an almost daily basis. Coach Daves devotion to his students might only be matched by his patience; I often see him going above and beyond what his basic duty as martial arts coach would require. In the little kids class there is a wide range of personalities and attention spans, and not surprisingly, there are some kids who are locked in and ready to learn on their 3rd birthday, and others who have trouble staying focused until they are much older. Jiu jitsu is not easy for anyone to learn; it is scary sometimes, it hurts sometimes, and it requires a degree of discipline that is not innate any but the very rarest among us (children and adults included). Coach Dave has a gift for getting the most out of all of the diverse souls who embark on the jiu jitsu journey with him. Every once in a while there is a student who requires a little more patience on a given day, and where your average parent (such as myself) might fall short, David always seems to have another level of unflappability. That being said, while it is rare that a student is unable to stay in the class due to lack of ability to focus or because of disruptive behavior, it does happen and usually all that is needed is a short break from class to gain a little maturity. There is no shame in taking a break in order to grow. Most parents find that with a couple of months off their student is able to return to class and become a successful jiu jitsu practitioner. Jiu jitsu is not easy; it takes discipline (from your child and you alike), but it has been my experience that if you take 1 step towards meeting that challenge Coach Dave and NCFA will take 10 steps toward you. If you are considering sending your child to 3-5 days per week of one-on-one attention from one of the greatest athletes of our generation then I would highly recommend you do so, and I think you will not be disappointed.
Dec 17th, 2023