Gracie Barra South Shore

"A Candid Review of Our Gracie Barra Experience with Young Children: Pros, Cons, and Hidden Costs My little boys, ages 5 and 6, were eager to try jiu-jitsu at Gracie Barra, so we decided to give it a shot. I’ll start out by saying the teachers are wonderful and the classes are fun! However, we found it to be very expensive and a significant time commitment to make it worth the money. You really need to attend at least two classes per week for it to feel justified financially. The clothing required for the classes is also quite costly, and the pricing lacks transparency. For instance, a few weeks into the program, we noticed that on Fridays, children were wearing shorts to class. My son was so excited to wear shorts! When he showed up in shorts, he was told he needed special shorts. I didn’t realize until months later, while reviewing my credit card statement, that my card on file had been charged FIFTY-SEVEN dollars for said shorts! That’s quite a lot for a tiny pair of shorts for a 5-year-old! I was informed that the high cost is due to the shorts being classified as "special equipment.” 🤷‍♀️ After a month or two, I found myself dragging my children to each class, as they were reluctant to go. They enjoyed it to some extent, but they’re really just typical little boys who prefer running around the neighborhood and playing with their friends after school! Ultimately, with spring sports descending upon us, we recently decided to withdraw them from the program. Something else to consider is the very high cancellation fee if you quit before a year has passed. (A cool $450 for our family, since we had two children in… we tried our best to make it to a year, but we only made it to about 9 months). I certainly understand why businesses like this need to charge some sort of cancellation fee; I myself used to teach weekly music lessons. However, I find Gracie Barra’s cancellation fee to be extremely high, especially considering you are required to give 30 days’ notice, pay the cancellation fee (one month’s tuition), AND continue paying biweekly during the 30-day notice period. (I’d like to clarify the quitting process, as many parents seem to have questions about it. Some families have heard of others who didn’t have to pay a cancellation fee, while others say, “I’ve heard quitting can be expensive, but I’m not sure how it all works.” Here’s the breakdown: if you decide to quit before a year is up, you need to pay TWO months' worth of payments, and you can continue attending for one month.) My children did continue attending for the 30 day notice period, but for most other families we know who decided to quit after a few weeks or months, their children wanted to stop *immediately*. That’s two month's worth of tuition down the drain, yikes! Additionally, when my son broke his arm, we were able to freeze our account for 30 days (for a small fee); however, he couldn't participate for about 2.5 months, and we still had to pay his full tuition (which for us was $55 a week) during that entire time, minus the first 30 days. We were really trying to make it to the year mark, to avoid the scary cancellation fee, so we continued paying to hold his spot during the injury. In the end, as I've said, we did not make it to a year... hindsight is always 20/20! Anyhow, these are all important points to consider before enrolling young children in this jiu-jitsu program. I wish I had come across a review like this before signing my kids up, to be honest! We referred two other families with young children during our time there, and both families ended up quitting long before we did. It’s definitely not for everyone, but of course, there are plenty of families with young children who do make it work! I hope this ultra-lengthy review is helpful for parents of young children who are considering GB! Although the classes themselves were a positive experience…. for us, in the end, the high (and sometimes hidden) costs and the severe cancellation policy significantly detracted from it."

"Gracie Barra South Shore has been amazing for me and my son. Professor Guilherme’s training is outstanding, and his dedication shows in our progress. Training together has strengthened our bond and positively impacted our lives. We're grateful for this welcoming community and look forward to continuing our Jiu-Jitsu journey for years to come. Highly recommend!"

"Gracie Barra South Shore has been an incredible addition to my life and weekly routine. The team environment is second to none. Professor Guilherme is remarkably skilled in all aspects of knowledge and instruction. All team members are supportive and encouraging across all skill levels, ages and athletic ability. There is something for everyone here: whether you're looking for new friends and a great workout, or are focused on competing at a high level, you will find it all here!"