Paragon Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing

I've dropped in here now about 10 times to train BJJ while visiting family in SB. This place is world-class. I currently train at Renzo Gracie Fight Academy in Brooklyn, have trained with all sorts of elite names, and this place is right up there with them (if not better in some respects).

Instructors:

Top notch. I've had classes w/ Adam, Adam, and Sean. They are all very detailed oriented, but more importantly teach with concepts (on top of technique) and give feedback lots of feedback to students. Each one brings their own BJJ flavor, with wrestling concepts and techniques integrated -- a great approach to grappling.

I like the approach to teaching a series of techniques built around specific positions for a couple of weeks at a time, e.g. a variety of side control escapes for a couple of weeks, then side control attacks, etc. It's a lot better than the "traditional" BJJ random-technique-of-the-day approach: "OK guys, so today we gonna cover [move you'll only see once and likely never use]"

Facility:

Clean and well maintained. Lots of (clean!) mat space. You won't walk away from a training session with other peoples' tiny body hairs all over you. Locker rooms are clean and spacious enough, with showers (free soap!) and water (why is this a luxury at martial arts schools?!). Also, a separate area for kickboxing so those punchy/kicky folk don't get all up mixed up with the sweaty pajama huggers. There's a ring if you're into that, along w/plenty of heavy bags and ropes for rope climbs.

Also, there's a nice little strength and conditioning area with barbells, dumb bells, kettlebells, and... a freakin' Olympic weightlifting platform and bumper plates. Get your clean and jerk on. Dreamy.

People:

Everyone I've trained with here has been super friendly, especially the salty dogs at the noon classes. They're always happy to share techniques, show you the error of your half guard ways, and demonstrate why the chin strap is super effective at choking you, over and over again.

Bottom line: this is an amazing place to train, especially within the smaller town vibes of SB. If you're looking to learn BJJ this is the place.

Does anyone know if this place is open? Or if they have someone working at the front desk? I've called a few times but haven't been able to get a hold of anyone. Same thing with email - just a basic generic email.

Learned a lot, well worth it. Highly recommend

Attended Friday noon NoGi class as a drop-in visiting from out-of-town. A little pricey but worth it.

Very thorough instruction in the technique and one of the coaches spent a good amount of time helping me and my drilling partner get the crucial details.

5(?) minute rolls as long as people are willing to go. I got 6 with different partners. Upper belts helped me learn from mistakes I was making in our rolls and showed me what I should have done (I'm a couple months into training).

This place is clean, and the people are like family. Paragon provides incredible training from amazing coaches. Many of the people here feel comfortable bringing their children not just for training, but to play while we train because we know they're safe here. There are people from all walks of life. This place has completely changed peoples lives, and has been a safe haven for people, no matter what background they came from. Go to Paragon. You won't regret it.

I don't know how else to say it, but this gym has changed my life for the better! I even sought out a new job to make sure I could pay the membership--worth every penny. I started out kickboxing, and have now trained jiu jitsu for the last two years. The sport is amazing, especially for women in regards to self defense and self confidence. And the instructors are dedicated, extremely proficient, patient, motivating, and fun. As a few others have noted in their reviews--Paragon becomes family! If you've been on the fence about trying boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, or jiu jitsu (GREAT kids' classes for anti-bullying!), start a trial today. You won't regret it--believe me!

I was in Santa Barbara for 7 months on a travel nurse assignment and during this time I had the extreme pleasure (and pain) of training BJJ at Paragon. This school seems to possess something amazing that is quite intangible to me.

I wanted to train mostly for the self defense aspect of BJJ and was pleased with how quickly I began to pick up on techniques that I was able to pull off during live rolling sessions. This success was heavily attributed to coach Adam benShea. Not only was Adam a phenomenal coach but a great friend. I looked forward to the days we would meet up for 1-on-1 training and found myself talking to him during that hour for probably longer than I should have but it was hard not to considering how interesting his conversations could be. I left each session knowing inexplicably more than I did beforehand and I'll always be grateful for that.

To keep things short - if you visit Santa Barbara make no mistake and do yourself a favor by visiting Paragon should you decide to begin BJJ, kickboxing, or mma.

I dropped in on vacation, but will be moving to the area this July and am exciting to be training here. I went to a BJJ class (no gi) with Adam BenShea, and the instruction was great.

My standup is trash, and the warm-up (duck-unders, throw-bys, arm drags, etc.) was functional and got me into grappling mode.

The class covered two submissions from closed guard, one arm lock and also the kimura. I typically love using the kimura from any position *BUT* closed guard, and found that Adam's cues helped me love the kimura unconditionally.

As a white belt with about 15 months experience, I was absolutely humbled by everyone I rolled with. I can't wait to train here so that I can get up to the Paragon standard.

I've always competed in sports, triathlons, and weight lifting. Now in my thirties I wanted to try something new and challenging. Paragon Jiu Jitsu was my answer. I had never done anything like it before. Honestly, the first month was really hard. I was tested physically and mentally. The instructors were knowledgeable and patient. The Fundamental Classes were invaluable. The community of BJJ at Paragon was super welcoming and encouraging. After the first month, my fitness and confidence improved greatly. By month three, I started getting some submissions and becoming more proficient at the fundamentals. Now, I am hooked. If you are interested in getting 1% better every day, then BJJ is a great testing ground to experience those gains and stretch yourself. The confidence you'll gain will spill over into other areas of your life, it has for me.

I love this place. Great coaches and overall team spirit. so grateful to have found this place, both for meeting great people and getting a fire workout every day.

I've been training at Paragon for over a year now and can't recommend the place enough! The instructors are top notch and have always made me feel welcomed. Everyone I train with is very friendly.

They recently started a fundamentals lesson, so if you're new to jiu jitsu this is the place to start!