WE BUILT THE GYM WE WANTED FOR OUR OWN KIDS
Why we started
Coach Roger trained Jiu Jitsu for nine years before he ever opened a door of his own. Long enough to learn the technique, and long enough to see how fast a gym can turn into a hierarchy. Who gets coached. Who gets ignored. Who is allowed to be new.
He wanted the opposite for his own family. So he built it.
Ruiz Grappling Academy opened in Sun City with one rule underneath everything else: no politics. A nervous 5 year old and a 40 year old who has not worked out since high school get the exact same welcome here. So does the kid who tried soccer and baseball and hated both.
That is still the whole idea.
Our mission
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Teach Jiu Jitsu and wrestling well.
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Build real confidence while we do it.
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Stay a place families actually want to spend their week.
We are not a franchise. We are not a brand name licensed out to forty locations. We are a community gym in your neighborhood, run by a family, full of people who know each other's names.
What actually happens on the mat
Structure is the point. Every class runs the same way, so every student knows exactly what to expect before they walk in.
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Line up and bow in
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Warm ups
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Stretching
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Technique of the day
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Drilling that technique with a partner
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Live rounds
New students get introduced to the room by name, and the class welcomes them. One of our instructors or senior students stays with them through the whole hour. Nobody gets thrown in and left to figure it out.
THE RGA WAY
What we stand for
Every kid is different, and we coach that way.
Coach Roger has ADHD himself and has worked with kids across the spectrum for years. There is no single template. Some kids need redirection, some need three reminders and a laugh, some need you to slow all the way down. We adapt. That is the job.
Growth over trophies.
We compete, and our students do well. But the goal was never a medal shelf. It is a kid who stands up straighter at school and an adult who sleeps better. If competition is your thing, we will get you ready. If it is not, you will never be made to feel like less of a student.
Encouragement is a technique too.
Beginners walk in nervous. Every single one of them. We treat constant encouragement as part of the curriculum, not a nice extra.
Families train together.
Most of our families are on the mat together, not in the parking lot. Toddler mat time starts at age 1 with a parent. Kids, teens, adults, and a women's only class all run under the same roof.
No bullies. No prejudice. No exceptions.
Anyone willing to learn and get better will thrive here. That is the only requirement. It is also the only rule we will never bend.
If you are on the fence
I do not have time.
We run a flexible schedule across mornings and evenings, all ages. Come look at it. Two days a week is enough to make real progress.
I am out of shape.
That is what the first month is for. Jiu Jitsu works your whole body and your head at the same time. Nobody here started in shape.
Will my kid get hurt?
It is the first question almost every parent asks. Classes are grouped by age, technique is taught before it is ever drilled live, and instruction is supervised the entire time. Come watch a full class before you decide anything.
My kid probably will not like it.
Most of our students came to us after quitting a sport they did not enjoy. Try one class. That is usually the whole decision.
Beyond the mat
We throw gym parties for every holiday, an anniversary celebration, and a summer kickoff. We serve our local community wherever we can. Open mat is free almost every Saturday and open to students from any gym, no matter what patch is on your sleeve.
Coach Roger's favorite part of running this place is not the medals. It is looking across the room at a community event and seeing families who met here talking like they have known each other for years.
Come see it for yourself.
Your first class is free. Drop ins are $20. Saturday open mat is free and open to everyone.
Ruiz Grappling Academy
27994 Bradley Rd STE K, Sun City, CA 92586
Same shopping center as Big Bear Diner
951 953 0971