Was able to have a few free classes and they were very welcoming.

Amazing company, I have twin boys who are 9 years old, this is their 4th year training with Alento birmingham. When they first started they was very shy, Professor Andy and the rest of the coaches have really supported the boys and made them feel part of the Alento family and creating a safe place for them to train . They both now actively compete in competitions and never miss any classes, they look forward to their training sessions. Thank you to Vina who is always there with a massive smile welcoming everyone through the door, nothing is every to much trouble. Thank you Alento Birmingham for the confidence you have given to my boys .

Couldn’t have better things to say about this gym if I tried! Super friendly and welcoming with great instructors! If you’re ever in the area like I was pop in and give it a go you won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking to start a new hobby or looking for a new place to join then I highly recommend Alento BJJ thank you for having me

Avoid if you expect any form of professionalism or basic customer service. The administration at this jiu jitsu academy is shambolic. I was involved in helping a friend’s child join, and what should have been a straightforward process turned into a frustrating ordeal. We had arranged for a company to sponsor the child’s membership, but were met with inconsistent policies. Initially, we were told there was a 3-month minimum contract, only to be informed later that 12 months' fees were required upfront for companies—without any clear explanation as to why. Despite several attempts to sort it out, we were later told that Simply Collect (the third-party payment company they use) had “flagged” something due to an enquiry about their payment process. It wasn’t the parent who made this call, so it’s difficult to understand what happened. The enquiry was about why ID was needed for setting up a direct debit, especially since the company sponsoring the child is based in London. Expecting someone to travel all the way to Birmingham to provide ID is absurd, particularly when they’re happy to pay via invoice and make a bank transfer directly. Rather than answering basic questions professionally, the admin team acted as though these queries were some sort of personal insult—completely baffling and highly unprofessional. When the child’s parent went in person to finalise the membership, they were told the account had been flagged due to this previous enquiry—despite no account even existing yet. This just seemed like an excuse to make the process more difficult. The owner’s wife, who handles the admin, checked with her husband, only for him to rudely intervene with, “It’s not happening,” in a dismissive manner that left a lot to be desired. To put it bluntly, the wife doesn’t seem to know how to run a business, and the husband’s rude and unprofessional behaviour was appalling. This level of inflexibility and lack of basic customer service should be a serious warning to anyone thinking about joining. It’s unfortunate because the academy itself may be decent, but the terrible management and disorganisation overshadow everything else

Andy and Vina have created an amazing training environment and facility. The instruction and level of knowledge is excellent. They have created a real family feel to the academy and you feel like you are with friends you've known for years. The vibe is very welcoming, relaxed, funny and we all encourage each other to grow. The training is hard but in a way that cater's to each student's ability. Meatheads or people with a chip on their shoulder either don't last long or are humbled. I can't recommend this place enough and i look forward to many more years training with them.

I originally contacted Vina about my Son joining just a week after her and Andy opened. It didn’t take long before I was convinced to give it a go and coming on for 4 years later, we are both still training (which hopefully says it all). Andy is a gifted professor, very talented and has a great ability to deliver the detail with a sense of humour that keeps people engaged. It has been inspirational watching Andy and Vina build their club, which is getting stronger by the day. They are growing champions! Would highly recommend.

An amazing academy with a great atmosphere, lead by Professor Andy and his amazing wife. Their commitment to not only BJJ but in creating a family is highly appreciated. I justify commuting an hour and a half as the approach to technical development is comparable to none locally. This is my new BJJ family!

I have been training at Gracie Barra Erdington for just over two years, I have never come across an academy with such a great bond at team spirit. Many of us travel from outside of Birmingham to train passing many other gyms we could train at and this is simply down to professor Andy and his wife Vina who run the academy so professionally and treating each and every student with the same level of care and support through their training. As a student who has health issues one being two hip replacements with one as recently as January they have supported and helped me through my recovery and getting back onto the mats whilst also ensuring that I don't over do things. Every student regardless of rank/level help to push each other or make sure your not over doing it. Thank you both and all the team for making the academy such an enjoyable environment to train and improve in, you should be very proud of what you have built 🙏

It’s like a family at GB erdington they really take the time to help you improve! I started there a complete beginner I’m now 4 months in and loving it so much! Andy and V are the most amazing teachers! Can not recommend it enough, if you join be ready to be apart of an amazing family ❤️ My son started training there around 2 months ago and he LOVES it speaks so highly of the professor and has grown so much confidence in everyday life!

I trained for about 3 weeks with Prof Andy while I was in Erdington visiting family. Great school, clean, bright, easy parking and friendly atmosphere. The school had only just opened when I trained, so there weren't many students for most lessons. Even so, there were days Prof Andy opened just for me and I got 1-1 coaching from a black belt! Prof Andy's teaching style is calm, patient and technical, with everything well explained. Rolls were tough but respectful, with no egos on the mat. Prof Andy himself is very good, and passed on some great new techniques and details. Would recommed the school for beginners and advanced students alike.