The Cave Academy

Excellent facility for everyone to learn self defense, coached by world class instructors. A better way to stay healthy while having fun. I highly recommend this place!

Our son has been training in Mike’s kids class for over a year now (and he’s only 5 and a half). Mike is excellent with the kids. He finds the perfect balance of training and teaching respect for the sport and each other while keeping it fun. My favorite part is seeing the older kids learn to work with the younger kids and how much both sides learn from that. We all enjoy going to class and being a part of the Cave family!

Mike Murrell is one of the best Jiu-​Jitsu and Judo teachers I’ve ever had. You can tell by just attending one class that teaching is his passion and he is able to connect and work with people from all walks of life and ages, including and especially kids! He is very knowledgeable in both arts and wants to teach his students everything he knows so they can succeed. Mike is a very strong competitor and is always studying to keep learning and improving. He has an awesome personality with a great sense of humor and newcomers will be welcomed warmly into class. Papa Frank is an amazing Jiu-​Jitsu instructor as well and is just such a great guy!
If Jiu-​Jitsu isn’t your cup of tea or you just want to train more, The Cave Academy also offers Muay-​Thai. Seth Clifton is the instructor and he is super nice and has a great personality as well. He has years of experience (including fighting professionally) and tons of knowledge that he is eager to pass on to his students. His passion for teaching is obvious as soon as you meet him and he is very attentive to his students, always giving corrections and encouragement when needed.
The Cave Academy is a great gym and has a hug mat space for Jiu-​Jitsu (always kept clean), punching bags and various equipment for Muay Thai or working out, a full boxing ring, and changing rooms. Whether you want to become a serious competitor, weekend warrior, or just get a dynamic fun whole body workout, The Cave Academy is the place to be!

Before moving away from the bay area, I trained Jiu Jitsu with Mike and Frankie for many years. The attention to details and enthusiastic sprite that they both bring to the teaching and sport of Jiu Jitsu cannot be missed. If you live in Pacifica, and want to train Jiu Jitsu, be sure to check out The Cave Academy.

Great Academy! Mike is an amazing teacher. He gives great detailed moves that are easy to follow. Ralph Gracie background as well. Highly recommended!

Mike is a great guy and a fantastic teacher. Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu can be a very intimidating martial art to approach, But Mike makes it very easy for people of all skill levels to get a usable technique in their arsenal fast. If you stick with him he will turn you into a martial artist with solid fundamentals and an open mind. I cannot say enough good things about Mike, It was an honor to train under and with him.

Mike and Frank were one of my first instructors in the sport. They both work closely with you to make you understand and work out the difficulties. Both their knowledge and proficiency is definitely to be admired and recognized. Both of them are enthusiastic and energetic characters. Their training attitude becomes really contagious. I highly recommend Learning with them.

Mike and Frankie are both great Jiu Jitsu teachers. Enthusiastic, passionate, and helpful. They’ll put you in your place, but really help you in areas you need to develop.

I’ve trained with mike for around four years now. Great guy and very technical Jiu Jitsu. Couldn’t be a better place to learn jiu jitsu in Pacifica.

Mike is an excellent teacher, and has supplied me with technique and tips for the almost 4 years I have been training. He doesn’t just have solid moves, but he explains them well, in a way that is easy to pick up.
Congrats on your brown belt Mike.

A true place to practice true sport.
As a profession athlete, I personally visited
Cave few times and trained with Mike Murrell.
Naturally born teacher and leader…
great and safe place to workout overall.
Highly recommended.
Gennady Darer

Been training bjj on and off since the mid 90’s. Mike taught me no-​gi at his old school for almost a year and I’ve dropped into his other 3 schools he’s taught at, AB MMA, Hybrid and The Cave. I’ve had wrist issues as well as motivation issues. The wrist issues will never go away but Mike’s friendly personality excellent instruction helped keep me motivated to show up to class. Everyone here tries to help each other out and no one’s cocky. This place is excellent for people who just want to stay in shape, compete, or learn the «gentle technique,» The price is also very reasonable for jiu jitsu classes compared to other places I’ve trained at.
Mike also teaches kids judo classes which is one of the most practical martial arts for children.

The instructors at the the cave are very professional and very clean they work great with kids and have a lot of patience the prices are very reasonable, my son loved going to the cave and he was very comfortable and they have plenty of parking check out the cave Academy you will not be disappointed.

Mike was one of my very first jiu jitsu trainers. He is super detailed in his instruction. And you know, jiu jitsu is often all about the details. He is also an active competitor. I’d probably have continued working with him had it not been for conflicts with my schedule. If you have the chance to learn from Mike, I’d recommend doing so.

Mike is a great bjj teacher! He’s taught me many techniques that have made my game better. I highly recommend the cave!

Trained with Mike about 5.5 years ago when I was a beginner. At the time he had already been training and teaching for a few years and was always generous and helpful with Jiu JItsu and Judo knowledge and technique.
I would recommend training with Judo Mike to anybody.

The Cave instructors are excellent examples of what being a martial arts instructor is all about. As an instructor at Family Martial Arts, which shares the dojo with the Cave, I often catch the beginning of the BJJ and Muay Thai classes after my class has ended. Mike (judo/​BJJ), Seth (Muay Thai), and Papa Frank (no-​gi BJJ) all have a passion for their respective martial arts which comes through when they teach.
I have dabbled in a bit of BJJ with Mike and have hit the pads a bit with Seth and I really enjoyed learning from them. I’m so happy to see their classes grow. Mike is great with the kids. He is patient and he makes it a fun experience for them. His great teaching is apparent if you look at the boys he sends to competition. They kick butt. Seth’s class is a great cardio workout. He pushes you to keep going even when you think you don’t have another kick or punch left in you. Both Mike and Seth also keep a close eye on technique and teach you to do things the right way to avoid injury and maximize effectiveness.
I haven’t yet had the chance to work out with Papa Frank, but he is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. I look forward to training with him one of these days. Osu!
As if top-​notch instructors weren’t enough, the facilities are great as well. The mat is huge, there are plenty of bags to work on, and there’s a ring to boot! Oh, and did I mention that there’s a parking lot so parking is free and easy?

I’ve been doing Muay Thai here for about a year now, and love it. The energy here is amazing and so are the teachers. I love how everyone is so welcoming, warm, and friendly. Muay Thai has become an outlet for me to relieve stress, it’s a great experience. Especially when you have a great teacher as well. :)

Best gym I’ve ever used. Spacious, well equipped and great instructors. I’m learning Muay Thai so I know Seth in particular and am lucky enough to have private, one on one lessons with him too.
After three months I’ve lost nearly 15 pounds and with my improving techniques and fitness, my confidence is growing too. Seth is now teaching me the basics of MMA in our private lessons and knows how to gauge my progress and when to take it to the next level safely and expertly. The learning curve, I feel, is perfect.
I strongly recommend a visit, the first three lessons are free! Nothing to lose and everything to gain. I hope to see you down there.
kyle.

I started going to The Cave Academy in May and the only thing negative I could think of is that sometimes work and personal life gets in the way of training. The Cave Academy shares the building with Family Martial Arts and it is pretty spacious. Plenty of bags, boxing mitts, thai pads, kick shields and mat space for all to use. The roped boxing ring is really nice touch. .
I’ve focused on Muay Thai and Seth is a great instructor. You can tell how passionate he is about the sport. He has a lot of knowledge and is more than willing to share. He pays close attention to all of his students and will correct you when needed, encourage when you feel like giving up and commend you on a job well done.
I’ve watched Mike’s Jiu Jitsu classes and he is great with his students. He communicates very well with his students and will break down technique so that it is easy for everyone to understand.
Frank’s no-​gi Jiu Jitsu is great. He is very passionate about the sport and is a ball of energy. He will go into detail explaining the theories behind the move you are doing so that you can have a deeper understanding of why you are doing it.
I believe that trust is a very important factor in the instructor-​student relationship and these instructors are very trustworthy individuals. Their strong work ethics and positive attitudes are very contagious.