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Learning jiu-jitsu in South Austin
This guide covers the 19 rooms of South Austin and the central-east side, down through Buda and Kyle — the heart of the city's independent scene: Simple Man in the B-Team lineage, 10th Planet Austin, and the metro's most transparent pricing, from Renzo Gracie's $20 visitor day pass to plans you can actually buy online. For someone just starting, the real question is not "which academy is best" but "which one fits me."
Map
Only academies with verified information appear on the map. Grey pins mark verified addresses for academies still being confirmed.
10th Planet Austin
Who this academy suits
A beginner who wants a genuinely live, capacity-proven schedule: a named Beginner class four times a week under four coaches, on a calendar with real, differing enrollment counts
Why we say it: The live calendar shows the Beginner class Mon–Thu under four coaches, with capacity counters that genuinely differ between adjacent days — proof the calendar is real, not static (verified 2026-07-29)
A visitor who wants a zero-condition free class today, with the full rate card one click away
Why we say it: The free-trial page lists real bookable slots with no condition, and the full rate card is published as purchasable objects on the signup index (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published Franchise networkFree trialPricing publishedWomen's program
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial class is live and bookable by name today, with no residency, referral or exclusivity condition. A $25 'Open Mat' product exists but is currently unpurchasable; the buyable equivalent is an Open Mat Only Membership at $79/month
- Class schedule
- A live calendar with real, differing capacity counters. 'Jiu Jitsu (Beginner)' runs four times a week (Mon–Thu, 6:00 PM) under four different coaches, above eleven 'All Levels' sessions including a 6:00 AM weekday slot. A named 'Women's Self Defense Jiu Jitsu' session runs Mon/Wed 5:30 PM
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Not on the marketing page — the full rate card lives on the academy's own signup index: Monthly Unlimited $250, 2x/Week $209, Open Mat Only $79/mo, Women's Membership $99/mo, Kids $169/mo, among other tiers
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 4509 Freidrich Ln #210, Austin, TX 78744
- Instructors
- Curtis Hembroff — confirmed on the academy's own staff roster, coaching multiple 'Jiu Jitsu (Beginner)' sessions each week among 28 named staff
Atlas Jiu Jitsu, Buda — one location in a 5-state network (New York x3, Massachusetts, Texas)
Who this academy suits
A beginner who wants a real, day-by-day timetable before calling: a full weekly grid on the room's own page, under a decorated head instructor, with a free class confirmed on both the room's site and the network's FAQ
Why we say it: The Buda page publishes a full weekly grid with named class types, and both the Buda page and network FAQ independently state a free class for prospective students (verified 2026-08-05)
Schedule verified Franchise networkFree trialKids classes
Your first visit
- Free trial
- 'Try a Free Class' is the primary CTA site-wide, confirmed on the network's own FAQ. No pricing is published on either channel
- Class schedule
- A full weekly grid on the Buda page: Mon/Tue/Thu BJJ Gi/No-Gi 6:30-7:30 PM plus a kids class, Wed No-Gi 7:30-8:30 PM, Fri Gi 11:00 AM-12:00 PM, Sat Open Mat 12:00-2:00 PM, Sunday closed
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 2581 South Loop 4, Unit 525, Buda, TX 78610
- Instructors
- Jim 'Yeti' Niemie — Head Instructor, brown belt under Edward Scissorhands Anthony, training since 2014, with IBJJF top-10 rankings and a USMC infantry background
Dojo Kyle Jiu-Jitsu — founded 2011 by Ryan Shinto
Who this academy suits
A beginner who wants an unambiguous week-long free trial with no scheduling puzzle: a founded-2011 room co-owned by one of its own first students, now a black belt
Why we say it: The room's own site repeats '7 Days FREE' as its primary CTA, and its about page states Will Caldwell was one of the school's first students before becoming a black belt co-owner (verified 2026-08-05)
Free trial
Your first visit
- Free trial
- '7 Days FREE' — repeated site-wide as the primary CTA. A separate limited-time offer is also mentioned with no figure attached
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 111 S. Main Street, Kyle, TX 78640
- Instructors
- Ryan Shinto — founder (2011). Will Caldwell — co-owner and BJJ black belt, one of the school's first students
East Austin Jiujitsu Parlor ('The Parlor')
Who this academy suits
A beginner anxious about sparring who wants those exact fears answered in writing: a free week trial with zero conditions, a named Fundamentals Coach, and a published Code of Conduct stating 'tap early,' 'ask before increasing intensity,' and 'respect a partner's decision to stop a round'
Why we say it: The room's own site publishes a no-condition free week trial, names a dedicated Fundamentals Coach, and publishes a full Code of Conduct with the quoted safety/consent language (verified 2026-07-29)
Pricing published Free trialDrop-ins welcomePricing published
Your first visit
- Free trial
- 'We give everyone a free week trial so they can see the space, try a few classes, and make sure the gym is a good fit! If you've already done a week trial, you can purchase a day pass for $40.' No residency, referral or experience condition
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Unlimited $200/mo, Strength & Conditioning $129/mo, Kids $129/mo, Open Gym $69/mo, Private Sessions from $150/hr, Day Pass $40, Week Pass $110. 'No sign-up fees. No contracts.'
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 979 Springdale Rd #111, Austin, TX 78702
- Instructors
- Vince Barbosa — Head Jiujitsu Coach, First Degree Black Belt. Tony Stolfa is a named Fundamentals Coach. Nine coaches named total, four black belts. A name match to a former B-Team instructor is recorded but not confirmed as the same person
Gracie Barra Buda — its own site states it serves 'Buda, Kyle, South Austin, San Marcos and surrounding areas'
Who this academy suits
A beginner who wants the most generous trial in the metro: a purchasable free week, not merely a claimed one, that runs as long as it takes to decide, under eight named instructors
Why we say it: The room's own booking tenant lists Free Trial as a purchasable 7-class object described as open-ended; eight instructors are named with rank on the academy's own page (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published Franchise networkFree trialDaily beginner classesPricing published
Your first visit
- Free trial
- 'Free Trial' — a purchasable object on the room's own booking platform, '7 Classes,' 'a week or as long as it takes to be sure Gracie Barra Buda is a good fit for you.' No drop-in or day rate is published anywhere; the free trial is the only visitor door
- Class schedule
- A live, unfiltered calendar: 14 adult BJJ sessions/week, of which 11 are 'All Levels' and 2 are 'GB1 Fundamentals.' The academy's own 'View Schedule' link renders an empty calendar due to a filter misconfiguration, not a closure — the unfiltered calendar is the one that shows real classes
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Adults Unlimited from $206.07/mo, Kids Unlimited from $190.01/mo — figures carry a tax/proration-inclusive 'FROM' qualifier, not a clean list price
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 2610 Main Street, Buda, TX 78610
- Instructors
- Eight named instructors with rank on the academy's own page; Professor Orlando Bernal, 3rd Degree Black Belt, is the highest rank and the only one credited with the school's growth — recorded as attributed lead (no single 'head instructor' title is used)
Gracie Barra South Austin, founded 2011
Who this academy suits
A beginner who wants the best fundamentals ratio in Austin: a named GB1 class ten times a week — half the adult calendar — flagged free-trial-eligible on the room's own system
Why we say it: The live calendar shows GB1 Fundamentals ten times out of twenty total adult sessions, and every fundamentals session carries the free-trial flag (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published Franchise networkDaily beginner classesWomen's programPricing published
Your first visit
- Free trial
- Free trial is mechanically enabled on both fundamentals sessions, but form-gated on the website. Drop-in is enabled on every class mechanically, but no drop-in price exists in the published catalogue
- Class schedule
- A live calendar; 'GB1 Gi - Fundamentals BJJ - All Levels' runs ten times a week (50% of the adult calendar), across lunchtime, early-morning and evening slots. A women's-only GBF class runs Friday 18:30
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Purchasable memberships: 5-Year Paid in Full (1 year free) $9,500, Month-to-month $199, Once-a-week $189 (flagged Unlimited despite the name). No drop-in product exists
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 8204 Brodie Ln #102, Austin, TX
- Instructors
- Professor Alexandre Ferreira Santos ('Dande') — 4th Degree Black Belt under Master Carlos Gracie Jr., the only employee in the room's own Wodify staff filter
Gracie Humaitá Austin
Who this academy suits
A total beginner who wants zero financial or procedural friction: a standing free beginners class, no sparring, open to every belt, with no form and no condition
Why we say it: The site itself states 'Beginners classes are free to the public' and separately describes the class as 'No sparring involved' — both the room's own words, captured 2026-07-29
Free trialFranchise network
Your first visit
- Free trial
- 'Beginners classes are free to the public' — a standing, unconditional offer with no form, residency clause or membership prerequisite. Everything else is a $30 drop-in fee plus $10 gi rental. Gi rule: white or royal blue only
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 321 W Ben White Blvd, Suite 108, Austin, TX 78704
- Instructors
- Paulo 'Coelho' Brandão — 6th Degree Black Belt, Head Instructor, the only instructor corroborated in Austin context by the page's own testimonials. Four other instructor bios on the same page are Columbia, Missouri sibling-template content and do not render
Integração Jiu Jitsu (IJJ) Austin
Who this academy suits
A beginner who wants a named 45-minute beginner class in both gi and no-gi, immediately followed by optional live training, plus a written promise that every other class welcomes beginners too
Why we say it: The room's own schedule names beginner classes at fixed weekly times, each followed by optional live training, with an explicit anti-gate sentence directly beneath it (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Daily beginner classesFree trial
Your first visit
- Free trial
- 'START MY FREE TRIAL CLASS' on the homepage. No price, drop-in rate or membership figure is published anywhere on the site
- Class schedule
- A full published week: 'Adult Beginner No-Gi' Mon/Wed 6:00-6:45 PM and 'Adult Beginner Gi' Fri 6:00-6:45 PM, each followed by optional live training or open mat. Sixteen adult sessions a week, three named beginner
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 1600 W Stassney Ln c, Austin, TX 78745
- Instructors
- Gabriel Martins — head instructor, resolved via a cross-read of the recall probe's independent IBJJF dedup note
Paragon Jiu-Jitsu Academy Austin
Who this academy suits
A beginner who wants a full free week rather than a single trial class, taught by a black belt whose actual job title is 'Fundamentals Instructor'
Why we say it: The room's own JSON-LD states 'Free week trial available,' and its instructor page names Christian Carter's title, rank and lineage as Fundamentals Instructor (verified 2026-07-29)
Pricing published Franchise networkFree trialPricing published
Your first visit
- Free trial
- 'START MY FREE WEEK TRIAL' — the room's own words: 'Free week trial available.' Not a single class, a full week — the booking widget served real, dated, bookable slots confirmed against the academy's own hours
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Purchasable memberships: Adult Monthly $200/mo (unlimited), Adult 1-Month (no contract) $230, Kids/Juniors Monthly $170/mo. This conflicts with the site's own JSON-LD metadata ($149-159/mo) — the purchasable object controls
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 6800 West Gate Blvd, Suite 116, Austin, TX 78745
- Instructors
- Robert Dembeck — founder, 3rd Degree Black Belt under Ricardo 'Franjinha' Miller. Corey Stockton is Head Instructor. Christian Carter, 1st Degree Black Belt, holds the published job title 'Fundamentals Instructor'
Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu South Austin — also operating at the same address as ATX Martial Arts (Taekwondo + Gracie Jiu-Jitsu)
Who this academy suits
A beginner or visitor who wants an explicit free-trial door — separately offered for adults/teens and kids — at a room whose instructor and lineage are corroborated across two independently branded owned channels
Why we say it: Both owned channels publish free-trial registration and name the identical head instructor and his Relson Gracie rank (verified 2026-07-29 / 2026-08-05)
Schedule verified Free trial
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial is published for two audiences distinctly: adults/teens and kids each have their own registration button, and the schedule page is headed 'Schedule a free trial class!'
- Class schedule
- Published as a plain weekly list: four taught adult sessions a week (Mon no-gi, Tue/Thu gi evenings, Wed gi morning) plus a Sunday open mat. Saturday is explicitly closed
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 8213 Brodie Lane, Suite 107, Austin, TX 78745
- Instructors
- Richard Giberson — Gracie Jiu Jitsu 2nd Degree Black Belt, the highest rank and only instructor credited with cross-city seminar teaching; recorded as attributed lead. Also named: Ivelin Ivanov (Black Belt), Richard Johnson and Rory Roemisch (Brown Belts)
Renzo Gracie Austin — relocated between 2023 and 2024
Who this academy suits
A budget-conscious visitor who wants the cheapest single-visit door in Austin: a $20 unlimited day pass, free for arrivals from a Renzo Gracie affiliate school, with only a gi-colour rule to plan around
Why we say it: The room's own pricing page states the $20 day pass, the affiliate-free rule, and the gi-colour rule in its own words (verified 2026-07-29, page dated 2021-11-15)
Franchise networkDrop-ins welcome
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A visitor day pass is $20 (unlimited that day), free for Renzo Gracie affiliate schools with a visitor card. A conditional free trial exists for serious prospects. Gi-colour rule: blue, white or black only, except Sunday open mat. The pricing page is stamped 2021-11-15; publish the $20 figure with that date attached. Membership price is form-gated
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 4631 Airport Blvd., STE 114, Austin, TX 78751
Simple Man Martial Arts — its own site states it continues the B-Team Jiu-Jitsu legacy at the same address; B-Team's own channel neither confirms nor denies this, so the succession is recorded as one-sided
Who this academy suits
A brand-new student who wants an unambiguous on-ramp: a named Fundamentals program reached by appointment rather than a walk-in gamble
Why we say it: The site's own Fundamentals copy names the audience directly; the free trial is by appointment, so a beginner is met by a coach (verified 2026-07-29)
Free trialDrop-ins welcome
Your first visit
- Free trial
- Two doors, sorted by experience: a free trial class for new students, by appointment only (no walk-ins), and a $50 drop-in mat fee for experienced practitioners visiting from other academies
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 1701 W Ben White Blvd, Austin, TX
VOW Jiu-Jitsu (Village of Wolves) — established Summer 2018
Who this academy suits
A beginner who wants the most legible on-ramp in Austin: a published 6-week syllabus, a dedicated intro class five evenings a week, and an explicit rule keeping beginners in fundamentals-safe classes for three months
Why we say it: The room's own site publishes a week-by-week syllabus, a five-day-a-week New Student Intro, and the verbatim 3-month beginner restriction (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Daily beginner classesStructured curriculumDrop-ins welcomeWomen's program
Your first visit
- Free trial
- '$25 Class Pass, online or at the gym' — 'Non-Member drop-ins are welcomed!' A dedicated nav item backs it: 'Register with no hassle and no commitment!' Membership price is not published
- Class schedule
- A full published week: 'New Student Intro' runs 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. 27 adult sessions/week, 13 beginner-eligible under the room's own restriction. Gated: Members-Only No-Gi Rounds x4, K.O.T.H. Sparring (Blue+) x1. A Women's Only No-Gi session runs Sunday 12:30
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 5555 N Lamar Blvd H115, Austin, TX 78751
Academies being verified
We are re-confirming the essentials: class schedules and trial mechanics. Each academy joins the full guide once its facts meet the bar.
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American Vintage Society — veteran + family owned, Muay Thai/MMA-first branding · Official site17020 S I-35, Buda, TX · Professor Johnny Gomez — Black Belt BJJ instructor under Gracie Humaitá, 24 years on the mats, named with a full bio on the room's own about pageLast checked: 2026-08-05
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Austin Jiu-Jitsu Collective — established 1.1.2024 · Official site2032 S Lamar Blvd Unit B, Austin, TX 78704 · (512) 265-1110Last checked: 2026-07-29
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Debss BJJ / Supreme Academy ATX · Official site161 Weldon Johnson Way Suite A, Kyle, TX 78640 · (512) 268-9010 · Antonio W. Debss — 4th-degree Judo black belt, 2nd-degree BJJ black belt, '2019 World Medalist' · 'Beginner and Advanced BJJ' is a named program on the nav, alongside Judo, Kids Jiu-Jitsu and fitness offerings — but no class times or level structure accompany the nameLast checked: 2026-08-05
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Gracie Austin Jiu Jitsu — successor to Infinite Jiu Jitsu Academy, Loveland, Colorado · Official site4619 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78745 · 512-593-1789 · Professor Adam Martinez — Chief Instructor/Owner, 3rd Degree Black Belt under Royce Gracie (also Judo and Kajukenbo black belt ranks). A self-published 'UFC Referee' credential was not independently verifiedLast checked: 2026-07-29
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The OpenMat Co. (Ochoa) — a single-page WordPress site · Official site7085 Milo Way, Kyle, TX 78640 · Joe Ochoa — Head Coach, Black Belt BJJ under Dean Lister and Dave Dunn; curriculum spans Judo/BJJ/WrestlingLast checked: 2026-08-05
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Vasquez Academy — self-described as teaching Traditional BJJ since 2009 · Official site12110 Menchaca Rd #401, Austin, TX 78748 · Rudy Vasquez — named as the account operator on the room's own Instagram, confirmed 2026-08-05. No rank or lineage is published on either owned channel · 'FREE Week Trial!' — the room's own landing-page claim, with no schedule or pricing published alongside itLast checked: 2026-08-05
I'm a complete beginner. Can I just show up?
It differs by academy. Entries show where a fundamentals program and first-visit process are verified. For the rest, check with the academy before visiting. For what a first class actually feels like, see the beginner posts on our blog.