Way of Yawara

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Learning jiu-jitsu in Chicago

Chicago is the guide's fourth US-depth city, four areas along the lake and the L: the Loop and the near west and south sides, the North Side from Lincoln Park to Lincoln Square, the west and northwest from West Town out to Portage Park, and a south side recorded around one open door. No Illinois roll prints addresses; three directories do, and the doors print their own facts. Valko BJJ prints «Your first class is always free» and «$150.00 every month»; Downtown Jiu Jitsu Club prints «Single Class Drop-In: $35» and a «7-Day Guest Pass: $75»; Chicago MMA prints the paid register, «7 days. $49. Unlimited classes for one week.»; the Chicago School of Grappling prints «GET 7 DAYS FREE» and «We do not allow walk ins»; Redzovic, Supreme, Renzo Gracie, Taylor Biagi, Brazil-021 and North Side BJJ print a free intro or trial class; Vianna Brothers print a free week; Southside Jiu Jitsu Club prints «Book A Free Intro» and speaks to the visitor with «Visiting? Drop In». Prices are the weak byte citywide: only four doors print an amount. Three WordPress hosts refuse this research's fetcher but render in a browser, so they are read there. For someone starting out, the real question is not «which gym is the best» but «which one fits me»; this guide exists to answer that.

What a first visit costs in Chicago

Of the 15 academies this guide covers, 11 print a free first class with no condition, 1 a free one with a condition, 2 print a price for it, 0 say to book and find out, 0 publish enrolment or enquiry details without a trial offer, and 1 have no readable first-visit terms.

The printed first-visit prices run from $49 to $49, for example:

  • Chicago MMA — South Loop: $49 (The paid register in the site's own words: «7 days. $49. Unlimited classes for one week.» — adults only, then book classes in the member app; come in workout clothes, five to ten minutes early)
  • Chicago MMA — Lincoln Park: $49 (The paid register in the site's own words: «7 days. $49. Unlimited classes for one week.» — adults only, then book in the member app; the beginner's named doors here are «Introduction to BJJ/Grappling, Fundamentals» and «BJJ 101, Beginner (No-Gi)»)

Fewer than 5 academies have a published monthly rate included in the study, so this hub does not show a median.

Conditions the pages state

  • Downtown Jiu Jitsu Club: Two registers: for the new student a «Free Intro» booked by application («BOOK INTRO CLASS»); for the visitor a dedicated «Out of Town Guests» page — «VISITING? DROP IN», «Single Class Drop-In: $35», «7-Day Guest Pass: $75», gi rental «$5 add on» (the FAQ says «$7 laundry fee»), multiple classes the same day allowed, towels and private showers included

Ask before you go

  • Is the first class free for a visitor, or only for someone who intends to join?
  • Is a gi lent for the first class, and what does one cost to buy?
  • What does a month cost without a contract, and is there a joining fee?

Figures from version 2026-09-05 of the first-visit study; the study explains the method and links to the academy sources. The first-visit study, city by city · What jiu-jitsu costs per month · the printable first-visit kit

The areas

  • The Loop and near sides 9 academies

    Downtown Jiu Jitsu Club's printed «Single Class Drop-In: $35» and «7-Day Guest Pass: $75», Valko's «Your first class is always free», Chicago MMA's paid «7 days. $49», and the Chicago School of Grappling's free week.

  • The North Side 8 academies

    Redzovic, Supreme and Renzo Gracie with free intro classes and text grids from Lincoln Park to Lincoln Square, Chicago MMA's paid week, Lakeside's printed «$ 160.00 / Month», and Valko's studio with a free trial.

  • West and Northwest 12 academies

    Taylor Biagi, Brazil-021 and North Side BJJ with free classes from West Town to Portage Park, Vianna Brothers' free week, and 10th Planet, Movimento and the Carlson Gracie headquarters recorded with their grids and no trial byte.

  • The South Side 4 academies

    Southside Jiu Jitsu Club on East 63rd with «Book A Free Intro», a full text grid and the visitor line «Visiting? Drop In»; the rest of the south side recorded from the directories.

Open mats in Chicago

Rooms whose published schedule prints an open mat, each with the complete recorded summary of that schedule, its source and the date it was read. What an open mat is, and what a beginner does with one

The Loop and near sides

  • Valko BJJ — the Valko Jiu Jitsu Academy in River North A seven-day text grid: Mon/Wed gi — 7:00 AM, Fundamentals 11:15, 12:00, Fundamentals 5:30 PM, 6:15–8:00 PM; Tue/Thu no-gi — 7:00 AM, 12:00, Fundamentals 5:30 (gi), 6:15–8:00 no-gi; Fri 7 AM open mat, 12:00 gi, 5:30 gi; Sat 10:30 Fundamentals, 11:15–1:00 open mat; Sun 10:00–11:30 gi. «You must fill out this waiver before your first class» source · 2026-09-03

The North Side

  • Chicago MMA — Lincoln Park The Lincoln Park room's weekly text grid («August 29, 2026» reference): 6:30 AM no-gi grappling (two cells), 7:00 gi BJJ, 9:00 members' open mat, 10:30 gi, 11:30 wrestling/takedowns, noon no-gi (three cells) and gi (two), evenings at 5:45 «Introduction to BJJ/Grappling, Fundamentals» (two cells) and gi (two), 6:00 «BJJ 101, Beginner (No-Gi)», 6:45 no-gi grappling (two), drilling and sparring, wrestling. The page flattens the table, so the day of each cell is not recoverable from the text source · 2026-09-03
  • Lakeside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu A Gymdesk calendar for the week of Aug 30–Sep 5, 2026, with an instructor on each session: adult all-levels gi at 6:00 AM Mon–Thu (no-gi Friday), 11:30 AM Mon/Wed/Fri and 7:00 PM Mon/Wed; a «Beginner Jiu-Jitsu - GI» class at 6:00 PM Mon/Wed and «Beginner BJJ» Saturday noon; no-gi Tue 7:00 PM and Thu 7:30 PM; Friday 6:00 PM gi then a 7:00 PM open mat; Saturday 10:00 competition class; Sunday 9:00 open mat; judo Sun/Tue/Thu, wrestling Sunday; kids Mon/Wed 4:30, stand-up Tue/Thu, Saturday 9:00 — one week's calendar, not a standing grid source · 2026-09-03
  • Redzovic Jiu-Jitsu — Lincoln Square A printed text grid: the beginner class, «Self Defense Fundamentals (ALL LEVELS)», runs Mon/Wed 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM, Tue/Thu 6:00 PM, Sat 11:00 AM — «No experience needed»; Advanced Gi (3+ stripes) Mon 6 PM, Tue/Thu 11 AM, Sat 12 PM; NoGi (1+ stripe) Tue/Thu 7 PM, Fri 11 AM; Wed 6 PM advanced no-gi and 7 PM wrestling; open mats Mon/Wed 7 PM (3+ stripes), Sat 1 PM (2+). Kids Mon–Thu 4:30 and 5:15 PM, Sat 10 AM. Hours Mon–Thu 10:30–2 and 4:30–8, Fri 10:30–1 source · 2026-09-03
  • Supreme Jiu Jitsu (Idriz Redzovic) A seven-day text grid: the entry class, «Street Defense BJJ (All Levels)», Mon/Wed 7:20 PM; «ALL LEVELS BJJ GI» Tue/Thu 6 AM, Fri 11 AM, Sat 11 AM fundamentals; sport BJJ Tue 6:10, Thu 7:00, Sun 11:00 (open mat after each); advanced gi/no-gi (3+ stripes) Mon/Wed 6:10 PM; no-gi 101 Mon 11 AM; kids from age four; Friday open mats. Rules: adults 14+, live rolling from two stripes. «6:10pm Fridays Canceled for August» source · 2026-09-03

West and Northwest

  • North Side Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — Portage Park A browser-rendered day grid: Mon/Wed «Gi Adults (fundamentals and beginner friendly) 6:15-7:15», then intermediate/advanced 7:15 and live sparring 8:15; Tue/Thu «NO-GI Beginners 6:15-7:15», then no-gi all levels 7:15 and no-gi sparring 8:15; daytime classes 10:30–12:30 on Mon (gi), Wed and Fri (no-gi); kids at 4:15 and 5:15 on weekdays; Fri 5:30–7:30 kids competition (invite only); Sat kids open mat 10:00, «Gi Adults (all levels) 11:00-12:00», sparring 12:00; Sun «Gi & No-Gi Adults Open Mat 10:00 AM-12:00 PM» source · 2026-09-03
  • Taylor Biagi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — West Town A seven-day text grid: «11:30 AM - 1:00 Gi All-Levels» Mon/Wed/Fri and «No Gi All-Levels» Tue/Thu; kids at 4:30 and 5:15 PM on weekdays; «6:15 PM - 7 Gi Fundamentals» Mon and Fri, followed by «Gi Intermediate» (Mon) or «Randori» (Fri) 7:00–8:30; «6:30 PM - 7:30 No Gi Intermediate» Tue/Thu; Wed 6:30–8:00 «Gi All Levels»; Saturday kids, 11:00 no-gi fundamentals, 12:00–1:30 no-gi intermediate; Sunday yoga at 11:00 and «12:00 PM - 2:00 Open Mat» source · 2026-09-03
  • Vianna Brothers Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy — Bucktown / Logan Square Two printed hours blocks, not a class-by-class grid: the body's «6 am – 8:30 pm Weekdays (classes)», «9:45am – 1pm Saturdays (kids / open mat gi)» and «10 am - 11:30 am - Sundays (open mat no gi)»; the footer's «Mon 10am - 10:45am, 4:15pm - 5pm, 7pm - 7:45pm», Tue/Thu 10am and 7pm slots, Wed/Fri as Monday, «Sat 11am - 1 pm», «Sun Closed». The full schedule sits behind «View our full schedule here», not read this pass source · 2026-09-03

The South Side

  • Southside Jiu Jitsu Club — Woodlawn A Monday–Saturday text grid: «Fundamentals» at 6:30–7:15 AM Mon/Thu, 6:15–7:00 PM Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri and 11:15 AM Sat; then «Advanced BJJ - Gi 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM» Mon/Tue (six months' experience required), «All Levels BJJ - Positional Sparring 7:00 PM - 7:45 PM» Wed/Thu, «Randori / Open Mat» 7:00 PM Fri and Sat (three months required); youth 5:30 PM Mon/Tue/Fri and 10:30 AM Sat; no Sunday class printed. «Schedule is subject to change as we get started with classes.» source · 2026-09-03

A schedule is what the page printed on the day it was read. The academy's card carries the visitor and price facts recorded for it; where admission to an open mat, or its cost, is not published, ask the academy.

What a first class costs, city by city: the study