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Learning jiu-jitsu in Istanbul
Istanbul is this guide's first city in Turkey, and the first whose doors write Turkish. One door prints what a visitor needs on its own site, two more print a grid and an address without a price or a first-visit clause, and one seat is recorded from a team locator. Checkmat İstanbul Dojo, in the mall under the Sapphire tower at the 4. Levent metro, prints «Sapphire AVM. B4 Kati, Levent», a weekday-morning grid with «10:00 - 11:00 Temel Jiujitsu» and «11:00 - 12:15 İleri Seviye Jiujitsu/ Açık Mat», its founder's brown belt, a price sheet in lira from «₺6.500 /ay» to «₺10.000 /ay», and the first visit in its own words, a paid trial: «üye olmadan önce 1.000 TL karşılığında bir deneme dersi alabilirsiniz», booked in advance. Roger Gracie Academy in Etiler prints a full evening timetable and its address, and Carlson Gracie in Nişantaşı a six-day grid and its address; neither prints a price or a trial clause, so both are recorded here as doors to phone. Nobody in the city prints a drop-in. 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 Istanbul
Of the 1 academies this guide covers, 0 print a free first class with no condition, 0 a free one with a condition, 1 print a price for it, 0 say to book and find out, 0 publish enrolment or enquiry details without a trial offer, and 0 have no readable first-visit terms.
The printed first-visit prices run from ₺1,000 (≈ $21) to ₺1,000 (≈ $21), for example:
- Checkmat İstanbul Dojo: ₺1,000 (≈ $21) (PAID: «1.000 TL karşılığında bir deneme dersi» — a trial class for 1,000 lira before joining, «önceden rezervasyon yapmanız gerekmektedir» (booking required); the home page's «Deneme Dersi» card and «Hemen Kaydol» button; gear not included, sold at the dojo; no free byte anywhere)
Fewer than 5 academies have a published monthly rate included in the study, so this hub does not show a median.
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
Open mats in Istanbul
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
- Checkmat İstanbul Dojo Own-site text grid, weekday mornings only: Mon–Fri «10:00 - 11:00 Temel Jiujitsu» (basics) and «11:00 - 12:15 İleri Seviye Jiujitsu/ Açık Mat» (advanced / open mat), both under S. Ekrem Selah; «updated every month»; no evening or weekend row; the contact page's «06:30 - 09:00» hours disagree with the grid (recorded) 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.
Map
Every academy with a full entry is pinned on the map, and neighborhood-level pins say so. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Checkmat İstanbul Dojo
Who this academy suits
The beginner in Istanbul who reads Turkish and can train in the morning: the one door in the city that prints everything you need before you go — a mall basement under the Sapphire tower at the 4. Levent metro («Sapphire AVM. B4 Kati, Levent»), a weekday grid with «10:00 - 11:00 Temel Jiujitsu» and «11:00 - 12:15 İleri Seviye Jiujitsu/ Açık Mat» every morning Monday to Friday, the founder carded with his belt («Baş Eğitmen, Kahverengi Kuşak Jiujitsu ve Judo», trained «Leo Vieira altında»), a price sheet in lira from «Başlangıç Paketi … ₺6.500 /ay» to «Standart Paket … ₺8.000 /ay» unlimited, and the first visit in its own words: a paid trial, «üye olmadan önce 1.000 TL karşılığında bir deneme dersi alabilirsiniz», booked in advance. Evenings are not on this grid
Why we say it: checkmatistanbul.com home, /program, /uyelik, /egitmenler, /dersler and /iletisim read 2026-09-03: the address, the grid rows, the coach card, the price sheet and the FAQ's trial clause quoted verbatim; the hours conflict recorded
The visitor passing through Istanbul for a week: there is no drop-in on this sheet or on any other Istanbul door this guide could read — the printed way in is the paid trial, «1.000 TL karşılığında bir deneme dersi», «önceden rezervasyon yapmanız gerekmektedir» (book ahead, by the form or «+90 532 470 9849»), and after that a monthly package with a three-month minimum contract («3 aylık, 6 aylık ve yıllık»). Take the 10:00 basics or the 11:00 advanced-and-open-mat block on a weekday morning; bring your own gi, the dojo sells but does not lend («üyelik paketlerimizde ekipman dahil değildir»). For an evening class in this city the printed grids belong to Roger Gracie in Etiler and Carlson Gracie in Nişantaşı, neither of which prints a price or a first-visit clause
Why we say it: checkmatistanbul.com /uyelik (the FAQ and the packages) and /program, read 2026-09-03; the gate-check census of every Istanbul door read this pass (rgaistanbul.com and carlsongracieistanbul.com print grids and addresses, no price, no clause; no door prints a single-class price)
Schedule verified Pricing published
Your first visit
- Trial
- PAID: «1.000 TL karşılığında bir deneme dersi» — a trial class for 1,000 lira before joining, «önceden rezervasyon yapmanız gerekmektedir» (booking required); the home page's «Deneme Dersi» card and «Hemen Kaydol» button; gear not included, sold at the dojo; no free byte anywhere source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- Own-site text grid, weekday mornings only: Mon–Fri «10:00 - 11:00 Temel Jiujitsu» (basics) and «11:00 - 12:15 İleri Seviye Jiujitsu/ Açık Mat» (advanced / open mat), both under S. Ekrem Selah; «updated every month»; no evening or weekend row; the contact page's «06:30 - 09:00» hours disagree with the grid (recorded) source · 2026-09-03
Classes and cost
- Membership
- «Başlangıç Paketi ₺6.500 /ay» (2 days a week) · «Standart Paket ₺8.000 /ay» (unlimited, open mat) · «Premium Paket ₺10.000 /ay» (unlimited jiu-jitsu and MMA) · family «₺59.000 /ay» · eight privates «₺28.000 /ay» · trial «1.000 TL»; contracts of 3, 6 or 12 months with long-term discounts; no single-class or drop-in line source · 2026-09-03
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- Sapphire AVM, floor B4 (the İstanbul Sapphire tower's mall), Levent source · 2026-09-03
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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Carlson Gracie Istanbul NisantasiHacı Mansur Sok. No:2 (Inka Rezidans, floor -3), off Valikonağı Caddesi, Nişantaşı · +90 544 467 0 467Last checked: 2026-09-03
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Gracie Jiu Jitsu Istanbul OrtakoyLevazım Mah., Dereboyu Cad., Işık Sokak No.2 (Başar Apt.), OrtaköyLast checked: 2026-09-03
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Roger Gracie Academy Istanbul EtilerTepecik Yolu No:86, Etiler, 34337 Beşiktaş · +90 534 786 70 90 (also WhatsApp)Last checked: 2026-09-03
Frequently asked questions
How do I book a trial class?
It differs by academy. Where we could verify the booking method, it is listed under "Your first visit" in that academy's entry; otherwise, asking through the academy's official channel is the most reliable route.
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.