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Learning jiu-jitsu in north Brooklyn
This guide covers Brooklyn north of the Prospect Expressway: Greenpoint and Williamsburg through Bed-Stuy to DUMBO and Park Slope, where Renzo Gracie Brooklyn and Gregor Gracie's waterfront room anchor a scene dense enough that one four-block stretch of Columbia Street holds three academies. For someone just starting, the real question is not "which academy is best" but "which one fits me." This guide exists to answer that question.
Open mats in North Brooklyn
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
- Brooklyn Heights Jiu Jitsu Two Fundamentals slots a week (Tue gi, Thu no-gi, 6 PM); the rest is mixed levels and open mat. Closed Friday AND Saturday — a Saturday traveler can't use the visitor pass at all source · 2026-09-03
- Chop & Chops MMA The schedule page now prints a legible grid (active from Aug 31): 11 adult BJJ sessions a week plus a Friday open mat, with a named beginner tier, no-gi basics, on Tue, Thu and Fri evenings; all-levels classes Mon and Wed 7:15 PM and Sat 11:15 AM; kids Mon, Wed and Fri 4:30 PM and Sat 10 AM source · 2026-09-03
- Fort Greene BJJ Adult BJJ at 7 PM every weeknight, alternating gi and no-gi, plus a Saturday morning open mat. No beginner-labelled class — every session is all-levels, by design per the room's own prose source · 2026-07-29
- Park Slope Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (PSABJJ) A self-dated grid (effective 9/9/26): Basic Fundamentals five nights a week, all-levels Monday to Thursday mornings, Saturday basics, advanced open mats on Friday, Sundays dark, and a published path: beginners go through Fundamentals before the advanced program invites them source · 2026-09-02
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.
Women's classes in North Brooklyn
Rooms whose published schedule or programme page prints a women's or women-only class, each with the complete recorded summary of that fact, its source and the date it was read. What academies publish for women, and what to ask before a first class
- Gregor Gracie Jiu Jitsu Two women's classes a week, Thursday and Saturday source · 2026-07-29
- Renzo Gracie Brooklyn, Greenpoint The borough's strongest beginner structure: a white-belts-ONLY class running eleven times a week — while no-gi and advanced are blue-and-above, closing half the grid to a beginner. Women's BJJ Thursday evening source · 2026-09-03
A summary records what the page printed on the day it was read. Whether a class is women-only or mixed, and who may join, is in the summary where the academy publishes it; visitor and price facts are on the academy's card; where something 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.
BBJJ Cobble Hill
Who this academy suits
A local wanting a low-stakes start: an unpriced private intro lesson with a free uniform or gloves at a non-competitive, karate-rooted school (the $19.99 package is gone). Choose it knowing the identity — no BJJ lineage published, and the guest door needs a member's name
Why we say it: Every element is the chain's own published word (intro offer re-read 2026-09-04; the rest verified 2026-07-28)
Schedule verified Pricing published Kids classesStriking classes too
Your first visit
- Free trial
- The hidden condition: the guest form's required field asks 'Who do you know at our school?' — a stranger cannot complete it. The prospective member's door is the $19.99 intro instead source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- No weekly grid exists — only a live today's-classes feed; on the sampled day the chain's one adult BJJ class was a 45-minute 10 AM session here. Ask before visiting source · 2026-09-03
Classes and cost
- Membership
- No figure is published any more: the $19.99 intro is gone and the private introductory lesson carries no price; monthly membership appears nowhere source · 2026-09-04
- Programs
- Kids' programs run karate-first across the chain source · 2026-07-28
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 157 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 source · 2026-07-28
Brooklyn Heights Jiu Jitsu
Who this academy suits
A visitor who wants one honest number: $50 for an unlimited day under a Marcelo Garcia brown belt. Plan around the odd week — closed Friday and Saturday
Why we say it: The memberships page publishes the terms verbatim; the graphic shows the closure (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published Free trialNo-gi
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial class with no conditions — plus a visitor pass for those passing through source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- Two Fundamentals slots a week (Tue gi, Thu no-gi, 6 PM); the rest is mixed levels and open mat. Closed Friday AND Saturday — a Saturday traveler can't use the visitor pass at all source · 2026-09-03
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published: a $50 unlimited day Visitor Pass — the only one by that name in Brooklyn — and $250 monthly whose $200 enrollment fee makes month one $450 source · 2026-09-04
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 151 Montague Street, Suite B, Brooklyn, NY 11201 source · 2026-07-29
- Instructors
- Coach Garrett, a brown belt under Marcelo Garcia by the room's own account — surname unpublished source · 2026-09-04
Phone 650-686-8967, as the room publishes it Website Naver Map Apple Maps
Chop & Chops MMA
Who this academy suits
A budget visitor in Bushwick: the borough's cheapest published week ($69) behind its best-written front door — a real beginners' guide plus loaner gear
Why we say it: The pricing page publishes the ladder; the beginners' guide the etiquette and loaner line (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published No-giKids classesStriking classes too
Your first visit
- Free trial
- The ladder is the door: $30 a class, $45 the day, $69 the unlimited week — no conditions, loaner gear for beginners source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- The schedule page now prints a legible grid (active from Aug 31): 11 adult BJJ sessions a week plus a Friday open mat, with a named beginner tier, no-gi basics, on Tue, Thu and Fri evenings; all-levels classes Mon and Wed 7:15 PM and Sat 11:15 AM; kids Mon, Wed and Fri 4:30 PM and Sat 10 AM source · 2026-09-03
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published in full: $30 a class, $69 the unlimited week — Brooklyn's cheapest published week — $225 monthly source · 2026-09-03
- Programs
- A kids' BJJ program runs at $165/month source · 2026-09-03
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 1110 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11221 source · 2026-07-29
- Instructors
- Co-owners Humberto and Jaime, both black belts under Alex Ecklin by the academy's own account; surnames unpublished source · 2026-09-03
Diamondheart
Who this academy suits
The undecided beginner: a conditionless free week across six programmes, then a day-one class five times weekly and a traveler-aimed $40 drop-in. One planning fact: the beginner class never runs Fri through Mon
Why we say it: The pricing page publishes the offers verbatim; the rendered grid places the beginner class on Tue/Wed/Thu (the Saturday session dropped by the week of 2026-08-30; re-read 2026-09-02)
A gi-or-no-gi purist: the week splits by day, so an all-gi or all-no-gi week builds itself
Why we say it: The rendered grid shows the by-day split in both sampled weeks (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published Free trialNo-giKids classes
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A 7-day free trial across all six programmes, gear lent, no conditions of any kind — one of only two Brooklyn rooms pairing a free week with a published drop-in source · 2026-09-04
- Class schedule
- 21 adult BJJ sessions a week, gi and no-gi split by day. The named beginner class (Day 1 Intros) runs five times weekly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only — never Friday through Monday, so a weekend visitor can't take it source · 2026-09-02
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published: a $40 drop-in the academy itself aims at visitors and travelers, $229 unlimited monthly source · 2026-09-03
- Programs
- Kids' Little Diamonds — $25 a class or $149 unlimited source · 2026-09-03
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 67 Ingraham St, Brooklyn, NY 11237 source · 2026-07-29
Fort Greene BJJ
Who this academy suits
The beginner priced out elsewhere: $20 for three classes with a loaner gi — Brooklyn's cheapest door by far, at an address teaching since 2009. Ask the two unknowns first: who teaches, and what comes after the $20
Why we say it: The page publishes the intro terms and grid; the operator ruling rests on the archive diff (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published No-giKids classes
Your first visit
- Free trial
- Three classes for $20 with a loaner gi — 'if you love it, sign up; if not, nothing owed.' At $6.67 a class, by far the cheapest published door into Brooklyn jiu-jitsu source · 2026-07-29
- Class schedule
- Adult BJJ at 7 PM every weeknight, alternating gi and no-gi, plus a Saturday morning open mat. No beginner-labelled class — every session is all-levels, by design per the room's own prose source · 2026-07-29
Classes and cost
- Membership
- The $20 intro is the only published price; membership beyond it is unpublished source · 2026-07-29
- Programs
- Kids' BJJ every weekday at 4:30 source · 2026-07-29
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 412 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 source · 2026-07-29
Gregor Gracie Jiu Jitsu
Who this academy suits
A Manhattan-based beginner crossing the river: the borough's most accessible mat, Fundamentals twelve times a week, a Gracie-family room on the association's own roster. Ask first: any price, and whether the trial is free
Why we say it: The graphics publish the twelve slots; the association roster corroborates the room; the price absences are evidenced (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Franchise networkKids classesStructured curriculum
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A standing trial-class booking exists — whether it's free is stated nowhere; ask when booking source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- Brooklyn's largest grid: Fundamentals twelve times a week (including Sat 7 AM and Sun morning), all-levels at 6, 7 and noon, two women's classes. Read Sunday carefully — its column is banded by rank source · 2026-09-02
Classes and cost
- Programs
- A dedicated kids schedule; Muay Thai runs alongside source · 2026-07-29
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 153 Bridge Park Dr, Brooklyn, NY 11201 source · 2026-07-29
Johnny Karate NYC
Who this academy suits
A beginner wanting grappling and striking on one membership: $180 unlimited covers both, entered via a free trial class — at a site relaunched for the move to Union Street. One ask: no BJJ rank is published
Why we say it: The pricing page publishes the ladder; the free trial is a sitewide popup on the relaunched site (re-read 2026-09-04); the schedule was edited 2026-07-28
Schedule verified Pricing published Free trialNo-giKids classesStriking classes too
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial class through a signup popup, no conditions; the free-uniform offer of July is gone from the relaunched site source · 2026-09-04
- Class schedule
- The weekly schedule names BJJ classes and a Saturday no-gi slot — and was edited the day before the pass, the freshest artefact in the sweep source · 2026-09-01
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published: a $30 adult drop-in and $180 unlimited covering BJJ and Muay Thai; cancellations in writing, pre-pays nonrefundable source · 2026-09-03
- Programs
- Kids' programs run at $199/$249 — no drop-ins for kids' classes source · 2026-09-03
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 164 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 — the new studio source · 2026-07-29
Park Slope Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (PSABJJ)
Who this academy suits
A visiting practitioner wanting Clemente-lineage mats without a contract: the guest line sits outside the academy's terms entirely — on a card honest about everything, including that guests pay more per day than prospects
Why we say it: The tuition page publishes the card and terms verbatim; the staff page the Clemente belts (verified 2026-07-28)
A beginner who wants structure: Fundamentals five nights weekly, a deliberately capped beginners program, an invitation-based path upward — and no belt fees, ever
Why we say it: The grid shows the five nights; the tuition page the cap, path and no-fees line (verified 2026-07-28)
Schedule verified Pricing published No-giStructured curriculum
Your first visit
- Free trial
- No free trial: an incoming student's first day is a 50 day pass plus 50 uniform, credited on same-day enrollment — while a guest pays 75, the higher rate, stated plainly source · 2026-09-04
- Class schedule
- A self-dated grid (effective 9/9/26): Basic Fundamentals five nights a week, all-levels Monday to Thursday mornings, Saturday basics, advanced open mats on Friday, Sundays dark, and a published path: beginners go through Fundamentals before the advanced program invites them source · 2026-09-02
Classes and cost
- Membership
- The borough's reference card: guests 75/day, 50/class, 175/week, 360/month; tuition 270 monthly on six- or twelve-month CONTRACTS with a $99 exit fee. The traveller's rule: the guest week and month sit outside the contract entirely source · 2026-09-03
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 518 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215 source · 2026-07-28
- Instructors
- Three instructors, two holding black belts from Fabio Clemente's own hands — including a 2nd-degree — with a Marcelo Garcia brown belt in one lineage besides source · 2026-09-03
Renzo Gracie Brooklyn, Greenpoint
Who this academy suits
The absolute beginner's room: a free half-hour one-on-one four evenings a week, then a genuinely white-belts-only class eleven times weekly — with the honest reciprocal that no-gi and advanced stay closed until blue
Why we say it: The room's own graphic publishes the rank-gated legend and intro terms (verified 2026-07-29; the D1 abandonment verdict overturned by measurement)
Schedule verified Franchise networkFree trialNo-giStructured curriculum
Your first visit
- Free trial
- Ask about the free trial by phone or email — and the free 30-minute one-on-one intro is right on the timetable. No residency condition found, unlike the Manhattan siblings source · 2026-09-04
- Class schedule
- The borough's strongest beginner structure: a white-belts-ONLY class running eleven times a week — while no-gi and advanced are blue-and-above, closing half the grid to a beginner. Women's BJJ Thursday evening source · 2026-09-03
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 100 Bayard Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222 source · 2026-07-29
- Instructors
- Head professor: Renzo Gracie, per the room's own schedule graphic — with three named house instructors whose ranks are unpublished source · 2026-09-03
The 47 BJJ Coop, in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens
Who this academy suits
The beginner who dreads the deep end: a 30-minute slow on-ramp before the main class twice a week, a fully published lineage, and a $200 membership you leave with a conversation
Why we say it: The schedule maps the on-ramp; the descriptions and term are the room's own words (verified 2026-07-29)
A before-work trainer: four 7 AM classes, Tuesday through Friday — the widest early block in either Brooklyn ledger
Why we say it: The day-mapped grid shows the four morning slots (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published Free trialStructured curriculum
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A trial class by request through the form, no pressure and no conditions found; the site no longer calls it free, and no price is stated source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- Four 7 AM classes a week — the widest early-morning block in either Brooklyn ledger — and a 30-minute Basics on-ramp bolted to the front of the Tuesday and Thursday night gi class source · 2026-09-01
Classes and cost
- Membership
- $200 a month — with the most humane term in the ledgers: 'freeze or cancel with a normal human conversation.' No drop-in rate is published source · 2026-09-03
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 396 Rogers Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225 source · 2026-07-29
- Instructors
- Co-founder Damoon Nikaiyn, a black belt under John 'Birdman' Finn — with Finn himself published as the room's lineal 4th-degree; a fully published three-step chain source · 2026-09-03
The Dojo NYC
Who this academy suits
A beginner who cares who's teaching: four black belts and a brown belt published on a young room's bench, behind an unconditioned free trial. Ask for the two things the site won't say — times and price
Why we say it: The bench is published with ranks (re-read 2026-09-03: four black belts and a brown belt); the trial is unconditioned; the absences are measured across all 15 pages (verified 2026-07-29)
Free trialNo-gi
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial of any class, with no condition published anywhere source · 2026-09-04
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 32 Gardner Ave, Brooklyn source · 2026-07-29
- Instructors
- Founder Gabe Marte (1st-degree black belt) heads a bench of four BJJ black belts and a brown belt, Italo Moura the newest, unusually deep for a young room, all named with ranks source · 2026-09-03
Warriors Nation MMA
Who this academy suits
A no-gi adult with some experience: no-gi at 8 and 6 every weekday, a traveler-facing drop-in. Your gi stays home — and a true beginner enters via the free intro and Sunday fundamentals, per the room's own terms
Why we say it: The rendered calendar maps the week; the drop-in page publishes the welcome and its condition verbatim (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified No-giKids classesStriking classes too
Your first visit
- Free trial
- The drop-in welcomes travelers loudly — then conditions the welcome on prior experience. The never-trained start with the free intro session instead source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- Eleven adult jiu-jitsu sessions a week — no-gi at 8 AM and 6 PM every weekday, a two-hour no-gi fundamentals Sunday midday. Every adult class is no-gi, and Sunday's is the only one with a beginner word on it source · 2026-07-29
Classes and cost
- Programs
- Kids' and teens' gi jiu-jitsu — the timetable's only gi classes source · 2026-07-29
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 166 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 source · 2026-07-29
- Instructors
- Five named coaches, three of them jiu-jitsu — with no belt rank published for anyone source · 2026-09-03
Williamsburg MMA
Who this academy suits
A pay-per-class visitor: $35 books tonight's class online, $50 a week of unlimited jiu-jitsu and grappling, $75 the all-programs week. The one catch: the $25 beginner class on the card isn't currently bookable — start in the general classes
Why we say it: /plans-pricing publishes both routes, the $50 jiu-jitsu week beside the $75 all-programs week (re-read 2026-09-04); the booking calendars show live availability and the Fundamentals no-availability answer (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published No-giStriking classes too
Your first visit
- Free trial
- No free trial. The door is a tuition plan booked through the app, the shortest being weekly passes ($75 unlimited, $50 per discipline); no single-class product prints. 'No long-term contracts. No pressure.' source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- Evening grappling books through the week: no-gi Mon 10 AM and 7 PM, Tue, Wed and Thu 7 PM (Thursday moved from 7:30), gi Fri 7 PM and Sat 12 PM, $35 an hour; but the room's own engine still says the $25 Fundamentals and the women's-only class have no availability for six months, so a beginner starts in the general classes source · 2026-09-03
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published: $25–35 per class, a $50 week of unlimited jiu-jitsu and grappling (the cheapest week in the borough) beside the $75 all-programs week, a full membership card, financial aid, a Back on Your Feet Initiative and work-study — transparency almost nothing in Brooklyn matches source · 2026-09-04
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 42A Dobbin Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222 source · 2026-07-29
- Instructors
- Founder Roger Mamedov, per the academy's own bio — though no BJJ belt rank is published for him source · 2026-09-04
Windsor Terrace Martial Arts
Who this academy suits
The hesitant beginner: a no-strings free trial where you pick the class, gear provided, under a co-founder whose Renzo Gracie black belt under Mike Jaramillo the network corroborates, with Gi Fundamentals at three time shapes weekly. Ask the monthly price — the site never prints it
Why we say it: The trial terms and class picker are the room's own words; the schedule publishes six weekly sessions; Fox's belt is corroborated on RGA's pages (verified 2026-07-29; the about page re-read 2026-09-04 no longer dates it)
Schedule verified Franchise networkFree trialStructured curriculum
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial class per program, booked through MyStudio forms, with no residency or eligibility condition; the earlier line that let the visitor pick the class no longer prints, so whether you choose the slot now sits inside the booking flow source · 2026-09-03
- Class schedule
- A text schedule (unique in the pass): Gi Fundamentals three times a week and all-levels gi three more — six beginner-reachable sessions weekly. Sundays dark source · 2026-09-01
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 1256 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218 source · 2026-07-29
- Instructors
- Co-founder Jeremiah Fox, a Renzo Gracie black belt under Mike Jaramillo, cross-corroborated on the network's own pages — teaching beside co-founder Fernando Ferreira, a brown belt under Gallardo and Fox; the page no longer dates the belt source · 2026-09-04
Zero Gravity Jiu-Jitsu Academy (Zero G BJJ)
Who this academy suits
A Thursday-to-Sunday trainer — the exact shape of a weekend visit: twelve sessions Thu–Sun, a cart-able free week, a $40 drop-in and a Q&A hour with the professor. Confirm the grid when booking; Mon/Tue are dark and the newest edit is five months old
Why we say it: The shop publishes the products; the arithmetic settles the week's shape; the Q&A is on the grid (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published Free trialNo-gi
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial week sold as a live $0.00 product, no conditions — with the borough's best-targeted visitor FAQ, whose answers hide in an accordion that wouldn't open; ask source · 2026-09-04
- Class schedule
- Twelve adult sessions concentrated Thursday–Sunday (none Monday or Tuesday), with beginner classes three times a week, fundamentals twice, and a published instructor Q&A hour — a rare beginner amenity source · 2026-09-02
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published as purchasable products: a $40 drop-in, the $0 trial week, membership from $150 — plus a $99 two-week package framed for the academy's social followers; ask if it's open to walk-ins source · 2026-09-03
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 319 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231 source · 2026-07-29
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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Brooklyn Martial Arts, Downtown Brooklyn · Official site(718) 403-9026Last checked: 2026-09-03
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Deadweight Martial Arts · Official site258 Marcus Garvey Blvd, Brooklyn, NY 11221 · Professor Yero Sterling, a Bed-Stuy-native black belt who publishes his full nine-step lineage — with Professor Dailah Martinez (brown belt) leading women's BJJ and self-defense · BJJ under the founder, and a women's program under a named brown-belt professor — with a free ongoing membershipLast checked: 2026-09-03
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U.M.A. Brooklyn · Official site5 Withers Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 · 718-218-7515Last checked: 2026-09-03
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Vagabond Jiu Jitsu · Official site403 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn (no ZIP published) · Tim McNamara — a Renzo Gracie black belt, cross-corroborated on the network's own instructor pages, and a judo black belt besidesLast checked: 2026-09-03
Frequently asked questions
Which academies in North Brooklyn offer a free trial?
Brooklyn Heights Jiu Jitsu: A free trial class with no conditions — plus a visitor pass for those passing through; Diamondheart: A 7-day free trial across all six programmes, gear lent, no conditions of any kind — one of only two Brooklyn rooms pairing a free week with a published drop-in; Gregor Gracie Jiu Jitsu: A standing trial-class booking exists — whether it's free is stated nowhere; ask when booking; Johnny Karate NYC: A free trial class through a signup popup, no conditions; the free-uniform offer of July is gone from the relaunched site; Renzo Gracie Brooklyn, Greenpoint: Ask about the free trial by phone or email — and the free 30-minute one-on-one intro is right on the timetable. No residency condition found, unlike the Manhattan siblings …
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.