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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.
Map
Only academies with verified information appear on the map. Grey pins mark verified addresses for academies still being confirmed.
BBJJ Cobble Hill — the four-room chain's only northern location; despite the name, the entity is a karate-and-BJJ organisation that says itself it is not competition-oriented
Who this academy suits
A local wanting a low-stakes start: $19.99 for three classes and a uniform at a non-competitive, karate-rooted school. 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 (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
- 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
Classes and cost
- Membership
- The $19.99 intro is the chain's only published figure; monthly membership appears nowhere
- Programs
- Kids' programs run karate-first across the chain
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 157 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Brooklyn Heights Jiu Jitsu — a room whose web presence began in January 2026
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
- 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
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
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 151 Montague Street, Suite B, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- Instructors
- Coach Garrett, a brown belt under Marcelo Garcia by the room's own account — surname unpublished
Phone 650-686-8967, as the room publishes it Website Naver Map Apple Maps
Chop & Chops MMA — a Bushwick multi-art room whose grappling core runs under black-belt coaches
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
- Class schedule
- A schedule page exists — confirm times when booking
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published in full: $30 a class, $69 the unlimited week — Brooklyn's cheapest published week — $225 monthly
- Programs
- A kids' BJJ program runs at $165/month
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 1110 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11221
- Instructors
- Co-owners Humberto and Jaime, both black belts under Alex Ecklin by the academy's own account; surnames unpublished
Diamondheart — a two-floor Bushwick room, established 2015, whose own motto is 'transparent pricing, no hidden fees'
Who this academy suits
The undecided beginner: a conditionless free week across six programmes, then a day-one class six times weekly and a traveler-aimed $40 drop-in. One planning fact: the beginner class never runs Mon, Fri or Sun
Why we say it: The pricing page publishes the offers verbatim; the rendered grid proves the beginner class's days four weeks forward (verified 2026-07-29)
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
- Class schedule
- 21 adult BJJ sessions a week, gi and no-gi split by day. The named beginner class (Day 1 Intros) runs six times weekly — but never Monday, Friday or Sunday, so a weekend visitor can't take it
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published: a $40 drop-in the academy itself aims at visitors and travelers, $229 unlimited monthly
- Programs
- Kids' Little Diamonds — $25 a class or $149 unlimited
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 67 Ingraham St, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Fort Greene BJJ — new 2026 ownership of an address where jiu-jitsu has been taught since 2009
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
- 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
Classes and cost
- Membership
- The $20 intro is the only published price; membership beyond it is unpublished
- Programs
- Kids' BJJ every weekday at 4:30
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 412 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205
Gregor Gracie Jiu Jitsu, at Brooklyn Bridge Park
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
- 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
Classes and cost
- Programs
- A dedicated kids schedule; Muay Thai runs alongside
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 153 Bridge Park Dr, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Johnny Karate NYC — karate-named, with real adult BJJ and Muay Thai inside; recently moved within Carroll Gardens
Who this academy suits
A beginner wanting grappling and striking on one membership: $180 unlimited covers both, entered via a free trial with a free uniform — at the freshest-maintained site in the pass. One ask: no BJJ rank is published
Why we say it: The pricing page publishes the ladder; the schedule was edited the day before the pass (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published Free trialNo-giKids classesStriking classes too
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial class, plus a free-uniform signup offer — no conditions
- 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
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published: a $30 adult drop-in and $180 unlimited covering BJJ and Muay Thai; cancellations in writing, pre-pays nonrefundable
- Programs
- Kids' programs run at $199/$249 — no drop-ins for kids' classes
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 164 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 — the new studio
Park Slope Academy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — the room where the Fabio Clemente lineage actually lives
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
- Class schedule
- A self-dated grid (effective 6/30/26): Basic Fundamentals five nights a week, all-levels every weekday morning, Saturday basics, two open mats, Sundays dark — and a published path: beginners go through Fundamentals before the advanced program invites them
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
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 518 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
- 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
Renzo Gracie Brooklyn, Greenpoint — one of the four Renzo-operated NYC rooms
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
- 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
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 100 Bayard Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
- Instructors
- Head professor: Renzo Gracie, per the room's own schedule graphic — with three named house instructors whose ranks are unpublished
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 free trial class, no conditions found
- 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
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
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 396 Rogers Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
- 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
The Dojo NYC — an independent Bushwick room, open since fall 2025
Who this academy suits
A beginner who cares who's teaching: three 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; 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
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 32 Gardner Ave, Brooklyn
- Instructors
- Founder Gabe Marte (1st-degree black belt) heads a bench of three BJJ black belts and a brown belt — unusually deep for a young room, all named with ranks
Warriors Nation MMA — a DUMBO multi-art room
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
- 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
Classes and cost
- Programs
- Kids' and teens' gi jiu-jitsu — the timetable's only gi classes
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 166 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- Instructors
- Five named coaches, three of them jiu-jitsu — with no belt rank published for anyone
Williamsburg MMA — despite the name, it sits in Greenpoint; est. 2009, the self-described first MMA academy in north Brooklyn
Who this academy suits
A pay-per-class visitor: $35 books tonight's class online, $75 the week-to-week unlimited. The one catch: the $25 beginner class on the card isn't currently bookable — start in the general classes
Why we say it: The pricing page publishes both routes; the rendered calendars show live availability and the Fundamentals gap (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Pricing published No-giStriking classes too
Your first visit
- Free trial
- No free trial — the published per-class rates are the door, bookable online. 'No long-term contracts. No pressure.'
- Class schedule
- Evening grappling books through the week — but the room's own engine says the $25 Fundamentals and the women's-only class have no availability for six months; a beginner starts in the general classes
Classes and cost
- Membership
- Published: $25–35 per class, a $75 week-to-week unlimited rate (the borough's second-cheapest week), a full membership card, financial aid, a Back on Your Feet Initiative and work-study — transparency almost nothing in Brooklyn matches
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 42A Dobbin Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
- Instructors
- Founder Roger Mamedov, per the academy's own bio — though no BJJ belt rank is published for him
Windsor Terrace Martial Arts — on Renzo Gracie's own directory, while describing the relationship as a partnership in its own words
Who this academy suits
The hesitant beginner entering on their own terms: a no-strings trial where you pick the class, gear provided, under a network-corroborated black belt. Ask the price — none is published — and know email is the only channel
Why we say it: The trial terms are the room's own words; the text schedule publishes the six sessions; the belt is network-corroborated (verified 2026-07-29)
Schedule verified Franchise networkFree trialStructured curriculum
Your first visit
- Free trial
- A free trial where YOU pick the class — 'just bring yourself and we'll provide the rest' — the least-gated door in Brooklyn, and the only one that lets the visitor choose the slot
- 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
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 1256 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218
- Instructors
- Co-founder Professor Jeremiah Fox — a 2022 black belt from Mike Jaramillo at Renzo Gracie HQ, cross-corroborated on the network's own pages — teaching beside a brown-belt co-founder
Zero Gravity Jiu-Jitsu Academy — Zero G BJJ, on the Columbia Street waterfront
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
- 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
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
Location, instructors, contact
- Address
- 319 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
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: 2026-07-29
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Deadweight Martial Arts — a launch-stage Bed-Stuy room; ClassPass partnership stated by the academy itself · 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: 2026-07-29
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U.M.A. Brooklyn — relocated within Williamsburg in spring 2026; the academy's own notice designated its Instagram as the channel for reopening updates · Official site5 Withers Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 · 718-218-7515Last checked: 2026-07-29
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Vagabond Jiu Jitsu — a Bed-Stuy independent under a Renzo Gracie black belt · 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: 2026-07-29
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.