If you’re looking to start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) in Washington, DC, you have several excellent options to choose from. This guide will introduce you to some of the top academies in the area, highlighting their unique strengths and programs.
BETA Academy: A Beginner-Friendly Start
BETA Academy is the largest and most established Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in Washington, DC. Your intro class is designed to be beginner-friendly, safe, and educational. BETA Academy offers a free intro class for new students. No experience required. Just bring comfortable clothes, a water bottle, and a willingness to learn.
- 📍 Located in Columbia Heights - easily accessible by Metro
- 📅 Classes 7 days a week
Want to see the vibe before you step on the mat? One student shared, “I was nervous walking in as a total beginner, but the instructors at BETA made me feel at home."
Pentagon MMA: A Welcoming and Comprehensive Experience
Pentagon MMA offers an amazing experience with highly skilled instructors who provide personalized guidance in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. “I tried a few gyms around DC. Pentagon MMA is just a phenomenal gym. The gym fosters a welcoming community that challenges you outside your comfort zone while helping you build a strong foundation in martial arts.
They cater to all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced practitioners, and even have classes for kids that focus on discipline, confidence and character development. The instructors are all experts and care about your development. There are classes that cater to all levels, and the higher level students are always happy to help the beginners. Everyone you meet there is pretty cool.
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Coaches are skilled, amazing, and are very intentional about fostering an awesome environment; training is competitive and fun, and most importantly, it has the best all around gym culture I’ve experienced. I’ve been here for about 4 years training mostly Jiujitsu and Pentagon MMA has become my happy place, contributing positively to my physical and mental health.
As someone new to the DMV and searching for both community and a fitness outlet, the unmatched support, inspiring atmosphere, and genuine connections have meant everything. Such a warm and welcoming environment! Wonderful for beginners. Coaches are very knowledgeable and patient. As someone with no martial arts experience it can be intimidating walking into a new gym, but Pentagon is great at making you feel right at home.
There’s 2 programs here at the school: Brazilian Jiujitsu and Muay Thai. The program is run by Coaches Sa’idah Durkee and Isaac July. Both have a great amount of experience and wins under their belt as competitors in the sport. The program here is fun, family friendly and a great workout.
Compared to a lot of other schools there's a female black belt and as a result there’s a fairly large percentage of women that come to train and the female to male ratio is pretty good when compared to other schools. This is good if someone is trying to get their daughters and/or wives to come and train. Everyone is safe and courteous and there’s no toxicity when compared to other environments.
The BJJ program offers Gi and No-Gi, foundation and competition trainings, surrounded by the most supportive, welcoming and interesting teammates who will be there for your BJJ and life journey. Pentagon MMA is a wonderful place to train, learn martial arts, and get an intense workout in!
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Pentagon MMA has become a second home for me and my kids. I have trained off and on for years and this has been the best training environment that I have ever been to. My kids have learned so much from their weekly classes along with their time at the gym's spring break and summer camps.
Kids' Programs at Pentagon MMA
Pentagon MMA’s after school program is fantastic! Nora does a tremendous job of empowering the kids with self-confidence while letting them have fun. My son has benefitted from the discipline of learning martial arts in a safe environment. This gym has a great sense of community and positive reinforcement that shines through in the children’s programming as well.
It’s not just training for a sport; Pentagon MMA has become a big part of my son’s life and it plays a huge roll in his character development, while he simultaneously learns martial arts and has a ton of fun. At first I was worried because there were so many children in a class, but class size doesn’t matter for these amazing instructors who teach not only martial arts techniques but also children’s leadership skills, confidence, as well as physical strength.
The additional fun events like the “kids night in” and challenges really make my son feel like part of a social community. This is one of the best organizations we have ever seen for children. I cannot give Pentagon MMA enough positive remarks. Well done and THANK YOU for everything you do to strengthen our kids bodies and minds.
Muay Thai at Pentagon MMA
This school has some of the best instructors in the game. Kru Vivek, Kru Chon, and all of the staff give this boutique gym a family feel, one that is active in the community just as they keep you active on the mats. To say we enjoyed our time there would be an understatement.
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WDC BJJ/GF Team DC: Brazilian Values in the DMV
WDC BJJ is truly a special place to train at for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. The GFTeam is a top-5 team in the world, led by a National champion who pushes everyone to be their best. We want to provide every opportunity to become better. This includes our summer training camps - IN RIO DE JANEIRO - providing training from the home of BJJ.
As a family-run BJJ school, family truly is everything. We don’t just want our students to become great BJJ students - we want them to be healthy. We have a special offer to train where BJJ began.
- Check out our Takoma location and meet our team of friendly, experienced instructors!
- Check out our Hyattsville location and meet our team of friendly, experienced instructors!
We have two different Jiu-Jitsu class schedules. One for Takoma Park and one for Hyattsville. GFTeam is one of the top-5 BJJ teams in the world. Our high-quality expertise and personable coaches create an environment for students to grow and become their best selves.
Our school follows the Brazilian values of respect, effort, and community. Led by Professor Deivid Dias, our team is filled with instructors who have experienced it all. Everything we do comes straight from Brazil, with how we treat each other to our on-the-mat style and success.
Additional Options for Martial Arts in DC
If you’re searching for martial arts classes for your kid, there are so many options to choose from in the DMV. Naturally, some fare better than others in terms of quality and value.
- Onekick Martial Arts: Offers classes to kids of different age ranges, including preschool, youth and teen, as well as adult classes, each of which are focused on values, physical prowess, mental and emotional health, community and structure.
- Himchari Martial Arts: Is committed to safety, with a professional-grade indoor training facility that is carefully maintained.
- Capitol Martial Arts Academy: In Alexandria has numerous talented coaches that provide an engaging and fulfilling martial arts curriculum.
- Kicks Karate: A family-friendly martial arts academy in North Potomac. They offer karate classes for virtually all ages, as well as fitness kickboxing.
- Seichou Karate: In Fairfax County offers excellent karate instruction in a dojo that emphasizes social and interpersonal relationships and etiquette.
- Estilo Jiu Jitsu: Is a top-tier option in DC for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The instruction offers both structured learning and opportunities for fun and games.
- DC Aikido: Offers a beginner-friendly learning environment from experienced instructors for parents interested in Aikido training for their kids.
Fifty/50 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Carefully designed over the course of many years and continually refined through elite level competition and training with many of the best fighters and coaches in the world, the Fifty/50 method of instruction has achieved success at every level of grappling and mixed martial arts.
- Our competition team has had success at all levels of Martial Arts Competition.
- Our youth programs are tailored to reinforce the important life skills of confidence, discipline, dedication, hard work, teamwork, and respect.
Other programs at Fifty/50
- Kickboxing The striking program at Fifty/50 is the brainchild of former ONE Championship World Champion and Ultimate Fighter 22 Veteran, Thanh Le, a 5th Degree TKD Black Belt.
- Athlete performance training Our athletic performance center is staffed by a Performance Coach who is a Certified Athletic trainer with a background in Exercise Science and Strength & Conditioning.
- Judo Our program, run by a #1 Ranked USA Judoka is open to beginners and experienced practitioners.
- Wrestling Our program, which is taught by an NCAA All-American and US Open medalist.
Tips for Success in Jiu-Jitsu
Getting good at Jiu Jitsu requires a long term commitment to an often brutal training regimen. Jiu Jitsu takes a long time to master. If you don’t train consistently, you might never reach the higher levels. Therefore, your focus should be on doing the things that will allow you to train consistently.
Here are some tips to help you on your Jiu-Jitsu journey:
- Have a Set Schedule: Having a set schedule is a psychological tool to make you feel obligated to go to class during such times.
- Stay in a Jiu-Jitsu State of Mind: Even when you’re not training, try to keep your mind on jiu jitsu as much as possible.
- Focus on the Art, Not Just the Recognition: A martial artist is someone who does martial arts. Belts and medals are great, but those are not the martial arts.
- Be Willing to Try New Moves: In order to get good at Jiu Jitsu, you have to be willing to try new moves.
- Train with Those Who Are Better Than You: The best way to get good at Jiu Jitsu is to work with people who are better than you.
- Nutrition is crucial: Your body needs proper nutrients in order to function at such a high tempo.
- Push yourself during training, but recognize your limits: Figure out where the rest spots are located, and learn to breath deeply during those times.