Nashville may be most known for it’s country music, but the Music City also has a growing and formidable jiu jitsu scene. For those looking to train BJJ for the first time or those looking to make a move to a new gym ,we did some research for you and found the best BJJ schools in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Jiu Jitsu School | Number of Instructors | Classes per Week | Other Martial Arts Offered | Have Kids Classes? | Has Affiliate Schools? | Has Trial Offer? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artista Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | 3 | 20 | No | Yes | Yes | NA |
| Nashville MMA | 2 | 41 | Muay Thai, MMA | Yes | No | One Free Class |
| RMA Jiu Jitsu Brentwood | 2 | 8 | No | Yes | Yes | NA |
| Zanshin Dojo | 2 | 15 | Karate | Yes | No | NA |
| Profectus Brazilian Jiu Jitsu | 4 | 19 | No | Yes | Yes | One Free Class |
| Legion Jiu Jitsu / CheckMat Nashville | 9 | 9 | Muay Thai | Yes | Yes | One Free Class |
| Pound for Pound (SwiftKick) - MMA And Boxing | 3 | 2 | Boxing, Wrestling, Muay Thai | No | No | One Free Class |
| Gracie Barra Franklin | At least 1 | 15 | None | Yes | Yes | One Free Class |
Artista Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Located in Green Hills is Artista BJJ. The school is owned and operated by blackbelt Felix Garcia who has support from two colored belt coaches.
Artista focuses exclusively on BJJ and does not offer other martial arts classes. For adults there is a fundamentals class, an advanced class and a nogi class. For children, there are classes for those 3-4 years old, 5 to 7 and 8 to 12. Potential members can get their first class free as a trial!
Nashville MMA
Located right on the river is Nashville MMA. This massive gym is probably the best facility in Nashville one can find classes for self defense, jiu jitsu, muay thai, and MMA.
Nashville MMA offers an astounding 41 classes of adult jiu jitsu per week with classes starting at 6AM and going well into the evening. NMMA also offers multiple kids BJJ and muay thai classes. Potential members can get their first class free.
RMA Jiu Jitsu Brentwood
Down in Brentwood you will find RMA Jiu Jitsu. The Brentwood gym is a pure jiu jitsu school, offering 8 adult classes per week, all in the Gi. There are currently no nogi jiu jitsu classes in that location. RMA has a second location a little further away in Nolensville that offers nogi classes.
The school is run and owned by 4th degree blackbelt Marcelo Ribiero – a native Brazilian who trained under the Gracie Barra system of jiu jitsu. RMA offers kids classes Monday thru Thursday for young and older children. The Nolensville location has classes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The first class is free for potential members!
Zanshin Dojo
In the heart of Midtown is Zanshin Dojo, a hybrid BJJ and Karate gym. Founded in 1992 by Eric Silver as a karate dojo, the gym soon added jiu jitsu to its offerings only two years later, making it the oldest BJJ school in Nashville.
Eric Silver is a 6th degree black belt in Wado-Ryu Karate and 3rd degree blackbelt in BJJ – awarded by Rickson Gracie himself. Zanshin offers 15 adult jiu jitsu classes per week and several kids jiu jitsu classes per week as well.
Profectus Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Also down in Brentwood is Profectus Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The gym is owned and operated byJeremy Akin, a 3rd degree blackbelt whose jiu jitsu lineage descends from Rickson Gracie. Overall the school has four blackbelt instructors who all learned jiu jitsu through Rickson Gracie.
Profectus offers nearly 20 adult BJJ classes per week with classes in the morning, afternoon and evening during the week. The school also has a kids program for young and older children. There is also a women’s-only class every Friday.
Legion Jiu Jitsu / CheckMat Nashville
In East Nashville you will find Legion Jiu Jitsu- an affiliate school for the Check Mat team. Check Mat is one of the most respected jiu jitsu affiliations in the world – currently ranked #3 in the world by the International BJJ Federation. Legion also has locations in Murfreesboro and Hendersonville.
At Legion in East Nashville, the school is run by two accomplished blackbelts. Members get access to 9 adult jiu jitsu classes per week. There is also one muay thai class per week in the Nashville location. Students can be invited to an MMA class. Potential members get a first class free.
Legion Jiu Jitsu
- Offers Other Martial Arts
- Has Kids Classes
- Has Affiliate Schools
- Has Trial Offer
Pound For Pound – MMA And Boxing
In Bakertown is Pound for Pound MMA. This gym is a little different than the other schools on this list as it is not really a “jiu jitsu focused” school. P4P is MMA focused and only offers 2 nogi jiu jitsu classes per week (none with the gi).
In addition to jiu jitsu, P4P offers boxing, wrestling and muay thai classes. P4P does offer youth boxing classes but does not have kids BJJ classes.
Gracie Barra Franklin
While technically in Franklin, it would be hard to not include any GB schools on a best of list. Gracie Barra is the #1 ranked team in the world according to the International BJJ Federation.
GB Franklin like every other GB school follows the affiliations curriculum which divides classes between beginners, intermediates and advanced practitioners. Also like every Gracie Barra school, the one in Franklin is great for kids, offering classes every day of the week except Friday and Sunday. Potential members can get their first class free!
Find the Best BJJ School in Nashville, TN
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