Best BJJ Schools in Seattle

Head instructor Marcelo Alonso is a 6th degree blackbelt with over 30 years of jiu jitsu experience. Taught by one of the pioneers of the sport, Carlson Gracie, Marcelo Alonso brings a high degree of technicality to his school’s instruction.

In addition to Marcelo Alonso, is a staff of nearly 9 other instructors, most of whom are also blackbelts. MABJJ offers jiu jitsu and judo which is perfect for those who want to improve their stand up game. MABJJ has several affiliate schools scattered throughout Washington state as well.

Tucked on the water in West Woodland is Ballard BJJ. BallardJJ stands out for its generous one week free trial for anyone who wants to try the gym. That can translate to multiple free classes which can give you enough time to figure out if you want to join full time. BallardJJ also makes signing up fairly easy by offering month to month contracts.

One cool feature of BallardJJ is they have open mats every day of the week with the majority happening between 7 and 8PM during the week. The academy also offers a kids program that has several classes per week.

Conveniently located right off I-5 in Capitol Hill is Summit Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club. Summit BJJ Club offers traditional Gi jiu jitsu, plus nogi jiu jitsu mixed with submission wrestling.

Summit stands out for its flexible pricing. Members can pay monthly for $95 which is generally cheap compared to most other schools. Members can also pay for 3 months at a time at a slightly discounted rate. New members can sign up for $125 and also get a brand new Gi to start their jiu jitsu journey.

Northwest Jiu Jitsu Academy

In Licton Springs you will be able to find Northwest Jiu Jitsu Academy – one of the oldest jiu jitsu schools in the Seattle area. NWJJA is owned and instructed by 4th degree blackbelt Brian Johnson who was himself instructed by Rigan Machado – one of the non-Gracie legends of the sport. Overall, NWJJA has three blackbelt instructors including Johnson.

Northwest Jiu Jitsu is a pure jiu jitsu school, focusing only on BJJ (gi and nogi). There are kids classes for young children and teenagers every other day of the week. NWJJA offers short-term month to month payments.

Framework Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

North of Miller Park in the eastern part of Capitol Hill is Framework BJJ. The school puts high emphasis on the Gracie School of Self Defense with an entire beginners curriculum dedicated to that style of the sport.

Beginners enter the Gracie Jiu Jitsu program which is a 12 week course going over the basics of jiu jitsu and self defense in general. After that students can enter the Black Belt program (which isn’t as scary as it seems). It’s just the school’s main curriculum where students can begin live sparring and progressing from a white belt to black belt. Framework offers a free one week introductory period.

Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Seattle

Renzo Gracie is one of the most well known and respected network of academy’s in the sport of jiu jitsu. While the main and most famous Renzo’s is based in New York, the one in Seattle also delivers top notch instruction.

Located in Ballard, Renzo’s Seattle is operated and taught by Fred Borden who is a Danaher Blackbelt. For the most part Renzo’s Seattle only focuses on jiu jitsu, but does offer one shoot boxing class on Saturday’s. Renzo’s does not offer kids classes at the moment.

Gracie Barra Seattle

Gracie Barra, like Renzo Gracie’s, is one of the most respected jiu jitsu affiliations in the world. The red triangle logo is ubiquitous in the BJJ community and comes with excellent instruction and a structured jiu jitsu curriculum,

The GB in Seattle is run by two main instructors, a 3rd and 4th degree blackbelt. GB Seattle offers just jiu jitsu. They have kids and teen classes in 5 out of 7 days of the week, making it an ideal option for parents looking to find a school for their children.

Combat Arts Academy of Seattle

Located in West Seattle is Combat Arts Academy. The nearly four year old school is dedicated to the martial arts at large, and offers more than just BJJ. Members at CAA will have access to a full schedule of classes for both jiu jitsu and muay thai.

What is interesting about CAA is that it also offers a kids program in both jiu jitsu and muay thai, which is fairly rare. Often times schools will only have a youth program dedicated to only one of those sports. CAA also has multiple women-only jiu jitsu classes throughout the week, making it one of the most female friendly schools in the city.

Seattle Jiu-Jitsu Academy

Located a stone’s throw away from Century Link Field, you’ll find Seattle Jiu Jitsu Academy. SJAA is owned and instructed by 3rd degree blackbelt David Stegman who has over 23 years experience in jiu jitsu. Stegman himself received his blackbelt and tutelage from the legendary Carlos Machado.

SJAA strictly offers traditional jiu jitsu. All classes are done in the gi meaning if you wanted to work on submission wrestling or nogi, SJAA may not be the school for you. SJAA does not offer kids classes and only caters to adults. SJJA offers a free trial class.

Ruffhouse Jiu Jitsu West Seattle

In West Seattle, Ruffhouse Jiu Jitsu is operated and taught by Arthur Ruff who has over 30 years of jiu jitsu experience. Arthur Ruff began his jiu jitsu journey in Rio de Janeiro under the tutelage of Carlson Gracie before moving the US in the 90s.

Ruffhouse just focuses on jiu jitsu and offers classes Monday thru Friday with an open mat on Sundays. The school also has a kids program that runs Monday thru Thursday before the adult classes. New members can try a free class before joining.

Mat Chess Mixed Martial Arts

Matt Chess MMA is the most conveniently located jiu jitsu school for University of Washington students. Mat Chess offers a mix of martial arts including BJJ, muay thai and wrestling. However, they do not offer a pure “MMA” class to combine the sports.

Mat Chess has a kids BJJ class in the morning five days a week. The school currently offers a free trial class for new students.