Many come to Los Angeles to visit landmark sites such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Venice Pier or even the luxurious shopts in Beverly Hills. However, if you are a Jiu-Jitsu fanatic, then you probably know Los Angeles is home to many amazing BJJ schools with world renowned Jiu-jitsu instructors.
Below is the list of BJJ Gyms you want to make sure and visit during your stay in the Los Angeles area. One thing to note, is that Los Angeles is big. Driving from one end to the other, could take you 2 hours plus, especially given the crazy traffic. So make sure you grab your acai bowl in between trips and enjoy the scenery.
10th Planet Headquarters
1314 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90015
If you love no-gi then you have to visit the 10th Planet Headquarters taught by the legendary Eddie Bravo. Unlike many other academies with famed instructors, Eddie teaches most of the classes himself. What makes visiting even more special, is that there is no other Jiu-jitsu story teller like Eddie. Get ready to spend a big chunk of the class listening to stories, followed by some high level instruction.
One thing to note is its location. Downtown Los Angeles can be a bit shady, so make sure you lock your doors and be ready to practice your Jiu-jitsu in real life in case something happens on your walk to the gym.
Cobrinha BJJ
4929 Wilshire Blvd #104, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Cobrinha is a 3x ADCC Champion and has won many prestigious tournaments. He is all about drilling and his Los Angeles academy always has top notch competitors. He is under the Team Alliance banner and is known by many to be one of the best Lightweight Feathers of all time.
Jean Jacques Machado
20935 Warner Center Ln Suite B, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
If you went to visit 10th Planet in downtown, then you have to stop by Jean Jacques Machado in Woodland Hills. Jean Jacques is one of the five Machado brothers. His brother Rigan Machado is probably the most known of the Jiu-jitsu bunch. Jean Jacques gave Eddie his black belt, but as a traditional Jiu-Jitsu fighter, does Jiu-jitsu in the Gi. So if you aren’t into rubber guard, you can practice your Ezekiel chokes here.
In the video below, you can see Jean Jacques rolling with one of his students. What’s funny, if you pay attention, you can see Eddie Bravo in the background discussing more BJJ philosophy. It’s really great to see Eddie’s loyalty to Jean Jacques, which goes to show you what an incredible Professor Jean Jacques is.
RIGAN MACHADO
8621 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Rigan is a pioneer in the sport and an instructor to multiple celebrities Some of them include Ashton Kutcher, Vin Diesel, Wiz Khalifa, and we have seen him instructing Scarlett Johannson and Keanu Reeves as well. Unfortunately, he doesn’t teach many of his classes so if you are looking to train directly with him, then make sure you call the academy ahead of time. However, saying you trained at Rigan Machado’s is certainly something to check off your bucket list.
Here you can check out the visitor drop in pass at Rigan Machado’s academy.
Gracie Barra Northridge
19520 Nordhoff St #10th, Northridge, CA 91324
Run by the legendary Romulo Barral, this is the spot you want to visit if you are preparing for any competition. This Gracie Barra in Northridge is located on the northern side of Los Angeles. Many top competitors come and visit. If Keenan Cornelius comes here to visit, then you know it’s legit.
LOGIC BJJ (Formerly ZR Team Arcadia and Pasadena)
113 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia, CA 91006
This is a little diamond in the rough that many people even in the Los Angeles area don’t know about. At one point, it had an impressive roster of competitors including Diego Ramalho, Gabriel Soussa and Estevan Martinez, aka The Giant Slayer. Unfortunately, they ended up leaving California and starting their own gyms.
However, ZR rebranded as Logic BJJ and is still run by Lucas Rocha, an incredible competitor and instructor. We’re sure this team will rebuild into the elite competition team it once was known for. Logic BJJ has several locations in Los Angeles including Aracadia, Pasadena and Alhambra. However, Lucas teaches out of the Arcadia location.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Beverly Hills
324 S Beverly Dr #2, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Out of all the gyms listed here, the Gracie Academy in Beverly Hills is going to be the less competitive. There is a philosophy here of “Keeping it Playful,” which Ryron Gracie came up with. What does this mean? It means exactly that… all the rolls and training are done in a playful manner. So you are encouraged to tap out often and give your opponent dominant positions to help you work on your defense.
So if you are anxious about doing BJJ in a new places and really want a relaxing BJJ experience, then GJJ (Gracie Jiu Jitsu) this is the spot as not many other academies really abide by the “keeping it playful” philosophy. The older you get, this mentality really makes sense, so we appreciate academies that offer this type of training. It’s not really fun, if you are just a hobbyist, stepping onto the mats of an academy with people wanting to rip your legs apart. Especially if you have to head into the work office the next day.
We added this to the list, just because the academy itself is top notch and located in the luxurious Beverly Hills area. Unfortunately, Ryron and Rener Gracie mostly train out of their Torrance location so don’t expect to see them there. However, due to its Beverly Hills location, you may run into other celebrities.
In the video below, you can actually see how they spar while keeping it playful in this academy.
