Here at Gold BJJ, San Diego is our home town! It's also the mecca for Jiu Jitsu in the United States. Sometimes it feels like you can't drive 3 blocks without passing a Jiu Jitsu academy.
With so many options to choose from, how can you find the best Jiu Jitsu gym in San Diego? Well, "best" is relative (and there are a TON of excellent places to train here), but these are a few of our favorite Jiu Jitsu academies in America's Finest City ☀️
1. Legion American Jiu Jitsu
Legion AJJ is the creation of American grappling superstar Keenan Cornelius. It boasts one of the largest mat spaces in San Diego with some incredibly high level athletes. It's not uncommon to find 10+ black belts on the mats in any one training session:
Legion has a unique beginners' program, that guides newbies through a progressive course over several weeks. It's a great place to train whether you're a white belt or a black belt, and whether you prefer the gi or no-gi.
They also host an incredibly popular open mat on Sundays from 12:00pm to 2:30pm.
If you're looking for a no-drama gym with high level training partners, you should check out Legion. They're one of the fastest growing academies in San Diego for a reason.
- Phone: 858-888-1815
- Address: 7550 Miramar Rd, Suite #330, San Diego, CA 92126
Find them on Instagram @legion_ajj.
2. BJJ Revolution Pacific Beach
Rodrigo Medeiros' Pacific Beach academy is one of the oldest and most traditional Jiu Jitsu gyms in San Diego. This school's Carlson Gracie lineage shows in their impressive trophy case as well as their heavy, smashing guard passing style.
You can't beat the location of BJJ Revolution, it's a couple of blocks from one of the best beaches in San Diego (Law Street in Pacific Beach) and has tons of great nearby options for post training acai or beer.
They offer both gi and no-gi classes, and have a popular kids' program as well.
- Phone: (858) 273-1344
- Address: 4878 Cass St, San Diego, CA 92109
Find them on Instagram @bjjrevolutionteampb.
3. Victory MMA
Jocko Willink's gym, Victory MMA, is one of the most popular martial arts academies in San Diego. It's centrally located in the Sports Arena area of San Diego, and has some absolute legends as teachers including 2x ADCC champion Dean Lister.
While their original Sports Arena location burnt down in a catastrophic 2023 fire, Victory quickly reopened a new spot in the Clairemont area while they complete repairs. It sounds like their plan is to keep both locations once the repairs are complete, which will make them one of the largest facilities in San Diego when it comes to total square footage.
Less traditional than most Jiu Jitsu gyms, Victory is a great place for no-gi training (although they do offer gi classes).
Victory MMA hosts a popular open mat on Sunday mornings from 9:00am to 11:00am. They have a huge facility, and one thing we really like about their program is their flexible month-to-month contracts. Give it a try, and don't feel like you're locked in for life if it's not a good fit for you.
- Phone: (619) 223-5581
- Address: 5507 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92117
Find them on Instagram @victorymmasd.
Other San Diego Jiu Jitsu Gyms Worth Trying
While the academies above are some of our favorites, here are some other gyms around town that are 100% worth checking out. San Diego has such a vibrant grappling scene and you really can't go wrong with any of the Jiu Jitsu gyms on this list.
