5900 Airport Wy S Suite 121, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
Seattle Jiu-Jitsu Academy started with an idea between training partners. It was an idea to create a unique Jiu-Jitsu culture that would promote the martial arts life style, instill critical core values we learned through our combined 50+ years of training and share our passion with the Seattle community. We set out to create a unique space that is safe, clean, and fun.
Was in town for my birthday and stopped by seattle jiu jitsu, what an amazing studio. Everybody was welcoming, and the cosmic open mat was awsome. Definitely recommend stopping by this amazing jiu-jitsu studio.
We have been so happy with our time at SJJA! They do an excellent job at coaching each child individually, meeting them where they are, while also maintaining strong group standards. Our son has learned so much in the 3 months he's been there, and we can see it positively impacting other areas of life. We love that the focus is on self-improvement, careful steady practice and respect for others, while learning Jujitsu.
Stopped by for a drop in class at 6 AM. Everyone was very chill and got some good rolls in. Will definitely go back next time. I’m in the area!
Dropped in while in Seattle for a work trip. Went to the 6am class and had a great experience. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming and the gym itself was super cool. All around great place.
Amazing class, great teachers and fun students.
Great vibes, good people, and an awesome place to get some rolls in.
EDIT 8/19/24: just dropped in again at the new location and it is awesome! Even more mat space and a cool location and aesthetic. Big fan of the upgrade and space. Nice job! Awesome time training with Dave and crew. Great vibes, legit instruction, and tough training. What more could you ask for?
Great people, great class, great roll. Whenever I am traveling to Seattle this is my spot! I'm an out of towner whitebelt and felt very welcome. If I lived in Seattle this would be my gym without question.
Can't say enough good things about this academy! I dropped in for a fourth of July open mat. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and the rolls were tough. This was a really cool facility to train at with a great group of people. Wish I could have spent more time there! Thanks so much for the hospitality!
When I came in here as a blue belt, I didn't think I was that bad (like all blue belts do I guess). I was very wrong. I got absolutely whupped on. My mediocrity was revealed by SJJA's then small number of members and the 12-15 nightly sparring rounds. I stayed and have been a member for a few years now and am grateful to know that there will never be a shortage of challenging training partners at SJJA. Non-traditional, no bowing, no warm-ups, no masters, lots of metal.
Seattle Jiu-Jitsu Academy - I will always have lots to share of how positively I feel about this gym. So I’ll attempt to keep the review short! I am a female, no initial martial arts background, and I started (here) ~1.5 years ago. The class schedule provides room for lots of mat time. Saturday open mat is free to anyone. The training partners are great people and consist of many upper belts. Finally, the SJJA community is supportive, welcoming, hard working, and knowledgeable. If you’re new, looking to continue, for the hobbyist training, or interested in competitions - SJJA is that atmosphere! PS. You might get some sick action shots cause some of our members are very good 📸
Best gym in the Seattle area by far. Gym is very large and can host a lot of people rolling, clean and hygienic, and awesome culture. The best thing about SJJA is the way Dave runs class, in which you have time to develop your own style/game through consistent live rounds. Highly recommend joining!
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this gym; not only as someone who is new to martial arts but also as someone who historically is a bit of a back-of-the-classroom introvert. Dave has done a fantastic job of not only creating a top environment for learning BJJ but also creating a corresponding community around that same environment. Can’t recommend enough 5/5
This is a great BJJ academy with an experienced professor and is filled with people dedicated to developing their game, fitness, and being solid training partners.
This has been my first experience with bjj, everyone has been very kind and willing to help. It has been a great experience for me as a beginner.
I had a wonderful experience at this gym when I traveled to Seattle from Tokyo. Friendly, not awe inspiring, and everyone enjoys the soft rolls. If you are a jiu-jitsu practitioner and visiting Seattle, I would definitely recommend stopping by. And if you live near Seattle, you are very lucky. I encourage you to knock on this gym's door. My friend who lives in Tokyo told me that there is no better place to travel to Seattle to practice. But that story is not correct. Because there is SJJA. I will be 57 years old this year. I am a Master 6 blue belt, and SJJA has welcomed me warmly.
Dropped in to the noon class when I was visiting seattle for a work conference. One of the “tells” I’ve figured out over my many years of training, of how good a school is, is how hard the students grip fight. These guys all grip fought like demons! I knew within five minutes I would be in a battle from white up to black. The training was wonderful and just what I needed after stumbling off a long cross country flight. The facility is clean and has a great layout. Dave was a great host and his students were all warm, friendly, and trained hard; within a few minutes of chatting with everyone I felt like I was at home. Highly recommend dropping in if you are an out-of-towner. Thanks, Dave and crew for being generous hosts. Hope to see you all again.
Traveling to the Seattle area and was able to attend a Tuesday morning No-Gi class. The instructor was easy to understand and gave a wonderful step by step approach to the training. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming.
I was in town for a conference and stopped by Seattle Jiujitsu Academy to get some rounds in during their 6 p.m. class. The head instructor, Dave, has built up a crazy group of conditioned athletes! The instruction was great and there is a solid hour of rolling after the teaching is done. At least 12 five-minute rounds with 20 seconds between rounds. Everyone that I rolled with was very respectful and talented. I advise anyone dropping by make sure you practice defending collar sleeve! Looking forward to stopping by again the next time I am up in Seattle!
Top notch BJJ gym. I love this place. Professor Dave Stegman is a devoted lifelong student of martial arts and it shows in his teaching. He shares many wisdoms about training effectively and at the highest competitive levels. There are many patient upper belts that will take time with you as you’re developing your game as a white belt. The gym has a culture of safe practicing, and from what I’ve seen, egos are left at the door. If you want to learn to roll in a beautiful and clean space, come to SJJA, no doubt. You’ll get the most out of any practice when you commit, so if you do come train, come with your whole heart and stick with it!
Coach Mt and training staff were very welcoming despite being my first time training outside of my hometown. Instructions were clear and rolls were very challenging. Would def be back
Very nice community! Definitely recommend this gym for anyone who wants to do cross training or visit from out state if you love rolling!
Awesome teaching, structure and vibes. I was from out of town looking to keep training. Professor Dave was very accommodating and welcoming. Definitely would recommend to out of towers and locals.
If you’re looking to challenge yourself mentally and physically this is the place to go. I’m visiting from out of town and everyone treated me great. The rolls were hard, but this team will make sure they take care of you and not hurt you. Amazing atmosphere! Thank you so much for having me!
Visiting Seattle from out of state and wanted to keep training. Highly recommend SJJA for training, fantastic instruction, and experience. Attended the early morning No-Gi class. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, instruction was fantastic, and we went through several different techniques. Thank you for having me! Will definitely be back.
Top notch Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from an instructor who cares. It's great moving up in belts, but only if you know what you're doing. If you move up a belt level here, you can be assured you know what you're doing against another person who knows BJJ. Not all places can say that.
Super nice school.. bunch of friendly killers. Came for the open mat and got 15 rounds in, everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Thanks again to the head instructor Dave !
Professor David was very accommodating, offering to loan me a Gi as I forgot to bring mine from Tennessee on my trip. The gym was clean, professor David and his students were very nice and welcoming. The techniques he showered were great and the live training was hard but safe. Everyone was trying to win, but mostly trying to get better. Each person I rolled with tried the technique the professor showed and that is awesome to see! I would recommend training here if you live in Seattle or are just visiting.
I was visiting Seattle for a conference and wanted to do some BJJ. I noticed that SJJA was a 10min easy walk from Embassy Suites in Pioneer Square. SJJA have a 6am No GI class, which I decided to try out. I met Matt, who was the instructor for that session. He taught 5 of us K-Guard, which I had not tried before. He covered details on going to a heel hook, as well variations of switching to X guard and going for a back take. All clearly explained with time to practice. This took about 40 mins, after which we the did open guard positional sparring (sweep, submission or pass the guard) for the next 25 or so minutes. Rotating every 2 rolls. It was great to meet Marco, Alex, Chris and unfortunately I've forgotten the name of last guy I sparred with. Matt and his students were all very friendly. Highly recommended if you're in the area!!
Dropped in for open mat while visiting from out of town. Super welcoming gym, friendly people, great training facilities!
Visiting Seattle from Austin to visit a friend and didn’t want to stop training. Contacted the Rep on IG and I can not say enough nice things about them. Came to the open mat on Saturday and everyone there was extremely welcoming. A ton of high level talent here and a ton of good rolls. My friend sat and watched in their awesome lounge area while I rolled. Talked to one of the owners before I left and he was a genuine nice guy which was great. Got one of their cool rash guards before I left. All and all 10 out of 10. I will be visiting Seattle in the next few weeks and don’t feel the need to look elsewhere for my training needs besides SJJA. Thank you again for the hospitality!
Awesome jiu jitsu gym. A friend convinced me to finally try jiu jitsu last November and as a complete new person to any martial arts I was very intimidated about finding a good gym. SJJA has been a great experience - couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming, respectful, encouraging, no BS environment with great instruction and just really great people. If you’re new and interested in trying jiu jitsu definitely give SJJA a try.
Amazing school. Tough rounds nice people.
Great facility, welcoming instructors, tough and technical students.
I really enjoyed dropping into the 6AM Tuesday class while traveling to Seattle for work. The folks training this early in the morning were super welcoming. Great rolls and technique. Just what I was looking for.
Simply put, this is THE place to train jiu jitsu in Seattle. I am a recent transplant to Seattle and when I first walked into SJJA, I was stunned at the high ceilings, awesome decor, and extremely welcoming atmosphere from the jump. The people behind SJJA really put some thought into creating a space that truly reminds you of the beauty of “the gentle art” while producing students that are tough as nails....which is no surprise to me, they cut the warmups, drill one technique, then focus on pure rolling for 12+ rounds with the music blasting. SJJA believes to get better at Jiu jitsu, one must do more Jiu jitsu. The strength and conditioning acquired in warmups can happen on your own time. I agree, and it showed when they’re students were rolling with me. Lots of fun, but truly inspiring for aspiring competitors to take the challenge of staying on the mat for 12 rounds. I couldn’t do it, but I hope to in the future. The atmosphere is welcoming to take breaks or rounds off and there truly is no pressure. You can “shut up and train” or stand off to the side with one of the students and have a conversation. The students I’ve met have all been extremely cool and welcoming. This is not to be taken for granted. This place is so cool to the point, I brought my wife there to sit with her and just see the gym I was so happy about and we made a quick little mini date. Good times, I can’t wait to get back on the mat with the SJJA crew. Check it out! 😁
Visiting from the east coast, and Matt, Dave, and the folks at Seattle Jiu Jitsu Academy could not have been more welcoming. Clean facility, friendly people, great workout. Highly recommend.
Pair two more traditional style of this channel offers clear and short instruction with lots of time for rolling after drilling. Long and plentiful grounds for open that on Saturday mornings introduce you to outside of the gym regularly. Taught by a tall male, so the style follows from that. Cannot recommend more to a beginner or black belt alike.
Very welcoming whether your planning to visit or make it your new home. I highly recommend this academy
Dropped in for a Saturday open gym, had a great time with a diversity of skill levels! Great training partners all. Welcoming atmosphere, dedicated practicioners, and a very positive experience. 10/10 would recommend and will be back again!
Outstanding spot!
Great place and excellent instruction. I would highly recommend this academy.
Dropped in for the noon class. Great class, super welcoming and strong competition level. Strongly recommend for travelers and locals alike.
Stopped by for an open mat today. Lots of skilled people to roll with and everyone was friendly.
Came for a drop in class as I'm from NYC. The head instructor was really cool and welcoming, the vibe was great on the mat and I died and came back to life a few times during rounds. What more can a guy ask for!?
Including the free trial class, tonight was my third class and it’s been a great experience so far. Professor David is hands on and an excellent instructor. Additionally, I love getting to roll with all of the higher belts because they’re always willing to teach. Finally, the atmosphere is great and definitely makes me want to keep coming back. 5 stars!
THE place to train jiu-jitsu if you live or are visiting the Seattle area. Period. Top notch instruction with 12+ rounds every single night. The best place to both learn jiu-jitsu if you are just starting out or to take your skills to the next level! Come check out what SJJA is all about!
Excellent training. I’m visiting from across the country and they were so welcoming
moved here a few months ago ago. best gym i’ve been to in seattle hands down.
This is a wonderful Jiu-Jitsu academy! Great hospitality, clean and organized layout. The professor, Dave, is kind and knowledgeable. The folks around are just as hospitable. I came in from out of town looking to train and keep training when I go back home. I'm glad I went to this place. I'd highly recommend this spot!
SJJC is a great place to train! If I lived here, this would be my place! Loved training with David Stegman and his crew while I was here. You will, too!
Hands down the best gym in Seattle. I was in town long enough to try out a good number of other gyms and by far this one contained the most clean, welcoming, kind, and skilled crew the area had to offer. I would highly recommend this gym to anyone whether it be your first class or you train 2X a day for competitions. You’ll find this gym to be your go to gym in the area!
My Husband and I came into Seattle for a Seahawks game and knew that we wanted to train. Seattle Jiu Jitsu was everything we could have asked for and more for a dojo. We contacted them about a week in advance and the response time was within minutes. David was super friendly and welcoming. Mat time was great! Great technique and hard rolls followed!. Exactly what we needed on a Monday! If you are in Seattle and want to train don't miss your opportunity to roll with some great people. We plan on coming back and sending anyone we know to David. Thanks David! Hope to see you soon!
I was visiting Seattle for a few days, so I emailed for a drop-in. This academy is wonderful...really great space and a great environment, which was a good mix of laid back and intense. The quality of the instruction is also top-notch and there was ample time to roll at the end. Highly recommend!
Welcoming, legit crew, amazing atmosphere, and appropriate music... drop in!
I am in town for Coastguard duty and reached out to Dave the owner if it was possible to train. Without hesitation he welcomed me and I attended class which was easy to grasp and train with a great partner . Rounds at the end of the class allowed me to experience some amazing individuals that have great skills. Everyone was welcoming !! It’s a beautiful place train and and hard work put into creating it you can see as soon as you walk in. Defiantly reach out if you are in town to train !! It was a humbling experience and I am hoping to be back soon!! Thank you again!!
Good environment, nice people, tough rolls, great training!
The cleanliness and professionalism of the gym and staff, the camaraderie Professor Stegman cultivates among students, and the time he invests in helping *everyone* (from day 1 white belts to seasoned black belts) learn and refine new techniques all make this a great place to train. Hard rounds. Good vibes. Highly recommended.
Dave is the best Professor. Great group of folks. Excellent place to learn effective BJJ.
From the first moment I walked into this dojo I knew it would be my new home. Everyone is super welcoming and the environment is super chill. If you’re looking for a high level Jiu jitsu gym, look no further than SJJA! 🤙🏽
I always wanted to try BJJ, but I was quite intimidated. I reached out to the owner, Professor David Stegman. He was very helpful and accommodating, and even provided me with everything I needed to get started (a clean loaner gi). To be honest I was quite nervous on the first day. But the community is great. They we're open, kind and helpful. Even showed me some basic moves that I saw in UFC. Now I've picked up a new hobby. Overall getting started was fun and smooth. I would highly recommend reaching out, if your interested in BJJ.
SJJA is unlike anything else! I walked in with no prior martial arts experience, no idea what to expect, and it immediately exceeded all of my expectations. You open the door to straight mat and a group of people just going at it. Which can be quite intimidating at first. But then Professor Stegman is there to welcome you and show you the ropes and throw you in to the crazy. Professor Stegman has years of experience, so much knowledge, and a lot of really rad (and unique) stories, He teaches differently (in the best way) than other gyms, and I cannot recommend him/his gym enough. I've been going 3-4 nights a week for about a month now, and the community created at this gym is something I've been missing. While I am one of a few very new white belts, all of the upper belts, and Professor, have continuously taken the time to teach and help develop my skills. Also, can we talk about rounds? SO MANY ROUNDS. If you're not dead by the end of class, you're not doing it right. I promise if you visit SJJA, you will not be disappointed.
I would say that Professor Stegman's Seattle Jiu jitsu Academy is everything I have ever wanted out of jiu-jitsu. Relaxed and friendly environment, no pain staking exhausting warm ups that make drilling difficult and dangerous, ample rounds of sparring, amazing sound track and supportive and kind student base. It's apparent from your first conversation with David that he has a life time of experience and a wealth of knowledge, he's very inviting, warm, and has a no nonsense approach to jiujitsu that speaks to me. I low key didn't want to leave a review or even tell anyone about how awesome his academy is for fear of giving up a secret hidden gem of Brazilian jiu jitsu. Prices are good, consistent black belts on the mat along with belts of every color that are honestly willing to help you along your way. 10/10 would recommend for anyone who has ever been interested in practicing bjj.
SJJA has a welcoming and supportive atmosphere, along with having great instruction. The space is always super clean and smells great! You can tell that they are committed to inclusion, fun, and the health and safety of their members (and visitors). I recommend this place to everyone I talk to who loves BJJ!
I was a visitor/drop-in from Pennsylvania this evening and welcomed with open arms. There was a good mix of instruction and time to roll. The gym was clean and organized. There was a good blend of students at all levels. I highly recommend.
While visiting Seattle, I had a coworker introduce me to this place, and it truly set the bar for my search for a school on the east coast. David and Evan's philosophy for the school was refreshing and led to an incredibly educational, fun, and physically rewarding week of training. The location is spotless and has a great atmosphere paying homage to the art of jiu-jitsu. All in all, this place is everything I want in a school, and if you live in the area, you need to check it out. You won't be disappointed.
Solid training in a welcoming environment. Good instruction. Plenty of rolls. No nonsense.
I live in another city so I came in for a walk-in Monday evening class. The school has a great vibe. David, the teacher, has a lot of great stuff to say. I got plenty of rolls in. there was a good mix of junior and senior belts. great location to downtown. I'd highly recommend it. just arrive early the first time because it's hard to find.
An incredible place to train. The instruction was top notch, learned details around my favorite submission that I can apply to my game immediately. The rolls were technical, and most importantly everyone was so welcoming. Felt like part of the group out of the gate. If you're in Seattle and you're not training here your missing out. Come train!!!
Great place to train when traveling in Seattle. Professor Stegman runs a nice, clean and professional gym. I'll be back next time I'm in Seattle.
Recently had to be in Seattle for work. Arranged a drop-in prior to, and they were extremely inviting. The instruction was great, gym was clean, and competition was fierce. Had a blast and will absolutely go back.
Great place and great atmosphere for training , plus it's very safe environment to practice Jiu Jitsu , professor David Stegman is highly skilled and very welcoming equally as his team in the academy , I would highly recommend this place if you live in Seattle or you are just visiting like in my case .
I dropped in to the academy to get some training in while visiting Seattle and they have a great crew there. Their instructor, David Stegman, was extremely welcoming and is great to roll with. His team was equally as nice and welcoming, as well. If you live in Seattle or you’re in town visiting and looking for a spot to get some rolls in make sure you stop by.
This is a great group to train with. Great instruction, and lots of roll time. Everyone has been so friendly and helpful. Also the space is beautiful and the mats are new and CLEAN! ⭐️
Superior in every way! I was amazed at the great instruction and solid work ethic here plus despite being warriors how gentle the men and woman rolling were and friendly. Great place to train.
SJJA maintains a welcoming training environment for grapplers of all skill levels. I can’t recommend this school enough! The instructors are highly experienced and passionate about the sport. I travel a lot for work and can’t wait to be in Seattle again so I can get back on the mats with these guys.
You're not going to find better instruction or a more committed group of people to train with. Couldn't recommend SJJA more. Stop in and get some rounds on the mat.
With world class instructors, a top notch facility and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, SJJA is a must visit in your search for Jiu Jitsu in Seattle. Parking along 1st ave. just outside of the school is easy and pretty often wide open - making it easy to get to and from class. Can't say enough about my time here.
More live rolls every practice (10, 12, 15 rounds!) than some places get in a whole week!
Guy driving around in the black truck advertising this business on his camper shell is a bully on the road. He tailed me the whole time on the West Seattle bridge just to get to a red light faster. If you’re going to use your vehicle to advertise your business, you might want to consider being a safe and considerate driver. I’d say that’s bad for business.
Posted 1 year ago
"I had an extremely disappointing experience at Seattle jiu-jitsu. The facility was poorly maintained, and the equipment was outdated and unsafe. The staff showed little interest in the students' progress or safety, and the classes were overcrowded with inadequate supervision. Customer service was unresponsive and dismissive when I raised my concerns. I would strongly urge others to look elsewhere for a more supportive and professional jiu-jitsu training environment."
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