The gyms below are some of the best gyms in London. They are not ranked in any order such as best to worst as some people will be looking for different things such as a friendly environment, a competitive gym or simply somewhere to just drop-in as a one-off.
If you are from abroad, almost all gyms will be welcome to drop-ins although you may want to check with each individual academy on what their policies are regarding wearing your own kimono due to academy affiliations. We have linked each website where you can find the contact details of every gym.
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Roger Gracie Academy – West London (Hammersmith Area)
Website: https://www.rogergracie.com/
RGA is probably the most expensive gym in England. This is because of it’s great location and also it’s quality of instruction. It is easy to find and is just a 2 minute walk from the Hammersmith underground station.
Obviously you are paying for the name of Roger Gracie and the location of Hammersmith, so obviously the gym is going to be more expensive than other London gyms. With that being said, it’s still pretty good value for money since there is only one Roger Gracie in the world and you won’t get an opportunity to train with him anywhere else.
Here you will find a variety of beginners, intermediate and top level belts, as well as classes. At the top of the gym it is super competitive with some very high level competitors. At the other end of the gym, there are a lot of casual hobbyists, so really a nice variety of people train here.
Carlson Gracie London – West London (Hammersmith Area)
Website: http://bjjlondon.com/
This gym is also in a great location and not far from RGA. Carlson Gracie’s is a slightly longer walk from the Hammersmith tube station, but only by 2 or 3 minutes. The gym is more of an old school style compared to Roger Gracie Academy. If you’re dropping in or looking to join, this is the cheaper of the two gyms in Hammersmith.
With that being said, even though the gym is “old school” it is still a very friendly atmosphere. A gym being old school means that they will focus on solid fundamental techniques rather than fancy gimmick BJJ. Secondly it’s not necessarily going to be any rougher than other gyms, but will take more of a no nonsense approach to jiu-jitsu. This can be seen with it’s membership who are made up of professionals as well as casual hobbyists who enjoy training here.
Earlier this year we interviewed international competitor Frederic Vosgrone who trains here. A bonus at this gym is that you can wear any gi you want, which is something becoming rarer these days.
FightZone London – North East (Cambridge Heath Area)
Website: www.fightzonelondon.co.uk
Fightzone is in the northeast area of central London. It is around a 5 minute walk from the Cambridge Heath tube station. In general, you will always find London gyms right next to an underground station so this should come as no surprise.
Fightzone offers a variety of classes such as Striking, MMA, Yoga & BJJ. With this being said, if you’re a jiu-jitsu purist the quality of BJJ is still extremely high here with a lot of quality competitors coming out of Fightzone.
Overall it is a pretty high-spec gym and offers a few things you wouldn’t normally find at a standard BJJ gym such as a treatment room. Obviously due to the name of this gym there will be a lot of MMA competitors who fight out of here. This shouldn’t put you off if you want to train BJJ as they won’t be sparring MMA vs yourself. In fact, when MMA competitors teach BJJ classes you may find yourself learning something new and different since their experience of grappling will be different to pure BJJ teachers.
Pure Jiu-Jitsu – North West London (North Acton)
Website: www.purejiujitsu.com
A gym that prides itself on a no politics approach to BJJ, Pure is a laid back and friendly environment. That is not to say it’s a non-competitive gym as it is run by Polaris regular Arya Esfandmaz. You will find classes here for both hobbyist beginners and seasoned competitors. As you can see from their Instagram, it is a very nice bright and open space so you won’t feel claustrophobic.
The gym is located just a 2 minute walk from North Acton train station so is relatively easy to get to.
Carpe Diem BJJ – (South Of London Bridge)
Website: www.carpediembjj.co.uk
Located in South East London (but still very central) it is somewhat unusual to find a Japanese affiliate gym in the UK. Bringing a great and friendly atmosphere, this is the best BJJ gym closest to London Bridge, although it’s most easily located by getting off at the Borough underground station. Perhaps due to it’s more Japanese than Brazilian influence, you can rest assured classes will actually start on time at this gym!
This is a traditional and respectful gym so you will be less likely to find unfriendly people with bad manners and sparring habits here. Making your own training more pleasant.
10th Planet London aka Diesel Gym (Outer East London)
Website: www.dieselgym.co.uk
10th Planet London is more out of the way than the other gyms mentioned. Although when you’re in London you’re never that far away from anything, so it’s only a 20 minute tube ride from the center. You’re best to get off at the Royal Albert location and it’s less than a 5 minute walk from here.
If you’re looking for no-gi or come from a 10th planet school in another city this is probably the best bet for you as it will be exactly what you’re accustomed to. Currently there aren’t any other 10th planet gyms in London and also really only a handful in the UK as a whole. They have a friendly environment and are very welcoming to drop-ins.
Gracie Barra Oval – (South Central London)
Website: www.graciebarraoval.com
A typical Gracie Barra academy, you probably already know what you’re getting if you wanted to drop in from another GB. If you’re a beginner this is generally thought of as a more expensive but structured way to start. The gym is run just like any other GB and equally as friendly as any other gym mentioned. Some people might think Gracie Barra are McDojos, however you should judge each academy individually – this gym is certainly not one of them.
It’s best found by getting off at the Oval tube station and from here it is just a 5-10 minute walk past Kennington Park.
