Great small business in the hood working with kids and adults through the art of Jiu jitsu…read more Really recommend this academy! The head black belt is friendly and personable and knows his stuff. I come for open mats and their seminars and they never disappoint! Please check them out if you're interested in starting a martial arts journey or looking to be part of a cool community.

Exactly what this community NEEDS! This facility is the…read morePremier Brazilian Jiu Jitsu spot in Boyle Heights, the heart of Los Angeles. This is the place to learn the art of Jiu Jitsu as well as other martial arts. What sets this place apart from other places is the passion. Sensei Arto Mercado has a background in Wrestling, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is passionate to teach and educate everyone about the martial arts. Great instructor for adults, women and children. I recommend this place to everyone who is looking into learning self defense, learning a martial art, or relieving stress. I recommend you go see for yourself and drop by!

I've been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu here for two years, and it has been an incredible journey…read more The instructors are top-notch--knowledgeable, supportive, and genuinely passionate about helping you grow on and off the mats. They create a welcoming environment where learning is fun, challenging, and deeply rewarding. What really sets East Side Jiu Jitsu apart is the community. My training partners have become like a second family. Everyone--from white belts to advanced ranks--trains with respect, humility, and encouragement. Whether you're a beginner or more experienced, you'll feel right at home. If you're looking for a place to train, grow, and connect with an amazing group of people, I can't recommend East Side Jiu Jitsu enough. This place has had a profound impact on my life!

I've been a member here for over 2 years already and I can confidently say that starting jiu…read morejitsu--specifically at this gym with these people-- has been one of the best things to have come into my life. Such an extremely positive environment with people who push you and want to see you grow. I have nothing but the best things to say about Eastside.

I took a level 1 firearm retention workshop with Carlos and left feeling more comfortable and…read moreconfident with handling my firearm. Really happy about that! Would highly recommend.

Professor Carlos and Coach Julie are great instructors! I decided to try Gomez Jiu-Jitsu as a 38th…read morebirthday present to myself to see if I could get into shape, learn self defense, and try to challenge myself to be a more confident person. It's been an amazing 3 months! I'm still learning and slowly gaining confidence, but I'm happy to be with such a great academy and good group of folks! The vibe is very welcoming, the academy has a nice DTLA minimalist look, the mats are very clean, and there are folks of all ages, sizes, including women and kids too. Professor Carlos is friendly and an engaging instructor, and teaches in a very technical and precise way. He likes to emphasize the self defense aspect of Jiu-jitsu (which is awesome) and comes from a great Jiu-Jitsu lineage. Coach Julie is a constant force, patient and a very clear instructor. What a great team! If you are feeling nervous to try it out, just come to the beginner fundamentals class on Thursday nights! I think you'll realize that most students are just regular every day people trying to learn step by step. Big Thank you to Professor Carlos, Coach Julie, and all the folks at Gomez Jiu-Jitsu Academy!

I'm entirely new to not just jiu jitsu, but martial arts as a whole. Found this gym via Yelp and…read moreCoach Chris was very welcoming with regards to just coming in, trying it out for a few weeks, and seeing how I like it. (probably with regards to how I deal with contact and all that) Experience thus far has been great. Everyone is very supportive, Coach Chris is ultra passionate about BJJ, and the class sizes are small enough for more attention to detail and more time spent practicing and sparring. And on top of that, it's a great workout. Parking is a cinch, and adult classes are Mondays and Thursdays. Just message them on their Facebook page if you have any questions and they'll reply promptly.

Great school, coach Chris is very personable. Small classes so you get lots of one on one attention…read morefrom the coaches. The classes are geared for the beginner and advanced students, followed by 30 minutes of optional sparring after each class. Kids classes are awesome, they have a great atmosphere. Month to month no contracts, which is great, the month to month is extremely affordable compared to most BJJ schools. Also, there are discounts for multiple family members.

The Yard and Yoshi are excellent. This review will hopefully be helpful as an update to how class…read moreis run (since class has changed a little). First my background: I've trained Muay Thai for two years (first time was in April of 2022). I've trained at 7 gyms: FLMT (Florida Muay Thai , OC MT, Team Oyama, Classic Fight Team, Rising Suns Thai Boxing, NELA Combat Fitness, and Boxing Works. My home gym for the last year was Boxing Works under the instruction of Coach Bryan Popejoy, where I trained 3-4 days a week and did one on ones once a week for about 3 month. I would've stayed there however I recently moved to Northeast LA (Highland Park) and the drive to Torrence for BW was too much (about an hour to an hour and a half drive there and 40 minutes on the way home). Whereas the Yard is a 6-minute drive from me with ample sessions. Second, class style: Classes are Monday through Friday: 8-9:30, 10-11:30, 4-5:30, and 6-7:30pm and then two sparring classes on Saturday from 9-10:30 and 11-12:30. As far as I'm aware, Yoshi teaches each class and he does an excellent job. At other gyms, I feel much more advanced then I do at the Yard. Lots of basic bad habits that I got into are getting fine-tuned and corrected. A typical class is organized in four parts: (1) Cardio: A five minute round of jump ropes and then a 30 minute cardio session where we jog, sprint, do knees, teep across the mats. (2) Bagwork We then do several rounds of shadow boxing where Yoshi will make small adjustments to our form. From there, we all go on the heavy bags and practice whatever we want to work on for several rounds while Yoshi works one on one with us on pad/mitwork. This is where I think the Yard shines. If you go to a class with few students, you are essentially getting a free one on one. When you're not working one on one with Yoshi, you are working the bag. (3): Drills/Sparring From there, we work on a specific technique through partner drills and then light technical sparring. Yoshi is very attentive as he goes around and makes adjustments and suggestions. On Fridays the technique is clinch focused; which is really great. Many gyms in Southern California lack emphasis on the clinch. (4): Burnout/core work: We end with 3 minutes of ab/core work and then a minute plank. Sometimes we will burnout with skip knees on the bag. Overall: An excellent choice. I can't speak to how it would be for a beginner, as I came with two-years of experience. I imagine it would be a great place to start. Potential cons: I do not see people doing drills on thai pads (where one partner holds pads and the other hits). Typically, a Muay Thai class is 1 hour. At the Yard, it is 1.5 hours. Which means its a little more demanding. At this point, I cannot train every day even if my schedule allowed it because my body and cardio is just too shot. I imagine with time, that'll change.

I dropped in twice. First time I didn't stay for any training as the instructor said he wouldn't be…read moreinvolved that day. He said that was typical for weekends. Came back on a weekday and stayed for training... he was barely involved in training that day. I understand how someone might think he is rude but I wouldn't go that far, really he just comes off as checked-out and not interested in his gym / business. The session is about 1/3rd combat sport related. The other 2/3rds is light cardio drills you can do in your own home. The other attendees are more willing to help and with that I would say this place serves more of a sparring club than a serious training gym.

The gym's blue mat in the ring, paired with the display of all 4 sanctioning championship belts…read morecreates an inspiring atmosphere.

U get a Supportive atmosphere starting with the trainers and a supportive environment while getting…read morethat workout in. The Staff is amazing.