I have been a member here for just over a year and my experience has been overwhelmingly positive…read more Jay and his team of higher belts all give expert instruction and the classes are a good mix of technical drilling and physical challenge. I try to go daily if I can. As an older guy, it's important to find the right team. In 2023, I managed to train over 200 hours with this team while rolling in a safe but demanding environment. I'd recommend this academy to any one!

Was visiting from out of town and messaged Jay about stopping by for a class. Jose was the…read moreinstructor and he and the rest of the class was very welcoming. All the students were very skilled and practiced in a safe way. I highly recommend anyone visiting Chicago or living in the area to check out the academy

I had the amazing opportunity to train at HQ with Andre Madiz and had the amazing pleasure to meet…read moremr Carlson Gracie Jr himself. Great guy and extremely humble and welcoming. Will definitely come Back to train here everytime I'm in Chicago

Carlson Gracie Jr. aka "The Prince of Jiu-Jitsu" is hands down the best coach anyone could ask for…read more His name speaks for itself, but anyone from a beginner to a professional athlete, can accomplish anything they wish to training at his gym. 10/10, highly recommended.

Great gym with super nice folks and good instruction. Would be happy to train there again next…read moretime I'm around. Thanks, Coach Frank!

I recently signed my 5-year-old son up for Jiu-Jitsu at Renzo Gracie. I could not be happier. The…read moreclass is teaching him flexibility, body awareness and control, disciple, respect, in addition to fundamental jiu-jitsu techniques in a fun learning environment. The instructors are amazing with kids. He is super excited to go to class, and is learning real skills that will not only help him protect himself in the future, but the life lessons Jiu-Jitsu teaches practitioners like mental toughness, humility, perseverance, and confidence. I know this firsthand as I have been training Jiu-Jitsu for over 8 years.

Genuinely can't say enough good things. The teachers are really encouraging, and the environment is…read morewelcoming and fun- I came in with zero experience, and have never felt out of place or uncomfortable. There's a great sense of camaraderie between the students, who have all been more than willing to help out my unskilled self during partner drills. The classes are definitely challenging while being incredibly enjoyable and satisfying. I've always hated traditional gyms and had to drag myself to go, and for the first time ever, as soon as I leave I can't wait to come back! I'd recommend CMMA to anyone looking for practical self defense skills, a new physical activity, or even just an awesome community to be part of. I'm so happy I found this place!

After training here for a couple of months, I received amazing training for Muay Thai and Brazilian…read morejiu-jitsu from instructors that have a lot of experience, and they make it safe for beginners to join so that the fundamentals of new students are strong.

the best jiu jitsu academy in chicago discover the website…read more https://brazil021chicago.com/

Fantastic place to train. World class instructors and a safe environment. Highly recommended.read more

My husband has been training at Vianna Brothers and absolutely loves the community. When we thought…read moreour son was ready to start jiu jitsu, we knew that he would also be training at Vianna Brothers. He loves it there. The coaches are thoughtful, patient, caring and firm. The instruction is incredible, they make sure the students are understanding the technique. Each class is fun and safe. The coaches are so supportive that they come out to every competition to coach the kids in their matches. They are the biggest cheerleaders when our kids win and provide amazing support when they lose. We are very fortunate to have found Vianna Brothers for both my husband and son.

I moved to Chicago as brown belt and was looking for a new jiu jitsu academy. I've been at Vianna…read morebrothers for a few months now and it's an amazing school. Daniel is a great instructor with tons of knowledge. It's a great vibe at the gym, the school is very welcoming and you'll find lots of talented people to roll with. I definitely recommend checking it out if you're in the area.

I recently contacted the owner, Pete, through their website to drop in and train while I was in…read moreChicago for business. He was very open about the idea (some gym owners aren't) and told me to download the class schedule off their website as it was modified due to Covid. After my visit I was pleasantly surprised by the level of Jiu Jitsu being taught by Pete as well as his students skill level. I was required to pay a small drop in fee, but it wasn't a big deal as I've been asked the same of several gyms I've visited. Overall I would definitely suggest you check out Rio Jiu Jitsu if you are in the Chicago area, I'm glad I did

So, to be completely honest I wanted my child to do martial arts but I didn't know the difference…read morebetween them all. Rio Jiu Jitsu opened up behind my house & I was still reluctant despite my husbands excitement to enroll our daughter there. Probably because I didn't know a lot about Jiu Jitsu. Well the first day we brought my daughter I fell in love with this place! Changed my mind in a second! They are so great there! Their kids classes are awesome! My daughter has grown so much in the short time she's been doing this! The coaches are so great with the kids! Firm but gentle. They give the children discipline & goals. I am so happy that we are there. There's a real sense of community there too. Everyone is welcoming! I can't wait to see my daughter grow there. She is determined to win a medal one day and I believe she can there!!

Terrific ego-free environment, great instruction, and friendly instructors who want to make sure…read moreyou're learning and enjoying yourself. I first met one of the owners (John) in college back in 2005, and ever since I've known him, he has had a huge passion for the martial arts, and BJJ in particular. He has a great knack for creating camaraderie, and is an open, inclusive personality, which you can feel through the rest of the members at the gym. I was only able to train there for a few weeks a few years back (shoulder injury), but the environment was terrific, as was the instruction. they also have muay thai, boxing, and wrestling, so you're definitely able to explore your passions. the three most important takeaways: 1. john is a guy who is completely trustworthy and is not out to play "gotcha" with pricing. he's completely transparent with his prices and doesn't hassle you if you want to cancel (though i don't see why you would. the prices are VERY reasonable considering the local competition. 2. the environment is great- friendly, but if you want to train seriously you'll have tons of opportunity. 3. the instructors are excellent at showing you technique and truly care if you are grasping the concepts they're teaching.

Looking for an experienced but welcoming BJJ gym? Seeking an effective high intensity workout?…read moreConvenient location in Chicago? The Chicago School of Grappling is a yes for all three. Having been a wrestler and jiujitsu practitioner for a number of years, I was very interested in the CSOG. I attended one of the JitFit sessions which is comprised of a circuit of high-intensity, jiujitsu-based exercises. The JitFit sessions are non-contact and fitness oriented, I feel they are well suited to beginners to advanced people trying to get fit, as well as men and women. I believe they have a kids session too. I enjoyed my session, having mainly been lifting the past few years, and the HIIT type session was helpful in addressing my cardio and goal of leaning up, while practicing fundamental jiujitsu maneuvers. The instructors are very experienced here, Nick and John (black and purple belts respectively), and can teach the spectrum of jiujitsu - from fitness enthusiast to advanced competitor. I highly recommend checking out the CSOG! I'm looking forward to my next session.

Hands down the best martial arts gym in Chicago! The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Thai Boxing and women's…read moreself defense classes are incredible. If you're looking to get started in martial arts, improve your skillset, find a community or hone your skills, this is the place to go! PS: They have tons of free parking right in front + a fully-equipped locker room and recovery room!

Great place, amazing coach. Will make you feel at home even if it is your first time. Highly…read morerecommend!!!!

If you want to attend a Brazilian Jiujitsu school where the owner and head instructor dates his…read morefemale students and gets them pregnant. While forbidding his adult male and female students from dating each other outside of school grounds, which is a private matter between two consenting adults. Maintaining a double standard of "do as I say, not as I do" then this is the place for you! If you want to be accused, labeled, and threatened to cancel your membership or kicked out without getting the facts first because the owner doesn't know how to handle conflict resolution, then this is the place for you! If you get injured, and you're not able to attend training due to your injury, and you asked the owner to put your paying membership on hold temporarily because your orthopedic doctor has you on medical orders, be careful! The owner is more concerned about money than your health! He will get upset and ridicule you for putting your paying membership on hold. Somehow the owner has a medical degree! If you want to attend a Brazilian Jiujitsu school where you're a new student who has suffered a knee injury and another female student who happens to be a white belt, with no experience, and with a tremendous amount of ego and does a leg lock on your injured leg and you questioned their technique or asked them not to such a technique out of concern for your health and safety. Then this is the place for you! If your role with a student that practices "Tickle Jiujitsu" with his opponent, then you rough him up for doing something dumb and stupid, then he goes and cries foul 3 weeks after the fact to the academy owner. Then the academy owner blames you for being rough and informs you that this "student" has a 20% stake in the academy. Then this is the place for you! If you want to be ridiculed or embarrassed in front of others of a misunderstanding of the facts not yet known, then this is the place for you! If you want to attend a Brazilian Jiujitsu school where some students are too sensitive and act like babies, their egos get shattered. Then go cry foul, then this is the place for you! If you're under the impression that you're having a private telephone conversation with the school owner without him asking you permission for others to listen to such dialogue. Disregarding your privacy, then this is the place for you! If you want to attend a Brazilian jiujitsu school where the owner is more concerned about money more than your well-being, then this is the place for you! If you want to attend a Brazilian Jiujitsu school where the owner suffers from anger issues, acts unprofessional, rude, and hangs up the phone on you because the owner doesn't know how to handle constructive criticism, then this is the place for you! If you want to attend a Jiujitsu school were the owner has cameras all over the place without posted legal signs indicating that you're being recorded during training or anytime thereof, this is the place for you! I don't like to post negative reviews because of the love that I have for Jiujitsu. After leaving a well-respected Jiujitsu school and visiting "Soul Fighters" Andre Maneco, Brazilian Jiujitsu school, and staying for a short time, I experience all of the above. It's unfortunate and sad, but I feel compelled to leave a negative review because I wish not to elaborate any further due to the reasons above and many others. Male and female students have left this academy for personal reasons, and I'm just another casualty of the rude, unprofessional character and behavior from Andre Maneco. I wouldn't recommend this school, not even to my worst enemy! I was warned, but I choose not to listen... With so many good, professional, caring, and understanding BJJ schools around Chicago, this is "NOT" the one! Stay away! Lesson learned!

So when I'd been wanting to start BJJ for years but was always intimidated. I even tried a couple…read moreintro classes at another gym in Chicago and the vibe was just all wrong for me. This is why I'm so happy to have found Soul Fighters Chicago. Such a great gym with top notch instruction. Andre has found what is the perfect balance of seriousness/intensity in training while maintaining a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. One thing I've found particularly great about the instruction is the attention to detail. Somehow if your foot is not quite in the right place or your hand needs to be rotated Andre can spot this from across the room and will correct you so you're not drilling with mistakes, its truly impressive. While I don't make it to a ton of evening classes (6:30 am crew checking in!) I'd also like to shout out to Zito's instruction in the fundamentals classes. He's really great at making the new people feel relaxed and comfortable all while being a great teaching of techniques and concepts. This also brings me to the other students and overall vibe of this academy. Everyone is there is get better, have fun, and really takes the time to help each other. The feeling of camaraderie here is high and is what has allowed me to get over that initial intimidation and end up as a regular student going 2-4 times a week for the last 8 months. Overall I can not recommend Soul Fighters enough if you're interested in BJJ.