There is a particular kind of joy in packing a gi for a holiday. You're going to New York for a wedding, or a conference, or four days of walking twelve miles a day and eating too much — and somewhere in the back of your mind is the thought: I could train at Renzo's.
You can. New York City has one of the densest concentrations of high-level jiu-jitsu on the planet, and unlike a lot of things in this city, most of it is genuinely open to visitors. Walk in with a clean gi, forty-odd dollars, and decent manners, and you can train alongside world champions in a basement two blocks from Penn Station.
This guide covers eight academies worth your mat time, what each one actually costs, whose lineage you're stepping into, and the practical stuff nobody tells you — which gyms rent gis and which don't, which ones ban other academies' patches, where to buy gear, and how not to be the annoying visitor.
One note on prices before we start: everything below was checked in July 2026 and is listed exactly as each academy publishes it. Drop-in rates change, schedules shift seasonally, and several NYC gyms don't publish membership rates at all. Always email or call before you show up — and where a gym doesn't publish a number, we've said so rather than invent one.
First: how dropping in actually works in New York
NYC drop-in culture is well established but not uniform. The pattern at almost every academy:
- Email or call ahead. Not strictly required at most places, but it takes two minutes and means the front desk is expecting you. Some gyms have specific "visitor-friendly" classes.
- Arrive 15 minutes early. You'll need to sign a waiver, and several academies (Marcelo Garcia's included) require photo ID to train. Bring it.
- Expect to pay per day, not per class. Most NYC drop-ins buy you the whole day — take the noon class and the evening class on one fee.
- Check the gi rules. This one genuinely varies (see below).
- Bring your own everything. New York gyms are space-constrained. Towels, padlocks, and flip-flops are on you.
The gi-patch question trips people up most. Renzo Gracie Academy allows blank gis and brand-name gis but will not let you wear another academy's branded gi. Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu takes the opposite line — any colour kimono, patches from any affiliation, no restrictions. If you're touring several gyms, a plain white gi with no team patches is the universal passport.
1. Renzo Gracie Academy — the famous one, and it earns it
Photo: © Renzo Gracie Academy, via renzogracieacademy.com
Where: 224 W 30th St, Midtown — one block from Penn Station Subway: 1/2/3, A/C/E to 34th St–Penn Station; 1 to 28th St Drop-in: $45 BJJ or Muay Thai · $75 BJJ + Muay Thai combo day · week pass reported around $150 Gi rental: $15 (belt $5, towel $5) — one of the few NYC gyms that rents Memberships: Unlimited, month-to-month, no long contracts — call 212-279-6724 for rates Lineage: Carlos Gracie Sr. → Hélio Gracie → Carlos Gracie Jr. → Renzo Gracie Hours: Mon–Fri 6:40am–9pm · Sat 9am–12:30pm · Sun 9:30am–11:30am
If you only train once in New York, train here. The academy sits in a basement on West 30th Street, and that basement — the "blue basement" — is one of the genuinely historic rooms in the sport. John Danaher coached there for roughly a quarter of a century, and it's where the Danaher Death Squad was built.
Be clear-eyed about that history, though: Danaher left his permanent position in 2020, the DDS split in July 2021, and he has been in Austin ever since. You are not dropping in to train with Gordon Ryan. What you are getting is a huge, deep, genuinely world-class room with an enormous roster of black belts, a schedule that runs from 6:40am to 9pm, and the accumulated culture of thirty years of hard rolling. Renzo himself teaches sporadically and announces it on Instagram — if you're a fan, check @renzogracieacademy before you pick your day.
What visitors like: the schedule density (you can almost always find a class), the gi rental option, the location one block from Penn Station, and the simple fact of having trained in that room. What to know: it's a big commercial academy, so it can feel less personal than a small gym, and the beginner pathway wants a phone call first — total beginners are steered to a private intro rather than dropped into a group class. Bring a padlock, towel, toiletries and flip-flops.
2. Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu — the best pure jiu-jitsu classroom in the city
Photo: © Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu, via marcelogarciajj.com
Where: 250 W 26th St, 3rd Floor, Chelsea Subway: 1 to 28th St; C/E to 23rd St Drop-in: $50 day pass · $200 two-week pass Memberships: $250/month on an annual agreement · $350/month month-to-month · kids $200/month Free trial: 2 free classes for anyone living in the tri-state area Gi policy: any colour, any academy's patches — but no gi rentals, so bring yours Lineage: Hélio Gracie → Rolls Gracie → Romero "Jacaré" Cavalcanti → Fabio Gurgel → Marcelo Garcia (Alliance) Hours: Mon–Fri 7–9am, 11am–1pm, 5:30–8pm · Sat 9:30am–1pm · closed Sunday
Marcelo Garcia is, by a wide margin, one of the most influential grapplers who has ever lived — five IBJJF world titles, four ADCC golds, and a body of butterfly guard and back-control work that half the planet's curriculum is quietly built on. We've written about why he mattered so much elsewhere. His academy has been in Manhattan since 2009, and it remains his headquarters.
The room itself is the draw. It is a teaching academy in the best sense: technically obsessive, positionally systematic, and much friendlier than its competition pedigree suggests. Marcelo was diagnosed with stomach cancer in January 2023 and, after chemotherapy and surgery, recovered — his presence on the mats has understandably varied since, so if training with him personally is the goal, contact the academy first rather than assuming.
What visitors like: the instruction quality, the seriousness without the ego, and the video library — MGInAction means you can study the same system before and after you visit. What to know: no gi rentals and no Sunday classes. The 11am–1pm midday block is a gift if you're in town on business. You'll need photo ID at the desk, and you should ask before filming anything (info@marcelogarciajj.com).
3. Unity Jiu-Jitsu — the competition room
Photo: © Unity Jiu-Jitsu, via unityjiujitsu.com
Where: 144 W 14th St, Stair Door A (between 6th and 7th Ave) Subway: F/M/L/1/2/3 to 14th St; A/C/E/B/D to W 4th St Drop-in: $40 weekday · $25 weekend · $100 for any seven consecutive days Free first day: yes, if you're coming from the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area (includes an intro lesson for beginners) Head instructor: Murilo Santana Lineage: dual — Cícero Costha's academy and Barbosa Academy (Santana earned his black belt in the Yamasaki Academy, later Equipe Barbosa) Hours: roughly 6:30am–10pm weekdays (varies by day) · Sat & Sun 11am–3pm
Unity was founded in January 2015 by Paulo and João Miyao, Ana Lowry, Yago de Souza and Murilo Santana, and within a year it was placing in the top ten academies at the IBJJF World Championship. The Miyao brothers departed in June 2020; Santana has led it since, and the competitive output has never really slowed. Mayssa Bastos, Devhonte Johnson, Margot Ciccarelli, Chloé McNally and Eddie Cummings have all been part of the roster. So was Leandro Lo, one of the great guard players of the modern era, whose loss in 2022 the academy still feels.
This is the most competition-flavoured room on the list. Both gi and no-gi, plus wrestling, a dedicated white belt fundamentals class, and a pro competition training session. Rounds are hard. That's the point.
What visitors like: the weekend rate is the best value in Manhattan at $25, the $100 seven-day pass is unbeatable if you're in town for a week, and the 14th Street location is absurdly convenient for almost any subway line. What to know: if you're a nervous white belt, go to the white belt fundamentals class, not the mixed one. Nobody will hurt you on purpose, but the intensity is real.
4. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu NYC — no-gi, all day, every day
Photo: © 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu NYC, via 10thplanetjjnyc.com
Where: 35 W 43rd St, 4th Floor, Midtown Subway: B/D/F/M to 42nd St–Bryant Park; 7 to 5th Ave Drop-in: $50 (unlimited classes that day) · $150 one-week pass Other options: 7-class pack $165 (2-month expiry) · month-to-month $280 · 4-month "Gold" $249 Head instructor: Rey "StingReyRey" De Leon, who trained and taught for years directly under Eddie Bravo at 10th Planet HQ in Los Angeles Lineage: Jean Jacques Machado → Eddie Bravo → 10th Planet Hours: Mon–Fri 7am–9pm · Sat 12–3:30pm · closed Sunday Gi: none. Ever. Bring a rashguard and shorts or spats.
If you train no-gi and you want the full 10th Planet system — rubber guard, lockdown, twister, the whole vocabulary — this is the New York outpost. It's a genuine 10th Planet room, not a gym that dabbles in no-gi, and the culture is exactly what you'd expect: relaxed, tattooed, enthusiastic about weird entries, and completely unbothered by tradition.
What visitors like: it's in Midtown, five minutes from Bryant Park, which makes it the single most convenient serious gym for anyone staying in a tourist hotel. The system is distinctive enough that even experienced grapplers learn something new. What to know: it's the priciest drop-in here at $50, and if you only train gi you'll get nothing out of it. Also, no Sunday.
5. Clockwork Jiu-Jitsu — the friendliest room on this list
Photo: © Clockwork Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, via clockworkbjj.com
Where: 650 Broadway, 2nd Floor, NoHo (between Bond and Bleecker) Subway: B/D/F/M to Broadway–Lafayette; 6 to Bleecker St; N/R to 8th St–NYU Drop-in: free trial class available; drop-in rates aren't published — call (212) 675-0300 Founder: Josh Griffiths, who opened Clockwork in 2009 Programme structure: White Belt Fundamentals → Blue Belt/Intermediate → Mixed & Advanced Culture: their stated values are "Flow Before Force," "Respect the Tap," and "Technique Conquers Strength"
Clockwork was founded on the idea of making jiu-jitsu accessible to anyone who wants to learn, and it's the gym on this list we'd send a genuine beginner to without hesitation. The programme is properly tiered — a real fundamentals class rather than "beginners, go stand in the corner of the advanced class" — and the room has a reputation for being welcoming without being soft.
The location is also the best on this list for a tourist: NoHo, walking distance from Soho, Washington Square and the East Village, so you can train at noon and be eating lunch somewhere excellent fifteen minutes later.
What visitors like: the free trial, the beginner-friendliness, the neighbourhood. What to know: they don't publish drop-in pricing, so you need to make contact first. Don't just turn up assuming a rate.
6. Sintonia Jiu Jitsu — the easiest drop-in in the city
Photo: © Sintonia Jiu Jitsu, via sintoniajiujitsu.com
Where: 303 E 43rd St (basement), Midtown East
Subway: 4/5/6/7/S to Grand Central–42nd St
Drop-in: $45 day pass, all experience levels welcome — bookable online at sintoniajiujitsu.wodify.com
Founder & head coach: Jeferson Guaresi, IBJJF No-Gi World Champion (2021) and IBJJF No-Gi Pan champion (2019, 2021)
Also teaching: Franco Diaz (black belt, IBJJF purple belt World champion, brown belt Pan champion), Jayden Cardenas (youth head instructor)
Memberships: not published — call (646) 398-0384 or email hello@sintoniajiujitsu.com
Sintonia is the newest name here and the one that has most obviously thought about visitors: they run a dedicated drop-in page, state plainly that all visitors are welcome, and let you book and pay for your session online before you arrive. If you have ever spent a holiday morning trying to work out whether a gym will actually let you in, you will appreciate how much friction that removes.
The coaching pedigree is legitimate — Guaresi is a no-gi world champion and it's a young, sharp, competition-minded room. It's also a five-minute walk from Grand Central, which makes it the obvious choice if you're coming in from Connecticut or Westchester, or staying in Midtown East.
What visitors like: book online, turn up, train. No phone tag. What to know: it's a smaller room than Renzo's or Marcelo's, so the schedule is tighter — check the timetable before you commit to a day.
7. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro's academies — Nova União in Manhattan
Photo: © Modern Martial Arts NYC / NYC BJJ Academy, via bjjnewyorkcity.com
Where: multiple Manhattan locations — Upper East Side (220 E 86th St), Midtown West (780 8th Ave, Times Square), Tribeca, plus Astoria in Queens
Subway: 4/5/6/Q to 86th St for the UES room; A/C/E to 42nd St for Midtown West
Intro offer: "Easy Start" — 2 classes for $29.99
Drop-in: not published — contact 212-957-4045 or info@mmanewyorkcity.com
Head: Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, 6th-degree black belt, ADCC and Shooto champion
Lineage: André Pederneiras → Vitor Ribeiro (Nova União)
Vitor Shaolin is one of the great lightweights of his generation and one of the three figures — with Robson Moura and Bruno Bastos — who brought Nova União to the United States. He opened his first New York school in 2001 and has grown it into a multi-location operation, now largely branded as Modern Martial Arts NYC / NYC BJJ Academy, which does make the websites a little confusing to navigate.
The practical appeal is coverage. If you're staying on the Upper East Side, in Times Square, in Tribeca or out in Astoria, there is probably a Shaolin room within a short walk — which is not true of anywhere else on this list. The $29.99 two-class intro is also the cheapest way to get two sessions in the city.
What visitors like: the geographic spread, the cheap intro offer, and a genuinely distinguished Nova União lineage. What to know: the branding across several sites and locations is muddled, and drop-in rates aren't published, so email first and confirm which address you're going to.
8. Gregor Gracie Jiu-Jitsu — the Brooklyn pick
Photo: © Gregor Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, via gregorgracie.com
Where: 153 Bridge Park Dr, Brooklyn Heights / Dumbo
Subway: F to York St; A/C to High St; 2/3 to Clark St
Drop-in: free trial class offered; rates not published — call (917) 524-4683 or email info@gregorgracie.com
Hours: Mon–Fri 8am–5pm · Sat 7am–1:30pm · Sun 8:30am–12pm
Head instructor: Gregor Gracie, a Renzo Gracie black belt
Lineage: Carlos Gracie Sr. → Hélio Gracie → Carlos Gracie Jr. → Renzo Gracie → Gregor Gracie
Also offers: Muay Thai, and kids' classes six days a week from age 3
Everything above is in Manhattan, and Manhattan is not the whole city. If you're staying in Brooklyn — which, if you're here for a week, you probably should be — Gregor Gracie's academy in Brooklyn Heights is the pick.
The family story is worth getting right, because it's often garbled. Gregor is the half-brother of Rolles and Igor Gracie, both sons of the legendary Rolls Gracie; their mother remarried years after Rolls's death, and Gregor was born Gregor Rangel. He isn't a Gracie by blood, but he grew up inside the family, started training with Rillion and Carlos Gracie Jr., and earned his black belt under Renzo. He then went out and medalled at the Mundials, the Brazilian Nationals, No-Gi Worlds and ADCC, and fought MMA professionally. The "Gracie" on the door is earned on the mats, not just inherited.
What visitors like: the location is spectacular — you're minutes from Brooklyn Bridge Park, so you can train and then walk the bridge — plus a free trial and a family-friendly room. What to know: the weekday schedule ends at 5pm, which is unusual and easy to get caught out by. Sunday morning classes are a genuine rarity in this city.
One to know about, with a catch: Ronin Athletics
Photo: © Ronin Athletics, via roninathletics.com
Where: 265 Madison Ave, Midtown
Subway: 4/5/6/7/S to Grand Central; B/D/F/M to 42nd St–Bryant Park
Founded: 2002 by Christian Montes, a Gracie-certified instructor
Focus: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu / self-defence, plus kickboxing
Drop-in catch: visitor training is limited to Gracie University-affiliated members, who can train up to 30 consecutive days per year free by emailing info@roninathletics.com
Worth including precisely because of the catch. Ronin is a well-regarded, deliberately beginner-safe academy with a strong self-defence emphasis — and if you train at a Gracie University school back home, it's the best deal in the entire city, since your 30 days are free. If you don't, their visitor policy means you can't simply pay a drop-in fee and roll. Better to know that now than to arrive with your gi on Madison Avenue.
Mat etiquette: how not to be the annoying visitor
None of this is New York-specific, but visiting a gym as a guest raises the stakes on all of it. You're a stranger on someone else's mats, and the entire impression you leave rests on about six things.
Hygiene comes first, and it's not negotiable. Clean gi every session — not "aired out," washed. Trimmed nails on hands and feet. No jewellery. If you've got any skin condition, cover it or sit out; a visiting grappler who imports ringworm into a room is the worst kind of guest. Our mat hygiene guide goes deeper, and it matters more when you're travelling and rolling with unfamiliar people.
Flip-flops on, off the mat. Bare feet, on the mat. Never walk to the bathroom barefoot and then step back on. This is the single most common thing visitors get wrong and it makes locals wince.
Introduce yourself to the instructor before class, not during. Two sentences: your name, your gym, your belt. That's it. Don't deliver your résumé.
Respect the tap — theirs and yours. Tap early as a guest. You have nothing to prove in a room you'll never see again, and there is no medal for defending a heel hook in a Tuesday noon class in Chelsea. Equally, release instantly when your partner taps.
Roll to your host's level, not your ego's. Match the intensity of the room. If you're a big strong blue belt rolling with a smaller purple belt, you already know what the right choice is. Visitors who spaz get remembered, and not fondly.
Ask before you film. Every academy on this list has a filming policy and several require explicit permission. Marcelo Garcia's asks you to email in advance. Nobody wants to end up in your Instagram story without being asked.
Bow or shake hands as the room does. Watch what everyone else does when they step on and off the mats and copy it. Different lineages have different customs; the universal one is "pay attention and follow suit."
Say thank you on the way out. To the instructor and to everyone who rolled with you. Then go leave a nice review, because small academies live and die by them.
What to pack for a New York training trip
NYC gyms are tight on space and mostly assume you're a local with a locker.
- Gi — plain white, no team patches, is the safest choice across all eight gyms. Only Renzo's rents ($15), so if you're touring you're carrying your own.
- Rashguard and shorts/spats — mandatory at 10th Planet, useful everywhere. No pockets, zips or buttons.
- A padlock. Renzo's explicitly asks for one. Most gyms have lockers but not locks.
- Flip-flops. Non-negotiable, see above.
- Your own towel. Almost nowhere includes one; Renzo's rents them for $5.
- Photo ID. Required at Marcelo Garcia's, sensible to have everywhere.
- A second rashguard, if you plan to train twice in a day. NYC humidity in summer is not a joke and nothing dries in a hotel room.
Where to buy gear in New York
Forgot your gi? Belt snapped? Fancy a souvenir that isn't an I-heart-NY t-shirt?
Superare Fight Shop — 84 Orchard St, Lower East Side (F to Delancey St–Essex St; B/D to Grand St). This is the flagship bricks-and-mortar fight shop in the city: gis, rashguards, no-gi gear, plus boxing, Muay Thai and MMA equipment. Open daily, roughly 11am–7pm Monday to Saturday and 12–5pm Sunday. If you need something today, go here.
Keiko Sports at Marlon Colorado BJJ — Sunnyside, Queens (7 train). An authorised Keiko retailer attached to a working academy, stocking gis and kimonos in adult and children's sizes, rashguards, belts and bags. Keiko has been making gis in Brazil since 1988, and buying one from an actual academy shop is a nicer story than a cardboard box from a warehouse. Call ahead for hours.
VHTS — a New York-based brand with a distinctly loud aesthetic, worth a look if you want something that doesn't look like everyone else's gi.
93brand — also New York-based, primarily online, well regarded for gis and no-gi gear.
Practical planning notes
Costs at a glance — day rates, as published in July 2026:
| Academy | Drop-in | Multi-day |
|---|---|---|
| Unity Jiu-Jitsu (weekend) | $25 | $100 / 7 consecutive days |
| Unity Jiu-Jitsu (weekday) | $40 | $100 / 7 consecutive days |
| Renzo Gracie Academy | $45 | ~$150 week pass |
| Sintonia Jiu Jitsu | $45 | — |
| Marcelo Garcia Jiu-Jitsu | $50 | $200 / 2 weeks |
| 10th Planet NYC | $50 | $150 / 1 week |
| Vitor Shaolin / MMA NYC | ask | $29.99 intro: 2 classes |
| Clockwork, Gregor Gracie | free trial, then ask | — |
If you're training more than three times, a week pass is almost always cheaper than day rates. Unity's $100 seven-day pass is the standout value in the city.
Midday classes are your friend. Marcelo Garcia's 11am–1pm block, Renzo's daytime schedule and 10th Planet's all-day hours mean you can train without giving up an evening in a city you came here to enjoy.
Watch the Sunday problem. Marcelo Garcia's and 10th Planet are both closed Sundays. Renzo's and Gregor Gracie's both run Sunday mornings. Plan around it.
Summer is brutal. July and August in a basement academy with limited air conditioning is genuinely hard training. Hydrate more than you think you need to, and read our notes on not gassing out if you're coming from a cooler climate.
Don't lose what you pick up
Here's the thing about training while travelling: you will learn something you'd never have learned at home. A different grip on a collar tie, a guard retention detail from a purple belt in Chelsea, a whole approach to leg entanglements from a room that thinks about them differently to yours.
And unless you write it down, it will be gone by the time your flight lands. That's not pessimism, it's just how memory works — we've covered why you forget techniques after class and the fix has never changed: capture it while it's fresh, then drill it deliberately when you get home.
This is exactly what we built DrillBuddy for. Log the session before you leave the changing room, break the new technique into steps while you still remember the details, and turn it into a drill you can actually run at your home gym next week. It works offline, which matters in a Manhattan basement with no signal, it's completely free with no premium tier, and a year of training trips later you'll have a library of things you learned in other people's gyms.
Pack the gi. New York is worth it.
Prices, schedules and policies were verified in July 2026 and are published here as each academy states them. They change — always confirm directly with the gym before you travel. If you spot something out of date, let us know.
