How to Find a Place to Train Jiu Jitsu in Houston

Key takeaways

In Houston, the drive matters more than a gym's name, so start with academies close to home or work.
Several Houston academies run classes before 7 a.m., so you can train before the traffic builds.
At the time of writing, a drop-in class costs $30 at Team Osiris Martial Arts and $25 at Alliance BJJ Houston.
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Houston, Team Osiris Martial Arts, Reign Jiu Jitsu, Renzo Gracie The Woodlands and Gracie Barra Texas make a strong shortlist, spread from EaDo and Sharpstown out to Katy, The Woodlands and Clear Lake.
All five of those gyms take trial bookings, so you can test a few before you commit to a membership.

Houston has jiu jitsu gyms in nearly every corner of the metro, from EaDo to Katy, Sugar Land and The Woodlands. The catch is the distance, because the academy that looks close on a map can feel twice as far at 6 p.m. on a weekday.

That matters more than any gym's reputation. A great academy on the far side of the Katy Freeway is easy to love on a Saturday and easy to skip on a Wednesday, and enough skipped Wednesdays add up to not training at all.

The answer is to choose around your week, then try a few gyms before you sign anything. Below, you'll find how far it's worth driving, which gyms lean gi or no-gi, what a drop-in costs, and five well-rated academies spread across the metro.

How far should you drive to a BJJ gym in Houston?

For most people in Houston, the right jiu jitsu gym is one you can reach in about 20 minutes on a weekday evening, not the most famous name on the map.

Greater Houston is enormous, and the bulk of its gyms sit in the suburbs rather than inside the Loop. Check the drive at the time you'd train, because a route that's quick on a Saturday can crawl on I-10, I-45 or the Southwest Freeway at rush hour.

If you work downtown, in the Medical Center or around the Galleria, training close to the job means you can go at lunch or straight from your desk. Training near home works just as well, since nearly every big suburb has its own academies.

Early classes are another way around the traffic. Three of the five gyms below run classes before 7 a.m. on some weekdays, so you can train and still beat the worst of the commute.

Our Houston page maps the whole metro, from Conroe in the north to Galveston on the coast. Each one is open and was vetted for jiu jitsu at its address, so you can zoom in on your neighborhood and see what's within a short drive.

Do Houston gyms teach gi or no-gi?

Many Houston jiu jitsu gyms teach both gi and no-gi, but the balance between them varies from one academy to the next. Count the sessions of each on a gym's timetable before you visit.

No-gi purists have 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Houston in EaDo, which teaches nothing else. At the other end, Reign Jiu Jitsu in Katy labels most of its evening adult classes as gi.

Plenty of academies split the week. Renzo Gracie The Woodlands mixes gi and no-gi across its weekday classes, and Gracie Barra Texas runs no-gi on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

If you can't decide, start at an academy that runs both and try each before you spend money on a gi.

What does a drop-in class cost in Houston?

A drop-in class in Houston costs $25 to $30 at the two academies below that publish a rate, at the time of writing. Many gyms don't list a visitor rate at all, so ask before you go.

Team Osiris Martial Arts in Sharpstown charges $30 per class. Class sizes are limited there, so it asks drop-ins to reserve a spot first.

Alliance BJJ Houston, on the Beltway near Pearland, charges $25 a class and rents gis for $10 while they last. It takes walk-ins, but it appreciates a call or message first, and you can sign its waiver online before you arrive.

Visitors from out of town should also brush up on how to be a good guest at a gym on the road.

If you live in Houston, start with a trial instead. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Houston and Renzo Gracie The Woodlands both offer a free first class, and Team Osiris offers a free intro session with a tour of the gym.

Five Houston gyms to check out

Houston has too many good gyms for one list, but these five make a strong shortlist. Each is highly rated on Google and has jiu jitsu on the mat at least six days a week, and together they cover the inner city, southwest Houston, Katy, The Woodlands and Clear Lake.

Gym	Area	Gi or no-gi	Best suited to
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Houston	EaDo	No-gi only	No-gi fans who live or work near downtown
Team Osiris Martial Arts	Sharpstown	Both	Beginners who want gi and no-gi, and visitors
Reign Jiu Jitsu	Katy	Mostly gi	Families, including homeschoolers
Renzo Gracie The Woodlands	The Woodlands	Both	Early risers, lunchtime trainers and women
Gracie Barra Texas	Webster, Clear Lake	Both	Anyone whose hours change week to week

10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Houston (EaDo)

10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Houston teaches no-gi only, from Rusk Street in East Downtown. It's the most central of the five, which makes it ideal for no-gi people who live or work in or around downtown.

Adult classes run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, and Saturday morning is an open mat from 8 a.m. to noon. Kids aged 4 to 13 train on weekday evenings before the adults.

The academy says day-one white belts get the same respect and attention as competitors, and your first class is free.

Team Osiris Martial Arts (Sharpstown)

Team Osiris Martial Arts is on the Southwest Freeway in Sharpstown, a few miles from the Galleria, and it's one of the most reviewed gyms on our Houston page. Jiu jitsu shares the timetable with Muay Thai and CrossFit, with gi and no-gi classes for adults and kids.

Beginners can start in gi fundamentals on Monday and Wednesday evenings, or no-gi fundamentals at 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. A women-only no-gi class runs on Friday evening, followed by an open mat.

Kids can start in a pre-K class from age 3. It's a strong fit if you want gi and no-gi under one roof without driving out to the suburbs.

Reign Jiu Jitsu (Katy)

Reign Jiu Jitsu is on South Mason Road in Katy, and its timetable is as much about kids as adults. Children can start at 4, there's a daytime homeschool program, and a wrestling program runs alongside the jiu jitsu.

Adult classes run at 11 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and at 7 p.m. every weekday, and most of the evening sessions are gi. New students can start in adult fundamentals on Tuesday evening or Saturday late morning, or join any all-levels class.

Trial classes can be booked online, with no commitment required. That makes Reign a good match for Katy families who want parents and kids training at the same academy.

Renzo Gracie The Woodlands (The Woodlands)

Renzo Gracie The Woodlands on Grogan's Mill Road is the most reviewed of the many Renzo Gracie academies on our Houston page. It's best suited to early risers and lunchtime trainers, with adult classes at 5 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and late-morning sessions at 11 a.m. every weekday.

Beginners have their own classes on Tuesday evening in the gi and Thursday evening without it. A women-only class runs on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m.

The academy also teaches Muay Thai and runs classes for kids from age 4, and the first class is free. You don't need a gi to start, and newcomers are asked to arrive 10 minutes early to sign a waiver.

Gracie Barra Texas (Webster, Clear Lake)

Gracie Barra Texas is on NASA Parkway in Webster, and in January 2024 it moved into a new building with more than 6,000 square feet of mat space. Classes start at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays, with more at 11 a.m., noon and in the evening, plus an open mat on Sunday morning.

That spread makes it ideal for anyone whose hours change from week to week. Fundamentals classes run every weekday, no-gi is on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and there are women-only classes during the week.

Kids can start at 4, there's a Muay Thai program, and you can request a trial class through the website.

What if none of these gyms is near you?

Houston's jiu jitsu scene runs far deeper than five gyms. At the time of writing, our Houston page lists nearly 150 gyms, and the majority are in the suburbs, from Cypress and Spring to Pearland, League City and Kingwood.

Open the map, zoom in on your part of town and shortlist a few within a short drive. Then put them through the questions you'd ask of any gym, like how often BJJ is on the timetable and who teaches it, and book a trial at the one you like best.

Final thoughts

Finding a place to train in Houston is mostly a geography problem. Choose a gym you can reach on a weekday evening or before work, decide whether you want gi, no-gi or both, and take a trial class before you sign up.

A no-gi room in EaDo and a family academy in Katy are very different places. The one that works for you is the one that's still on your way home six months from now.

FAQ

Can I train BJJ before work in Houston?

You can train BJJ before work in Houston at several academies. Renzo Gracie The Woodlands starts at 5 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Team Osiris Martial Arts at 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, and Gracie Barra Texas at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays.

Are there women-only BJJ classes in Houston?

Women-only BJJ classes run at several Houston academies. Renzo Gracie The Woodlands holds one on Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, Team Osiris Martial Arts has a women-only no-gi class on Friday evening, and Gracie Barra Texas runs women-only classes during the week.

How old do kids have to be to start BJJ in Houston?

Kids can start BJJ at age 4 at most of the Houston gyms in this guide, and Team Osiris Martial Arts has a pre-K class for ages 3 to 5.

Do I need a gi for my first BJJ class in Houston?

You don't always need a gi for a first BJJ class in Houston. Renzo Gracie The Woodlands says you can start without one, 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Houston doesn't use the gi at all, and Alliance BJJ Houston rents gis to visitors for $10.

Are there BJJ gyms in Galveston?

Galveston has a few BJJ gyms of its own, and they're listed on our Houston page with the rest of the metro. Zoom in on the island on the map to find them.