The Best BJJ Gyms in Hamburg

Hamburg's jiu-jitsu is weighted toward Wandsbek, the city's most populous borough, out in the northeast. Next come Hamburg-Mitte, which takes in the center, then Hamburg-Nord and Altona. Bergedorf has a couple of gyms in the southeast, and there's one in Harburg, south of the Elbe. We've also taken the page over the state line into Schleswig-Holstein, to Pinneberg, Norderstedt and Ahrensburg. All three are on Hamburg's U-Bahn or S-Bahn, so they're closer than the change of state suggests, though Pinneberg to Bergedorf is still a long ride.

Gracie Barra runs two academies in Hamburg-Nord, in Alsterdorf and Barmbek, and Checkmat is represented by Matgame. Altona, on the west side, has two of the three most-reviewed gyms on Google, Zanshin Dojo and Tensho BJJ; Nexus Fighter Academy is the third. Whichever you pick, ask about a Probetraining when you get in touch. It's the German term for a trial class, and the quickest way to make clear what you're after.