New School BJJ

in terms of gyms with strong, solid women's teams in london, the first one to come to mind will always be fightzone london in bethnal green. then the big names like roger gracie academy, carlson gracie london, gracie barra etc all have strong womens teams. i've heard good things about grand union bjj and new school bjj brixton too. there are a couple of gyms closer to you that i haven't heard super good things about but it wouldn't be fair of me to post it publicly i think. source, 2025 ↗

positive

I won't address all the points BJJ attracts a disproportionate number of weirdos which is compounded by the cult like structure some gyms put in place That said, I left my first gym the day I got blue. I was nearly 2 years in, knew I was going to leave for many of the same reasons but did not want to wait 2 more years starting again at the gym I went to. I've changed gyms again as moved to the middle east but got promoted so when I go back to London it will be like just starting again at a new belt. I have no issues with white belts asking to roll but if I don't know them, I'll more than l source, 2025 ↗

neutral

Saw [this camp in Amsterdam July 3-6th](https://www.jiujitsuqueenz.com/events/) for women on Instagram, I know Ffion has worked with them in the past. On another Ffion note, I think she is one of the [head instructors at a new gym in London opening in April of 2025](https://www.instagram.com/p/DAyn-uYtdj-/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==). And on a final Ffion note, she’s [leading this women’s BJJ retreat](https://www.kimura.camp/products/flow-in-paradise-women-s-bjj-retrat) in Spain in Sept-Oct, and is one of the instructors at [this co-ed retreat](https://roninjjcamp.com) also in Spain during a si source, 2025 ↗

neutral

I know nothing about the geography of London, but Ffion Davies announced she'll be the head coach of a new gym opening up in London in the spring. She's incredible [https://www.flograppling.com/articles/12928762-ffion-davies-announces-new-chapter-in-jiu-jitsu-career](https://www.flograppling.com/articles/12928762-ffion-davies-announces-new-chapter-in-jiu-jitsu-career) source, 2024 ↗

positive

Not sure of your schedule or physical availability, but I’ve found that training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to be transformative. Aside from marrying my wife, starting Jiu Jitsu was the best decision I ever made. It’s got numerous benefits, some of which include: 1. It’s amazing exercise. Great for cardio, mobility, and to some degree strength. 2. Cognitive benefits. I love that I learn something new at every class, and the art encourages thinking about strategy, physics, and technique on multiple levels. 3. The community is amazing. I’ve met many wonderful people in the Jiu Jitsu community. I e source, 2024 ↗

positive

Mitsuyo Maeda brought Judo to Brazil in the early 20th century. At the time, it was still called Kano JuJutsu, thus the name Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Maeda was also influenced by Catch Wrestling, having spent time prize fighting in London. The prohibition on grabbing the legs in Judo is fairly new (2010) and mostly to differentiate from Olympic wrestling, since there was concern the sports were too similar and one might be bumped from the Olympics. source, 2024 ↗

neutral

If you like staying fit but don’t like the gym have you tried jiu jitsu? I started at 25, 5 years ago and it’s been great for me, stay in shape and there’s a kinda brotherhood almost with teammates, you’ll meet new people, make friends and learn some self defense all in one I started as a hobby and to lose weight and as recently as February I was in London competing, I’d recommend it, if you can let us know your area I could point you towards a gym hopefully source, 2024 ↗

positive

First things first, you need a new job otherwise making friends will need to be the least of your priorities. If you can try to look for something with more liberal hours. Second, making friends in London is hard because people who were raised here from young tend to stick to their friend group from high school, college or university. There's the occasional friend you pick from an odd part time gig but that's pretty much it... UNLESS you do a common activity. So what I say is, once you have a job with nicer hours, start doing a group activity. Find Crossfit classes at a local gym, check out source, 2024 ↗

positive