Best BJJ Gyms in Denver: What Reddit Says
Denver BJJ gyms ranked by Reddit mentions. Drop-in verdicts, sentiment scores, and direct quotes - Easton leads, Kompound gets called out for drop-ins.
Denver’s BJJ scene is dense and genuinely welcoming to visitors - multiple threads on r/bjj ask about Denver gyms every year, and the community answers with consistent names. We counted every mention of a Denver gym in those discussions and matched them against our directory. Here is what the data shows.
At a Glance
| Gym | Reddit mentions | +pos / -neg | Drop-in | Gi / No-Gi | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easton Training Center - Denver | 8 | +4 / 0 | Yes | Gi + No-Gi | Visiting, all levels |
| Gracie Barra Denver | 8 | +6 / 0 | - | Gi | Highest positive rate |
| Grappling Zone Denver | 8 | +5 / 0 | - | Gi | - |
| Morning Star Jiu Jitsu | 8 | +5 / 0 | Yes | Gi + No-Gi | Drop-ins |
| Denver Modern Jiu Jitsu | 7 | +5 / 0 | - | Gi + No-Gi | Gi + no-gi, east Denver |
| Denver Kompound | 7 | +5 / 0 | Yes | Gi | Drop-ins, named by redditors |
| 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Denver | 7 | +5 / 0 | No | Gi + No-Gi | No-gi; call ahead |
| Imperial Combat Arts | 7 | +5 / 0 | Yes | No-Gi only | No-gi, drop-in |
| New Level Jiu Jitsu | 6 | +5 / 1 | - | Gi | - |
| Way of Jiu Jitsu Academy | 5 | +4 / 0 | Yes | Gi + No-Gi | Beginners, free trial week |
| Flo Life BJJ | 3 | +1 / 0 | Yes | Gi + No-Gi | Highest directory rating (75) |
Ranked by total mentions, then positive count. Drop-in and class format from our gym directory. ”-” means not listed.
Easton Training Center - Denver
Easton is the name that comes up most directly in r/bjj when anyone asks about Denver. The Denver flagship location holds 8 total mentions across multiple threads, with the community pointing to it by name more than any other single gym.
“I highly recommend easton. Super friendly, very very good teaching, great facilities. Everytime im in denver it’s the first place i go”
“Easton is awesome. I attend the boulder school but I’m certain Denver would be equally great”
Those quotes are from 2019. The network’s reputation held through 2024, when a redditor pointing someone toward BJJ community resources wrote:
“Reach out to Easton MMA/BJJ? They are well affiliated in the area with multiple locations. They can likely connect you to someone who meets that criteria.”
The Easton network in Denver metro. The brand runs several locations, and the Reddit quotes treat them as a network rather than naming individual branches:
- Easton Training Center - Denver (1304 S Santa Fe Dr) - the most-mentioned individual location, rating 64, drop-in yes, gi + no-gi. Full profile
- Easton Training Center - Littleton (5066 S Wadsworth Blvd #117) - rating 72, the highest-rated Easton in the directory, with tags for high_level, womens_classes, open_mat, and clean. Drop-in yes. Full profile
- Easton Training Center - Centennial (5170 E Arapahoe Rd E2) - rating 63, drop-in yes, gi + no-gi. Full profile
- Easton Training Center - Arvada (12421 W 49th Ave #3) - a 2018 thread noted Eliot Marshall runs this location. Drop-in not listed. Full profile
- Easton Training Center - Lowry (9660 E Alameda Ave #106) - drop-in not listed. Full profile
If you are visiting Denver and want one default recommendation, the Denver flagship (S Santa Fe Dr, drop-in yes) is the one the community keeps naming.
Gracie Barra Denver
Eight total mentions with 6 positive and zero negative - the best positive rate among the high-mention gyms. The data doesn’t include quotes that name GB Denver directly, so the sentiment score reflects its standing across the threads we analyzed rather than specific endorsements.
No drop-in policy listed in the directory. Gi only (no-gi not listed).
Washington Park area, 4495 Washington St | gbdenver.com | Drop-in: not listed | Gi | Full profile
Denver Kompound
Seven mentions, 5 positive, zero negative, drop-in confirmed. A 2016 thread on visiting Denver produced one of the few quotes in the dataset that names a gym by name in a drop-in context:
“I’ve had great drop-ins at Kompound and West Denver BJJ.”
That quote is a decade old, but the Kompound still appears in drop-in discussions. The directory lists drop-in as yes.
West Denver, 4450 Cherokee St | denverkompound.com | Drop-in: yes | Gi | Full profile
Denver Modern Jiu Jitsu
Seven mentions, 5 positive, 0 negative, directory rating of 72. Offers both gi and no-gi. Drop-in status is not listed in the directory, so contact ahead if you are visiting.
Rating 72 puts this in the same tier as Easton Littleton, which has more Reddit signal. Worth calling about drop-in availability.
East Denver (Aurora area), 9726 E Colfax Ave | denvermodernjiujitsu.com | Drop-in: not listed | Gi + No-Gi | Full profile
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Denver
Seven mentions, 5 positive, 0 negative, directory rating of 73 - the highest in the dataset among gyms with confirmed class format. Tags include high_level, nogi, open_mat, affordable, and beginner_friendly, with no_gi appearing alongside mma_training. Negative tags also present: poor_instructors and disorganized, so the experience is not uniform.
The most important practical note: drop-in is listed as no. If you are visiting Denver and want to train here, contact ahead.
West Denver, 6161 W 44th Ave Suite 150 | 10thplanetdenver.com | Drop-in: no | Gi + No-Gi | Full profile
Way of Jiu Jitsu Academy
Five mentions, 4 positive, 0 negative. The community quotes name it directly and give practical details a visitor actually wants:
“Check our Way of Jiu Jitsu - classes everyday and they have two locations which can be convenient.”
The second quote adds specifics about the intro process:
“I agree. Right off i70 and Quebec. Started there a couple months ago and love it. There’s a free week where you can go to as many classes as you want, that way you can see if you like it. They also do some kickboxing there too”
These are from 2019. The free trial week policy should be verified with the gym before visiting. The Academy runs two locations (Denver and Aurora), both in the directory.
Cherry Creek area, 7808 Cherry Creek S Dr #205 | wayofjiujitsu.com | Drop-in: yes | Gi + No-Gi | Full profile
Way of Jiu Jitsu Aurora, 9565 E Montview Blvd | wayofjiujitsu.com | Drop-in: not listed | Gi | Full profile
New Level Jiu Jitsu
Six mentions, 5 positive, and the only negative in the Denver dataset. The negative comes from a 2017 thread about MMA career paths and the comment isn’t a direct critique of the gym - it’s generic advice about finding competitive training environments. The other mentions are positive.
No drop-in listed in the directory. Gi only.
South Broadway, 2809 S Broadway | newlevelbjj.com | Drop-in: not listed | Gi | Full profile
Also Worth Knowing
Flo Life BJJ carries the highest directory rating in the Denver dataset at 75, above 10th Planet (73) and Easton Littleton (72). It has only 3 Reddit mentions and 1 positive, so the community signal is thin - but the rating reflects competition and structured data. Drop-in yes, gi + no-gi. Southwest Denver, 9191 W Jewell Ave. Full profile
Colorado BJJ Satori (also operating as JJ Colorado) holds 3 mentions and 2 positive. A 2016 commenter invited visitors directly:
“I train at Colorado BJJ Stapleton. We have an awesome team, great mixture of all belts. Come out to an open mat on Saturday or Sunday”
That’s nearly a decade old. Drop-in listed as yes in the directory; open mat culture is at least in the history. Central Denver, 4605 Quebec St b5. Full profile
Imperial Combat Arts carries 7 mentions (5 positive, 0 negative), drop-in yes, and runs no-gi only (gi not offered per directory). It is the only no-gi-exclusive option with confirmed drop-in access in the top tier. South Denver, 1699 S Lowell Blvd. Full profile
Best for You
Visiting and need to drop in: Easton Training Center - Denver on S Santa Fe Dr. The community names it by hand as the first stop in Denver, drop-in is confirmed, and the network runs on consistent teaching across locations.
Drop-in on a budget or with flexible timing: Denver Kompound - specifically called out by name for drop-ins in community threads, drop-in listed in the directory.
Starting out: Way of Jiu Jitsu Academy - the free trial week (verify current policy with the gym) and daily class schedule take the friction out of starting. Two Denver metro locations.
No-gi only: Imperial Combat Arts - 7 mentions, 5 positive, no-gi exclusive, drop-in yes. 10th Planet Denver has a higher directory rating (73) but no drop-in.
Highest directory competition rating: Flo Life BJJ at 75, with drop-in open and gi + no-gi both on the schedule. The Reddit mention count is low, but the competition score leads the metro.
For the full Denver gym list with schedule filters, see the Denver BJJ gym directory.
Data covers 38 Denver metro gyms in the bjjgym.com directory. Reddit mention data drawn from r/bjj threads through early 2025. Scores update as new community signals are processed.
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