Home › Minnesota › Minneapolis › Southside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Southside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
4.9 ★★★★★ 197 Google reviews · BJJ gym in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Plan your first class
- Free trial or intro class most gyms welcome new members with a free trial or intro class — check their site or give them a call to book your first session
- Beginner-friendly all levels welcome, including total beginners — you don't need to be fit or have any experience to start
- Kids & youth classes kids and youth BJJ classes — built around discipline, focus, and confidence
- Women's classes dedicated women's BJJ classes — a welcoming space to train and start out in
- No-gi no-gi grappling classes — training in a rashguard and shorts, with faster scrambles and a natural bridge to MMA
- Open mat open-mat rolling sessions for members to practice live — always optional and at your own pace
- Competition team a competition team for members who want to test themselves at tournaments
- Today see hours ·
- Website & schedule southsidebrazilianjiujitsu.com — book classes and see the live schedule
- Phone +1 612-804-6456
Hours
| Monday | 6–7:30 am, 12–1:30 pm, 6–8:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 5–8:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 6–7:30 am, 12–1:30 pm, 6–8:30 pm |
| Thursday | 5–8:30 pm |
| Friday | 6–7:30 am, 12–1:30 pm, 5–8 pm |
| Saturday | 9 am–1 pm |
| Sunday | 12–1 pm |
The classes they run
“My daughter trains at Southside and I’ve had the pleasure of dropping in a few different times while visiting her at college or when I’m in the Twin Cities for work.”
“She’s big for her age, so they also allow her to attend the women’s class on Saturday mornings.”
“They offer Gi and no Gi as well as a woman's class on saturday and kids classes.”
“They offer Gi and no Gi as well as a woman's class on saturday and kids classes.”
“The walls of the academy are adorned with dozens of competition medals and team trophies which is a testament to the competetive success of the academy.”
“In my opinion, this is definitely the best jiu-jitsu gym in Minneapolis, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone whether you’re a complete beginner or have years of experience.”
What members say
“Coach Enrique Muniz welcomed me with open arms and Coach Enrique has such a high level technical mastery of BJJ that he was able to seamlessly share during the class.”
“It was a little intimidating for me to step into a Jiu-Jitsu gym for the first time, but the incredibly supportive community makes it easy to keep coming back.”
“It was a little intimidating for me to step into a Jiu-Jitsu gym for the first time, but the incredibly supportive community makes it easy to keep coming back.”
“I really appreciate their diverse lesson structure, ensuring we always get a fresh way of learning positions and applying techniques depending on the situation.”
“The walls of the academy are adorned with dozens of competition medals and team trophies which is a testament to the competetive success of the academy.”
“The space of the academy is absolutely stunning with clean white mats, a mud room for shoes and personal belongings, four changing rooms, and a bathroom.”
From the reviews
I’ve been training at Southside for a little over 2 yrs now and I haven’t looked back since. The gym’s culture is all about building respect, community, competitiveness, and most importantly, having fun while learning jiu jitsu! It’s the highlight of my week for those simple reasons.
I stopped by Southside while in town visiting family and had an awesome experience. Professor Enrique and everyone I met was very welcoming. He taught a great class, with good technical details and I really enjoyed the positional training.
I've trained here for a number of years, and really appreciate the community. It is very diverse and welcoming, a place where people with varying experience levels can get solid training and positive feedback. The convenient location, wide variety of class times, and reasonable prices have made it easy to train here.
Moving to Minneapolis about three years ago, I didn’t really know anyone and was looking for both a new hobby and a sense of community. Finding Southside BJJ ended up being one of the best things that could’ve happened to me.
New to BJJ? Start at Southside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Southside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy comes up as a beginner-friendly gym — noted on their own site. If you've never rolled or set foot on a mat, that's exactly who a good beginners program is for. A few things worth knowing before your first week. First, you don't need to be fit or flexible to start — you get in shape by training, not before it, and coaches scale the intensity to you. Second, you won't be thrown into hard rolling — reputable gyms build fundamentals (positions, escapes, and basic submissions) for weeks, live rolling eases in gradually, and tapping early keeps every roll safe. Third, all levels really are welcome — ask about a dedicated beginners or fundamentals class time so your first session is alongside others who are also starting out, and leave your ego at the door. Most gyms are happy to let you watch or try a class first, so reach out before you commit.
Your first BJJ class at Southside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Nervous about walking into a BJJ gym for the first time? Almost everyone is, and good coaches expect beginners to come through the door. Here's what to know. What to expect: a typical first class is a warm-up, then drilling basic positions and escapes with a partner — not hard sparring. Rest whenever you need to; no one will bat an eye. What to wear: athletic wear you can move in (or a gi if you have one); you'll train barefoot on the mats. What to bring: water and a mouthguard if you have one — many gyms lend a loaner gi for a first class, so it's worth asking when you call. As you keep training you'll add your own gi (or a rashguard and shorts for no-gi) and a mouthguard. Live rolling eases in gradually, once your fundamentals are solid. Arrive 10–15 minutes early to sign a waiver and meet the coach. It gets easier fast — most people feel far more at home by their third class.
More BJJ gyms near Minneapolis
The Cellar Gym
4.8 ★★★★★ 152 reviews
🥋 Free trial / intro class — check their site
Checkmat S Mpls Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
5 ★★★★★ 48 reviews