Marcelo Garcia Jiu Jitsu Academy

I couldn’t say enough about this place. I have the privilege to train with the best instructors in the world.

Genius. the best you can get in the world. Please notice it is not only the best bjj gym in New York, in US, but also the best bjj gym in the whole world.

The Best Academy for bjj in new York city. You have the elite athletes and elite Instruction. BFH has spoken.

It’s was an awesome experience to have been able to train with a legend even if only for one session! He and his instructors are world class people and have world class knowledge of BJJ. Anyone wanting to experience top notch BJJ and is visiting the NYC definitely hit up Marcelo Garcia Academy! Thank you Marcelo Garcia and Paul Schreiner for the awesome class!
Aloha, Bradley Wakuta O2MAA

I have trained at a couple other good gyms and this gym has the best combination of facilities, people, and instruction around. The only downside is that it’s so popular that classes can get crowded, but that happens at other academies as well.
The instructors are top notch. They all have excellent records in competition and are well regarded as some of the best in the world. I’m relatively new to the sport of BJJ but I feel like the instructors do a great job of teaching things that you can understand no matter what your skill level.
The people who train at MG are also some of the best in the world. Many students there compete in IBJJF tournaments and are a great wealth of information. Training with a partner is the best way to learn and the caliber and variety of people available to you here will help you develop your skills.
The facilities are some of the best I’ve seen in NYC. The mat space is large, open, and clean. The showers are clean. As alluded to earlier, sometimes locker rooms and mats get crowded but that’s to be expected when you’re training at the Mecca of BJJ. If you want thinner crowds, come in the mornings.
I highly recommend this gym to anyone looking to pursue BJJ in NYC.

I’d give MG six stars if I could. I visited NY for a month and asked if I could train here (no gi). They not only have a variety of visitor passes, you’re immediately made to feel part of the family… the coaches show no favoritism to older and more familiar faces. I had the chance to receive instruction under all the coaches, who are top notch, but ended up spending the most time under Paul Schreiner and Bernardo Faria. They’re super-​technical and their instruction is exemplary. My only regret is that they weren’t around on the last day of my visit so I could personally thank them. Thank you Paul, Bernardo, Matheus and, of course, Marcelo!

Marcelo is one of the best in the world! You likely won’t find a facility this large in NYC for a reasonable rate with World Class BJJ. They also have showers so that is great too! 40 dollars for a whole day is not bad at all with this level of skill!

World Class Gi Instruction from «Munch» Khera and No Gi from the Legend himself Marcelo Garcia. Team Marcelo Garcia are true professionals both on and off the mat, but make no mistake, it’s a room full of killers. Leave your ego at the door as you are welcomed onto the mat. Be ready to learn and roll hard as all belts are encouraged to apply techniques taught. If dropping in for a class, go early — Phil will have some paperwork for you to sign. Good locker room with showers. It was one of my best experiences in NYC. The day I was there, multiple Black Belts shared the mat, as well as World Champion and IBJJF Hall of Famer Fabio Gurgel. In addition, World Champion and Top Ranked UFC Fighter Demian Maia trained hard in preparation for an upcoming UFC match. I look forward to my next visit. Mahalo Marcelo! Aloha

I have been training with Marcelo since 2010 and have nothing but great things to say about the whole experience. The instructors are great — most of the classes I take are taught by Paul and he really explains things thoroughly and helps out with any additional questions or challenges. My whole crew of ladies there are especially wonderful and talented.
The mats are clean, and while the ladies’ locker room is a bit of a tight squeeze, it’s always clean.
The 7pm classes can get crowded but that just leads to a good selection of training partners!
As far as training options in the city, MGA is top notch. Everyone is friendly, it’s clean, and it’s the highest level of instruction. See you on the mat!

As good as it gets. Marcelo, Paul and Bernardo are all fantastic instructors. There is a stable of young, enthusiastic Black and Brown Belts that could each have schools of their own and possess more knowledge than most head instructors. Fantastic training partners. From top to bottom there are no easy rolls here…

Why train at Marcelo’s school?
— Professional and friendly staff
— A key ID to check in (how advanced!)
— tough as nails training partners from all over the world
— the most accomodating schedule I’ve ever seen at a jiujitsu academy
–immaculately clean mats
— learn techniques from Marcelo himself!
The few bad things are that it gets crowded and is expensive. But that’s like that with anything good from NYC. I recommend training here for anyone who’s serious about training Jiujitsu. You won’t regret it.

Exactly, as good as it gets. Marcelo never ceases to amaze. The level of instruction is just incredible. Marcelo, Paul, and Bernardo are world class. Paul is so technical in his explanation of every technique.
The place is beyond clean. They vacuum and clean in between classes. They are always cleaning. Marcelo is a regular Danny Tanner. He needs everything to be super clean at all times.
You can leave your cell phone on the side wall and worry not that someone will swipe it. In other words, your training partners for the most part are real class acts.
Marcelo is always smiling and very welcoming to even spectators who just come to watch.
Finally, everything used in this academy in top quality. They use Defense soap in the showers which is specifically meant to combat mat born gunk and sickness. They use awesome ice packs for those aches and pains. Etc. This is the place to train for BJJ.

Marcelo Garcia Academy is fantastic. The students here are dedicated and ready to do work to improve their Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu individually and collectively. The Professors are world class athletes and have a level of technical knowledge that is humbling and wonderful. If you’re visiting NYC and looking to get some solid training or if you’re planning a trip to NYC to check out all the amazing Jiu-​Jitsu Manhattan has to offer it’s essential that you add MGA to your itinerary. If you’ve got the time book a private with Paul «El Technico» Schreiner. It will change your game forever. If you’re looking to join an academy in NYC you’ve got a tough choice to make with MGA, Renzo and Shaolin all within 1 mile of each other. I’ve trained at all three academies and ultimately chose to join Marcelo Garcia Academy. I’ve been very happy with that choice and I think that choice is the most sincere recommendation possible.

Paul is a fantastic, experienced and enthusiastic instructor! Powerful energy in here and fun way to test your discipline. Lots of people of different ages, sexes and from all walks of life. Great way to sweat and learn techniques in life.

I’ve been here now for a few months and I’ve been holding off on writing a review until I felt like got to know the place. There are plenty of places in NYC to learn Jiu-Jitsu-it’s like Thai places near restaurant row. What really stands out about this place is the really high quality of instruction and the friendly environment.
There are three main instructors, Marcelo: The MAN himself, but he mostly teaches the upper level classes. So your other options are Paul Schreiner and Bernardo Faria, both world class level competitors and teachers and Bernardo is the number 2 ranked Heavyweight in the world. You have 3 world-​class black belts as instructional staff and they’re all nice and quick to answer questions, offer quick tips on how to fine tune technique. You’d be hard pressed to find black belts really get down to teaching a lot of beginner classes, much more the caliber that you find here.
On top of that I haven’t met anyone here that wasn’t just as nice as the instructors. Marcelo is known as one of the nicest guys in the game, if not the entire world and it seems like everyone follows his quiet, smiling lead. During the recent promotion ceremony-​where people from all over the country came there were numerous high level belts that went around shaking everyone’s hand whether you were a familiar face or a perfect stranger. THAT to me is what sets a good school apart from a GREAT one.

Great school and great atmosphere, I train here and one thing I can say is that your gonna learn from the best and a drama free zone just great jui jitsu…

As an observer, The Marcelo Garcia facility is large, bright, clean and well-​run.
The training area is large enough to accommodate a class of over 60 grapplers, and padded surfaces are apleanty.
Spectators can sit on the «window benches» and observe the efficiency of the class structure and the intensity of the sparring sessions.
Members as well as staff are incredibly friendly, outgoing and welcoming. It was really cool to see Marcello Garcia himself teaching classes.
Pick up a signed copy of his book while you are there, and he will probably sign it for you! For an active BJJ student, this gym is a must-​stop while visiting in NYC!

Hands down, best bjj/​grappling gym in the US.
I went there once for a trial class and met Marcelo. i wasn’t able to join at the time for a few different reasons.
I came back 6 months later and signed up. the day i walked in, i was greeted by the smiling assassin, himself.
Amazingly, he remembered my name. Thats the kinda guy he is.
Someone wrote: ”Marcelo is never there”. NOT THE CASE. He’s there in almost every class. if he’s not rolling with his students, his watching over, evaluating, critiquing, teaching… The man cares about his school. His academy is not a business… its his life. This fact pours out of every class and every lesson.
After class, him and his black belts sit around working in small groups answering questions and working through any movements you have questions on. These sessions alone are worth their weight in gold. its in kin to a private with these guys.
outside of all this and at the end of the day… Steel sharpens steel. In any given class, you’ll see 3 – 6 black belts, ²⁄₃ browns, 8 – 15 purples and a group of season blue belts that will make you reevaluate how good you think you are.
Best gym in the country.

For months and months I talked up a storm about how I was going to go down to New York City and train at Marcelo Garcia’s gym. For anyone who trains and lives the BJJ lifestyle, Marcelo is no stranger.
So when I came down I made sure I had two full days to train. Sadly I didn’t get to train with Marcelo as he taught the advanced classes and I was only carrying a four-​stripe white belt, but Henrique Rezende was just as great of an alternative, not to mention a super friendly guy to meet and chat with. What was interesting in the 8 classes I took as that Henrique taught the same set of techniques. This wasn’t a bad thing because it really focused on that specific area. Each class he would then add a few neat tricks here and there, which eliminates a lot of frustration the position had. That is after all what BJJ is about, chaining techniques and knowing that for every attack is a counter, and every movement provides options.
When it came to sparring I found that everyone here had a distinct style but still represented many of the techniques and style Marcelo’s been known for. I think I got hook swept to the ceiling several times. But, I represented by bringing out a few GBC tricks: P Still everyone that I met and chatted with here were great guys and were very friendly. For a school that welcomes a lot of visitors, they were surprisingly curious about where I came from and what I had to bring on the mat. Also now I’m obsessed with HOOK-​SWEEPS. It’s HOOKSWEEPS for everyone, even outside of the school!
The price was worth it and walking to his academy is surreal, you plow through the soup of humanity in times square and into a fancy building. But none of this reflects the man himself, when I got a chance to meet Marcelo I had never imagined him to be quite a soft spoken fellow, considering he can crush my throat like a tomato. He encouraged me to drop by more during my trip and even asked a few questions about my hometown.
The price seem steep compared to where I come from, but this school is located in Manhattan so I think it’s justifiable and wouldn’t question it if I trained there full time. I wish I could swing the $ 25 monthly to immerse myself on
.
Overall a memorable experience, even at the cost of my Prof yelling at me for wearing a «MG NYC» t-​shirt into Gracie Barra… haha. I’d love to come back years later when I’ve earned a cool purple hue on my belt and train for a good few weeks.

If you are serious about learning BJJ this is the place for you. The atomostphere is amazing, the instructors are top notch, and the level of training is about as elite as it gets. Leave your ego at the door and be humble enough to learn from your experiences. Marcelo Garcia teaches every day, and not only does he teach, but like every great instructor he rolls with his students as well which is a huge part of your success and learning curve. Marcelo also participates in all the warm up drills, and he is on top of his students to make sure they are applying the technique correctly.
Aside from the training, what makes training here so special is Marcelo the person. He is as down to earth and friendly as it gets. He cares deeply about his students as people and that means just as much as the training IMHO.