Yamasaki Jiu-Jitsu, DC

The good: 1.) The classes go very long and are much cheaper than other academies in DC (e.g, Beta); 2.) Luis places a big emphasis on basic technique and repetition that is very good for beginners; 3.) The class community is very close knit and hosts regular events outside of the gym. The bad: Luis’ style/​personality is very abrasive, particularly toward beginners. He regularly yells at and belittles white belts for no good reason in my opinion (e.g., vacuuming the floors wrong).

I’ve been training at Yamasaki DC for about 3 and a half years now. Luis is a very detail-​oriented instructor who holds his students to a high standard. Excellent training partners from every belt level. Overall a friendly, supportive environment to learn and excel at BJJ.

I travel to DC for work on a regular basis. From the various BJJ academies in the area, this is my preferred place to train away from home. I credit this great find to Luis, the instructor, with leading such a strong group of students and placing the emphasis on technique.
The most important thing for a BJJ gym that I care about is the attitude and camaraderie of the students. After all, these are the people that you will be entrusting your safety with while having a good time in training. This gym has a very friendly group of students that practice with incredible attention to technique.
(To preface a bit with why this is so refreshing — I’m a light-​feather female that has previously had her MCL blown through on one and cervical vertebrae compacted by an illegal neck crank on another occasion by some very rough training partners elsewhere that did not have this level of awareness…)
I liked that both boys and girls were comfortable with rolling with each other here and everyone got great training and experience out of the diversity. Really appreciated that everyone made me feel so welcomed. I plan on returning every chance I get for my numerous upcoming trips to DC.

This place is great. I trained here for not very long but it was wonderful. It’s a great group of people and a very good work out. It was at once challenging and comfortable to train here. I would definitely recommend trying it out!

Excellent school: respect, dedication, comradery. I was away in D.C. at a work conference and hoping to get some training in while out of town. I contacted several local schools and Yamasaki was by far the most helpful and accommodating. The training environment was great. As a female who trains BJJ, being treated with respect and accepted is not always standard operating procedure, but everyone at this school was fantastic on that level. The drills were good and techniques taught were solid. Had a chance to roll with several males, a few females, and even the teacher took the time to roll with me. A really great experience and definitely where I would choose to train if I ended up in D.C. or the surrounding area.

Before joining up with Yamasaki Academy DC I shopped around to make sure I found the best fit for me and can happily say this is my top choice for many reasons. Luis Pantoja does a fantastic job, not just leading, but really teaching BJJ. He grounds the lessons with fundamental principles and keeps a professional and friendly school running very smoothly. The students are dedicated and in every single class the white belts (myself included here, we’re always outnumbered) are actively engaged with more advanced students to challenge and improve our skills. This is the perfect balance of serious training for people of all abilities (men and women) with a friendly and open community. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the DC area.

I’ve been training at Yamasaki DC for about 2 years. We have a great tight knit group of people that love hanging out and training together.
Luis is a great instructor and heavily emphasizes technique above everything else. The gym is the most easily accessible BJJ gym in the DC metro area — literally across the street from the Woodley Park Metro stop.
I highly recommend trying it out and giving it a shot. BJJ and Yamasaki DC has changed my entire life and I look forward to every class.