5 Best Martial Arts in New York (2026)

Masterskya is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym on Canal Street in Soho, built around modern BJJ concepts taught by black belts and experienced competitors. It runs classes for everyone from complete beginners to seasoned athletes, with a structured monthly curriculum that emphasizes fundamentals. The gym also hosts outside martial arts training events, and out-of-town visitors regularly stop in for a class or two while passing through the city.

Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Wall Street is the Financial District branch of the Renzo Gracie lineage, teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to both youth and adults. Its kids' program is large, structured by age group from 3 to 15, and runs seven days a week, while the adult program mixes beginners and advanced students under a sponsor system that pairs newcomers only with experienced training partners.

Anderson's Martial Arts Academy has taught martial arts in Union Square since 1996, offering Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Kali and Jeet Kune Do under one roof alongside a full strength-and-conditioning gym. Reviewers describe instruction from founder Dan Anderson as detail-oriented and unusually thoughtful about technique, with a community that mixes total beginners and professional fighters on the same mats.

Square Circle New York is a Financial District gym focused on traditional Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, run by a small team of coaches including Kru Rob. Classes are aimed at beginners through competitors, with the gym's reviewers repeatedly pointing to its emphasis on authentic Muay Thai technique rather than a generic kickboxing-class approach, plus a rooftop space overlooking the Financial District.

International Martial Arts Center has taught Taekwondo and Hapkido in Manhattan since 1994 under Grand Master Hahn, part of a lineage of five Grand Masters. It runs separate programs for kids, teens and adults, plus private training, with a focus on traditional forms alongside modern self-defense applications. Several reviewers have trained here on and off for decades, including some returning after moving away from New York.