Port City Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — Local services in Newington

I started training Jiu Jitsu on 9/16/2009 at Seacoast MMA and transition to Port City BJJ upon opening in 2010. PCBJJ has the top ingredients I recommend to others looking for an academy to start their own journey. Black Belt Lineage (Roberto Maia – Boston BJJ), Training (Competition and Hobbyist), Environment/Community (try a class and get a sense for how it ‘feels’ – Is everyone welcoming? Is the energy positive? Are partners helpful?) and Instructors (Are they teaching techniques that work, competition and/or self-defense proven?).

I’ve been with PCBJJ through 5 academy locations, and while our current is the most impressive (to me) with respect to mat space, cleanliness, location…the vibe has never change. Everyone comes to train and help each other improve as martial art practitioners as well as humans.

While I enjoyed and learned from attending seminars in the past, I found those (to me) were more about meeting new people and expanding my BJJ family. While the techniques, to be honest, we have world class instructors at Port City. Our instructors compete (or competed) and win at the State, Regional, National and World level, while one literally watches at least 1000 hrs of video a year and can actually translate the video to techniques talk in class. If I want to learn anything, no matter how new it may be to the sport, I can ask another of our instructors. They will either know it and teach or, or admit they do not know it, but research, learn and teach it later. You can’t put a price on such skillful, humble instructors.

As for the community, I truly consider Port City a part of my family. We all come from different walks of life, which has personally helped me broaden my perspectives, compassion, appreciation, and respect for others across the board. Whether you are part of the ‘morning’ or ‘night’ crew (or even both for those splitting days or doing double sessions) you become part of a community within a community and truly become a family. We take our art seriously and we have fun. Strangling your partner and/or friend in class may not sound like fun to those that have yet to train, but when you start training and share the experience, you will understand how much fun you truly can have while improving as an overall human. That said, I truly hope you take the first step to enter an academy and start your journey. While I highly recommend Port City BJJ as that academy, I respect anyone that takes that difficult first walk through the door in any academy. Hope to see...

Amazing gym! Great instructors, great people, and great classes — I only have good things to say about Port City! I’ll definitely be coming back.

I came in with little to no experience as a white belt, and from the moment I walked through the door, I was blown away by how friendly and welcoming everyone was. During training, people constantly went out of their way to show me techniques, offer helpful tips, and make sure I understood what was going on. I learned so much from every single person there.

I trained for about 2–3 months before life got busy, and I forgot to cancel my membership. When I realized it a couple of months later, I called the gym expecting the worst — but they were incredibly understanding and went above and beyond to help me out. Not only did they cancel my account with no hassle, but they even offered me a credit. That level of integrity and care says a lot about who they are.

Port City truly stands out — both on and off the mats. Highly recommend this gym to anyone looking to train in a positive, supportive, and high-quality...

After an extended break from martial arts and a move, I was very happy to find Port City BJJ. As a former fighter, I dreaded my first class as I expected to have a target on my back and none of the cardio to protect myself. Instead, I found a group of people that were welcoming, eager to learn, and had none of the ego/culture of a fight gym. Speaking on the morning classes in particular, people simply want to get better at BJJ, get a workout in, and get home. If you find yourself in the area and looking for a gym, I'd highly...