I have never practiced sports before and joined Team Fabio Clemente in 2017, starting with classes 2x a week in the mornings. What I found here is a great environment, with top and dedicated coaches and teammates that are super invested in helping you improve and keep a healthy and vibrant community around the gym. The instructors are active competitors, with multiple accolades in international competitions, but still manage to be patient, kind, and super fun coaches. The head instructor, Fabio Clemente, is a living legend on this sport and a Jiu-Jitsu walking encyclopedia. The gym is always clean, has good showers, and is super close to the Union Square subway. I started with 2 classes per week but soon enough was doing 5, 6 and over the past few years have joined the team competing in tournaments in NYC and NJ.

This is an excellent gym for beginners and higher belts looking to join a gym with a positive culture and excellent instruction. I started training here as a new white belt ~7 months ago. As a first gym, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The people that train here and the instructors are--to a person--dedicated, humble, and intellectually curious. Color belts and instructors are always willing to help white belts improve, answer their questions, and drill/roll with them. Often as a white belt, I will find myself at open mat rolling with Brown/Black belts, who are always happy to give detailed feedback on tweaks, details, and improvements to my moves. My understanding is that this level of feedback is not the norm across gyms and is a testament to the culture here, which promotes an attitude of helping to develop newer people. After bringing a friend that has trained at several gyms over the last few years, he was likewise impressed with the humble and collaborative attitude of the people here at Fabio Clemente. The beginner classes frequently have two instructors and ~10-15 participants meaning that you get lots of personalized direction and attention which helps to accelerate your progression and ensure you are not improperly drilling complex movements. Typically, beginner classes include ~ 15min of warmup/individual drills, ~30min of paired drills, and ~15min of specific sparring. I highly encourage anyone interested in the sport or looking to switch gyms to give Fabio Clemente a shot!

I've been training at Team Fabio Clemente for 2 months now and as a newbie to BJJ, or any form of martial art, I can't say enough about how welcoming & professional Fabio's program is. I had a friend introduce me to BJJ, but the gym he trained at was out of the way for me. For moral support, he joined me for my first training at Fabio's which was near my office, and after that training session my friend said, "This is definitely the place you want to learn". He couldn't have been more right. Fabio, Babs & Mike are all welcoming to beginners, extremely skilled/knowledgeable & they have amazing structure to their trainings. Each beginners session has a hand-full of non-white belts that support the class so you feel like you're getting personalized training. Without fail, I get a great workout while learning the fundamentals every time. If you're a first timer, I'd recommend calling ahead and talking to either Zata or Vedha - Fabio's children. I was able to schedule a 30 minute intro with Zata before my first training & it helped me hit the ground running. All in all, this gym is filled with good people and has a great vibe. I can only talk from my perspective as a beginner, but I'm looking forward to my growth in BJJ at Team Fabio Clemente.

I came to Fabio’s academy as a purple belt in 2017, when I was looking for a new place to train. Since day one everyone treated me like a member of their family. The level of instruction and training partners is also high and I can definitely say that my skills improved a lot. So if you want to improve your jiu jitsu and meet a lot of great people this is your place to go!

Great training atmosphere. Would highly recommend beginners thinking of trying out Brazilian Jiujitsu. I started training not knowing a single thing a year ago and never have been at a loss for help and support from other students and coaches. Their passion comes through well and gets you excited. Good mats and clean facilities with showers.

Having been to several other BJJ academies over the years, it's refreshing to arrive here as an outsider and be welcomed. Other places I've been were not welcoming at all to non-locals. So, if you're in NY on business/short term this is the go to place for you. Not only because of the very friendly/welcoming environment, but because of their very robust schedule. Professor Zata and Pedro are great instructors. They also have a brown belt female named Vedha that works here for any women that have concerns about fitting in. Professor Clemente has also been very welcoming, friendly and surprisingly humble. There is much to learn here so I hope to see you all on the mat! P.S. Vedha is really hot.

One of my best drop-in experiences. Attended a few 7am classes, found the morning crew to be a welcoming, fun, and very skilled community. Class was split into warmup drilling, then technique review + drilling, then a few rolls. Great instruction, and upper belts that knew the technique or drilling well were helpful once we split into pairs. This gym is spotless and has excellent bathroom and shower facilities.

Amazing gym with world class instruction from high level competitors including masters world champion Pedro Fernandes and no gi world champ Vedha Toscano! Friendly atmosphere in this family run gym

Been training here for six years. Real family vibe. My two younger brothers train here with me, the gym is owned by a family, there are other families that train here. The classes are of a medium size so the coaches know you by name and pay attention to your personal growth , but there are a lot of different training partners so you get a wide range of sparring opportunities. I started as a white belt and the Fundamentals classes are fun, safe, and easy to follow

This gym has been my home away from home. I have been training here for over 2 years. The class size is about 15 students. What I like is that there is always a high ranked black belt on the mat with you at all times. Fabio has pushed me to new levels in my BJJ. I also like that they have classes 7 days a week.

Accomplished, disciplined, and down to earth instructors. A clean and healthy training space with a tight-knit but welcoming community. Good class variety for all skills and goals. Everything you could want in a BJJ training space.

Amazing atmosphere, a great gym to learn and develop on all levels. Huge shoutout to the great instructors that have made this experience one of a kind. I highly recommend this gym!

I’ve been training here for a few years now and it is a great place to train. The environment is very welcoming. I came in as a blue belt after taking some time away from bjj but I felt at home from day 1. The instruction is detailed and instructors are always willing to help with whatever questions I’ve had. I’d recommend Fabios for anyone looking to train casually or competitively. On top of the instruction, the facility is also very clean

I can't recommend Fabio Clemente's enough. Not only is the jiu jitsu instruction top notch, but with the help of his kids (Zata & Vedha), Fabio has fostered a tremendously communal atmosphere in the gym. Whether you're an experienced competitor or someone stepping on the mats for the first time, the level of instruction and quality of training partners is unmatched. Top to bottom this is a world class facility.

We absolutely love these guys! Our 7 year old daughter has some sensory issues and can sometimes be a challenge, but the team here worked so well to support her. This is such an incredible sport for young children!

My two boys (10 and 8) were interested in Capeoria. I’m always interested in expanding their experiences and I am so glad that we did. The classes at Studio X are small, so they get a lot of personal attention. Their instructor is teaching them advanced moves. Challenging them to advance themselves with moves like the Au Batido, but still focusing on the core moves and keeping the entire class involved. I love when I pick them up after class and they are excited to show me what they have been learning. They love mixing up their week by taking some of the kids jiujitsu classes as well. Which happens to be taught by a world champion black belt. A mix of conditioning, training and games makes the class fun and exhausting. I’m so happy to add these classes to my boys already busy week. They get more than just a work out. They take such pride in their accomplishments from these Brazilian martial arts classes.

Great group of instructors. Everyone takes their time explaining the different moves that we practice. There is a definite family vibe at this studio. It’s also not overwhelmingly large so you don’t feel like an irrelevant member of a much larger organization. The instructors are also world class champions on their own right so a great group to learn from.

Amazing team offering the best that BJJ can be. I am in my late 50's with kids; been training here for over two years. I never thought I would be doing the things I do; but the instructors carefully introduced me to the skills needed to learn BJJ. Community is inclusive and warm. Kids program is thoughtful and strong. Studio is always impeccably clean. Couldn't ask for a better place to train.

Studio X / Checkmat NYC has been my home since Spring 2019. Growing up training jiu-jitsu in central Jersey before moving to NYC, this was my first opportunity to join & commit to a team by my own choice and standards--I wanted to think carefully about my decision. After trying out training at several schools in Manhattan, including Unity and Renzo Gracie Midtown, I found a perfect fit with Fabio Clemente's team in the East Village. The gym has a fantastic environment, with a healthy mixture of hobbyists, active color belt competitors, and two Black Belt World Champion instructors, Vedha Toscano and Pedro Fernandes. Fabio Clemente, the gym's founder, was the first practitioner of jiu-jitsu in New York City, giving the studio a rich history and many connections to high level instructors and competitors, both of which are recognized and respected to this day. Whether your goals are bringing your technique to a higher level by way of individualized, careful instruction, pursuing a craft in a community of like-minded individuals, or simply having fun while learning what your body is capable of, Team Fabio Clemente is the perfect choice.

Beat place to train in NY. Instructors and students are all very friendly and welcoming. It’s great for Gi and No-Gi. There are multiple classes each day for all different levels. Each professor takes their time to give each student feedback and has their own unique teaching style.

I love this gym! I’ve been training at Fabio’s for a little over a year and have learned so much. The instructors are poised, caring and masterful and the students have been welcoming and supportive. I’ve made so many friends and always leave more grounded and even more excited to come back.

Awesome place to train the finest BJJ ever in NYC. Always there when in town. Haroldo Mac Dowell, CMT Coral Belt.

Great instructors, great gym, and very friendly - feels like family. I’ve learned a lot here and would highly recommend this gym!

I have been coming to StudioX for a little over a month, and have only had excellent experiences here! As someone with an athletic background but extremely inexperienced in a combat sport, the No-Gi Fundamentals have helped me to learn the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, make some great acquaintances, challenge myself physically and mentally, and learn a new skill for life. Facilities are great, the coaches are world-class, and the quality of the students is great; no jerks and egos are left at the door. Would give this 6 stars if I could!

Having trained at several high level schools across the US, I feel lucky to train at Studio X now. It’s a great gym all around, high quality instruction, fun friendly environment—clean and safe mats—very welcoming especially for women. It’s truly a gem.