I trained at Mat Chess MMA for over 4 years while I lived in Seattle before moving to Austin. Before I came to Mat Chess, I had very little experience in training martial arts besides a bit of wrestling growing up. Andrew Perkins is the head instructor who has a SYSTEM for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and teaches this system from the ground up (no pun intended). Over the next few years, I became a part of a fantastic community. This gym has a culture of learning and a playful training environment, while also being filled with high level competitors of all ages. There are no machismo or unfriendly attitudes tolerated on the mats. I had the honor of competing under the Mat Chess MMA banner many times, as a white belt, then a blue belt, and then as a purple belt, and my success in performance was a direct reflection of how amazing the instruction and training is at this gym. If you are looking to start learning BJJ, wrestling, or striking, Mat Chess MMA is the gym for you. If you already train, and you are looking to develop a systemic understanding of grappling to compete at a higher level, this gym is for you. If you are simply looking to become a part of a community and grow your self confidence, this gym is for you. Thank you to Mat Chess MMA and Andrew for everything that you have given me. I wouldn't be who I am today without it.

Mat Chess is a top tier school and training environment! I’ve been training almost 14 years, and head instructor Andrew Perkins is a tremendous jiujitsu mind with a stellar teaching style. He has a broad base of knowledge and is deeply skilled at communicating that knowledge. Plus, the room is filled with high quality, skilled and positive training partners. Highly recommended.

To anyone considering joining this MMA gym, I highly recommend you do. They will treat you right and take care of you. The head coach has made this space into a fantastic place to learn the disciplines of striking and grappling. These guys and gals are my friends. And anyone joining this gym will make good friends here too. To anyone new, the benefits of picking up BJJ, wrestling, and Muy Thai are phenomenal. You will be stronger mentally and physically and you will gain critical self defense capabilities that only come from this kind of training.

Andrew and Sen are incredible people running two beautiful businesses, coffee and jiujitsu. I dropped into their open mat and spent over an hour experiencing some of the best jiujitsu training of my life. Their coffee shop Seattle Sunshine Coffee has a peaceful vibe to top off the whole visit. I highly recommend this gym to any visitors and residents of the area.

Where to even begin? The coaches are all amazing in both knowledge and clarity of teaching while managing to not be too intimidating. The community this gym has fostered is incredibly supportive of one another and every person you train with will meet you where you are in your combat sports journey and push you where you want to go. If you're only interested in one class a week you're more than welcome to do so; if you're planning on competing the competition team is outstanding here as well. Could not recommend this gym enough!

An amazing MMA gym with a great atmosphere. Andrew is such a great coach and constantly emphasizes respect for others. You will find a bunch of people here showing up to support one another in their training. The price is also fantastic for what you get, and the training is top notch. I'm very grateful to Andrew and the team for my time at Mat Chess!

My kids have been at Mat Chess in both Jiujitsu lessons and the after school program for almost two years. We stayed in Seattle for an extended sabbatical and the kids didn't even speak English when we arrived, which made it very difficult for them socially. Being at Mat Chess in this wonderful environment contributed greatly to their confidence and their social skills. Sen and Andrew are amazing! They are extremely professional and the kids acquired impressive techniques very quickly. They are also great with kids and have plenty of patience. The kids simply loved the place, enjoyed every moment, and didn't want to go back home at the end of the day.

I started jiu jitsu for the first time at Mat Chess while in Seattle for the summer, and it has been an incredible experience! Andrew is a highly effective and clearly passionate instructor who is super nice and welcoming to new students. He teaches techniques in sequences, where you learn groups of moves and positions that build on each other. Even as a beginner, you get to start thinking about what situations will work for the moves you know, and how to try and how to navigate to those situations in a live round. Andrew also really emphasizes body mechanics and how things should feel, which is really helpful. The people at the gym are very friendly and respectful to everyone. I definitely got tossed around a lot, but never felt intimidated or uncomfortable. There's also a smaller group of students that run morning classes on the weekdays, which were great for learning and practicing basics and techniques outside of what we were doing in afternoon class. Mat Chess definitely got me excited to continue grappling, and I really really hope to be able to come back :)

Andrew and the rest of the Mat Chess team were super welcoming when I dropped in for their open mat while visiting from out of town. There was a good turnout and lots of good rolls to be had. Andrew also went out of his way to provide instruction to my cousin, who I convinced to come try BJJ for the first time. I will definitely be back next time I’m in Seattle!

Look no further, Mat Chess is hands down the best Mixed Martial Arts Gym in Seattle. Andrew, the teacher, is a knowledgable, skilled and all around a great person. There is a strong sense of community at this gym that I fell is truly impressive. Everyone has a positive attitude and is working hard to become better. This gym is competitive by nature but also friendly and welcoming to all. The first class is free for new people, so give it a try. If you are looking for a place to learn and grow, while also having some fun along the way, then come check out Mat Chess Mixed Martial Arts.

I've been to their weekend open mats twice now and this place is absolutely amazing. Andrew and everyone at this gym are super welcoming. The rolls are always super tough and technical. Andrew also gave me some really great technical advice after our roll and I can't wait to implement that in my game! I'll be back here for sure.

I highly recommend training at Mat Chess if you are anywhere near the area! I joined for the Jiu Jitsu class and the instruction by Andrew was very in depth and thought out. The athletes were very friendly and welcoming with drilling/rolls. The facility was large and clean, a solid gym.

My experience with matt chess was nothing less than amazing. The coaches and other members were very respectful and the environment of the area was very welcoming for new people wanting to try out bjj. This place is also good for people wanting a new gym to start or continue fighting. Many talented fighters to train with and get better with. Great place to fight at every level from beggining to professional

Love this place. As a middle aged guy with a family and career i needed a place to train in the mornings, and this fit the bill as they have classes as early as 530 AM for striking and jiu jitsu 6 to 7 am. Matt teaches the morning classes and he is great. He gives hand on instruction and is detail oriented and keeps the class environment easy for anyone of all training backgrounds to train. Andrew the head instructor is one of the best you'll find. Roy and Sean teach kickboxing and boxing respectively and also do an amazing job. High quality people all around. Can't say enough good things about this place. So if you wanna lose weight, develop martial skills, make great friendships and level up all around then this gym is for you.

Visited Seattle and dropped in for a night. Andrew and Jacob are welcoming and hospitable. A good culture of athletes who take care of their training partners and appreciate the arts. I would definitely come back in the future.

Definitely the best MMA gym I’ve gone to. The classes are great for all levels of experience. With the BJJ and wrestling it was amazing because they were teaching you how to utilize the techniques in rolling instead of just showing how to do the technique. And in the boxing and Muay Thai they had great sparring for both amateurs and more experienced fighters. They also have a good amount of gear that you can borrow for practice so if you are just beginning and don’t want to invest in expensive gear yet they will still be able to accommodate you. The instructors are also amazing and will help you with any questions you have while learning the techniques. Over all a great gym and I would recommend it to anyone.