Brooklyn Judo Academy

Sensei Barry is a passionate teacher who creates a great environment for both adult and kids’ classes. Everyone is extremely nice, and it’s very beginner-friendly—with a competitive path if you choose.

Great school. Barry is a great sensei and the classes are very fun and informative. The schedule is great for me and I think most people who work somewhat normal hours.

I've been bringing my 4-year-old daughter here for the past 6 months and have seen a clear improvement in her core strength, balance, discipline, and confidence, both in class and at home. She’s really embraced it. The environment is also incredibly supportive, especially for young girls. One of the instructors has three daughters in the same class, and she’s taken my daughter under her wing. It’s a great space for building skills and self-esteem in a positive, encouraging setting. I would recommend this to anyone thinking of starting their children early in Judo 🥋

I found Brooklyn Judo Academy over a year ago when I moved into Bay Ridge. I was looking to start training again after the COVID hiatus and settling in a new neighborhood. I want to start by stating that it is a bit intimidating to look for a new school to train, there are many aspects you have to look out for, cult environments, instructors with fake credentials, lack of hygiene in the mat rooms, yearly contracts, etc. However, I got very lucky when I met Sensei Barry. This is one of the most genuine people I have met in my entire life. He is kind, straightforward, caring, and gives up a lot of his own time to make sure you have everything squared away. What else can you want from an instructor? I signed up and began training. I felt right at home. Sensei Berry and Sensei Oscar, (who also exhibits the same qualities) put ALL their effort in making sure you’re doing the correct techniques, will work with you one on one, will watch over you, guide you and coach you until you succeed. One of my favorite aspects about this gym, is being treated and trusted as an adult, which means, you can work whatever technique YOU like and the one YOU want to get better at, and the coaches will only be happy, and guide you through it all the way. This club competes often, which is also great, it is fun to train, but its even better to test your skills on the mats against others. This is another aspect where BJA shines, the coaches are always present at competitions, cheering you on, recording, and having your back, win or lose, after which we all go out and talk about the experiences we had. I’ve made solid friends at this place, we train hard, we have fun, and we have each other’s backs. We are a family here, this is a TEAM environment for all ages, if you want to train for fitness, or if you want to get into competition shape here in our beloved Brooklyn, I truly think Brooklyn Judo Academy is the best place for it.

Sensei Barry & sensei Oscar are amazing human beings , great judokas I’m so happy my son is learning from top people in they’re sport and even more important very top in integrity