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San Diego's Professional Jiu-Jitsu Academy

Try Something New,
Try Jiu-Jitsu

Instruction tailored to your experience level, whether you are brand new or a seasoned competitor.

Learn from world-renowned coaches in the most reviewed 5-star jiu-jitsu facility in the world. We will help you reach your goals faster.

Training at Legion American Jiu-Jitsu San Diego HQ
0+Beginner Course Graduates
0+Kids Training
0+5-Star Reviews
0Sqft of Mats
American jiu-jitsu vibes at Legion
Our Mission at Legion Jiu-Jitsu

Top-tier, structured jiu-jitsu instruction for everyone

Legion is a welcoming academy for all ages, from 4 to 65 and beyond. Whether you want to get in shape, learn self-defense, or compete at the highest level, you will find your place on our mats.

We pioneered the 5-Week Beginner Course, the friendliest way to start jiu-jitsu. You are guaranteed to start alongside other beginners, never thrown in with the sharks on day one.

Find out how to start →
The best way to start jiu-jitsu

Join Our 5-Week Adult Beginner Course

A structured on-ramp built specifically for people who have never trained before.

Legion beginner course curriculum
01

Secret Sauce Curriculum

Our 10-class curriculum features the essential techniques of jiu-jitsu, organized so concepts build on each other. It accelerates your learning and removes the randomness of typical classes.

Beginners starting together at Legion
02

Start With Other Beginners

At most gyms you are dropped into class with experienced students and left to figure it out. At Legion, every course starts on a set date, so everyone around you is on day one too.

Free Legion premium gi
03

Get Insane Bonus Perks

Every course member gets a free Legion uniform, lifetime access to class recordings, and access to our in-house gym area. We want you set up to succeed from the first class.

Legion is the most reviewed jiu-jitsu academy in the world

Read Some of the Reviews

Google
★★★★★
Rated Excellent, 5/5 based on 2000+ reviews
“

My family is learning so much. This is hands down the best martial arts gym we have ever been part of.

PM
Perfeita Monteiro★★★★★
“

Some of the best instructors in the world, and everyone is very welcoming from the moment you walk in.

VD
Victor Diaz★★★★★
“

No intimidation here at all. Everyone is smiling, helping each other, and genuinely happy to train.

ED
Emily DeLeon★★★★★
“

All the coaches are very clear and detailed. I have learned so much in such a short time here.

ND
Nicholas Deocampo★★★★★
Avoid a bad jiu jitsu first impression

Why Should Legion HQ Be the Place Where You Finally Try Jiu Jitsu?

Beginners at Legion AJJ

  • ✓Start with other beginners on day #1
  • ✓Get individual attention from coaches
  • ✓No membership contracts
  • ✓Get a free premium uniform
  • ✓Learn based on a 5-week curriculum
  • ✓Watch the 4K video curriculum

Beginners at “Random BJJ”

  • ✗Start with people who are way ahead of you
  • ✗Hope the instructor notices you
  • ✗Try a class, get pushed into a contract
  • ✗Buy a $150 dollar uniform
  • ✗Learn whatever the coach feels like showing
  • ✗Forget what you learned right after class
Legion has over 175 kids training, from ages 4 to 14

Give Your Child the Gift of Martial Arts

Ages 4 to 14Classes 7 days a week

Jiu-jitsu is a fantastic choice for kids. It builds confidence, discipline, and fitness in a safe, structured environment, taught by professional instructors who love working with children.

Classes are split by age group so every child trains with peers at their level, on a schedule that works for busy families.

Kids program info →
Kids jiu-jitsu program at Legion
Why do we only teach the world's fastest growing martial art?

The Many Benefits of Jiu-Jitsu

Physical Benefits

Jiu-jitsu is a kickass workout

Build cardio without the boredom of a treadmill. Gain functional muscle, improve flexibility, and lose weight while having so much fun you forget you are exercising.

Self-Defense Benefits

Gain real confidence

Learn skills that actually work against a resisting opponent. Build discipline and composure under pressure, and give kids the tools to deflect bullying before it starts.

Mental Benefits

Some call jiu-jitsu their "therapy"

Leave stress on the mats. Training builds resilience, sharpens focus, and plugs you into a supportive community that wants to see you win on and off the mats.

Legion employs over 10 pro coaches

Meet Our Instructors

Meet the full instructor team
Keenan Cornelius
Founder

Keenan Cornelius

  • 3rd degree black belt
  • Multiple-time world champion
  • Inventor of the lapel guard
View Keenan's bio →
Miha Perhavec
Beginner Course Director

Miha Perhavec

  • Judo and jiu-jitsu black belt
  • Best-selling author
  • Legion co-founder
View Miha's bio →
Sloan Clymer
No-Gi Instructor

Sloan Clymer

  • Keenan's 2nd black belt
  • Active pro MMA fighter
  • Pro jiu-jitsu competitor
View Sloan's bio →
Got questions? We have answers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Legion American Jiu-Jitsu?

Legion is San Diego's most-reviewed jiu-jitsu academy, in the Miramar and Mira Mesa area. We teach adults and kids, complete beginner to advanced, 7 days a week on 6,000 sqft of mats. Most adults start with our structured 5-week beginner course.

Where is Legion San Diego located?

We are on Miramar Road in the Miramar and Mira Mesa area of San Diego, with free on-site parking. Easy to reach from the 805, 15, and 52.

What is the 5-Week Beginner Course?

It is a structured 10-class introduction to jiu-jitsu, designed by our coaching team and refined over thousands of students. It compresses the foundational positions and submissions into five weeks, and you start alongside other beginners. A new course starts every 2 to 4 weeks.

I'm older, out of shape, or brand new. Is it right for me?

Yes, emphatically. The Beginner Course is designed exactly for people starting from zero, regardless of age or fitness level. You do not need any specific fitness level to start.

Do I have to spar on my first day?

No live free sparring (rolling) on your first day. The 5-Week Beginner Course does include specific sparring: safe, supervised, position-based practice where you work one situation at a time with a partner. It stays controlled and low-intensity, then gradually scales up as your skills grow, so you build real reflexes without ever being thrown to the wolves.

Does Legion have a kids program?

Yes. Over 175 kids ages 4 to 14 train at Legion, with classes seven days a week. The kids program runs on age-appropriate, game-based curriculum with a heavy focus on safety, respect, self-control, and anti-bullying skills. New families get a free trial class and a free intro class with one of our most experienced instructors.

How is Legion different from other San Diego jiu-jitsu gyms?

Four things set us apart: our founder Keenan Cornelius, a multiple-time IBJJF World Champion who teaches at the academy; our 5-Week Beginner Course that compresses months of learning into a structured arc; gi and no-gi classes every morning and night plus a thriving kids program; and our culture. We are also the most reviewed jiu-jitsu academy in the world.

Jiu-jitsu in San Diego

Your San Diego Jiu-Jitsu Gym on Miramar Road

Legion has been on Miramar Road for six years. You will find us at 7550 Miramar Road, Suite 330, in the Miramar and Mira Mesa part of San Diego, with free dedicated parking right in front of the door. Members come to us from all over San Diego, and most of them are on the mats within 15 minutes of leaving home or work.

If you live in Mira Mesa, we are about five minutes south. Service members at MCAS Miramar are about five minutes away as well. From Sorrento Valley it is roughly ten minutes, so people who work there can leave at 5:30 and still make the evening class. UTC is ten minutes east along Miramar Road and La Jolla is about twelve. Clairemont is a short run north up I-805, and Scripps Ranch families come down I-15 in ten to twelve minutes.

The people on our mats are a mix of San Diego locals. Some have never done a martial art, some compete, and plenty are parents who train in the same building as their kids. Adults start in the 5-week beginner course, so your first classes are with other beginners. Kids from age 4 train in their own age groups, and there are kids classes seven days a week.

Training fits around a San Diego work week. There are ten or more classes every day and most days we are open from 6am to 9pm, so early risers and late finishers both have a class to get to. A new 5-week beginner course starts every 2 to 4 weeks, and the full class times are on the schedule page.

Legion has more than 2,000 5-star reviews from members and visitors. If you are only in San Diego for a few days, you are welcome to drop in and train with us too.

Visitor information

Visiting San Diego for a Few Days? Come Visit!

We welcome visitors from across America and around the world. Our visitor policies are some of the friendliest anywhere. Come get a round in while you are in town.

See the map? Every pin is a visitor who dropped in to train. Add yours at the front desk when you come in.

Visitor info →
858-888-1815 7550 Miramar Rd, Suite 330, San Diego
Legion visitor pin map showing where members and visitors traveled from around the world
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