Westside BJJ
“I felt welcomed immediately by everyone going out of their way to say hi.”
Best Self-Defense Classes near Little Rock, AR
3 of these schools are based in Little Rock; the others serve Little Rock from towns including Maumelle (8 mi), Sherwood (10 mi) and Bryant (11 mi).
5 open weekends · all 9 rated 4.5+
Data verified October 16, 2026
We are still growing
There are too few quality options within 15 miles, so we have expanded area of coverage to up to 60 miles from you. This includes Little Rock and several other cities.
Rock City Mixed Martial Arts
“Th is a great place to train and the people there are really nice”
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Unity Martial Arts
“Great home environment ,happy staff a home of true Martial arts 🥋.”
Revolution Mixed Martial Arts
“I recommend Revolution to everyone be it exercise, self defense and the kiddos for after school activities.”
Danny Dring's Living Defense Martial Arts
“They give real instruction that helps all levels of people looking to train striking or ground work, and even for kids, all around best martial arts gym around”
Westside BJJ
“This gym has top-notch teachers, has a great kids program, is a beautiful, clean space to practice, and has some very impressive students!”
Short self-defense courses listed for Little Rock, AR are spread across the 9 cards on this page. Who each course is aimed at, where it runs and how often it repeats comes from the school itself, with ratings drawn from public reviews.
Area overview: Little Rock, AR
The 9 schools on this page are rated from 4.8 to 5.0 across 442 reviews; 3 have 50 or more reviews. The topics that come up most in reviews of the schools on this page are "skills", "atmosphere" and "confidence". 5 are open on Saturdays and 1 on Sundays. Domain records put 5 websites of the schools on this page at ten or more years old; the oldest dates from 2004. We have a website on file for all 9 of the schools on this page; 8 publish a contact page; 8 list a public email and 2 take bookings online. We count these figures across the schools on this page; distances are straight-line, and hours and prices change, so confirm the details with the school before you enroll.
Do the schools on this page travel out to Little Rock?
Many do. 3 of the 9 listed here sit in Little Rock and the others are within 25 mi, which matters less in this category because the instructor usually comes to your room. Ask about travel before you rule out a school on the address alone.
Westside BJJ
“I have had classes here as well as my kids, and couldn't be more impressed by the Westside crew!”
Diana Strong
“I am looking forward to building on the skills I learned today and becoming even stronger and that much more confident!”
Cabot Jiu Jitsu Academy
“If you want to learn self-defense in a safe family environment school then this is the place.”
Why these companies made our list
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