10th Planet Jiu Jitsu San Mateo
“Great instruction, great rolls, great group of BJJ practitioners at all levels.”
Best Self-Defense Classes near South San Francisco, CA
2 of these schools are based in South San Francisco; the others serve South San Francisco from San Francisco (7 mi) and San Mateo (9 mi).
14 open weekends · all 15 rated 4.5+
Data verified October 16, 2026
AB Mixed Martial Arts Academy
“Great gym great community I met some of the best people here.”
Evolve Training Center
“Coach Angelo, Coach J, Coach Mark, and Coach Armand know how to push you while making sure you feel supported, no matter your fitness level.”
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Romulo Melo Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
“He's always smiling, positive, and genuinely happy to be on the mats, which creates an incredible training environment.”
Colhado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
“As a beginner, he was nervous and didn't want to go, now he has more confidence and look forward to all his classes.”
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Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu
“I've been at this school for about two months now, and it's been awesome!”
Short self-defense courses listed for South San Francisco, CA are spread across the 15 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: South San Francisco, CA
The 15 schools on this page are rated from 4.7 to 5.0 across 1,127 reviews; 8 have 50 or more reviews. The topics that come up most in reviews of the schools on this page are "atmosphere", "skills" and "community". 13 are open on Saturdays and 4 on Sundays. 2 have a BBB rating of A or A+. 10 have ten or more years of experience, the longest 45 years. 1 is family- or locally-owned and 1 lists coupons or special offers. We have a website on file for all 15 of the schools on this page; 12 publish a contact page; 12 list a public email and 5 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 South San Francisco?
Many do. 2 of the 15 listed here sit in South San Francisco and the others are within 10 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.
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Marco Nascimento Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
“If you're looking for a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy with outstanding instruction, a flexible schedule, and an incredible community, I can't recommend Marco Nascimento Brazilian Jiu Jitsu highly enough.”
Empire Jiu Jitsu
“Enjoyed the class, felt looked after by students and the professor, enjoyed rolling”
Alliance BJJ SF Bay
“Being part of the Alliance family has been a privilege—my teammates and the people in my academy are not just skilled but also supportive and inspiring”
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Bay Jiu-Jitsu
“You feel the lifelong passion in his words of encouragement for his students.”
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Charles Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy
“They strike the perfect balance between discipline and fun, ensuring the kids are learning proper technique while also developing confidence, respect, and focus.”
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Aikido By the Bay
“Very kid friendly and helps build valuable life skills.”
Peace of Mind
“He will figure out what small muscle needs to be worked on whats tight, include aspects from martial arts, to calisthenics and come up with a training regimen to fix those”
Bill Grossman's School of Kenpo Karate
“I walked into the door 6 months ago at the age of 46 and feel like I have accomplished a lot.”
Quantum Martial Arts
“As an adult learning martial arts for the first time I couldn't have asked for a safer space to do so.”
Why these companies made our list
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