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About CNX BJJ

CNX BJJ is an independent guide to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu across Thailand. We research the scene city by city so you can find a gym, understand the basics, and train with confidence wherever you are in the country.

Who We Are

CNX BJJ is an independent guide to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu across Thailand. We are not a gym, a federation, or a marketing arm for any single academy. We are a small team that pays close attention to the Thai BJJ scene and writes about it for the people who matter most: the travellers, expats, and locals trying to work out where to train and what to expect when they get there.

The name comes from Chiang Mai, where CNX is the airport code, but the site covers the whole country. Whether you are looking at a long camp in Phuket, a few drop-in sessions in Bangkok, or a permanent home mat in Chiang Mai, the aim is to give you clear, honest information rather than a recycled list of gym names.

Our Mission

Our mission is straightforward: to be the most comprehensive and honest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu resource for Thailand. The scene here is growing quickly, and the information available to newcomers is scattered, outdated, or written to sell something. We want to fix that.

In practice that means four things working together. We build city guides that tell you what training is actually like in each place. We write gym guides that go beyond an address and a phone number. We cover the techniques and beginner content you need to make sense of a class. And we tie it all together so that someone arriving in Thailand with no idea where to start can find their footing in an afternoon of reading.

Our Editorial Approach

Everything on CNX BJJ starts with research. We look at where people train, which academies are active, how welcoming they are to visitors and beginners, and how they describe themselves against what others say about them. When we review a gym, the goal is to be useful and fair, not to flatter.

Honesty is the part we take most seriously. We would rather tell you that a gym is small, that the mat space is tight, or that a place runs mostly no-gi than pretend every option is perfect for every person. If a review is based on direct experience, we say so. If it draws on published information and contact with the gym, we say that too. You should always be able to tell where our information comes from.

We also try to keep the site current. Gyms change schedules, move premises, and sometimes close, so we date our pages and revisit them as we learn more. Before you travel or sign up anywhere, we encourage you to confirm the details directly with the gym, because no guide stays perfectly accurate forever.

What the Site Covers

CNX BJJ is organised around the questions people actually ask when they want to train in Thailand. The main areas are:

  • City guides. In-depth overviews of the BJJ scene in places like Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Phuket, plus a wider Thailand overview for those still deciding where to base themselves.
  • Gym guides and reviews. Practical write-ups that help you compare academies on the things that matter: atmosphere, schedule, class structure, and who each gym suits best.
  • Beginner content. Plain-English explanations of the fundamentals, starting with what Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is, so a first class feels a little less daunting.
  • Technique breakdowns. Clear explanations of common positions and submissions in our techniques library, written to support what you learn on the mat rather than replace your instructor.

Where We Are Headed

For now, CNX BJJ is a guide first and foremost. Looking further ahead, a physical Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Chiang Mai is part of the long-term vision for the project. We think the city deserves a welcoming, well-run mat, and building one would be a natural extension of the work we already do.

We want to be clear about that ambition without overselling it. It is an aspiration, not a confirmed opening, and we are not putting dates on something we cannot yet stand behind. Until that day comes, the most valuable thing we can do is help you find a great place to train among the gyms that already exist.

Get in Touch

CNX BJJ gets better when the people who train here help shape it. If you know a gym we have missed, you spot something out of date, or you simply want to share your experience, we would genuinely like to hear from you. The quickest way to reach us is through our contact page.

Not sure where to begin? If you are heading to the north, start with our Chiang Mai guide. If you are brand new to the sport, read what is BJJ first, then come back and pick a city.

Have a question or a gym to suggest?

We read every message and update the site as we learn more from the community.

Contact CNX BJJ

Frequently Asked Questions

No. CNX BJJ is an independent guide and is not owned by, or affiliated with, any single academy. We aim to cover the Thai scene as a whole rather than promote one club. A physical Chiang Mai academy is a long-term aspiration, but it does not exist yet and has no bearing on how we currently write about other gyms.
We start with the cities and regions where people actually train, then look at which academies are active, accessible to visitors and beginners, and reasonably well established. Coverage is based on research and what we can verify, not on payment. We would rather publish a smaller number of useful, honest write-ups than list every gym indiscriminately.
CNX BJJ is built by people with an interest in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the Thai training scene. We focus on what we can research and verify about each gym and city. Where a review is based on direct experience we say so, and where it is based on published information and contact with a gym we say that too.
Editorial coverage is not for sale. A gym cannot pay to be reviewed, to receive a higher rating, or to remove criticism. If any part of the site ever carries paid or affiliate arrangements, we will label it clearly so you can tell the difference between independent coverage and advertising.
Gyms move, change schedules, and open or close, so no guide is permanently accurate. We date our pages and update them as we learn more. Before you travel or sign up, confirm the latest schedule, pricing, and location directly with the gym, and let us know if something is out of date.
Not yet. A physical Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Chiang Mai is part of the long-term plan for CNX BJJ, but it is an aspiration rather than a confirmed opening. We are not announcing dates we cannot stand behind. For now, the best way to find a place to train is through our city guides.
We welcome it. If you train at a gym we have missed, or you spot something out of date or wrong, please get in touch through our contact page. Corrections from people who train at a gym are some of the most useful feedback we receive.