West Loop, Chicago · Kids, Teens & Adults
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and youth martial arts on W Randolph St. — beginners welcome every week.
Your first class is free — for you or for your kid. Booking takes two minutes, asks for no card, and you decide nothing until after you have trained.
What We Teach
Four tracks, split by age so nobody trains in the wrong room. Kids and teens get their own coaches and their own pace; adults get a real beginner on-ramp and, if you want it, an invite-only competition team. Every track starts with the same free class.
Ages 5–10
Built for focus, discipline, and confidence — not for wearing kids out. Classes run 45 minutes, four afternoons a week, with a stripe-and-belt system paced for young learners. Parents watch from the mat-side benches.
See kids class times →
Ages 11–14
The advanced youth track: real jiu-jitsu technique, live drilling, and enough challenge to hold a teenager's attention. Teens train with their own age group before moving into adult classes at 15.
See teen class times →
Ages 15+ · Beginners Welcome
Brazilian jiu-jitsu from the ground up — position before submission, gi and no-gi, mornings and evenings. Never trained? Fundamentals groups you with other first-timers. Ready to compete? There is an invite-only team.
See adult BJJ times →
Ages 15+ · All Levels
The art of eight limbs: punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, with pad rounds every class. Basics classes assume zero experience; intermediate and sparring nights are there when you want them.
See Muay Thai times →On the Mat
A snapshot of the Mon–Fri week: early BJJ, kids and teens at 5:30, adults at 6:30. Saturday classes and the full Muay Thai evening block are on the schedule page. Your first class is free whichever one you pick.
BJJ Fundamentals
All levels
Muay Thai Conditioning
All levels
BJJ Fundamentals
All levels
Muay Thai Basics
Beginner
BJJ Fundamentals
All levels
Kids Martial Arts
Ages 5–10
Teen Martial Arts
Ages 11–14
Kids Martial Arts
Ages 5–10
Teen Martial Arts
Ages 11–14
Kids Martial Arts
Ages 5–10
BJJ Intermediate
Blue belt+
BJJ Fundamentals
All levels
Competition Team
Invite only
BJJ Intermediate
Blue belt+
Open Mat (from 7 PM)
All levels
Your Instructors
Every Iron Lotus instructor has competed at a high level in their discipline and trained specifically to coach — not just to demonstrate.
Head Instructor · BJJ Black Belt
Two decades of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, black belt under Professor Romulo Barral. Pan-American no-gi silver medalist. Founded Iron Lotus in 2015 to create a serious but welcoming training environment in Chicago.
Muay Thai Coach
8 years of competitive Muay Thai in Thailand and the US amateur circuit. Trained at Fairtex Gym Bangkok for 3 years. Now coaching full-time with a specialty in technique refinement for intermediate strikers.
Kids Martial Arts Coach
BJJ purple belt and former elementary school physical education teacher. Sam combines martial arts fundamentals with child development principles to create classes kids actually want to attend.
Where four Iron Lotus members started, and where consistent training took them
Mat time, tournaments, belt nights, and the kids room
What Members Say
“I came in knowing nothing about BJJ, completely intimidated. Marcus spent the first month just teaching me to not panic on the ground. Three years later I’m a blue belt and competing regionally. The progression here is real. Iron Lotus changed my life.”
“Jana’s Muay Thai classes are no joke. She breaks technique down in a way I’ve never seen at any other gym — the mechanics behind why a kick works, not just where to put your foot. I’ve been training for 2 years and I’m still learning something every single class.”
“My 8-year-old started Sam’s kids class last year. The transformation in his focus, his confidence, and his attitude at school has been remarkable. Sam somehow makes it feel like playtime while actually teaching real martial arts. We couldn’t be happier.”
Membership Plans
No contracts, no sign-up fee, cancel any month. Try the room first — your trial class is free whether you join or not.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu access
All disciplines, unlimited classes
Striking & kickboxing access
Kids (ages 5–10) and Teen (11–14) memberships are $89/mo, and families training together get a discount on every additional member — ask at the front desk.
We serve Chicago
Iron Lotus is based in the West Loop and easily accessible from neighborhoods across Chicago. Members commute from all over the city to train with us.
Common Questions
Zero experience required. Our BJJ Fundamentals and Muay Thai beginner tracks are designed specifically for people who have never trained before. You'll be grouped with other beginners for your first few months and won't be thrown into advanced sparring before you're ready. Most people show up nervous and leave wanting to come back the next day.
For BJJ: athletic shorts and a t-shirt for your trial class. We'll loan you a gi if you want to try it. If you decide to join, you'll need to purchase a gi (we have recommended options). For Muay Thai: athletic shorts and a shirt. Hand wraps and boxing gloves are required — we have loaners for trial classes. For Kids classes: comfortable athletic wear.
BJJ belt progression is genuinely slow — that's part of the point. A blue belt typically takes 1.5 to 3 years of consistent training. At Iron Lotus, belts are earned through demonstrated technical knowledge, mat time, and sparring — not time alone. We don't give belts out on schedule; we give them when you've earned them. Kids classes use a separate, faster-paced belt/stripe system appropriate for youth progression.
Every Friday evening from 7–9 PM, the mats are open for unstructured rolling and drilling. No instruction, no curriculum — just training time. Members of all levels come, and visitors from other gyms are welcome with a $15 drop-in. It's the most social, relaxed training of the week and the best way to consolidate what you learned in class.
Blog
Straight answers for adults starting out and parents choosing a program
Parents enroll kids for self-defense and come back six months later talking about focus and attitude instead. Here is the mechanism behind it — and what to look for in a kids program.
Read MoreAn honest, minute-by-minute preview of a first class — the warm-up, the drilling, and what a coach is actually looking for from a beginner.
Read MoreOne is ground-based, one is striking, and most people pick based on what they have seen rather than what fits their goals. Marcus Ferro breaks down how to choose.
Read MoreBooking takes two minutes and asks for no card. Pick a class for yourself or for your kid, show up, train once, then decide. Classes run Monday through Saturday.
