Our Mission
​At the cornerstone of our gym’s mission is our commitment to building an unequivocally inclusive, fun, and community-driven culture. Located on H Street NE in Washington DC, Underworld BJJ is one of the few places where children, parents, hobbyists, competitors, and complete beginners can all find a place to belong under one roof.
To us, jiu jitsu has always been about the people.
In a world that is becoming increasingly divided and disconnected, Underworld serves as a crucial community rooted in human-to-human connection in Washington DC.
Our gym is a place where we can be physically together, learn a tangible skill, sweat in each other's faces, and laugh until we can't breathe.​ For some, these mats are the only space where they can be fully present and let go of the outside world.
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Our little Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym on H St NE is a tapestry of every member or visitor that has ever walked through our doors, and we can't wait for you to join our story.​
the vibe
We'll actually know your name.
We're in here to train, learn, and get a good workout in, of course. But we prioritize real human relationships first and foremost.
We're passionate about the sport, but we're also interesting people off the mats!
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​We travel together, we earn medals together, we celebrate birthdays, engagements, weddings, and even the occasional baby together.
Many of us love this sport for the mental puzzle of it all, and enjoy nothing more than tinkering with technique together on a Saturday afternoon.​​
We take training seriously, not ourselves.
We'll be upside down 90% of the time. We'll be laughing. We'll be working hard, winning medals, and sweating... but we'll party hard too.
For kids, we've got tons of leaderboards: some that reward individual good behavior, leadership, and kindness, some that reward smart, excellent jiu jitsu as a team in Percy-Jackson-style houses named after the Gods. And some that reward the entire class with movie nights or Nerf Battles. No shortage of motivation here.
For adults, trust that you'll find us at Chili's after a local competition.
We teach jiu jitsu as a physical and mental puzzle.
In our gym, we don’t enforce any singular approach to the sport, but instead, allow you to be inspired by moves that make the most sense for you own body, and follow your own curiosities.
To us, the mark of an advanced student is how much of their own personal identity is embedded into their jiu jitsu game, and how well they can creatively adapt and problem-solve in the moment under pressure.
The owners are actually your neighbors who live on H St NE themselves.
We're a small business where the owners, Aidan and Danielle, live directly across the street and are present at the gym every day. We have the largest women's BJJ program in DC, and are also the only jiu jitsu gym with a female owner in Washington DC.
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Having Danielle as a Head Coach means that all our students get to learn from a female role model and an actual World Champion-- the only reigning one in DC, and the #1 ranked grappler at her belt and weight in the world.
Our Story
When Danielle started jiu jitsu, she weighed all of 82 lbs of skin and bones. Common sense would tell anyone that she was not built for a combat sport-- the closest she had ever come to being an athlete was as an actor pretending to be one. She was quite literally 100 lbs lighter and most of a foot shorter than the average jiu jitsu practitioner, which is simply the average sized man, since 89% of jiu jitsu athletes are men. Moments of self doubt often left her in tears, but she persisted through this Sisyphean journey of learning how to get back up after those failures largely due to the community surrounding her.
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Aidan came from a rugby background, where he was used to running full speed into another human being double his size to try to tackle them. Many injuries later, he found himself landed in Washington DC, and found friends in 24 hours because of this gym.
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Aidan and Danielle met while doing jiu jitsu. Their first date was spent on the mats drilling half butterfly guard. Their second date took place at this very gym, sparring and laughing until they physically couldn't anymore. They fell in love right here on these mats and their entire story from meeting until marriage is woven with the fabric of jiu jitsu in every element.
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When the stars aligned in a way that allowed them to become to the new owners of this little gym on H St NE, they made the second easiest decision of their lives after agreeing to marry each other, and took the leap into small business ownership.
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Being Greek mythology (and Hadestown) nerds, the couple saw it fit to name the gym after the story of Orpheus and Eurydice: a tale of love, community, risk, and taking leaps for the things you love.
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Today, the gym is home to hundreds of neighbors, friends, and families in Washington DC, and their wedding invite list (unfortunately for their budget) continues to grow as the gym grows, too.
Our Core Values
Community & Connection
Underworld BJJ seeks to become an organic "third space" for people in search of community, and friendships H St NE.
Belonging & Inclusivity
Our mission is to create a home in combat sports for everyone, regardless of their age, gender, or ability.
Resilience & Courage
BJJ is the vehicle by which we teach our students that confidence comes from persevering through difficult challenges.
Accessibility & Individuality
We encourage curiosity and individuality, with special care towards neurodivergence and accessibility.
Why H St NE?
H Street has a myriad of activities to choose from, but Underworld BJJ serves several key roles for the H Street community. Underworld provides for the fitness needs of entire families and promotes family-friendly programming, supplies a martial art and sport to provide structure all year long and seven days a week, and actively makes the corridor safer by teaching real self-defense skills.
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Where most other gyms in Washington DC, including jiu jitsu gyms, focus on adults, Underworld BJJ highlights programming for the whole family. Where almost all of the activities in the area are either exclusively for adults or very seasonal, Underworld continues to add kids and adult classes to its already robust daily schedule. And where much of the H Street corridor is committed to providing nighttime entertainment at bars and restaurants, Underworld is keeping people safe on their nights out with self defense classes that people want to keep attending.