Things to Do in Delhi: An Hour on the Mat at Knots & Collar
Most visits to Delhi are monuments, markets and food. Here is something to add to the list: an hour on the mat in Defence Colony, in the middle of South Delhi, with people who will be glad you came.
Knots & Collar teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and kickboxing seven days a week. Travellers train with us every month — grapplers keeping up their training on a work trip, families looking for something their children will actually remember, women travelling together who want to learn to defend themselves. This guide is for all of them.
If you already train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-jitsu travels well. Whatever your belt and whoever your academy, you are welcome on our mat. Message the desk on WhatsApp before you come — tell us what you train and how long you are in the city — and we will put you in a class that fits, rolling included. If you want to see the room before you arrive, a full Sunday session is on film, start to finish.
A few things worth knowing:
- Gi classes are white gi only. If you are travelling light, the desk keeps rental gis.
- Weekends suit visitors best. Saturday: No-Gi at 8am and 9am, then open rolling at 10am. Sunday: Gi at 8:30am and 9:30am, then rolling at 10:30am.
- Weekday evenings have Gi classes at 7pm and 8pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with early-morning classes most days from 6:30 or 7:30am.
Grapplers from other countries teach here as well as train — Professor Bek of Checkmat Kazakhstan taught a full-day seminar on this mat. The visitors page has the uniform and mat etiquette in full, and the live timetable has the week as it actually runs.
If you have never trained before
You do not need to be fit, flexible or experienced. Most of the people on our mat started as complete beginners, at every age, and your first class is free. Here is what to expect from a first class. Comfortable workout clothes are enough; you do not need a gi.
The weekend Essentials classes are built for exactly this: the fundamentals, taught step by step, with partners who know you are new. If your time in Delhi is short, or you would rather learn one-to-one, you can book a private session with a coach instead. Adult classes are taught by Professor Binish Sukhija, a black belt in the De La Riva lineage.
If you are travelling with children
After the forts and the tombs, children want to move. Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu runs Monday to Saturday for children from age 3:
- 4pm — children aged five and under
- 5pm — children aged six and over
“There are so many great things I could say about this place, for example it was the only studio that would allow my 3 year old son to participate, or the fact that we met another family there and have become incredible friends… My family and I moved from the UK to Delhi in March and have been taking classes here ever since. The environment is so welcoming that my kids love being there.”
— Steven, Google review
It is play with a purpose: balance, confidence and learning to be calm when someone is close. Our coaches teach children every weekday, so a visiting child is folded into the class rather than left at the edge of it. More on the kids programme, and on what jiu-jitsu builds in children. Celebrating a birthday while you are in Delhi? We host mat parties too.
If you are a woman travelling, or a group of women
Every class at Knots & Collar is open to you, and there are a few built with you in mind:
- Women’s BJJ — Saturdays at 11am. Practical self-defence built on jiu-jitsu, in a room of other women.
- Boxing — Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm, Wednesday and Friday at 6:30am.
- Kickboxing — Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm.
- A private session for your group. Travelling as friends, a family or a team? Ask the desk to arrange a session just for you, with a coach. Companies bring teams on team sessions as well. Nobody is the only newcomer in the room, and it goes at your group’s pace.
The regular classes, where women and men train together, are always open too. More on training here as a woman, and what to expect in your first weeks.
A Delhi day with a class in it
Defence Colony sits in the middle of South Delhi, which makes a morning class easy to build a day around:
- Early morning: train. Classes start from 6:30 or 7:30am on weekdays and 8am at weekends, before the heat of the day.
- Late morning: walk it off in Lodhi Garden, then visit Humayun’s Tomb — both a short drive away.
- Afternoon: lunch and bookshops at Khan Market, or the busier Lajpat Nagar market next door to Defence Colony.
- Evening, if you have the energy: come back for boxing, kickboxing or a Gi class.
Travelling with children? Swap the morning class for the 4pm or 5pm kids class and keep the sightseeing for the morning.
What visitors say
Every review below is from someone who trained with us while visiting Delhi, word for word from Google.
“My wife and I dropped in while visiting Delhi. The class was great. Binish is a great instructor and explains the techniques very well. The school has a great welcoming atmosphere. If you do BJJ Knots and Collar is a great place to train.”
— Sean McCollom, Google review
“I trained here for 4 months while on an extended trip to Delhi. It’s a wonderful place. Coach is thoughtful and methodical in his teaching, allowing you to really learn the concepts. And all your training partners will be welcoming in so many ways.”
— Konner Horton, Google review
“I am from Boston and was a little nervous to train in India, but this gym is a gem. It’s very clean with showers, training partners are generally well controlled and not trying to hurt you, and the coach was very good at breaking down technical moves step by step. If I lived in New Delhi permanently I’d be here every week.”
— Alex Burton, Google review
Knots & Collar is rated 5.0 across 143 Google reviews.
Practical details
- Where: A-269, Second Floor, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024.
- When: seven days a week — 6:30am to 12pm, and 3pm to 9:30pm. Check the timetable before you come.
- The studio: fully air-conditioned, kept clean and hygienic, with showers available — useful if you are heading straight out to the city afterwards. See it in the gallery.
- What to bring: comfortable workout clothes for a first class and a water bottle. A white gi for Gi classes (rentals available), or a rash guard and shorts for No-Gi.
- Booking and fees: message the desk on WhatsApp at +91 97179 56687. Tell us what you would like to train and how long you are in Delhi, and they will take you through the options.
Train with us while you are in Delhi
- Visitors and drop-ins
- Book a free first class
- This week’s timetable
- Every programme we teach
- BJJ in India: the complete guide
- WhatsApp: +91 97179 56687
दिल्ली घूमने आए हैं? Knots & Collar में ब्राज़ीलियन जिउ-जित्सु, बॉक्सिंग और किकबॉक्सिंग सीखें — आपकी पहली क्लास फ्री है।