A new martial arts dojo opened in Hyattsville last week.

Located at 4635 42nd Pl., Cabrera Jiu Jitsu Academy offers training in the Brazilian variant of the martial art for both children and adults.

Owner Cesar Cabrera, who speaks Spanish, Portugeese and English, studied for nearly two decades at Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City, becoming friends with one of the regulars, the late chef and noted jiu jitsu aficionado Anthony Bourdain who was also a student there.

For now, Cabrera is teaching virtual classes through the Police Athletic League, but he hopes by April he can start some in-person classes.

Developed around 1920, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, sometimes called BJJ, is often used to teach self-defense, as a central tenet is that a smaller, weaker person can gain the advantage on a bigger opponent with the right techniques.

To that end, Cabrera said he hopes to set up a women’s self-defense class as well as some bully prevention workshops for kids.

Cabrera, who was born in D.C., said he chose Hyattsville because it reminded him of places in New York that he saw grow and change.

“I was lucky enough to witness the growth of Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the Lower East Side, from gritty warehouse spaces to amazing art galleries, restaurants and cool mom-and-pop retail stores,” he said. “I see that happening here in Hyattsville, something more authentic and vibrant.”