Beginners
Never trained before? Good. Most of our students started there. You need no experience, no fitness and no preparation. Here is everything to know before your first class.
The first week
Adults start on any Tuesday or Thursday at 6:00 PM. Your first week is free, no card needed. Kids aged 4 to 12 start on Saturday at 9:00 AM. Just show up ten minutes early and say it’s your first time.
A t-shirt and shorts or leggings without zips or pockets. No shoes on the mat. Bring water and, if you have one, a towel. You do not need a gi for your first classes.
Warm-up, technique, then sparring rounds. On your first visit you watch the rounds rather than roll, and a coach works with you one to one or with other beginners. The full structure is below.
If you enjoyed it, memberships are month to month with no registration fee. If not, no hard feelings. Either way you know what Jiu Jitsu is now.
Class Structure
Every class runs ninety minutes in three parts: warm-up, technique and sparring.
15min
Core movements of Jiu Jitsu: shrimping, bridging, rolls and getting up safely. It gets you warm and teaches the movements every technique is built on.
45min
One core position and the variations and options that come from it. The position usually changes once a week, so you see it from several angles before moving on.
30min
Five-minute rounds where you practice what you know and try what you’ve just learned. On your first visit you watch; from your second class you roll.
New students skip the advanced material. A coach takes beginners aside for forty-five minutes of foundational technique, one to one or in a small group.
After class
Nobody rushes out. People stretch on the mats, then hang around outside and talk. Jiu Jitsu is as much community as it is art, and that part starts when the rounds end.
Beginner questions
No. You roll from your second class, paired with higher belts who know how to spar safely with beginners. Intensity builds at your pace.
Either works. Coaches teach in English and Spanish in the same class, so ask in whichever you prefer.
Not to start. Train in a t-shirt and shorts for your first classes, or rent a gi at the gym. After that, any clean gi from any school is welcome on our mats.
Women are paired with other women whenever they prefer and always choose their partners. Teens aged 13 to 17 train in the adult class with other teens.
Jiu Jitsu is a contact sport, but beginners roll with experienced partners who control the pace, and you can tap at any time. Bumps and sore muscles are normal in the first weeks; injuries are rare.
What’s at the gym
Showers with toiletries, gi and rash guard rental, a cold water station and parking. Bring water and a towel.
Ready? Start this week.
Register online, or message us and we’ll answer any question before you come.