You’ve done your due diligence reviewing gyms, picked a gym to try, and have prepared for your first class great work! Today is the day when you get to experience the wonderful art of Jiu Jitsu firsthand with your very first class.
The Complete Guide to Picking Your First Jiu Jitsu Gym
The Complete Guide to Preparing for Your First Jiu Jitsu Class
There are many many Jiu Jitsu gyms out there these days and much variability in the structure of classes and how a technique is taught and practiced. I’ve been to many gyms and found that the most common structure is a warm-up, technique teaching/drilling, and rolling. In this article, I will outline what you can generally expect from your first Jiu Jitsu class.
Arriving at the Jiu Jitsu gym
You’ll want to arrive at the gym 15-30 minutes early if possible on your first day of class. This will give you enough time to meet the professor/coaches, tour the facility, dress out, and do a personal warm-up if it’s something you want to do.
Usually when you arrive gyms will either have a front desk person, the owner, or coaches that will greet you for your first meeting. This is a good time to introduce yourself if it is the first time meeting the gym owner/workers for the first time. It’s a good opportunity to explain your background in martial arts if you have one and your goals for trying out Jiu Jitsu. Most Jiu Jitsu gyms have excellent customer service and are very welcoming. At this point they will probably give you a tour of the facility and explain specific things to expect and what to do for your first Jiu Jitsu class. As you are having a look around the gym, be on the lookout for any posted rules for the gym. I’ve done many drop-ins at different gyms and find that it is very helpful to have a posted list of rules and expectations for the gym. If you don’t see something like this you can always ask the professor/coaches if there are any rules or policies to be aware of. After you’ve done introductions and got a feel for the facility you will move to the locker room for dressing out.
Entering the Jiu Jitsu mat
After you’ve dressed out you’ll make your way to the mat. Sometimes if there is a class taking place you’ll need to wait for it to be over to enter the mat, but if it is empty it is usually ok to enter. Some gyms practice bowing before entering while most that I’ve been to do not require it. Keep an eye out for what others are doing and at a minimum, nobody would fault a practitioner for bowing before entering the mat.
I’ve found that in most gyms I’ve been to, the class never really begins on time. You can have anywhere from 5-20 minutes waiting for everyone to arrive. This gap of time is usually time for the social part of Jiu Jitsu and personal warm-up. If you have a personal warm-up and stretches you like doing before physical activity, this would be a good time to do it. It is also a good time to introduce yourself to students that are on the mat. When I enter the mat I like to go around and shake each practitioner’s hand and say hello.
The Jiu Jitsu lineup
Another variable aspect from gym to gym is the lineup. Some gyms do this and others go straight into the warm-up. Some gyms do the warm-up first while others do the lineup first. The lineup involves standing in line usually by belt rank. As this is your first class look to stand at the end of the line or in the back. People will usually tell you where to stand.
The lineup is meant as a starting point for the class and allows the professor to address the class with any announcements or updates. Often the professor will introduce new members to the students to welcome them to the gym. The lineup usually ends with a call to attention and a bow in.
Jiu Jitsu Warm-up
Warm-ups vary greatly from gym to gym. Some gyms leave warm-ups to the students, some have specific stretching and exercise routines, and some focus on drilling. For your first class, it’s good to get nice and warmed up. If the warmup is left to the students or you have a few minutes before class starts, it’s good to get the blood pumping and some light stretching in.
Get the blood pumping by doing some movement exercises like jumping jacks, pushups, light jogging, and squats. Once your blood is moving and you’re warmed up I like to do some minimal light dynamic stretching. For stretching, I like to focus on the legs, core, and lower back mostly. For dynamic stretching, I will pulse into the stretch for about 10 reps rather than stretching and holding.
If your gym does a warmup it is most likely a series of exercises to get the blood pumping and then some line drills that might involve some Jiu Jitsu correlated movement like rolling and shrimping. In line drills, the students line up and perform the movement one after the other down the mat. If you haven’t done full-body exercise movements some of these movements will be foreign to you. Do your best to observe those before you and execute the move the best you can. Also, if help isn’t given to you right away don’t be afraid to ask to be taught how to execute the move.
My gym is very liberal with warm-ups and does not have a specific routine that is followed. As I’ve progressed with Jiu Jitsu I’ve found that my favorite way to warm up is to do Jiu Jitsu. For my warm-up, I find a teammate that is game and we either roll very lightly or flow roll or we drill some previously taught moves or even something that we are working on or experimenting with. I like warming up with light rolling or drilling as you are moving the body in the exact way it will be utilized in class. I believe that the more reps you get on a particular move the closer you get to proficiency and mastery of the move. If you warm up by drilling while another warms up with exercise, the technical skill in your Jiu Jitsu should exceed the others off of pure practice volume alone. I’m a big believer in the drillers are killers analogy in Jiu Jitsu. After the warm-up is complete the next phase is usually the teaching of a technique by the professor.
Jiu Jitsu Technique Teaching and Drilling
The professor will call the students to form around them and call another person to demonstrate the technique. A good professor will go step by step on how to execute the move they are demonstrating. Next-level coaches will go into the why behind the move and movements between the move. As the professor is reviewing the move do not be afraid to move about the mat so that you have a good vantage point of the demonstration. Also, if you are unsure about a part of the move, do not be afraid to ask for clarification or for the move to be shown again.
Once the professor has shown the move the class will pair up to practice the move. For first-timers, the professor will usually pair you up with an experienced student so that they can guide you through the move. If the professor does not pair you up try to pick a person that is more experienced and roughly your same size.
When you are first practicing a move for the first time you want to be loose, slow, and methodical with each step to ensure that you are executing the move as taught. As you practice the move more and more speed and strength can be added onto a solid learned technique and as progress more and more you further optimize by adapting the technique to fit your style or attributes. Adaptation comes much later though, so try to focus on executing the move as demonstrated by the professor. As you continue focusing on the move and get it down more and more, your partner may step up the resistance so that you can get a feel for executing the move in a closer-to-live situation. Keep communication open with your partner and let them know how much resistance you need to practice and feel the movement.
Situational Jiu Jitsu sparring
Most schools will review 1-3 techniques in a class by showing each move and giving time to practice the move. After practicing the move situational sparring may take place to further practice the move. This is a chance to try the move in a live sparring situation. The professor will start the students in the technique or at the beginning of the entry to technique and start a timer to allow one student to try the technique and another to stop it or advance their position. Depending on the technique situational sparring will go any from 30 seconds to a minute and then partners will switch positions and go again. Usually, the professor will do a few rounds of this and switch up partners so that students can get a feel for different body types and abilities.
Jiu Jitsu rolling
Rolling is usually everybody’s favorite part of Jiu Jitsu class. In some schools, new students are not allowed to roll until they have a beginner base knowledge of Jiu Jitsu. Other schools will simply throw new students to the sharks and allow rolling from day one. Rolling is live Jiu Jitsu sparring where you get to practice your skill and see how you and others apply their martial art. If you’ve never grappled before you will most likely be shocked and awed by the level of control an experienced Jiu Jitsu practitioner can apply to a new person to the art.
My first introduction to Jiu Jitsu was when a friend brought me to a school for a drop-in, I had done many striking martial arts and very little wrestling in my past. I was a 20-year-old in tip-top shape on leave from the Army. At the end of class, I was asked to roll with a brown belt who was about 40 pounds lighter than me. From the rolls, I remember being able to pick up and muscle the brown belt but was multiple times tapped out from armbars and chokes that seemed to come out of nowhere. I also remembered that once on top the man way smaller than me felt like a house on top of me that was simply an immovable object. After being tapped multiple times I felt a little helpless and from that point on knew that Jiu Jitsu was legit and would be something for me to learn in the future.
If you can roll on day one I would recommend you safely do so. I believe that if you have a friendly roll with an experienced student you will have your eyes opened to the effectiveness of Jiu Jitsu. I would recommend you ask the professor to team you up with a practitioner that will guide you in the roll or look for a friendly student who has experience. Go into the roll with the mindset of learning and not winning. Work to get a feel for grappling and try not to be explosive or strength oriented in the roll as this is what usually leads to injury for yourself or your partner. Let your partner know that you are new and inexperienced, most experienced practitioners will meet your level of intensity so keep that in mind.
Before a roll starts you are agreeing to mutual combat with your partner. This is usually agreed to by the initial slap and bump. This is a hand gesture where you slap hands together, close your fists, and then bump fists. At the fist bump, the roll begins. Even though you agree to mutual combat, there are rules to keep in mind when rolling. Some techniques are not allowed and you should take care not to purposely or accidentally poke or gouge eyes, pull hair, groin strike or any strike, single joint manipulation like twisting individual fingers, and if you are in No Gi, you are not allowed to grab the clothing of your partner. Make sure to clarify with your professor or partner if you are not sure exactly what is and isn’t allowed in a roll. Another rule is to respect the tap. Tapping is tapping at least three times on your partner or verbally saying tap to stop the roll at any point. If you feel or hear this from your opponent make sure you stop immediately.
Depending on what your partner wants to practice or depending on available mat space rolls will start standing, seated, or in a specific situation. If you are new to grappling, I would recommend you start down on the knees. Takedowns are a skill of their own and if you are new to takedowns they can be one of the more injury-producing starting positions. Generally, when a roll starts in the down position one person is on the knees and one is on their butt. The person on their butt is working to prevent a guard pass and sweep, while the top person is working to pass the guard (or get around the seated person’s legs).
Depending on your school there will be a timer signifying rounds anywhere from 2-5 minutes with usually a rest round in between. After rounds partners switch. In some schools like mine, rolling pretty much becomes an open mat where practitioners practice what they want or roll without a time limit to submission.
After your roll, make sure to thank your partner for the roll. If time allows and your partner is open to it a good practice is to ask them if they felt any opportunities or if they have any feedback.
Post Jiu Jitsu class
Typically at the end of class, another line is conducted. The lineup again gives the professor a chance to put out any announcements, summarize the class, answer questions, and end the class with a bow out. Again, depending on the school this usually happens before or after the live rolling. In my school, we bow out and then go into rolling in an open mat format. Usually, after bowing out the students file through shaking hands with the professor and each student to conclude the class.
After class, I like to thank my professor for class and thank any of the students that I practiced or rolled with. If you have time after rolling it is a good time to do some static stretching where you reach out to the limits of various stretches and hold for a few seconds. I’ve found that when I stretch after class, I’ll be less sore the next day and over time my flexibility has increased.
Congratulations on your first Jiu Jitsu class. I hope that it was a great experience and that you’ve found something that will be a passion and journey for you as it has been for me. Without doubt, if this was your first baptism to grappling your body will be tired and sore in places you didn’t know existed. To maximize your recovery and be ready for your next class you need to take some action to do so. Here is my article on what I do to recover and be ready for the next Jiu Jitsu class.