Specifics and Universals
Are you looking to join a Jiu Jitsu academy, do a free trial, and/or shop around to see which academy in your area is right for you? This short article is written specifically to prepare you for first Jiu-Jitsu class at Sanctuary Jiu-Jitsu. However, many of the same rules, guidelines, and pieces of etiquette will apply to most other Jiu-Jitsu academies as well.
Perceptions
Some find the prospect of doing their first Jiu-Jitsu class to be an intimidating or nerve-wracking experience. This has a lot more to do with perception than reality. One can easily conjure up images of dirty mats, cracked walls, gigantic cauliflower-eared brutes stalking the changing area, a hyper-competitive environment, a barking instructor, and a rules-and-ritual obsessed culture that emphasizes the stick far more than the carrot. Thankfully, this is rarely the case in most Jiu-Jitsu academies. Instead you will most likely find a community of friendly and helpful people who are eager to share the passion and love for the martial art that binds them all together and has changed their life in countless ways.
At Ease
At Sanctuary Jiu-Jitsu, we are very opposed to the hard-sell culture that has taken over much of the fitness and martial arts business community. In your first Jiu-Jitsu class at Sanctuary Jiu-Jitsu (and beyond!) you will not be pressured into buying anything or signing any contract, ever. The sole purpose of the Free Trial is to allow you to experience the environment and culture of our academy to see if it is a good fit for you. Every academy is unique and provides different things for different people and we want to make sure that you feel like our academy provides what you are looking for.
Your First Jiu-Jitsu Class: What You’ll Need
For your first Jiu-Jitsu class you should have athletic clothes such as gym shorts, a dry-fit shirt, or any other shirt you would normally workout in (a cotton t-shirt is just fine). We do have gis (uniforms) available free of cost for Free Trial members (and you’ll get a free gi should you decide to join!). Your hands and feet should be clean and your finger and toenails should be clean and trim. You should also bring a pair of flip-flops/sandals and a water bottle as well. We also have showers, so bring a towel if you plan on showering after class. Plan on arriving about 10 – 15 minutes before class to give yourself enough time to change and fill out a waiver.
Arrival/Parking
Sanctuary Jiu-Jitsu is located at 46 North Bryan St. We are the corner suite with the four windows facing the street. You can park your vehicle in any open spot in the parking lot, or in the ample space available on either side of the street.
In the Academy
You will enter the academy in the small lobby/front desk area. You will be greeted by one of our coaches who will have you fill out our waiver form. You won’t be asked for any payment information or be subject to any corny used car salesman sales pitches, so don’t worry!
Changing Area
After filling out the waiver you can get changed into your athletic clothes and/or a gi that we have provided you. We have four private individual changing rooms on either side of our cubbies where you can stow your personal belongings during class. We also have two walk-in rain showers that double as changing rooms, as well as two full-size bathrooms with a shower in each that you can also utilize as changing rooms should the others be occupied. After you have changed you’ll want to put on your flip-flops/sandals to make your way from the changing area to the mat space.
Mats
We have two regulation-size IBJJF rings as our training area. We also have a variety of strength and conditioning tools such as pull-up bars, an assault bike, kettlebells, and jump ropes. Before stepping onto the mats you’ll remove your flip-flops and bow onto the mats. This is one of the few traditional pieces of etiquette that we enforce at Sanctuary Jiu-Jitsu. It is a means of showing respect to the training area, your training partners, and the instructor and also acknowledging the change of mindset upon entering a learning/training environment.
In the minutes before class, you’ll find people milling about, stretching, and casually chatting on the mats. Feel free to mix it up and socialize and/or perform any individual warmup you like to do before working out.
Start of Class
Class starts with the students lining up shoulder-to-shoulder by rank. If this is your first time doing Jiu-Jitsu, you will be on the far left side of the line facing outward. The coach will face the students, welcoming the students and giving a brief overview of the class. The students and coach will then bow to each other and class will get started with the warm-up.
Warm-Up!
The warmup consists of 10 – 15 minutes of calisthenics and body movements that are essential to Jiu-Jitsu. Learning how to move your body correctly and efficiently is one of the most important aspects of success in Jiu-Jitsu, and the movements utilized in the warmup will give you a strong foundation in the basic movements of Jiu-Jitsu. Furthermore, a warmup is important to avoid and reduce the severity of muscular injury.
Technique(s) of the Day
After the warmup has concluded the coach will proceed to teach the techniques of the day. The techniques taught are a part of the Fundamentals curriculum devised by Professor Caio Terra and will usually include a few techniques from the same position and perhaps some accompanying movement drills.
This is the meat of the class, consisting of about 20 – 30 minutes. During this time students will pair up and perform (or “rep”) the techniques of the day. As this is your first Jiu-Jitsu class you will likely be paired with a higher ranking student to help guide you through the technique. The coach is also always available to answer questions or address specific problems/difficulties.
Let’s Roll!
The Final 15 to 20 minutes of class is the most challenging – and the most fun (in my opinion)! This is where students can practice the techniques they have just learned against a fully resistant opponent. This is called “rolling,” “sparring,” or simply referred to as “training.”
It is this aspect of Jiu-Jitsu – the ability to safely apply techniques with 100% effort against an opponent who is resisting with an equal or greater amount of effort – that makes Jiu-Jitsu one of the most effective means of self defense. It also has myriad other benefits as well – for example giving students an unrivaled workout.
The rolling/sparring segment in the Fundamentals class is strictly positional, meaning students will be starting in a specific position and looking to advance to a more dominant position or submit their partner; but once that goal is achieved the round is reset back to the original position. This allows students to engage in a live trial-and-error process, where they can have immediate feedback as to what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong and improve upon the particular position they were working that day.
Keep in mind that you do not have to participate in this segment of class. You are more than welcome to observe until you are ready to fully participate – or participate to any level of your comfort.
Line Up!
At the very end of class, the coach will call “time,” and students will fix their uniforms, tie their belts, and return to the line. The coach and students will bow to each other to conclude the class.
Back for More
If you’re not attending the next class of the day – or you don’t have any questions for the coach – you’ll head off the mats and back to the changing area. Feel free to hang out and socialize for as long as you’d like. If you are using an academy uniform, you can leave it at the front desk and we will launder it for your next visit.
We hope you enjoyed your first Jiu-Jitsu class! Don’t be surprised to feel sore in places you’ve never been sore before. Make sure to drink a lot of fluids and get good sleep to allow your body to recover. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us and let us know! We love hearing feedback from all of our students – and that includes Free Trial participants!
Sharing Jiu-Jitsu is our passion and we hope that you come to love it – or already do! – as much as we do.