STARTING SOMETHING NEW CAN FEEL INTIMIDATING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE NEVER TRAINED IN MARTIAL ARTS BEFORE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT EVERY BLACK BELT WAS ONCE A BEGINNER, AND YOUR FIRST BJJ CLASS IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU LEARN IN A SUPPORTIVE, WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT.
WHETHER YOU'RE LOOKING TO IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS, LEARN PRACTICAL SELF-DEFENCE, OR CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH A NEW SKILL, YOUR FIRST CLASS AT BRADDAH JIU JITSU IS ABOUT BUILDING CONFIDENCE-NOT PROVING YOURSELF.
IF YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR YOUR FIRST BJJ CLASS IN SYDNEY, HERE'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT.
BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
YOU DON'T NEED ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE OR A HIGH LEVEL OF FITNESS TO BEGIN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU.
FOR YOUR FIRST CLASS, WEAR COMFORTABLE WORKOUT CLOTHING SUCH AS A T-SHIRT AND SHORTS OR LEGGINGS. IF YOU ALREADY OWN A GI, YOU CAN BRING IT ALONG, BUT MANY ACADEMIES ALSO PROVIDE GUIDANCE OR LOAN EQUIPMENT FOR TRIAL CLASSES.
REMEMBER TO BRING:
- A WATER BOTTLE
- A SMALL TOWEL
- FLIP-FLOPS OR SLIDES FOR WALKING OFF THE MATS
- A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND WILLINGNESS TO LEARN
ARRIVING 10-15 MINUTES EARLY GIVES YOU TIME TO MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR, ASK QUESTIONS, AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE ACADEMY.
A WARM WELCOME
ONE OF THE BIGGEST SURPRISES FOR BEGINNERS IS HOW WELCOMING THE BJJ COMMUNITY IS.
RATHER THAN COMPETING AGAINST EACH OTHER, STUDENTS WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE. INSTRUCTORS UNDERSTAND THAT FIRST-TIME STUDENTS MAY FEEL NERVOUS, SO THEY'LL EXPLAIN THE CLASS STRUCTURE, INTRODUCE YOU TO TRAINING PARTNERS, AND HELP YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE FROM THE BEGINNING.
HOW YOUR FIRST CLASS IS STRUCTURED
EVERY ACADEMY HAS ITS OWN TEACHING STYLE, BUT A TYPICAL BEGINNER BJJ CLASS INCLUDES:
WARM-UP
CLASSES USUALLY BEGIN WITH LIGHT MOVEMENT DRILLS TO PREPARE YOUR BODY.
YOU MAY PRACTISE MOVEMENTS SUCH AS:
- HIP ESCAPES (SHRIMPING)
- BRIDGES
- TECHNICAL STAND-UPS
- FORWARD AND BACKWARD ROLLS
THESE EXERCISES HELP DEVELOP COORDINATION AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS USED THROUGHOUT BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU.
LEARNING A TECHNIQUE
NEXT, YOUR COACH WILL DEMONSTRATE ONE OR TWO TECHNIQUES.
RATHER THAN EXPECTING YOU TO MEMORISE EVERYTHING IMMEDIATELY, YOU'LL PRACTISE EACH MOVEMENT SLOWLY WITH A TRAINING PARTNER WHILE YOUR COACH PROVIDES GUIDANCE AND FEEDBACK.
THE FOCUS IS ON LEARNING CORRECT TECHNIQUE, NOT SPEED OR STRENGTH.
PARTNER DRILLING
AFTER WATCHING THE DEMONSTRATION, YOU'LL REPEAT THE TECHNIQUE SEVERAL TIMES WITH A PARTNER.
TRAINING PARTNERS ARE GENERALLY ENCOURAGED TO WORK AT A PACE THAT'S COMFORTABLE FOR BEGINNERS, MAKING IT EASIER TO BUILD CONFIDENCE WHILE LEARNING FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS.
LIGHT ROLLING (OPTIONAL)
SOME BEGINNER CLASSES INCLUDE CONTROLLED SPARRING, OFTEN CALLED "ROLLING."
IF THIS IS PART OF YOUR FIRST CLASS, YOUR INSTRUCTOR WILL EXPLAIN THE RULES AND ENSURE YOU'RE PAIRED APPROPRIATELY. MANY ACADEMIES ALSO ALLOW COMPLETE BEGINNERS TO OBSERVE OR PARTICIPATE ONLY WHEN THEY FEEL READY.
THERE IS NEVER ANY PRESSURE TO PERFORM BEYOND YOUR COMFORT LEVEL.
COMMON CONCERNS FIRST-TIME STUDENTS HAVE
"DO I NEED TO BE FIT?"
NO.
BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU HELPS IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS OVER TIME. YOU DON'T NEED TO REACH A CERTAIN FITNESS LEVEL BEFORE STARTING.
"WILL I GET HURT?"
LIKE ANY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, THERE IS SOME RISK OF MINOR BUMPS AND BRUISES. HOWEVER, BEGINNER CLASSES FOCUS ON CONTROLLED LEARNING, PROPER TECHNIQUE, AND SAFETY.
LISTENING TO YOUR COACH AND TAPPING EARLY DURING TRAINING ARE IMPORTANT HABITS THAT HELP KEEP EVERYONE SAFE.
"AM I TOO OLD TO START?"
NOT AT ALL.
MANY PEOPLE BEGIN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU IN THEIR 30S, 40S, AND BEYOND. PROGRESS COMES FROM CONSISTENCY RATHER THAN AGE OR ATHLETIC ABILITY.
WHY BEGINNERS ENJOY TRAINING
PEOPLE OFTEN START BJJ FOR ONE REASON BUT CONTINUE BECAUSE OF THE MANY BENEFITS IT OFFERS.
REGULAR TRAINING CAN HELP YOU:
- IMPROVE OVERALL FITNESS
- LEARN PRACTICAL SELF-DEFENCE
- BUILD CONFIDENCE
- REDUCE STRESS
- DEVELOP DISCIPLINE
- MEET SUPPORTIVE TRAINING PARTNERS
- CHALLENGE YOURSELF IN A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT
FOR MANY STUDENTS, THE FRIENDSHIPS AND SENSE OF COMMUNITY BECOME JUST AS REWARDING AS THE PHYSICAL TRAINING.
WHY TRAIN AT BRADDAH JIU JITSU?
BRADDAH JIU JITSU WELCOMES BEGINNERS ACROSS ITS SYDNEY LOCATIONS, INCLUDING ARTARMON, EASTWOOD, THORNLEIGH, MAROUBRA, AND SYDENHAM.
WHETHER YOUR GOAL IS FITNESS, SELF-DEFENCE, COMPETITION, OR SIMPLY LEARNING SOMETHING NEW, YOU'LL FIND STRUCTURED CLASSES DESIGNED TO HELP BEGINNERS DEVELOP SKILLS AT THEIR OWN PACE.
EXPERIENCED COACHES, SUPPORTIVE TRAINING PARTNERS, AND A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE MAKE IT EASIER TO ENJOY YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE ON THE MATS.
READY TO START YOUR JOURNEY?
YOUR FIRST CLASS ISN'T ABOUT BEING PERFECT-IT'S ABOUT TAKING THE FIRST STEP.
EVERYONE BEGINS SOMEWHERE, AND THE HARDEST PART IS OFTEN SIMPLY WALKING THROUGH THE DOOR.
IF YOU'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT TRYING BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU, BOOK A TRIAL CLASS AT BRADDAH JIU JITSU AND EXPERIENCE FIRSTHAND WHY SO MANY PEOPLE ACROSS SYDNEY CHOOSE BJJ FOR FITNESS, CONFIDENCE, AND LIFELONG LEARNING.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
DO I NEED EXPERIENCE BEFORE JOINING MY FIRST BJJ CLASS?
NO. BEGINNER CLASSES ARE DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE WITH NO PREVIOUS MARTIAL ARTS EXPERIENCE.
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR TO MY FIRST BJJ CLASS?
COMFORTABLE ATHLETIC CLOTHING SUCH AS A T-SHIRT AND SHORTS OR LEGGINGS IS IDEAL UNLESS YOUR ACADEMY ADVISES OTHERWISE.
CAN I START BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU IF I'M OVER 40?
YES. MANY STUDENTS BEGIN TRAINING LATER IN LIFE AND PROGRESS SUCCESSFULLY WITH CONSISTENT PRACTICE.
WILL I HAVE TO SPAR IN MY FIRST CLASS?
NOT NECESSARILY. SOME CLASSES INCLUDE LIGHT ROLLING, WHILE OTHERS FOCUS ENTIRELY ON LEARNING TECHNIQUES. YOUR COACH WILL GUIDE YOU BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE LEVEL.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD BEGINNERS TRAIN?
TRAINING TWO TO THREE TIMES PER WEEK IS A GREAT STARTING POINT FOR BUILDING SKILLS WHILE ALLOWING YOUR BODY TIME TO RECOVER.