You may find attending your first BJJ class quite daunting, it is quite normal to feel nervous – so certainly don’t worry about this. Once you have been to class 4 or 5 times you won’t get these feelings anymore and will actually begin to look forward to training. Nobody started training BJJ on their first day and was an expert. This sport takes many years of practice to become competent, let alone good.
Table of Contents
Class Structure
This will vary from gym to gym. For those of you who haven’t trained a martial art and are from a corporate western job, you may find the class not to be what you expected. I don’t mean this in a bad way but a lot of classes are run in a “Brazilian” way, meaning the atmosphere is a lot more laid back. You will be told what to do, but there will not be 100% direction 100% of the time. There will be a lot of terms, movements and gym culture you are not familiar with. This is OK, you are a beginner and are not expected to know these things. You will simply pick things up as you train and don’t need to know everything right away.
What Should I Bring?
You can always ask but as a general rule you should at the very least bring some clothes you are comfortable training with under the GI, this could just be a rashguard or lightweight t-shirt and some boxer shorts.
You will not be expected to bring your own gi to the first class since the school will understand you are a beginner and you do not own one (the same goes for belt).
A mouthguard is an optional and personal preference. I have trained for years and never worn one, I have never had any tooth injuries and have only been hit in the mouth on a couple of occasions. There are some people who train with a mouthguard every lesson, it is completely up to you.
Headgear is not recommended for the first class, you will not be doing hard sparring and it’s likely you will not have any cauliflower ear problems if you are a beginner. Headgear is generally worn if you spar a lot and are very susceptible to ear problems, this is something which you will find out as you train more.
Bringing shower gel, shampoo and a towel is optional, some people are self-conscious and like to go home and take a shower by themselves. This is completely acceptable. In some smaller gyms, they may not have showers anyway as they are quite expensive to install and maintain.
Warm Up
A standard class will be around 1 hour long with approximately 15 minutes warm-up. If you are unfit, again this isn’t a problem. The professor will like you to do as much as you can and put in maximum effort, if you are overweight and this is too much for you, nobody is expecting you to do anything on your first try. Just do what you’re capable of.
Drilling
Here is probably the most important part of your class. You will be shown a technique, such as an armbar from mount. This may look easy to you, it may look hard, either way you are going to struggle and will most likely be the worst person in the class today. It will take a very long time for you to get techniques right, otherwise you wouldn’t be a beginner. Again, you don’t need to concern yourself with lack of ability, just try your best and you will learn as you make mistakes.
Sparring
This does not always happen in beginner’s class. Gyms such as Gracie Barra will most likely not allow you to spar on your first class (varies from location to location) due to safety reasons. You should not be afraid of sparring, you will simply be forced to tap a lot since you will lose – it’s your first day, you don’t know anything yet. Sometimes there may be several rounds, if you’re feeling unwell by now you can simply sit out on the side until the class is finished.
Etiquette
It should go without saying in life, treat others how you want to be treated. This could not be more true in BJJ. If you show up to class on time, are courteous and polite, then nobody who is sane will have a problem with you. The same can be said when sparring. The biggest mistake I see new white belts make is to go absolutely crazy and try to destroy their opponent.
Why not to spar like your life depends on it
- You will not learn any technique since you are not thinking about what you’re doing.
- Your partners and higher belts in the gym will know what you’re up to and will up their intensity to smash you. This is a form of self-preservation, if you know a guy is crazy, you will not want him to hurt you.
Other things to be aware of
- Do not pretend you know techniques and start teaching others. BJJ white belts, are white belts for a reason, they are beginners and will know more as they gain more experience.
- Do not constantly ask “what if” questions after you’re shown a technique. Whilst this is more understandable than the first 3 points, there is literally a counter to every move in BJJ. If you were to do this for every technique we were shown, we would be stuck in an endless loop. The professor is well aware that there are counters, counter-counters and flaws to the techniques he is showing. He is simply trying to show you this particular thing today, you will learn more counters and intricacies in the future.
- Personal Hygiene – it should go without saying, but some people still turn up to class unwashed.
Signing Up / Coming Back
Most gyms offer a free trial class since you have no idea what BJJ is like and if you enjoy it. If you do enjoy it you might want to sign up straight away, although you should be aware if there are any stipulations such as a 3 month contract. Generally you will want to avoid a gym who wants you to sign up for 12 months after a single class as this is a bit predatory in my opinion.
There is nothing wrong with signing up after class or even waiting a few days and then signing up before your second class. It is all personal preference, you do not want to make an emotional decision you will regret. If you enjoyed your class and think you will benefit from further training then by all means sign up.
