Let’s be honest, compared to other martial arts Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is incredibly expensive. Culturally, it just is and its prices don’t look like dropping anytime soon. With this in mind, it’s understandable if you can’t afford classes – especially if money is tight.
The good news is that with a little creativity and effort, you can go a long way if you’re willing to work for it. Ironically, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teaches us to persevere and make do with what we’ve got. This is exactly the kind of attitude you’ll need if you want to learn BJJ for free.
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Things needed to learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for free
Firstly, you will need an open space which ideally has a soft floor like the mats used in a gym. Speaking from experience, you can spar on hard surfaces like a carpet floor, but it isn’t ideal. As for spaces, there’s a few ways to go about this. Maybe you can find a floor in your house or grass outside. The choice is yours.
After this, you will then need internet access. If you’re at home, a computer will do or you can use a phone whilst out. These days, there’s literally loads of good quality free content online. Next, you will need a drilling partner. Whoever it is, it’s much easier to learn with a partner compared to on your own.
Having said this, there’s a number of solo drills that you can find on Youtube. These will improve certain key movements that are used in BJJ. Although really, drilling techniques are more important once you’ve learned the basic movements. If you’re really struggling on your own, then you can even make a homemade dummy to practice moves on. This may not be as efficient as drilling with a human, but it certainly helps improve your technique.
Then, if you want you can spar after drilling. Just make sure you’re training with people you trust and don’t tap too late. Ideally, you would also record your rolls whilst sparring to correct any bad technique later on. Often whilst sparring, we’re not aware of our mistakes and it’s easy to forget after. If you’re new and sparring alone, this is actually quite important.
Things that will help with your learning
Whilst it’s technically not free, you can transform an outdoor space into a portable BJJ gym for under $20. This is dirt cheap and it’s also quick to assemble. These days, buying tarpaulin is fairly cheap. The only downside is that with a hard floor, you’re more likely to get injured. If you are going to spar then make sure you don’t do takedowns as someone could get seriously hurt. The below video shows you how it’s done:
If you’re stuck at home with nowhere to go, then you can also buy jigsaw mats. These are foam mats that slot together like jigsaw pieces. Whilst more expensive that tarpaulin; they’re still affordable and are also portable.
Next, if you’re really stuck for cash then you can always spar doing no gi. All you need for this is a t-shirt and shorts, and some people train without a shirt anyway. Of course, you won’t be able to do stuff with a gi, but these days lots of people don’t anyway so it’s not a big issue. Remember to have water with you too as you will need it if sparring especially in the heat.
Things to consider
It’s always best to go to a proper gym, that way you’ll get a good experience of what it’s really like. As mentioned though, if this isn’t an option then training at home is the next best thing. In fact, throughout the years, some people have developed a ‘Gracie garage’ system, where they convert their garages to gyms which makes it easy for people to train with them.
Legendary black belt Chris Hauter also uses his home garage as a gym and once Conor McGregor even turned up to train there! With this said, if it’s good enough for a double UFC champion, it’s probably good enough for everyone.
Next, you’ll also want to pick your training partner wisely if possible. There’s nothing more dangerous than training with a maniac without people there watching. As a result, pick a friend or relative who you can trust.
Further, if you’re brand new then maybe spend the first few weeks drilling moves before sparring. Brand new people always make mistakes when they start rolling which is natural. However, you’ll at least want to have drilled a few moves and positions beforehand to make sure you can try and pull them off during training.
Ideally, you’ll want to start inviting more people to train as well. This will diversify your training partners and make sure your training doesn’t get stale. New people will bring new ideas and different approaches which is never a bad thing.
Conclusion
In summary, it is possible to train BJJ for free. Over the years, people have done this when necessary. The issue is that no matter how good you get – you would always be better off in a gym with a structured routine. Therefore, if possible try to pay to train as you will get quicker results.
If you’re really desperate to train without cash or a spare partner, then you can always ask your local gym in private. Especially if you’re young and the instructor likes you – he may just let you train for free. This is a bit of an ask, but when people face financial hardships sometimes gym owners see beyond business and can be willing to help you out. Alternatively, gyms like Terere’s also offers free training to underprivileged children.
