Adults Gi BJJ, 16 and over
You are not too unfit and you are not too old
Most adults who walk in here have not trained properly in years, are carrying a bit more than they would like, and have spent a fortnight talking themselves out of it. That is the standard starting point, not an unusual one, and it is worth saying plainly before you read anything else.
Everyone in that room had a first day, and every one of them was worse at it than you will be.
When it runs
- Tuesday18:00 to 19:30Gi BJJBeginners and advanced
- Wednesday06:00 to 07:00Adult Gi Class
- Thursday18:00 to 19:30Gi BJJBeginners and advanced
- Friday06:00 to 07:00Adult Gi Class
- Friday17:15 to 18:00Teens and Adult Fundamentals
- Friday18:00 to 19:00Competition Class
- Saturday10:30 to 12:30Open Mat
Up to 16 in an adults class, and 20 to 25 at Saturday open mat.
Times come straight from the club timetable, so this page cannot drift out of date on its own.
See the full timetableWhat an adults class actually looks like
Ninety minutes, beginners and advanced in the same room, working at the right intensity for each. Nobody is separated off into a beginners corner and forgotten about.
Warm up at your own pace
You move, you get warm, and nobody is timing you. If you need to stop and get your breath, you stop and get your breath. There is no instructor barking at you for it and nobody else in the room is paying any attention.
Technique, shown from the start
A position or an escape, taught in pieces, at a pace a first timer can follow. You will be shown where to put your hands and your feet, not told to copy something happening at speed on the other side of the room.
Drilling with somebody who looks after you
On your first night you are put with someone experienced. That is deliberate. An experienced partner makes a beginner's first session better, not worse, because they know how to go at your pace and how to stop before anything gets silly. The people you are worried about being better than you are the reason it is safe.
Rolling, when you are ready for it
Live training against a resisting partner is where jiu jitsu actually happens, and you will get there. Not necessarily on night one, and never against someone who does not know how to look after a beginner.
Who this is for
- Complete beginners, which is most people who start
- Anyone in their thirties or forties who has not trained since school
- People who want to get fit doing something interesting rather than counting reps
- Experienced grapplers who have moved to the northern suburbs and need a gym
The honest answer
Everyone will be better than me
Yes, they will. That is the good news, and it takes most people a while to see why.
Jiu jitsu is not a class where the fittest person wins and the new person is exposed. It is a skill, and the gap between you and a blue belt is technical rather than physical. That means an experienced person can train with you at exactly the level you can handle, and get something out of it themselves. Nobody is trying to prove anything to a beginner. Everyone in the room remembers being one, usually vividly.
On being unfit: it is not a barrier and it never has been. The fitness this builds is specific to the thing, so the fastest way to get fit for jiu jitsu is to do jiu jitsu badly for a few weeks. Waiting until you are in shape is the single most common reason people never start, and it is completely backwards.
On looking stupid: you will be bad at it. Everyone is bad at it. The people who are good at it were bad at it for a long time first, and they are not the ones judging you. That is the entire culture of the room, and it is the reason people who feel too old or too unfit tend to stay.
What to bring on the day
Shorts and a t-shirt
No gi to buy before you start. Sort the kit out once you know you are staying.
A water bottle
Ninety minutes. Bring more than you think.
Short nails, bare feet
Cut them before you come. Training is barefoot.
Ten minutes spare
Arrive early, say hello, and have the room explained before it starts.
Grading
How grading works
There is a minimum attendance you have to hit before you are eligible at all, so nobody grades on turning up twice. Before grading day there is a knowledge syllabus to work through and complete. Then on the day it is a shark tank, and the intensity of it rises with the belt being awarded.
Get the first one out of the way
The hardest session you will ever do here is the one before you have walked through the door. It is free, there is nothing to sign, and you can decide afterwards.