Walking into your first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class feels intimidating — everyone seems to know what they are doing except you. Here is what actually happens, so nothing surprises you.
You will start with a warm-up built around movement you will use in class: shrimping, bridging, breakfalls and technical stand-ups. Nobody expects you to do them well. Then the instructor demonstrates one or two techniques — maybe an escape from mount or a basic guard pass — and you drill them with a partner at a controlled pace.
Live rolling (sparring) comes at the end of class, and as a brand-new student you will usually watch or do very light, supervised positional work. Nobody is trying to smash the new person. Our adult program is taught by Professor Josimar Junior and Professor Talita Bernardo, and the culture they set is simple: take care of your training partners.
What should you bring? For your trial class, comfortable athletic clothes are fine — no shoes on the mat, and remove jewelry. Bring water. Expect to be bad at everything for a while; everyone in the room was, once. That is the point of the white belt.
No experience is necessary — just effort and consistency. Ready to try it yourself? Book a free trial class at Matawan School of Martial Arts in Matawan, NJ — no experience needed.
Looking for kids martial arts instead? Our kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program starts at age four, and kids Karate / Taekwondo starts at five — book a free trial class at Matawan School of Martial Arts in Matawan, NJ.