The time has finally come! You’ve wanted to try your hand at Jiu Jitsu and have taken the steps to make it happen. Congratulations! Now… your very first Jiu-Jitsu class awaits. Your emotions are hitting you hard and fast. You have no idea what to expect. The feeling of excitement, the nerves, the overwhelm, the fear, and the self-consciousness are consuming you as you lead into day one of a life-long journey. The truth is, EVERYONE who has ever graced the mats has felt this way. As the sport of Jiu-Jitsu has gone mainstream, the good news is that you will be better suited than most when navigating your way through your very first class.
A Friendly and Supportive Atmosphere
The feeling of fear tends to be very relatable among beginners approaching their first class. This is due to the narrative many people have created in their heads about what Jiu-Jitsu is. Believing that you are walking into a warzone and going to be fighting for your life will scare anyone. Not to mention how mentally and physically exhausting that would be. That narrative just isn’t the case. When you step onto the mats for the first time, you’ll experience one of the most supportive and friendliest environments you could ever come across.
Once you begin going through the movements, you’ll find that not only are your coaches providing support but so are your teammates. This is why you won’t be fighting for survival. You are in a room training with your teammates…. NOT your competitors. Everyone in the room understands that they are there to help each other improve and bring the best out of themselves. This kind of welcoming atmosphere makes Jiu-Jitsu the enjoyable experience that so many people have come to appreciate as their escape from everyday life.
Expect To Be In A Class Where Everyone Is A Beginner… Just Like You
At Straight Blast Gym Atlanta, we’ve seen massive amounts of success in our student’s longevity with the implementation of our Jiu-Jitsu foundations program. You will never show up for your first class and get tossed into the deep end of the pool and be told to swim. Not only is it not fair to you, it makes for a very hostile atmosphere that stunts growth.
In the Jiu-Jitsu foundations program, every student in the class is at the beginning stages of their training… just like you. Making your experience more welcoming will also give you a sense of belonging knowing that the person standing next to you can relate to your feelings, thoughts, and struggles relating to starting something new like Jiu-Jitsu. Many of our purple, brown, and black belts today began at SBG through the foundations program and credit their love and desire for wanting to train Jiu-Jitsu long-term because of the early impressions and support they received in foundations.
How To Prepare For Your First Class
You don’t have to spend months trying to get into shape or have any sort of base-level skills to get started. Those things will come through your training with the guidance of your coach. Preparing for day one of Jiu-Jitsu is fairly simple. There is no need to overthink it… we’ve got you covered!
Hygiene
Making sure you’re showered, your nails clipped, and your breath smelling fresh will be greatly appreciated by your coach and training partners. Being that Jiu-Jitsu is a close-contact sport, bad odors can be very off-putting and make it difficult for your classmates to want to pair up with you. Just as you wouldn’t want to ingest uncomfortable fumes coming from someone else, be sure to do others a solid in making sure you’ve done your part in the hygiene department.
Bring Flip Flops To Class
No, you will not be rolling around in your flip-flops 😂😂. This is important because as you will be on the mat barefoot, you will be expected to wear footwear while you are off the mat. You see, people are coming into the gym carrying a whole lot of funk and bacteria on the soles of their shoes. Think about all the things they could have possibly stepped on. If you are walking in those same areas barefoot, picking up the same funk on the soles of your bare feet… that gets transferred over to the mat. For everyone’s safety (including your own), having flip flops that you can easily take on and off while at the gym will make your life easier and keep the mats clean.
Conclusion
Remembering to manage your expectations as your first Jiu-Jitsu class approaches will be the key to your longevity in the sport. Making your top priority to learn something new in every class will set you up for success and before you know it, you’ll be the one handing off advice to the newer students beginning their training for the very first time.
