If you are reading this, you most likely have some interest in joining a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu class, and are wondering what you can expect.
Likely, you will be somewhat nervous. Hopefully, this blog entry will give you a clear idea of what to expect, and to set any fears to rest.
Our beginner program is called “Gracie Combatives”, and runs Monday and Wednesday at 6:30pm. Each session goes for one hour.
When you arrive you will see people dressed in white uniforms, and several in various types of workout clothing. Someone will approach you wearing a friendly expression. We like having new people come to give us a try.
They will answer any questions you might have, and explain the basics as to how the class works. This person will most likely be the evening’s instructor, but it could be any of us.
At the start time, the class lines up along the wall and the instructor will give an introduction about the topic for the night. Students will be reminded they are to review previously learned material as a warm up that will last about ten minutes. New students, such as yourself, will be invited to one side for a short introduction to what we do in general, and to the beginner program that we run.
The class is gathered up after the warm-up/introduction period.
Each evening one standing move is taught, along with another related to fighting on the ground.
The instructor demonstrates the first move, with an advanced helper. They then show all of the steps and go over it all several times. Students pair up and give it a try.
This is a cooperative exercise; not a competitive one. This is always strongly emphasized, and reinforced. The beginner program is totally focused at some outside attacker. We help each other to survive that attack, and it is not a game where we try to defeat each other. We save that for the advanced class.
The partners take turns with the move. There will likely be several advanced helper teachers walking about giving assistance. Feel free to ask one for a hand if you need it. After working on this for a while, the class gets lined up again to learn the next variation of the move. There will be between one and three of these variations.
After working on the evening’s standing technique, the teacher goes on through the same method of demonstration and instruction for the ground fighting technique.
Again there is the lesson, then partner work, and then work on other variations.
The lessons are designed to fit nicely within the one-hour class structure.
The curriculum and teaching methodology has all been carefully constructed by Ryron and Rener Gracie. Our local instructors have had to complete a comprehensive program training them how to teach the Gracie program.
Once the class has ended, there is usually a little bit of hanging around and chatting. It is very unusual for anybody to have picked up an injury.
We will hope that you will return. Jiu-Jitsu may not be what you were looking for, and we understand that. We consider it our job to give as honest a representation of it that we possibly can, in a welcoming, non-threatening, and injury-free way.
