New to the Art of Jiu-Jitsu?
Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and considered a “combat sport.” Yet there is no need to be intimidated by being a new practitioner (Juijiteiro) to the art. Jiu-Jitsu is very welcoming and so is our academy. Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone, young and old, and anyone with any body style, conditioning, background and athletic ability can become great at it over time. Just be patient and you will learn and progress at your own pace.
What is Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-Jitsu,” translates to, “Gentle Art.” Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that primarily focuses around practical self-defense that incorporates grappling, wrestling and ground techniques. It utilizes strategies & principles around biomechanics and physiology to achieve opponent control, positional advancement and leading to a non-violent submission of an opponent. Even though the art itself doesn’t specialize on striking, we do cover defense and management of a striking or stand-up scenarios.
Some aspects of the art:
- Stand-up/Clinching
- Takedown techniques
- Self-defense (striking & grappling)
- Wrestling & grappling
- Position management & control
- Principles, theory and strategy
- Joint-locks & chokes
Learn more about our art here: The Art of Jiu-Jitsu
Common Misconceptions
There is a lot of info out there about jiu-jitsu and related sports or arts which can be confusing.
Misconceptions:
- Do new practitioners need to go hard? NO! New practitioners tend to lean on overcompensating for lack of knowledge and experience by using brute force strength and movements. While strength is great, one does not need to exert excessive strength while they are learning and getting exposed to the art. Veteran students and partners will help aid and guide you as you learn. Using brute force strength will usually end in exhaustion, possibly injuries.
- Is Jiu-Jitsu MMA? No, but it is a major part to most MMA athletes and their disciplines. MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts, which means that multiple disciplines are used such as Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Kickboxing and more. In MMA, many competitors pefer to have a good balance of wrestling, striking and ground grappling skills.
- Is Jiu-Jitsu Wrestling? No, but it is very similar and we share many moves and techniques. Wrestling has a larger focus on pinning the opponent (getting opponent’s back to the ground), where in Jiu-Jitsu we focus more on submitting the opponent. However, both do highlight controlling your opponent’s body and position.
- Is there striking in Jiu-Jitsu? No, the art of traditional Jiu-Jitsu does not classify as a “striking art” but we do cover many aspects of defending strikes from an opponent in sport and self-defense.
(note: Combat Jiu-Jitsu is a newer variant of our art and allows for open palm striking to help simulate a more realistic combative scenario, but this is not currently part of our programs at this time)
Common Questions for New Practitioners
The best way to “prepare” for training in Jiu-Jitsu is simply just starting!*
- A common misconception for new practitioners is that you need to “prepare” to start training in our art by trying to get your fitness, strength & conditioning levels up before starting.
- It is totally acceptable to have or improve your fitness, strength & conditioning no matter what you do, but it is not “crucial” for you to start Jiu-Jitsu.
- You will eventually gain and improve your fitness, strength & conditioning as you train. Think of Jiu-Jitsu as a facet of your fitness training (Just like if you started training for an activity like “running,” you don’t need to be able to run a 5k when you begin training for “running.” You will eventually build up to longer distances and improve the more you train).
- You can always supplement your training with external training such as fitness, cardio, strength training, etc.
- Always consult your physician or professional medical provider to see if your health condition is suitable for training in our art and combat sports.
*If you are experiencing a medical emergency, contact 911 immediately. Please consult your doctor, qualified physician or medical health professional for any health & medical concerns. Mile High Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, any of its owners, employees, staff, instructors or members, cannot be held liable and or cannot provide any medical advice, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, or recommendations for any medical condition related or unrelated to any of our activities, products and or services, including COVID-19.
Some new partitioners are intimidated or may feel that they need to use excessive force to overcompensate for their lack of knowledge or experience. This is not true and it’s quite the opposite actually.
- There is no need to be overly aggressive as this usually ends with exhaustion or a possible injury.
- Simply work with your training partners at a comfortable training pace for your level & experience, where you can properly absorb the material while minimizing risks & injuries.
- Training partners are here to help you learn, not to hurt or defeat you – class is not a competition.
A popular saying we have in our school:
“SLOW IS SMOOTH, SMOOTH IS FAST.”
We recommend learning things slowly, correctly and accurately. Once you have refined it, when you execute it with the proper technique, the result is “efficiency” – which will not only be “fast,” but it will also be “technically correct.”
If you have trained in another art or fight discipline in the past or currently, that is great and welcomed. You probably have also acquired some fitness, strength and discipline along the way, which all applies to jiu-jitsu as well.
Having a diverse skillset will usually provide you with an advantage in most scenarios.
- There are times where some techniques from other arts may not apply, and you may need to adapt your game.
- Judo is probably the closest sister art to Jiu-Jitsu and much will carry over from the takedowns to submissions.
- Sambo is another very similar art which shares many techniques and aspects including submissions.
- Wrestling is a very close cousin to our art and we share many fundamentals, but pinning is not our objective.
- Self-defense aspects of striking arts still apply, although we may not strike in our school, those skills are still a necessity for self-defense and combat sports in general and we still work with techniques around striking.
We ask that if you have trained or currently train in another art to please have an open mind to learning new things. Adapt your skills and approach to our art as necessary. Avoid using brute force and focus on technique & strategy. Strength is great, but technique reigns supreme.
No problem! We have a lot of students who have never participated in martial arts, combat sports, or may not feel they are at an ideal level of fitness, yet they are now excelling.
- Jiu-Jitsu is a great martial art and fitness activity for a variety of people, body types & shapes, and fitness levels.*
- You don’t need to be at your ideal level of fitness to start, it will come in time.
- Most people will naturally improve their cardio, fitness, agility, strength, and flexibility over time as you train – it’s like a bonus that results from learning the core parts of our art.
- You can always supplement your training with other fitness activities outside of the gym as well such as weight lifting, yoga, etc., but it is not required before you start.
- If you have any medical related questions, please consult your doctor or physician for medical advice about participating a physical activity like Jiu-Jitsu/combat sports.
See New to the Art of Jiu-Jitsu
*If you are experiencing a medical emergency, contact 911 immediately. Please consult your doctor, qualified physician or medical health professional for any health & medical concerns. Mile High Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, any of its owners, employees, staff, instructors or members, cannot be held liable and or cannot provide any medical advice, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, or recommendations for any medical condition related or unrelated to any of our activities, products and or services, including COVID-19.
On average, it takes about 10 years to earn a black belt, and you must be 18 years or older. Each individual progresses and learns at their own pace.
There are a few of our students who have earned their black belt in slightly less time, and some well-known practitioners, such as B.J. Penn, Kit Dale, and Caio Terra, but they are an exception – these prodigy artists had dedicated lives of full-time training on top of some natural talent and athleticism).
There are a lot of factors and variables that play into the progress of a practitioner:
- Lifestyle
- Amount of training & practice
- Health & Fitness (which will improve)
- Exposure inside and outside the gym
- Discipline
- Passion
No matter what, once you start training, you will soon realize why it takes longer than some other arts. It’s not about just trying to get the next color belt. No color belt will give you special powers or improve your skills and abilities, it is your skills, experience and abilities that will determine the belt you should be at. You make the belt, the belt does not make you. Patience is one of the most important virtues in our art. Learn more about belts.
Expectations
We have very few expectations for our students which are quite simple:
- Follow our Code of Conduct
- Put in what YOU want to get out of your training
- Try YOUR best at all times
The most important expectations are your own for yourself and your training. This is YOUR journey and we are here to help guide, foster and be a steward of it.
You choose the pace that you want to apply towards your training and it may be the same or different than others. That’s totally okay, because you are your own individual. Don’t get too caught up on comparing yourself with others, although it can be used as a gauge to measure your progress, but relative to yourself.
Try New Things
Another part of success in our art, or anything in life, is the willingness to try new things out and having the vulnerability to fail, learn from your mistakes and then apply those findings to improve the next time you try it. Sometimes, this takes one attempt, sometimes it takes multiple across days, weeks, months or even years.
Think of the wise words from the great hockey legend, Wayne Gretsky, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”
Don’t be afraid to try new things and if it is foreign, it’s going to take some time to learn and refine it, but if you never try it, then that may lead to failure.
Perseverance
When new practitioners come into our art, you should set expectations that this a new activity in your life and there will be challenges and obstacles. You may push right on through some of them with ease, while some may take additional time and patience. But the important thing is to continue with it and progress, even if it takes more time.
No matter how skilled, strong, talented one is, all of that is nothing without perseverance.
Comparisons
It is natural for humans to compare themselves and their own performance or progress against others. Although this may provide a gauge, it not always an accurate one. Every person is a unique individual and has their own characteristics, skills, athleticism, comprehension abilities, and even time or lifestyle outside of the gym that all play a role in their own progress.
Do not solely compare yourself or your progress to another student or opponent as there are just too many variables to make an accurate comparison, unless you are identical twins and live and identical lifestyle.
Train at your own pace and for yourself, not others.
Frustrations
Just like anything new or different introduced in your life, you may encounter some frustrations along the way. Some new, and even veteran practitioners, will feel frustrations over time due to various reasons.
Common Frustrations
- Not feeling like you’re absorbing the material
- Feeling like you hit a plateau
- Struggling against higher (or lower) level opponents
- Feeling like your growth is slower than others
- Thinking you’re doing it wrong
These are normal and many students will experience one or more of these throughout their journey. The saying, “If it was easy, everyone would do it (or be a black belt),” holds very true in our art. Patience is a virtue in our art and will play a large role in your growth.
Thinking about training Jiu-Jitsu?
Class Overview
What to Expect:
Most of our classes are structured with the following activities:
- Warm-ups
- Technique & instruction
- Live Training/Rolling (sparring)
Warm-ups & Drilling Exercises
We start most classes with standard warm-up and drilling exercises.
- Some of the warm-up moves we may perform are: jogging, leg lifts, shrimping, forward and backward rolls, technical stand-up, arm drags, clinching, takedowns and several others.
- You may see some warm-up techniques that are unfamiliar, just ask a fellow student/partner or instructor for guidance on any warm-ups if you need it.
- Some warm-ups can be fast-paced, but don’t feel bad if you can’t keep up in your first few classes, it’s totally ok.
Technique & Instruction
This is the core part of the class where the instructor breaks down the details of techniques & movements which include defensive and/or offensive aspects.
- Technique & Instruction will require you to partner with another student and then go over various techniques from the instructor.
- The instructor will likely breakdown the topic into multiple small steps or phases while you and a partner practice those steps incrementally building up into the entire technique or series.
- You may not comprehend or retain every detail of a technique or move in the first few lessons and that is perfectly ok; Jiu-Jitsu simply takes a lot of time and practice.
Live Training / Rolling (sparring)
This is the part of the class where we exercise our “live training.” Live training is an opportunity to actually test your skills against another opponent (fellow students and/or instructors) in a more realistic combative scenario. We also refer to this as “rolling” since the majority of the time you end up on the ground where the majority of our art takes place. Some other arts or schools may consider this “sparring.”
- This is a friendly “sparring” opportunity to work with an opponent and “test” your skills
- This is NOT an aggressive competition, you are working with fellow students
- Do not slam, throw, or use overly aggressive techniques that may cause injuries during practice
- You want to roll at a pace that is comfortable for you and your partner
- All submissions & attacks should be “controlled” to where you do not cause injury to your partner. if your submission is proper & controlled, you may not even have to finish the submission to have your partner tap.
- We want to ensure you & your training partner are healthy after rolling and can return to train the next day
Conditioning & Techniques Class Overview
This is specialty class focused on conditioning & sport jiu-jitsu curriculum and training regiment. Competition/Sport Jiu-Jitsu still shares many of the same aspects that are taught in our general classes, but there are some facets that differ and require more unique training.
What to Expect:
- Sport-based training centered around competition preparation
- Competition scenario simulation
- Competition game planning & mindset
- Jiu-Jitsu-based conditioning
- Both Gi & No Gi (we recommend bringing all equipment)
This class will be beneficial to any practitioner.
- If you are planning competing, this class will be a great way to help prepare you for the competition scene
- If you do not plan on competing, this class will still provide value and benefits to your jiu-jitsu growth. You do not have to compete in order to attend this class, that is your choice
⚠️ Tapping Out – Important!
Tapping out is the primary way to communicate to your opponent that you are submitting to their attack and or cannot defend or proceed anymore. You may be caught in a submission (joint-lock, choke, any position that is intolerable or may cause injury, exhaustion, etc.) during any phase of our classes (warm-ups, drills, technique or rolling).
How to Tap Out
There are two ways to communicate tapping out to your opponent:
- Tapping Out Physically – Use a distinct repetitive tapping action with your hand (at least 3 taps) on your opponent’s body or on the mat (loudly), so they can feel, hear and/or see your tap. We recommend tapping on your opponent’s body if possible for the quickest acknowledgement.
- Tapping Out Verbally – There may be times where you cannot physically tap out due to your position or obstruction. In any scenario, you can verbally tap out by saying “Tap” (at least 3 times) – ensure it is loud enough for your opponent to hear.
When Your Opponent Taps Out
- If someone taps out or submits to you, you should release your submission attack immediately and safely
- Expect & be aware when your partner may tap out, so you can release your submission in a timely and safe fashion
- Your opponent may tap out physically or verbally, anticipate either method
- Your opponent may not always be able to tap 3 times or more, but you should still treat it as a tap and release the submission
Note: Some attacks do require a more controlled release in order to prevent injury, like an omoplata, which should be released in a reversed direction from the attack in order not to injure the opponent’s arm or shoulder.
View more about class Safety & Health
Tips for New Practitioners – Know before you roll
You are not required to roll (spar) for your first classes. You can observe to see how other students roll. Once you are comfortable, then pair up with a partner and communicate your experience and start rolling! Rolling will be a large part of your training curriculum once you get comfortable.
- Communicate: communicate with all parters prior to drilling and sparring about your novice ability
- Avoid brute force: Practitioners new to the art typically feel that speed, force and power is required, but it is actually more about technique and control
- Don’t go too fast: It is recommended to go slow and allow others to help guide you during sparring until you obtain further experience (“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast”).
- No Slams! Even if you have a background in strength condition, wrestling or other sports, Slams are typically an illegal technique, because of the severity of injury risks it poses, which may involve a neck or spinal cord and increase for spinal-related injuries or paralysis.
- No leg locks, heel hooks, neck cranks or wrist locks: These are valid techniques that we learn and work with, but a new practitioner should not be using these early in their training until they have had proper training and supervision. These techniques can cause severe injuries before the opponent can tap if executed improperly.
- Tap out early! It is perfectly acceptable to tap out and it is encouraged to tap out early to avoid injury
- Tapping out is not a sign of “weakness” or “losing.”
- Practice is not a competition. It’s not about “winning or losing” during rolling, it’s about learning
- Until you learn proper defenses and escapes, you should not try to “out-muscle” a submission which may lead to an injury
What to Bring to Your First Class
Recommended Equipment:
- Workout attire: If you do not have a gi, then you can simply wear a T-shirt, rash guard, athletic shorts or pants, etc.*
- Water Bottle
- Mouthguard if you have one
- Small bag/pack to store personal belongings
*If a technique requires a gi, then you can work with modified/no gi techniques if applicable, or rotate with partners who have a gi.
We suggest that new practitioners try out our art for a few days before investing in a gi and other equipment.
🥋 View more about equipment.
How to tie your belt tutorial by Rener Gracie
There are many ways you can tie your jiu-jitsu belt, and Rener Gracie goes over a few methods in this tutorial video below.