FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Over the past couple of years, we noticed we kept getting the same questions over and over again. Rather than have to answer each one individually, we’ve created this FAQ to answer some of the most common ones.
What is BJJ?
BJJ stands for “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,” which is a sport that is close kin to Japanese Judo, but also shares similarities with wrestling, sambo, and other submission grappling arts. BJJ was developed in Brazil by a number of individuals (most notably the Gracie family, among others) as a way for a smaller, weaker fighter to control and even submit a larger opponent. Since the early days of the sport, it has grown immensely and is practised around the world today.
What should I bring to my first class?
We’ll provide you nearly everything you need to take your first class. You should bring a tight-fitting t-shirt, workout top, or rash guard as well as some kind of tight-fitting underwear to wear under your gi. You should also bring a water bottle. We’ll provide you a gi and a belt to wear.
What should I expect in my first class?
When you come in, you’ll have to give us some information about you and your medical history. We’ll ask you to sign a waiver, and we’ll get you a gi and belt to wear— so try to come in a few minutes before the class you want to take begins! In the class, you’ll start with a short warm-up, followed by some technique. At the end of the class, you’ll do some live training; the instructor will walk you through the details of sparring, tapping, and so on. You can choose to watch the live training/sparring part if you want, but most people find it to be the best part of the class!
Do you offer once-a-week training packages?
We take the progression of our students very seriously, and our academy is very near capacity: as such, we don’t offer once-a-week training packages. It’s almost impossible to become better while training once a week as well. We suggest that everyone (kids and adults) train twice a week at the beginning and, if need be, increase the volume of training from there.
Why don’t you put your pricing online?
We’re confident in the quality of our instruction and in the quality of our instructors. We want potential students to see the quality that we have to offer as well, which is why we offer a week-long free trial.
When should I (or my child) start competing?
Competing is great for everyone, and everyone should do it as much as possible. We can recommend good competitions for beginners— but there are competitions available for children as young as 3, and divisions based on age and ability for older students as well. Competing is highly recommended at our academy— just get in there and do it!
When should I leave the beginners’ programme?
The beginners’ programme is designed on a 16-week loop. Once you get your first stripe, you should be transitioning out of the beginners’ programme. We don’t allow progression past one stripe in our beginners’ classes— if you stay in the class indefinitely, you’ll never move past your first stripe!
How old should my child be to join classes?
The youngest children we allow into classes are 4 years old, but we allow children at this age only on a case-by-case basis. Children who have started at school are generally more capable of participating in our classes.
My child is 12, should they be in the children’s programme or the adult’s programme?
Although our age cutoff for children is 12, our determination of who joins the kids’ classes and who joins the adult’s classes is based more on physical size than age. Generally, we try to move children heavier than 50-52kg out of the children’s programme, but it depends entirely on the child!
Can I bring my child in on weekends for a trial class?
We currently don’t allow trial classes on weekends due to health and safety concerns. Our staff is more limited on weekends, and brand new students require significantly more oversight than experienced ones. We want all our students to be safe during training— and learning to be safe while training is a skill! As such, our weekend classes are open only to students who have already joined the academy.
What do the kids’ coloured stripes mean?
We want to recognise kids for all the good things they do— not just for being good at Jiu Jitsu! We introduced three coloured stripes to give them different ways to achieve in their classes.
White: These are the knowledge stripes, which indicate progression towards their next belt.
Yellow: These are their sportsmanship/leadership stripes, which indicate that they are conscientious training partners and able to work with and teach younger, smaller, or newer students. We only give these stripes to kids we trust to work well and safely with everyone.
Red: These are our competition stripes. Kids get these stripes when they go to their first competition or when they are invited to join our competition team class.
Green: These are our “advanced” stripes, which indicate that the child has been invited to join the advanced technique classes.
I’d like to visit the academy, but I train elsewhere. Can I do that?
Of course! We welcome visitors from all over. Your first visit to the academy is free, but we also have day and week-long passes if you’re staying in the area longer. Please note that we require a white gi in all beginners’ classes and kid’s classes, and we don’t allow patches from other schools or teams in our classes. We also require all students to wear clean, unripped, matching gis in all classes. We provide rental gis as well for a fee if you’re traveling without a gi!
Can I visit for no gi classes?
Yes, our visitor policy extends to no gi classes as well. Our no gi uniform policy requires a ranked rash guard (indicating your belt level), black shorts, and black spats. The spats are optional for men, and the shorts are optional for women. We do not provide rental no gi uniforms. Unfortunately, without an appropriate no gi uniform, you won’t be allowed to participate in class.
Can I get a FREE trial?
Absolutely! Just click the button below and we’ll be happy help you get set up with your first class.