How to start training jiu jitsu as a beginner

Brazilian jiu jitsu, usually shortened to BJJ, is a grappling art built around controlling a resisting partner and finishing with a choke or a joint lock. There are no punches or kicks, and most of the work happens on the ground. Because you practise against people who are genuinely trying to stop you, at a pace you both agree, it is one of the most honest ways to learn a martial art.

This guide covers what a complete beginner needs to know to go from thinking about it to training every week. It walks through choosing a gym, your first class, what to wear, how to behave on the mat, belts, and how to stay in one piece while you learn.

Is jiu jitsu for you?

Almost certainly, if you are willing to be a beginner for a while. You do not need to be fit, flexible, strong or young before your first class. The training builds those things, and good coaches scale every drill to the person doing it. People start in their twenties, their forties and later, and many gyms run separate classes for children and teenagers.

What jiu jitsu does ask for is patience. The first months are humbling: people smaller than you will control you with ease, and that is the art working as intended. Over time, technique and timing let you do the same to others, which is exactly why it is worth learning.

How to choose a jiu jitsu gym

The best gym for a beginner is the one you will actually go to. A famous academy an hour away loses to a friendly club ten minutes from home, because turning up week after week matters more than anything else. Start with the gyms you can reach easily, then compare what happens inside them.

• A fundamentals or beginners class on the timetable, at times you can make every week.
• Who teaches that class, and whether they explain things clearly and watch how you drill.
• How new people are brought into sparring: a good gym eases you in rather than throwing you into hard rounds on day one.
• Clean mats, clean changing rooms and a gym that talks openly about hygiene.
• Prices, contract length and notice period that you can see in writing before you pay.
• Whether they teach in the gi, no-gi or both, and which one the beginners class uses.
• The feel of the room during live rounds: partners who tap, let go and reset calmly, rather than a room full of people trying to win.

Watch for warning signs too. Pressure to sign a long contract on your first visit, injuries treated as a badge of honour, newcomers left to fend for themselves or a coach who discourages questions are all reasons to keep looking.

Shortlist gyms on Matador

Matador's gym directory lists BJJ gyms by town or city, nearest first. Gyms marked Official page are run by their owners on Matador: their page can show this week's timetable with the level of each class, the drop-in price when the gym sells drop-ins, and how to get in touch. Unmanaged listings come from public sources and may be incomplete, so confirm the details with the gym before you go.

Booking your first class

Most gyms let you try a class before you commit, but many prefer you to come to a particular session, often a fundamentals class, so it pays to ask first. Some offer a free first class, some charge a trial fee and some sell a short trial period. Knowing which before you arrive saves an awkward conversation at the door.

On a gym with an Official page, choose Ask to train here. It opens the Matador app, where you tell the gym what you want to train and your experience level, ask for a trial class and leave a note for the owner. The gym replies to you in the app. If you would rather ask a few questions first, message the gym from the same page.

• Which class is best for a first visit?
• Do I need a gi, or can I come in a T-shirt and shorts? Can I borrow a gi?
• Is the first class free, or is there a trial fee?
• How early should I arrive, and are there changing rooms and showers?
• Will I be sparring in my first class?

If the gym sells drop-ins on Matador, you can also pay for a single class in the app and check in from your phone. That suits people who want to try a few classes before choosing a membership, and anyone training away from home.

What happens in your first class

Classes vary from gym to gym, but most follow a similar shape. There is a warm-up, often with movements unique to grappling such as hip escapes, bridges and forward and backward rolls. The coach then demonstrates a technique or a short sequence, you practise it with a partner, and the class usually ends with some form of sparring, which jiu jitsu people call rolling.

Many gyms keep beginners out of full rolling at first, or start them with positional sparring, where both people begin in a set position such as side control and work from there. It is a far gentler introduction than starting from standing.

1. 1

   Arrive early

   Aim to be there ten to fifteen minutes before the start, so you can find the changing room, fill in any forms and meet the coach without rushing.

2. 2

   Introduce yourself

   Tell the coach it is your first class and mention any injuries or medical conditions. They will usually pair you with an experienced, patient partner.

3. 3

   Copy, then ask

   Watch the demonstration closely, then try it slowly. If you are lost, ask your partner or the coach. Nobody expects you to get it first time.

4. 4

   Drill with light resistance

   When drilling, your partner lets the technique work so you can learn it. Return the favour and do not fight every movement they practise.

5. 5

   Roll only if you want to

   If the class moves on to sparring and you are not ready, it is fine to sit out and watch. When you do roll, go at half pace and tap early.

6. 6

   Thank your partners

   A handshake or fist bump before and after each round is standard. Thank the coach on your way out and ask which class to come to next.

Expect to be out of breath. Beginners tense every muscle and forget to breathe, which tires you far faster than the effort itself. Muscles you did not know you had will ache for a day or two afterwards, and that eases as your body adapts.

Gi or no-gi?

Jiu jitsu is trained in two ways. In the gi you wear a heavy cotton jacket, trousers and a belt, and you can grip the cloth to control your partner, which makes the game slower and more methodical. In no-gi you wear a fitted rash guard and shorts or leggings, there is nothing to hold on to, and the pace is quicker, closer to wrestling and to the grappling you see in mixed martial arts.

Neither is the right answer. If you have no preference, start with whatever your gym's beginners class teaches and try the other once you feel settled. Plenty of people train both, and the skills carry across more than you might expect.

What to bring

• For gi classes: a gi and belt if you have one. Many gyms will lend you a gi for your first session.
• For no-gi classes: a rash guard and shorts with no pockets, zips or buttons, or leggings under shorts.
• A mouthguard, a water bottle and a small towel.
• Flip-flops or sliders for walking anywhere off the mat.
• A hair tie if your hair is long, and nothing metal: take off rings, earrings and watches.

Hold off buying expensive kit until you have trained for a few weeks. Ask your gym whether they expect a particular colour of gi, or their own patches, before you buy one.

Etiquette on the mat

Every gym has its own customs, but most jiu jitsu etiquette comes down to two things: keeping each other safe and making training pleasant for everyone. If in doubt, watch what the regulars do, and ask.

• No shoes on the mat, and no bare feet anywhere else: put flip-flops on before you step off.
• Listen while the coach is teaching, and sit at the edge of the mat rather than chatting.
• Ask people to roll rather than challenging them, and accept a no without fuss.
• Match your partner's intensity. If they are smaller, newer or coming back from injury, slow down.
• Keep an eye on the pairs around you and stop before you roll into them.
• Do not coach your partner unless they ask, especially while you are new.
• Respect the tap instantly, every time, with no exceptions.

In your first year, being a good training partner matters more than being a good fighter. People who are safe and friendly to roll with never struggle to find partners, and plenty of good partners is how you improve fastest.

Hygiene is part of the training

Close contact on shared mats means skin infections such as ringworm, impetigo and staph can spread quickly through a gym. Good hygiene is how everyone keeps them out, and every good academy takes it seriously.

• Shower before training if you can, and always as soon as possible afterwards.
• Wash your gi or rash guard after every session, and never leave damp kit sitting in a bag.
• Keep fingernails and toenails short and smooth.
• Cover cuts and grazes, and stay off the mat with any rash, cold sore or suspicious patch of skin until it has been checked.
• Wear flip-flops in the changing rooms and toilets, and make sure your feet are clean before you step back on the mat.

How belts work

Adults in Brazilian jiu jitsu progress through white, blue, purple, brown and black belts. Stripes, small bands of tape on the belt, mark progress between promotions. Children and teenagers usually follow their own belt system before moving into the adult ranks.

In most gyms your coach decides when you are promoted, based on your technique, how you roll and how long you have been training, rather than on a single exam, although some academies hold formal gradings. Each belt takes a long time by design, so measure your progress by what you can do: surviving under side control, escaping the mount, landing the technique you drilled last month.

Your Matador profile lists the sports you train with your belt, so coaches, training partners and the gyms you visit can understand your level before you step on the mat. Update it when you are promoted, stripes included.

Staying safe and dealing with injuries

Jiu jitsu is a contact sport, so knocks and strains happen, but most injuries come from a few avoidable habits. Tapping late, forcing a technique with strength, thrashing to escape and rolling hard with someone much bigger are the usual culprits.

• Warm up properly, even if you arrive late.
• Tap to anything that feels wrong, including awkward neck positions and heavy pressure, not only to proper submissions.
• Do not post an arm straight out to stop yourself being swept or thrown.
• Tell your partner about any injury before you start, and pick calm partners while it heals.
• Rest when you are ill or exhausted. One missed session costs far less than a month off.

Sore fingers, knees and necks are common while your body gets used to grappling. Anything that does not settle, limits your movement or came with a pop, heavy swelling or numbness deserves a visit to a doctor or physiotherapist rather than training through it. This guide is not medical advice: if you have a condition that training could affect, check with a professional before you start.

Keeping going after the first month

The first few weeks are exciting, and the weeks after are where many beginners drift away. The people who stay usually fix their training days in their calendar and treat them like any other appointment. Two or three sessions a week is a good rhythm if your schedule allows, but one class every week is still real progress.

Once you join a gym that runs on Matador, the app becomes your training base. You can see the full timetable, check in to classes from your phone, read your gym's members-only posts, sign the waivers and rules it asks members to acknowledge, and buy or manage your membership when the gym sells memberships in the app. Members are also notified when the timetable changes, so a cancelled class never catches you out.

Open mats and seminars

An open mat is a session with no set lesson, where people roll and drill freely. Go to your own gym's open mat first; once you can roll with control, open mats at other gyms are a great way to meet new partners. Seminars are longer sessions with a visiting coach, often a well-known competitor, and they are open to all levels more often than beginners expect.

Matador lists seminars, open mats, competitions and other events published by gyms and coaches, by sport. Many sell tickets through Matador, in the app or without an account, and some are streamed live and recorded so you can watch later.

Follow coaches and learn between classes

Follow a coach in the app and Matador tells you when they publish an event. Many coaches also sell video instructionals: you pay once and watch every lesson in the app, and some lessons are free previews. Treat them as revision for what you learn in class, not a replacement for it.

Ask the community

Every beginner has the same questions: which gi to buy, how to stop getting flattened in side control, whether it is normal to feel this sore. Matador's community feed is full of people who were white belts not long ago, and you can post a question in the app and get replies from gyms, coaches and other athletes.

Starting jiu jitsu is mostly about turning up. Find a gym you can reach, ask for a trial, bring clean kit and an open mind, and tap early. The rest comes with time on the mat.