Most people put off their first class for months. Usually because they do not know what they are walking into. Here is the whole thing, start to finish.
What to wear
A t-shirt and athletic shorts or sweatpants. No zippers, no buttons, no pockets — they catch fingers and toes. No shoes on the mat. Cut your nails. Bring water.
You do not need a gi to try a class. If you stay, we will point you to one.
Get there ten minutes early
Someone will meet you, show you where to change, and tell you where to line up. Nobody is going to throw you into anything without explaining it first.
The class itself
Warm-up. Movement drills. Awkward the first few times. Everyone was bad at these once.
Technique. The professor shows a position and a handful of steps. Then you drill it with a partner, slowly, while the professors correct you. This is most of the class.
Live rounds. Rounds of actual grappling. On day one you may sit these out or go light with an upper belt. If you do roll, you will get controlled and submitted repeatedly. That is not a sign you are bad at this. That is Tuesday.
What nobody tells you
- You will be more tired than you expect. Beginners use everything at once. That fixes itself in a few weeks.
- The upper belts are the safest people in the room. The higher the belt, the more control they have. It is the other new people you have to watch.
- Tap early and often. Tapping is not losing. It is how you train for years instead of months.
- Nobody is judging your conditioning. Every person on that mat had a first day.
After class
Ask questions. Talk to whoever rolled with you. If it was not for you, say so — no one will chase you down.
Where and when
354 Woodmont Rd, Suite 10, Milford, CT 06460. Call 203-571-9375 or claim your FREE week and we will put you in a beginner-friendly session.
The hardest part is walking in. Everything after that is just training.