BJJSML | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 101

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 101

Brian

So you are interested in trying out Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? There are many things that should be considered when beginning Jiu Jitsu and BJJSML will help you get an idea of what to expect and what to look for in an Academy / Jiu Jitsu environment.

Chances are that if your doing the research on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then you may have a sense of what this Martial Art is all about. If not here is an interesting History of BJJ you can read up on.

Questions You NEED To Ask Yourself and Things You NEED to Expect

Becoming an Expert at ANYTHING takes time. Think of yourself as going into medical school, it is something that you are going to have to devote your time to in order to Master it. That being said, you dont need to make it all the way to Black Belt in order to ENJOY Jiu Jitsu. You just need to understand so you do not become frustrated, that Mastering BJJ is a Lifetime Commitment
What are you Goals and what do you Intend to get out of learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Expect to be in Positions and Use Muscles that you are unfamiliar with
Do I have what it takes? Anybody can learn Jiu Jitsu, thats what makes it so Beautiful. It is so customizable that weak, strong, skinny, big, muscular people can develop and customize their own game.
Getting to Class is half the battle. JUST TRAIN! You are going to get tapped out by higher and lower ranks. A gooD way to look at this is that you have two aspects of Jiu Jitsu or any combat sport, OFFENSE and DEFENSE. You may get tapped out 100 times in class while your partner is the one on the offensive. The fact is that each time you tap you are improving your defense. I have trained with people that tapped almost constantly their first year or two, then all of a sudden BAM you can no longer tap them. They are just too good at defending. So if you look at this on a scale both aspects balance each other out and everyone learns a different side at a time.

Finding a School

You would think this is a pretty straight forward subject, just open the phone book, pick out a School and go. A Black Belt is a Black Belt right? Well sadly we live in a world filled with Criminals and Con Artists and the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world is not immune to these predators. A good way of finding out if a school is legit right off the bat is if their Black Belt is a registered member of the IBJJF. An instructors Lineage can also be a good tool to validate a persons RANK. Now this in no way discredits anyones skill who is not registered with the IBJJF or that you will automatically recognize someones Lineage, these are just things that you can research on your own. It would be a bad idea to go to a school and ask for proof of Black Belt as some may find it disrespectful or rude. Most schools will normally have a diploma on display for all to see anyway.

BJJSML School Directory

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Saved My Life has come up with a well thought out School Database that displays a schools most important information for prospective students. Price and Cost of membership is obviously a concern for most people, however judging a School based on price is a BIG mistake. Make sure to try out a class or two before making a decision, this will give you a good idea of how the classes, people, atmosphere and gym conditions are. Remember... Most of the time you get what you pay for!