First class
You do not need to be in shape, know the positions, or prove anything. Come clean, come coachable, and come ready to work. We will show you how to stand, fall, move, tap, and train safely.
Start here
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art and combat sport built around clinching, takedowns, positional control, escapes, and submissions. It is practiced in a gi or no-gi. Sport BJJ and real-world self-protection overlap, but they are not identical: awareness, de-escalation, disengagement, and escape come first in self-defense.
Run of show
No pre-fatigue rituals. Optional conditioning comes after technique and is always scalable.
Wear and bring
Loaner gi
Loaner gis are available by advance request, subject to size and availability. Request one on your reservation, reserve early, and bring a rashguard either way.
Buying your own
Fit varies by manufacturer and includes A0, A1L, A2H, and other builds. Use the current chart for the brand you choose:
Sizing and fit for youth
Youth gis are usually sized M0–M4 or K000–K3 by height and weight, not age. When in doubt, size down for a closer fit — a gi that is too long can be shrunk slightly, but one that is too short cannot be lengthened. Check the brand's current chart and measure wingspan (fingertip to fingertip) and inseam before ordering.
These are common ranges; always verify against the manufacturer's latest chart. Bring a backup drawstring and athletic tape on the first night in case sleeves or pants need a quick roll.
Recommendations are not paid endorsements unless disclosed.
Tie your belt
Find the middle of the belt and place it across your stomach, just below the navel.
Wrap both ends behind you, cross them at your back, and bring them forward.
Tuck both layers up under all wraps from the bottom, then pull snug.
Cross the right end over the left, then feed it up through the loop you just formed.
Pull both ends firmly outward. Even ends, flat knot, centered on your waist.
Diagrams show your own waist as you look down. Written steps are here on purpose — the video is optional. Ask any member on Friday and they will walk you through it.
A short walkthrough of tying a BJJ belt so it holds through a round: center the belt on your waist, wrap twice, keep the tails even, and finish with a square knot that lies flat.
Find the middle of the belt and hold it against your stomach, just below the navel.
Wrap both ends around your back and bring them to the front, keeping the wraps flat and not twisted.
Tuck one end under both layers of the belt and pull it up, then even out the two tails.
Cross the top tail over the bottom, feed it up through the loop, and pull both ends firmly to set a square knot.
If the tails are uneven or the knot rolls sideways, untie and reset — a loose belt comes apart mid-round.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
Belt progression
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ranks progress through colored belts. Each color marks a season of learning, not a trophy. The timelines below are honest averages — individual progress depends on consistency, attitude, and time on the mat.
A clear breakdown of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu belt order, what each color represents, and how rank progression works from white to black belt.
White belt: the beginning. Focus is on survival, basic positions, and learning how to train safely.
Blue belt: the first big milestone. Students begin chaining techniques and developing a personal game.
Purple belt: intermediate. More complex combinations, stronger defense, and the ability to teach beginners.
Brown belt: advanced. Refining details and preparing for the black belt level.
Black belt: mastery of fundamentals across many years, not just techniques.
Progression depends on time on the mat, consistency, attitude, and contribution to the team — not just skill.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
Take the belt guide with you — print it or save the PDF for your gym bag.
Download PDFAdjust by training frequency
The baseline these published averages assume. Timelines below show cumulative time on the mat at 3 sessions per week.
Everything is new. The white belt learns how to fall, breathe, move on the ground, and survive without panic. This phase is about showing up coachable, protecting training partners, and building the habits that keep a room safe for decades.
Blue belt is the first major milestone. Techniques begin to connect into sequences, and the grappler starts choosing preferred positions. It is also a common plateau — ego must stay low because the map is finally large enough to expose every gap.
Purple belts combine attacks from multiple positions and develop strong defensive recoveries. Many begin helping beginners because explaining a technique forces understanding. This is where personal style becomes visible and discipline separates progress from stagnation.
Brown belt is the final sharpening before black. Small adjustments in angle, pressure, and timing create large differences. Brown belts usually mentor lower ranks and represent the academy by how they train, not just what they know.
A black belt is not the end of learning — it is proof that the student has learned how to learn. Fundamentals are deep, teaching is expected, and character matters as much as technique. In Japan, a black belt simply means “not a beginner.”
Coral belts are reserved for masters who have given most of a lifetime to the art. Their role shifts toward preserving lineage, raising up instructors, and guarding the culture of the mat. They are reminders that Jiu-Jitsu outlasts any single practitioner.
Stripes are small marks of progress awarded within a belt. They are not mini-promotions — they are feedback that specific skills, habits, or attitudes are sticking. Most academies award up to four stripes on each colored belt before promoting to the next belt.
The common ceiling is four stripes per colored belt. Once a student has earned all four and the instructor believes the next belt's standards are met, promotion follows. There is no automatic timeline — four stripes does not guarantee an immediate belt change.
Black belt is not the finish line. A black belt progresses through degrees — usually one degree every three years — before eventually reaching coral and red belts. The title and responsibilities grow with each step.
Belt FAQ
A note on timelines: Every academy sets its own standards. The ranges above are honest averages based on roughly three sessions per week of consistent training. Your actual progress will depend on your dojo’s curriculum, how regularly you train, your prior grappling or athletic experience, injuries, and how coachable you remain through plateaus. Belts are earned, not bought — and the timeline is far less important than the person you become on the way.
Journey note
“In Japan, a black belt simply means 'Not a Beginner'.”
That is when the journey actually begins.
Glossary
Each belt phase has a specific meaning and a set of expected skills. These are honest benchmarks, not guarantees — progress depends on consistency, humility, and time on the mat.
“The beginning of humility”
Recognizing you know nothing, submitting to the process, and prioritizing safety and coachability over performance.
“Building your first game”
Moving from isolated techniques into personal sequences and preferred positions you can return to under pressure.
“Refinement and teaching”
Converting broad knowledge into clean execution and learning the art more deeply by teaching others.
“Polishing the details”
Small adjustments in angle, pressure, and timing that separate a good grappler from an excellent one.
“The real journey begins”
Mastery is not a finish line; it is the transition from student to steward who can learn and teach the art independently.
“Legacy and preservation”
Passing Jiu-Jitsu to the next generation and protecting the culture, values, and lineage of the art.
Positions
Every drill on Friday starts from a named position. Guard, half guard, side control, mount, back control, and turtle — knowing the names is most of the beginner learning curve.
A tour of the positions you will hear named on the mat — guard, half guard, side control, mount, back control, and turtle — and what each side is trying to accomplish.
Positions are named by who controls whose hips and chest, not by who is on top.
Closed guard: bottom player wraps the legs around the torso and controls posture and distance.
Half guard: bottom player holds one leg; the knee shield and underhook decide the exchange.
Side control and mount: top player pins chest-to-chest or sits on the torso; bottom player frames, bridges, and shrimps.
Back control: hooks or a body triangle behind the partner; hand fighting is the defense.
Turtle: kneeling and folded — learn neck safety and the sit-out before attacking from here.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
A tour of the guards you will see on Friday — closed, half, butterfly, open, and de la Riva — and what each one is trying to control: distance, posture, and your partner's hips.
A guard is any bottom position where your legs and frames manage distance and posture.
Closed guard: ankles locked, break posture, control the arms and hips.
Half guard: one leg trapped; the knee shield and underhook decide who advances.
Butterfly guard: hooks inside the thighs, chest connection, elevate rather than push.
Open and de la Riva guards use feet and grips at range — beginners start with closed and half.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
Submissions
Beginners are not asked to hunt submissions. You are asked to recognize them early and tap without hesitation. Prohibited moves for the session are reviewed on the mat before any live work.
The submissions a new grappler meets first, and — more importantly — how to recognize them early and tap in time. Prohibited moves for the session are reviewed on the mat before any rounds.
Recognize the setup before the finish: grips, angle, and closing space are the warnings.
Tap early, tap loudly, and release immediately when your partner taps.
Apply slowly and let your partner respond — cranking is how people get hurt.
Youth and mixed-experience rounds follow the session's prohibited-move list without exception.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
Sport scoring
Optional context only — our gathering is not a competition. This is one IBJJF-style ruleset; rules differ by federation, event, age, and belt, so always read the current rulebook.
| Action or position | Points |
|---|---|
| Takedown | 2 |
| Sweep from guard | 2 |
| Knee-on-belly | 2 |
| Guard pass | 3 |
| Mount or back mount | 4 |
| Back control with qualifying hooks or body triangle | 4 |
| Submission | Ends the match |
| Side control by itself | 0 |
| Guard pull | 0 |
| Reversal that does not satisfy sweep criteria | Generally 0 |
How points are awarded in sport Jiu-Jitsu under an IBJJF-style ruleset, with the position-by-position chart. Rules differ by federation, event, age, and belt — always read the current rulebook.
Points reward improving position with control, not activity by itself.
Two points: takedown, sweep from guard, knee-on-belly.
Three points: guard pass.
Four points: mount, back mount, and back control with qualifying hooks or a body triangle.
Zero points: guard pull, side control by itself, and reversals that do not meet sweep criteria.
A submission ends the match regardless of the score.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
Self-defense
Awareness, de-escalation, disengagement, and escape come before any technique. Falling safely, standing back up, and escaping bottom positions are the highest-value skills of your first night.
An honest look at where grappling fits in self-protection: awareness, de-escalation, and leaving come first; control and escape skills are the last resort, not the first move.
Most conflict is avoided by noticing it early and creating distance.
De-escalation with words, posture, and space resolves far more situations than technique.
If contact happens, the priority is getting back to your feet and getting out — not finishing a fight.
Standing up safely, breaking grips, and escaping bottom positions are the highest-value skills.
Control is used to protect yourself or someone else, never to punish.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
The first skills of the night: breaking your fall and using the technical stand-up to get back to your feet with your hands free and your base under you.
Break your fall with your whole side, chin tucked, and never post a straight arm.
The technical stand-up keeps your hands free as you rise.
Create distance first, then stand — standing inside a grip invites another takedown.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
Survival and escape before offense: frames, bridges, and hip movement from side control and mount — the ground focus most first classes build from.
Protect your neck and elbows first; frames create the space you need.
Bridge and shrimp to move your hips — arms alone will not move a heavier partner.
Escape to a better position, not into a scramble you cannot control.
Breathe. Panic burns the energy you need to finish the round safely.
Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.
Fathers and sons
Sons ages 13–17 are welcome when the host academy approves youth participation for the session. A parent or legal guardian must register them, complete all required documents, remain on-site, and train or observe according to the approved plan. Pairing is based on age, size, maturity, and experience—not belt alone.
There are no drop-offs, no unsupervised one-on-one adult and minor interaction, no private transportation, no closed-room instruction, and no private direct messaging with minors. Photo and video permission is separate, optional, and never a condition of participation.
Hygiene and illness
Tapping and consent
A tap may be by hand, foot, or voice. “Tap,” “stop,” a pain sound, loss of responsiveness, or a coach stoppage ends the action immediately. Every round requires consent: anyone may decline or stop a round with anyone, at any time, without explanation. Consent outranks rank.
FAQ
