Starting Jiu Jitsu as a Complete Beginner: What to Expect Your First Month |
Starting Jiu Jitsu as a Complete Beginner: What to Expect Your First Month
Almost everyone who walks into a jiu-jitsu gym for the first time is nervous. You're about to try something hard, in front of strangers, that involves getting up close and physical with people who already know what they're doing. That's intimidating. It's supposed to be.
Here's the thing though. Every single person on that mat felt exactly the way you feel right now. The black belt who makes it look easy started as someone who had no idea what they were doing. This post walks you through exactly what your first month looks like, so you know what you're getting into before you show up.
Before your first class
The hardest part of jiu-jitsu is walking through the door the first time. Once you've done that, everything gets easier.
You don't need to get in shape first. You don't need to know anything. You don't need any gear beyond a t-shirt and shorts. The idea that you should "prepare" before starting is the single biggest thing that keeps people on the sidelines for years. There is no preparing. You just start, and you get better by doing it.
At 10th Planet Newark, your first class is free. No commitment, no pressure. Just show up and see how it feels.
Your first class
Your first class will be humbling, and that's completely normal.
You'll start with a warmup that will probably wind you sooner than you expect. Then a coach breaks down a technique in small pieces, and you drill it slowly with a partner. Nobody is trying to hurt you. Beginners get paired with experienced training partners who know how to slow things down and help you learn.
If there's live training at the end, you might get tapped out over and over. That's not you failing. That's the entire process. Getting tapped is how you learn where your mistakes are. The people tapping you today were getting tapped themselves not long ago.
By the end of your first class you'll be tired, a little confused, and probably hooked.
Weeks one and two
The first two weeks are the steepest part of the curve. Everything is new. You're learning how to move your body in ways it has never moved. You'll feel clumsy. You'll forget techniques the moment you learn them. You'll get winded fast.
This is where a lot of people quit, and it's the worst possible time to quit, because you're right at the point where it's about to start clicking.
Your job in these first two weeks is simple. Show up. Don't worry about being good. Don't compare yourself to anyone. Just keep coming back and let your body start to adapt. It will, faster than you think.
Weeks three and four
Something changes around week three. Your body starts to catch up. The warmups stop destroying you. Techniques you drilled last week start to feel slightly less foreign. You start to recognize positions instead of just reacting to chaos.
You're still going to get tapped constantly. You're still a beginner. But you'll notice small wins. Surviving a little longer. Remembering to do the thing your coach showed you. Escaping a position you couldn't escape last week. These small moments are what hook people for life.
By the end of your first month, you won't be good yet. But you'll understand the game a little, you'll know a few techniques, and you'll have started building the base that everything else gets stacked on top of.
What to expect from the people
One of the biggest surprises for new people is how welcoming a good jiu-jitsu room is.
You might picture a gym full of tough guys sizing you up. That's not how a healthy academy works. The culture at 10th Planet Newark is built around helping new people, not crushing them. The experienced students remember being white belts. They'll help you, correct you, and pick you up off the mat.
You'll be rolling with electricians, teachers, parents, programmers, and former athletes. People from every walk of life, all figuring it out together. That community is a big part of why people stay.
How often should you train?
For a beginner, two to three times a week is the sweet spot. Enough to build real muscle memory and see steady progress, without burning yourself out or beating up your body before it adapts.
If you can only make one class a week to start, that's still better than zero. Consistency matters more than intensity. The person who trains twice a week for a year will pass the person who trains hard for two weeks and disappears.
What you actually need
For your first class, comfortable athletic clothing works. A fitted t-shirt or rash guard and shorts or leggings without zippers or pockets. If you have a mouthguard, bring it.
We train no-gi, so there's no expensive kimono to buy. Down the road you'll want a rash guard and grappling shorts, but you don't need to worry about any of that on day one.
The only thing standing between you and starting
It's not your fitness. It's not your age. It's not your lack of experience. It's the decision to show up.
Everyone who trains jiu-jitsu was once exactly where you are, thinking about it, nervous about it, wondering if they'd be able to do it. The only difference between them and the person who never starts is that they walked through the door.
Your first class at 10th Planet Newark is free. No commitment, no drop-in fee, no pressure. Come see what it's about.
10th Planet Newark | 409 S 22nd St Suite 6, Heath OH 43056 | (740) 520-0112
Serving Newark, Heath, Granville, Pataskala, Zanesville, and Mount Vernon.
