You don’t need to feel like you’re walking into the unknown by showing up at Gracie Barra Clearwater for your free trial lessons. Here’s what you can expect.

0. Meet the Instructor and Sign a Waiver

Before class starts, you’ll want to meet with the instructor. He can tell you about the school and answer any questions. If you want to join the class, you’ll need to fill out a waiver and you be lent a gi and shown how to tie a belt.

1. Line Up and Bow In

The instructor will call everyone on to the mats to line up by belt rank and experience level. He’ll make any announcements then everyone bows to start class and warm-ups.

2. Warm-Ups and Conditioning

To prevent injury and build endurance, the class will do warm-ups that usually consist of running, push ups, sit ups, body weight exercises and BJJ-specific movements like breakfalls and shrimping. You’ll have a minute to get a drink then get back on the mats before the next part of class.

3. Instruction, Demonstration and Drilling of Techniques

Each night you’ll learn 3-4 related techniques from standing and on the ground (e.g. defending a standing headlock and three ways to escape a headlock on the ground that work in combination). Students will line up around the instructor as he demonstrates and explains a technique and answers questions. You’ll pair up with a training partner and drill the technique. The instructor will go around and fix any mistakes and tell you when to switch and let the other person drill. After drilling, you’ll have a chance to get another sip of water.

4. Live Positional Sparring

The instructor will arrange the students for a group drill. People will be told to hold certain positions on each other and be given goals. For example, you may be told to lay down and have someone pin you. Your goal is to escape using the techniques you learned that night; their goal is to stop you while trying to improve their position and get armlocks and chokes. If either of you succeed, you go back to the starting position and try again. The instructor will be running a timer and telling people when to switch and who to partner with so everyone has a chance to do both sides of the drill. (In advanced classes this positional sparring is followed by free sparring.)

5. Line up and Bow Out

When live drilling ends, the class lines up one more time and the instructor will make any more announcements and award promotions, then you bow out and shake hands with your training partners.

6. Sign Up for Membership

If you enjoyed class and want to join Gracie Barra Clearwater, now is the time to talk to instructor again and get the paperwork filled out to enroll in classes.

Still have concerns?

Contact us with any questions you have about Gracie Barra Clearwater or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.