How to Prepare for Your First Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Class

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a practical and physically demanding martial art. That doesn't mean you have to do anything physical to prepare for your first class. As the old adage states: "You don't have to be good to start, you have to start to be good". As a beginning student, you will join our fundamentals program. The fundamentals program builds your grappling skillset no matter your physical condition and/or abilities. There are however some things you can do that will help you become a better training partner. There are also a couple of things you can do to improve your experience while beginning your BJJ journey.

Trim and file your nails. In Jiu-Jitsu you will learn to use both your hands and your feet to control another human being at close range. Your nails are weapons, and we cannot be slicing up our training partners while training. Your training partners will appreciate you more if you trim and file your fingernails and toenails.

Be clean. Jiu-Jitsu is a close-contact combat sport. Your training partners want to enjoy training with you, but they will be much happier if you smell good. Please come to class clean and smelling fresh. Please avoid strong-smelling perfumes.

Freshen your breath. You will be face-to-face with your training partners. Do them a favor and make sure you have fresh-smelling breath. It's not a terrible idea to keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in your gear bag.

Train in a clean uniform. Training with someone that has a stinky Gi or rash guard is one of the worse experiences to have during class. Make sure to never wear the same uniform twice without washing it. Even if it doesn't stink when you bring it to class, the stink will come out during training. Do everyone a favor and always wash your gear between classes.

Come hydrated. A 1% decrease in your hydration levels can cause a 10% decrease in your performance. This includes your ability to problem-solve and learn. Your body is 60 - 80% water, so make certain that you are well hydrated. If your urine is yellow, drink more water. If your urine is clear, you are likely hydrated. Make sure also to bring water to stay hydrated during class.

Have a learning and growth mindset. The purpose of every Jiu-Jitsu class is to develop your skills in grappling. Jiu-Jitsu is not easy. You will have to deal with lots of frustration, failure, and defeat. This is especially true in the beginning. This is all part of the process. It is a necessary part of your martial arts journey. Be ready to learn.

The best time to plant a tree is one hundred years ago, the next best time is now.

There is no other activity that can prepare you for Jiu-Jitsu besides Jiu-Jitsu. Just come to class ready to learn and be a good training partner. Your grappling skills will develop over time and so will your strength and conditioning. If you still have concerns about preparing for your first class, reach out to us via our contact page or message us on our social media channels. Hope to see you in class soon!

Is Jiu-Jitsu Good for Self Defense?

Not everyone looking to get into martial arts does it for self-defense. Perhaps you are looking for something fun to do, or you are looking to get into better shape, or you desire to be a part of an awesome community. But, because Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, you may want to know…is it good for self-defense? That depends on the situation.

There is no doubt that Jiu-Jitsu will help you become more capable in any self-defense situation. You will become more agile, more flexible, more fit. These attributes will help you whether you are being attacked by multiple assailants, or when being attacked with a weapon. When you are confronted by multiple assailants, or if your assailant has a weapon there isn’t any martial art that is effective enough to walk away unharmed. But, let’s talk about why Jiu-Jitsu is the most effective in a one-on-one attack.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling-based martial art that utilizes holds and tactics involving leverage rather than striking. This allows a smaller, weaker person to defend themselves against a much larger, stronger opponent. Because we are not using strikes, we can train as often as our body and time will allow without fear of brain injury from concussions. Some BJJ practitioners will train a couple times a week, some will choose to train a couple of times per day. Imagine how good you can get?

You can train everyday with no more risk of injury than going to a gym to workout, or playing basketball. This allows practitioners to develop very high levels of skill. At Renzo Gracie Ponce we split our classes into fundamentals and advanced classes. New students will begin in our fundamentals program which will develop your foundational understanding of position and technique. This allows you to escape from pins and holds, defend against strangles and joint locks, and understand how to take down your opponent. These are all necessary skills to defend yourself against an attack. Our advanced classes will begin to focus more on Jiu-Jitsu as a competitive sport.

Jiu-Jitsu will make you a much more capable warrior if you are ever in a self-defense situation. There are few (if any) other martial arts that will give you the true confidence in your ability to defend yourself against a larger, stronger opponent. Training Jiu-Jitsu will give you the tools needed to defend yourself. This is because in Jiu-Jitsu you will practice against real resisting opponents every single day. You cannot do that with striking arts, because you would suffer brain injuries from the constant strikes to the head. If you are looking for a fun, safe, effective form of martial arts for self-defense look for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in your area. Here at Renzo Gracie Ponce we don't require any long-term commitment. Try it out and if you don't believe in its effectiveness, go try something else. What do you have to lose?

10 Reasons to Practice Martial Arts in Ponce, PR

Martial Arts has many benefits such as improving your confidence, developing your self defense, improving your health, and more. To help you learn more we have listed ten of the ways that you can benefit by practicing martial arts right here in Ponce.

It builds your confidence

The martial arts will provide you with life skills. Your ability to stand up for yourself will increase exponentially if you regularly practice a martial art like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with a good team. That’s because everyday you will be practicing the most-effective martial arts in the world. You will be developing your set of techniques, and you will get a chance to practice in live training sessions. With the proper instructor led training it is extremely safe as well, so you can practice as much as you want.

It improves your ability to handle stressful situations

The martial arts will help you to deal with stressful situations. The martial art of Jiu-Jitsu for example will give you plenty of opportunities to practice your techniques against resisting opponents. At first, this will be stressful to most students. With consistent practice you will learn to become very calm in stressful situations. Many students will say “once you grapple, everything else in life is easier”.

It helps you develop self discipline

The martial arts helps you to connect with the most important living being in your life…you. It helps you to see your body as not just some figure in the mirror, but as a living, breathing, biological machine. Your discipline will improve, because you will learn that discipline is the key ingredient to good technique and a successful life.

It connects you with positive, hard-working people

The martial arts has a way of attracting positive, hard-working people such as yourself. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools across the globe are filled with the most amazing members of their respective communities. This is because Jiu-Jitsu is hard. People that don’t mind doing hard things are typically much better to be around.

It can improve your health

The martial arts is a physical activity that will improve your health. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is one of the most physical martial arts that exists. It is similar to H.I.I.T (high intensity interval training). As a student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu you could benefit from lower cholesterol, more regulated blood sugar and insulin levels, and lowered blood pressure and resting heart rate.

It helps you improve your memory retention and problem-solving skills

The martial arts can help you improve your memory retention and problem-solving skills. Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to promote a physical change in your brain that promotes better memory and skill acquisition. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has plenty of aerobic physical exercise and at Renzo Gracie Ponce we take a systems based approach to our studies which you will be able to apply while problem solving in your life.

It improves your ability to defend yourself during an attack

The foundation of most martial arts is self defense. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu just happens to be one of the most-effective martial arts for self defense in existence. This is especially true with one-on-one attacks with no weapons. While no martial art can claim that it will save you in any situation, Jiu-Jitsu will certainly make you a much harder target.

It improves your mobility and coordination

Practicing martial arts will improve your ability and coordination. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for example you will be learning many techniques that involve using your body and movements to control your training partner. You will practice these movements with repetition and then have an opportunity towards the end of class to practice the movements live with resistance. Your body will begin to move with more fluidity as you become proficient with your techniques.

It increases your flexibility

Martial artists benefit from increased flexibility. In a study of Jiu-Jitsu practitioners the researchers found that the more experienced the grappler, the more flexibility they possessed. You don’t have to be flexible to start Jiu-Jitsu, but over time you will become more flexible as you learn to move through the technical positions.

It's a really fun way to get in phenomenal shape!

Martial arts can be a really fun way to get in phenomenal shape. Your body composition will improve. Your energy levels will improve. You will feel great! That is because Jiu-Jitsu is a mixture of (FUN) Aerobic and Anaerobic physical activity. The sessions are typically 90-minutes and will burn anywhere between 400 - 1000 calories while having a good time. Some students will choose to only do Jiu-Jitsu for their exercise, while others will supplement their Jiu-Jitsu with CrossFit, Yoga, Weightlifting, etc. It is up to you!

So what now?

Now that you know a bunch of the benefits that martial arts (especially Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) can provide you, it’s time to start reaping those benefits. Go find a class!

If you have questions, comments, or doubts feel free to contact us at info@renzogracieponce.com or call us at 939-788-9228.

We are in Ponce, Puerto Rico and ready to help you begin your journey in the martial arts.

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