Can I lose weight doing jiu-jitsu?
I'm a small person and not very athletic. Can I do jiu-jitsu?
I'm a woman and have no experience in martial arts. Can I do jiu-jitsu?
I don't know if I want to roll around on the mats with strangers and sweaty people.
Is your gym a taekwondo or karate gym which has a jiu-jitsu program or do you just teach jiu-jitsu?
Will I learn strikes such as kicks and punches at your academy?
Your curriculum says that you train for punching opponents. Does this mean that you guys beat each other up in class?
Do you roll (spar) at your academy?
I train at a sport jiu-jitsu school now. Aren't I learning self-defense?
Why doesn't your academy allow beginning students to spar or roll like at most jiu-jitsu schools?
Are there any age limitations in order to begin practicing jiu-jitsu?
Why should I train jiu-jitsu? Aren't other martial arts just as effective as jiu-jitsu in real street fights?
While all martial arts have value for their particular applications, Gracie jiu-jitsu has been proven time after time to be very effective in real street-fight scenarios. Royce Gracie showed the world the amazing effectiveness of his family's art in the original Ultimate Fighting Championships back in the 90's. Because of Royce's amazing victories, millions started training this amazing art.
Can I lose weight doing jiu-jitsu?
Yes. Jiu-jitsu is perfect for fat burning, especially with a proper diet and eating regimen. Contrary to popular belief that high-intensity cardio (anaerobic exercise where you are "huffing & puffing") burns fat, it is actually the prolonged low-intensity aerobic exercises (such as walking and grappling!) that burns fat. The general rule is: do anaerobic exercise for fitness, do aerobic exercise for fat burning.
I'm a small person and not very athletic. Can I do jiu-jitsu?
Yes, jiu-jitsu was made for you! Jiu-jitsu will give you the tools to effectively neutralize aggression against bigger, stronger, and more athletic aggressors.
I'm a woman and have no experience in martial arts. Can I do jiu-jitsu?
Yes. In our opinion, all women should learn jiu-jitsu. Unfortunately, women do not typically seek out jiu-jitsu training, but in our opinion, they are the one demographic which could benefit the most.
I don't know if I want to roll around on the mats with strangers and sweaty people.
We get it. This is a very common concern for many new students because the thought of being in someone else's personal space (or they in yours) can be daunting. Students usually get used to this closeness after a month or so. It is very normal and a very important reflex to learn, since someone could invade your personal space beyond your control or consent in a real-life altercation (in the street, in your home, anywhere). Therefore, it is better to get used to this on the mats with your friends in a safe space rather than in the street with a stranger.
Is your gym an MMA gym?
No, we are not an MMA gym. Of course, our students are welcome do MMA and tournaments if they want. It's just not our focus.
Is your gym a taekwondo or karate gym which has a jiu-jitsu program or do you just teach jiu-jitsu?
No, we are not a karate school that has a jiu-jitsu program. We are a full-service jiu-jitsu academy. We live, breathe, and eat jiu-jitsu! Okay, maybe we don't eat jiu-jitsu, but you know what we mean.
Will I learn strikes such as kicks and punches at your academy?
Yes, strikes are included in our curriculum.
Your curriculum says that you train for punching opponents. Does this mean that you guys beat each other up in class?
No. This is a common misconception in martial arts training, that we have to beat each other up in order to learn to defend against striking opponents. This is not necessary nor is it safe! While we do a variety of fight simulation drills (with gloves and mouth guards in the Master Cycle), strikes to your sparring partner are only delivered at 10-15% power, but with 80-100% energy. In other words, we simulate real-world violence without the violence. We ensure that training is safe and fun for everyone. Anyone who does not train safely will not be allowed to train.
Do you roll (spar) at your academy?
Yes, everyday after Master Cycle classes. We do a variety of sparring drills: focus sparring, gi sparring, nogi sparring, street sparring (with gloves and mouth guards), positional start-ups. Sparring is optional for Master Cycle students.
I train at a sport jiu-jitsu school now. Aren't I learning self-defense?
Maybe, but it's not a given. For a lot of years, this has been the prevailing thought, that training sport jiu-jitsu (training for tournaments) equates to learning self-defense. However, we are now seeing real-life examples, where this is not necessarily the case. While sport jiu-jitsu provides some tools for real street fights (such as grappling), it is evident now that if jiu-jitsu practitioners do not train for real-street fight scenarios, they will not suddenly know what to do when they are faced with someone who is determined to beat them up. Of course, we love the sport of jiu-jitsu. It's the sport which allows us to enjoy the jiu-jitsu lifestyle, but we never abandon the self-defense mindset within our training.
Why doesn't your academy allow beginning students to spar or roll like at most jiu-jitsu schools?
A few reasons. First, safety. Experience has shown that beginning students need time to develop a basic understanding of the movements of jiu-jitsu before endeavoring to "tap out" someone in a sparring match which could lead to injuries.
Second, the focus of the beginner program is street readiness, not tournament victory. Developing reflexes for real street fights and assault is quite different than preparing for tournaments. Therefore, in the beginner course, our training simulates street violence without the violence by having cooperative partners. This doesn't mean we don't sweat and train hard. Quite the contrary.
In life, what we learn first, we learn best. Therefore, it is our focus and priority at our academy to help our students develop their street reflexes first, so that they are prepared as soon as possible to handle the threat of real violence in the street. Once you graduate into the Master Cycle, you will be able to spar sportively, everyday if you want!
Do self-defense jiu-jitsu in order to save your life, do sport jiu-jitsu for life!
Are there any age limitations in order to begin practicing jiu-jitsu?
No! Helio Gracie, the founder of Gracie Jiu-jitsu, was still teaching and practicing jiu-jitsu at the age of 95 when he passed away. There is also a 72 year old grandmother on instagram doing jiu-jitsu! Look her up! So, it is never too late to start training jiu-jitsu.
Will I ever be pressured to compete or do tournaments?
Never! Competing in tournaments is completely up to the student.
If tournament glory is your ultimate goal, no worries, we got you! You can spar every night (in the Master Cycle) and get your fill.
If you just want to do jiu-jitsu at your own pace, spar whenever you feel like it, train for the camaraderie, for fitness, for the lifestyle, no problem, we got you! A majority of our students will fit into this category.
Think of it this way: Does an anaconda do tournaments before grabbing hold of an alligator, choking it out, and eating it? No, it does not. :-)
We know that the enemy is outside the academy, not on the mats. Therefore, we don't view our training partners as people to defeat, but as our family and friends who help us train hard and improve our jiu-jitsu. All egos are checked at the door at our academy.