What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu anyway?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling martial art that involves control techniques, leverage positions, and “submissions” which are chokes and locks of specific joints in the body. It’s like wrestling but with controlled moves that can end the fight. It’s called Brazilian because it was modified from Japanese Jiu-Jitsu by Brazilians in the mid 20th century when early sensei emigrated to Brazil.

Is this like UFC or MMA?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one big part of what makes up MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) . The other parts include striking (like Boxing and Kickboxing) and takedowns (like Wrestling or Judo). So BJJ is an essential part of MMA, but in BJJ there is no striking being done, so no worries there. We do have a takedown class as well as coaches and black belts that have MMA, striking, and wrestling backgrounds should you want to steer your BJJ learning in that direction.

WHAT MAKES BJJ safe to practice?

First and most importantly, the entire sport revolves around “tapping”. That’s when you tap several times on the mat, on your opponent, on yourself, or say “tap-tap-tap” verbally.

A “tap” is like a rip cord that stops all action. When a submission is being applied, it’s up to the person who is tapping when it stops. It is very common (and encouraged) for “taps” to occur before any pain or significant discomfort happens. All of the power therefore is in your hands. The black belts have a saying: “Tap early and tap often!”

SO WHO’s MARCELO GARCIA ANYWAY?

Marcelo Garcia is a 5x BJJ Champ and Hall of Famer and one of the kindest, most unassuming people you’ll meet. Rob Ables, the head instructor of this gym and student of Marcelo’s opened an affiliate school of his in Dallas, TX in 2009. From time to time, Marcelo comes down to from his main school to visit with us and give seminars.

I should probably get in shape for this huh?

Nope. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gets you in shape as a side effect of the learning.

Can I just give this a swing for a bit to see if I love it or hate it?

Absolutely. Come on in during any class (ideally like 5 min before), sign the waiver, and start a 7 day free trial with no credit card info needed or anything. At the end of the 7 days, then you can sign up for a monthly fee with no cancellation fees or any other tricks.

OK Cool, I’m in for the 7-day trial, what do I need to bring or wear?

Awesome! For the trial, it’s totally fine to wear a t-shirt and athletic shorts. You do want the t-shirt not to be too loose and the shorts ideally have some sort of drawstring that you can tighten well.

Beyond that it’s optional to wear a mouthpiece. No strikes of any kind are allowed in Jiu-Jitsu, but it's a decent precaution since every now and then arm can pop under the jaw, so a mouthpiece is a good recommendation.

Once you’re committed to training, you can worry about buying a “Gi” which is the outfit that you wear, usually white or blue. It needs to be a Jiu-Jitsu Gi, since they are made of tougher material and built for the pulling and grabbing that happens in training. “No-Gi” classes are more like the athletic shorts/t-shirt combo you would wear during a trial period, but there are pretty nice nogi rashguards and shorts available.

WILL I MEET JOE ROGAN ?

No, you will not meet Joe Rogan, although he’ll probably tell you to come train anyway :)