Gi classes
Training in the heavy cotton jacket and trousers, where grips on collars and sleeves change how every hold works.
Length75 min
Ground grappling for beginners, safety first
Brazilian jiu jitsu is grappling on a padded mat: holding, escaping and controlling a partner, with no punches or kicks. Every new starter begins on a six week course whose first lesson is how to tap and how to fall, and nobody is thrown into hard sparring.
6 weeksbeginner course first
0punches or kicks
Age 6+kids classes
Tapping comes before everything else
A tap is how a partner says stop: two or three clear pats on your body or the mat, or the word tap said out loud. When someone taps, the other person lets go at once, every time, without finishing the move. Lesson one of the beginner course is nothing but this, plus falling backwards and sideways without hurting the head or wrists.
Sparring, which jiu jitsu calls rolling, is built up slowly. New starters drill with a cooperative partner, then work from set positions against light resistance, then roll at half pace while a coach watches. Full rounds in open classes begin only after the course, and anyone can sit a round out.
- Tap early, and let go the moment a partner taps
- Partners matched by size and experience
- No slams and no leg locks for beginners
- A coach on the mat for every round
The six week beginner course
Two evenings a week for six weeks, in a group of twelve at most. A loan gi comes with the course, so nobody buys kit before knowing whether they like it.
Weeks 1 and 2: safe on the mat
Tapping, falling, standing up safely, and the hygiene rules: clean kit, short nails, covered cuts.
Weeks 3 and 4: escapes from underneath
Getting out from under a heavier partner, the skill most people came to learn.
Week 5: the guard
Using the legs to keep a partner at a distance, slowly and against a cooperative partner.
Week 6: first supervised rolls
Short rounds from set positions at half pace, with the coach choosing every pairing.
What happens on the mat each week
After the course, members can join any adult class. Gi and no gi teach the same principles in different clothing, and most members try both.
No gi classes
Rash guard and shorts, a quicker game with fewer grips, taught at the same careful pace.
Length60 min
Kids classes
Games, balance and holds for ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 14, with parents able to watch from the bench.
Length45 min
Open mat
Unstructured time to drill or roll, with a coach always in the room and nobody obliged to roll at all.
Length90 min
The weekly mat timetable
A new beginner course starts every six weeks. Kids classes follow school terms; adult classes run all year except two weeks in winter.
| Day | Time | Class | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 18:30 | Beginner course | New starters |
| Monday | 19:45 | Gi, all levels | After the course |
| Tuesday | 07:00 | No gi fundamentals | After the course |
| Wednesday | 17:00 | Kids, 6 to 9 | Children |
| Wednesday | 18:30 | Beginner course | New starters |
| Thursday | 19:45 | No gi, all levels | After the course |
| Saturday | 09:30 | Kids, 10 to 14 | Children |
| Saturday | 11:00 | Open mat | Members |
Kids classes, with parents in the room
Children learn balance, falling, holds and escapes through games, and every class ends with a calm cool down. Chokes and joint locks are left out of the 6 to 9 class altogether, and older children learn them slowly, under strict control.
Every coach who teaches children holds the background check required where the gym is based, and a second adult is always on the mat. Parents are welcome to watch any class from the bench along the wall, and children leave only with the adult named on their form.
- Ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 14
- Two adults on the mat in every class
- Parents welcome on the bench
- Rash guard and shorts, no gi needed at first
The course first, then a membership
Everyone starts with the beginner course. Memberships run month to month and can be paused for injury or travel.
Beginner course
6 weeks$129
- A loan gi for the six weeks
- Groups of twelve at most
- Taken off the first month if you join
Two classes a week
a month$95
- Gi or no gi
- Open mat on Saturdays
- Holds of up to eight weeks a year
Unlimited
a month$139
- Early morning no gi included
- Open mat included
- One guest session a month
Kids
a month$70
- Two trial classes first
- A rash guard lent at the start
- 15% off for brothers and sisters
Memberships are paid to the gym monthly. Two weeks' notice stops one, and a doctor's note pauses it straight away.
Heard on the bench after class (example reviews)
Joined at forty four after years of avoiding anything with sparring. The whole first night went on tapping and falling, and by week six rolling felt like a puzzle rather than a fight.
Smaller than most people on the mat, so the size matching matters. The coaches pair partners carefully, and anyone going too hard gets a quiet word.
Our nine year old was nervous about grappling strangers. Watching from the bench for the first month helped all of us, and the coaches explain every game.
From the first breakfall to open mat
Blue mats washed after every session, high windows and a bench for parents along one wall.
Asked before the first lesson
Will a beginner have to spar on the first night?
No. The first lessons are tapping, falling and drills with a cooperative partner. Rolling starts in week six, at half pace from set positions, with the coach choosing partners, and open class rounds come only after the course.
What should a beginner tell the coach before training?
Any injury, operation, heart condition or other health problem, and anything that limits how you move. Coaches adapt drills but cannot give medical advice, so check with a doctor first if you have any doubt about grappling.
Is jiu jitsu too rough for someone over forty?
Plenty of members started in their forties and fifties. The house rules exist for exactly this: tap early, let go at once, partners matched by size, nobody obliged to roll. Joints recover more slowly with age, so rest days matter.
Gi or no gi first?
The beginner course is taught in the gi, which slows things down and teaches grips. A loan gi comes with the six weeks, so there is nothing to buy until you decide to stay.
How long until a coloured belt?
Nobody at the gym promises one. Coaches promote people when they see the skill on the mat, and the time it takes varies hugely with attendance, age and life outside the gym. Many members train happily for years without asking.
How clean is a grappling mat?
Mats are washed after every session and kit after every class. Nails stay short, sandals stay off the mat, and any skin infection means staying away until it has cleared.
Ask for a place on the course
Choose the beginner course or a kids trial and the date you would like to start. The gym replies within one working day to confirm, offer the next course if that one is full, or ask a question.
- Nothing is booked until the gym confirms
- The course fee is paid to the gym directly
- Injuries are talked through with the coach before the first lesson
Getting to the mats
Call the desk while it is staffed, or email whenever suits; coaches answer questions about the course themselves.
Front desk
A ground floor unit in the old tram depot, behind the climbing wall, with bike racks by the door
Staffed hours
| Monday to Thursday | 06:45 to 21:30 |
| Friday | 06:45 to 20:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00 to 13:00 |
Bring on the first night
Water, sliders for walking to the mat, and clothes without zips or pockets. Nails trimmed, jewellery off and long hair tied back. Changing rooms and showers are by the entrance.
Book a first lesson