I came across Brazilian jiu jitsu about a year ago while trying to find some other style to compliment my wing chun skills in this never-ending quest for improvement as a martial artist. Attracted by the idea of “the gentle art”, the cleverness of leverage and that beautiful ground game I was still missing I ended signing up at a local gym, Aranha Jiu Jitsu (Kecun, Guangzhou).
Even though I was very excited about it, this “gentle art” appeared somehow scary for this mature beginner as I wondered how someone could get so close to all those big sweaty guys and hold those “not so gentle” positions with complete strangers.
Millions of questions came to my mind back then. That feeling of excitement mixed with the terror of the unknown made my tummy crumble and shake. But as with everything in life, we need to try in order to know and I enjoy knowing so made my decision and contacted coach Julien Vandelli, the head at Aranha Guangzhou and skilled black belt under Yan Cabral.
Doubts and fears started disappearing straight away as everybody in the house was helpful and friendly. Once the initial nerves disappeared this amazing bjj community started showing before my eyes, this martial family of jiu jitsuteros welcomed me with open arms and warm hearts.
So for those of you who are considering joining the community but feel that terror of the unknown just allow me to give you a few tips gathered so far from my short experience on the mats in the hope that it will give you a better idea and help you to be ready on your first rolling session:
1. A sweaty business indeed…
Get used to the idea of sweating profusely for hours because that’s what rolling does to you; which is great anyway because it proves how awesome workout this sport is and that’s probably one of the reasons why you are thinking about it, right? So just get your litres of water ready and a little towel on the side and you’ll be perfectly equipped for your session.
2. Grappling hygiene
Although it might sound kind of obvious hygiene is key when stepping on to the mats. You are going to be very very close to your mates so I think we should push our standards a bit higher in the attempt to be respectful and considerate.
Apart from the daily shower I think it is a good idea to refresh ourselves a bit before the training session; often times you will be going to the gym right after eight hours of tough work so a quick shower or just a little wash will make you feel better and ready to roll.
A little note about nails: please make sure you clip them regularly, hands and toes, so you avoid injury when grappling with your rolling partner. If your nails are anything like mine they will break easily with the pressure of pulling the gi and that’s the last thing you need as a white belt.
On a similar note, beware of long hairs hanging around your head as the most innocent looking one can cause you great pain if your mate rolls into it or unconsciously pulls it. I swear, sometimes I have to tap out not because of a choke or lock but because of someone pulling my hair… so painful and annoying. So if you have a hair trick, like a special kind of plat, better for you; otherwise, just remember to redo your hair every time before and after a roll.
And since we are talking about hair and nails, it’s just right to bring up the issue of the make up. Look, I’m not a make up lady at all so it’s easy for me but for those of you who like to highlight your already beautiful faces, please bear in mind how hard is to get the make up stains out of the gi, particularly the white ones. And gis are not specially cheap so just be considerate.
Of course, wash your gis after every session and make sure they dry nicely as they can sometimes keep dampness and get smelly afterwards.
3. Toilet breaks
Another useful suggestion is to bring a pair of flip flops with you so you can exit and re enter the mats quickly if you need to and always maintaining your feet clean. You don’t want to miss a second.
4. Am I fit enough?
Whatever your goal and the reasons pushing you into this, just focus on them and forget about the rest. The rest is not important. Truth is it doesn’t matter if you have or haven’t done anything similar before. If you want to get good at running, you run. If you want to get good at boxing, you box. So guess what. Yes, if you want to get good at grappling, you grapple.
You will see how slowly but steadily your body adapts to it the more you do it and how you progress and improve physically and mentally. Just be patient and consistent and above all, have fun in the process, enjoy the learning journey.
5. Yucky pus and other issues…
No worries, don’t freak out!! I didn’t know about this either and it’s fairly easy to avoid.
First of all, the less skin exposure the safer so training with rash guards and spats is a good idea particularly if your skin is prone to cuts and burns.
However, in the likely case of you getting a cut or a burn just make sure it is well covered during your training session as you don’t want any bacteria to get in. Standard plasters will fall with the sweat so make sure you get some sport tape and wrap it around nicely. In my own experience I tend to get burns mainly in my toes and fingers due to sliding and rubbing the mats and also pulling my mates’ gis.
Very rarely and if not taken care of, cuts and wounds can develop in staph infections when bacteria spreads around and your open skin gets it. So make sure you cover your openings and keep things as clean as possible.
So there you go, just a few pointers to get ready for your very first bjj session. I’m sure as soon as you step in you will feel the friendly atmosphere and the camaraderie that I felt on my first day. I am still a novice myself but one thing I can tell you for sure is that “the gentle art” has the power to bring you into an amazing martial community. May the power be with you my friend, enjoy and Oss.
– Saray –
