Adult Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is for men and women of all skill levels who want to learn, train and master the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We pride ourselves on providing a family-like atmosphere where students can feel comfortable to learn and progress at their own speed. Our students come to us with a variety of goals… some to learn self-defense, others to perfect a new skill or focus on competition. No matter what your motive is we provide world class instruction in a safe and encouraging environment that will enable you to reach your goals. At CORE, we are all united by our passion for learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and progressing as individuals and as a team. Click here to watch a class video.

Frequently Asked Questions

We wanted to share some frequently asked questions. If you do not find an answer to your question, please feel free to contact us for more information

What do I wear?

If it is your first time and you are just trying out our class, it is fine to wear t-shirts and shorts. Do not to wear anything too baggy or anything with belt loops, buttons, zippers or external pockets as fingers and toes can get caught in them. You may also wear a Jiu Jitsu or Judo gi from another school during your trial period. However, when you become a member you will be required to wear a Jiu Jitsu gi displaying our schools patch to each class.

You may also wear any protective gear that you feel you need (ear guards, braces, cups, mouth guards, etc.). We do not allow any shoes on the mat, including wrestling shoes. Make sure all fingernails and toenails are well groomed, long hair is tied back and you remove all piercings before class.

It is also a good idea to bring a water bottle and towel with you to class. You will work up a sweat in our classes and you need to make sure to stay properly hydrated.

What can I expect in my first class? What is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class like?

If it’s your first class, you will want to show up a few minutes early to introduce yourself to the instructor and discuss any questions that you may have. In your first class you will participate in the entire class from warm-up to sparring, but we encourage all students to take the class at their own pace.  We’ve all had a first class… all of our students are encouraged to help out new students and make them feel comfortable in class so they have a good time. Our classes are divided up into 5 segments. Here is the general structure of our classes:

  1. Warm-up (jogging, stretches, etc.)
  2. Conditioning exercises (body-weight exercises, sprints, etc.)
  3. Techniques
  4. Drills
  5. Live sparring

I have not been very active in awhile. How should I prepare to be physically ready for training?

Many people start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu without any prior athletic experience, while being overweight or being unfit. While having a good level of cardiovascular fitness and conditioning will undoubtedly help your training and will enable you get more out of each class by allowing you to train harder and longer, it is not a prerequisite to training. We welcome students of all abilities.

Participating in BJJ will increase your cardiovascular fitness, strength, speed and can help you lose weight. As this may suggest… it is hard work though so be prepared to sweat!  If you are unfit, just train as hard as you can. If the training gets too hard ask for some time to recover before joining in again – you take it at your own pace. Your fitness level will increase rapidly if you are dedicated and always continue to push yourself.

What cross-training will help me with Brazilian jiu jitsu?

Pretty much any athletic cross-training will help in some way. Football, rugby, swimming, cycling, etc. – they all improve fitness and conditioning. For specific competition ability, Judo is an excellent compliment to Jiu Jitsu as are wrestling and Sambo. If you are studying BJJ for self-defense or to improve in mixed martial arts then boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai may be better suited.

Other areas of training which can help are weight-lifting (with most people using power or Olympic lifting routines), aerobic fitness (long distance running, etc.) and anaerobic fitness (short duration, high intensity – sprints, etc.).

That being said, training BJJ regularly will help improve all aspects of fitness and athletic performance. And nothing will make you better at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu than the time you spend learning technique, drilling and sparring!

What is the belt ranking system in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

The adult ranking system consists of 5 main belts: white, blue, purple, brown and black. It typically takes a Jiu Jitsu practitioner about 8-10 years of consistent training to reach a black belt… through competition wins you can shorten the overall time it takes to earn a black belt. Once you’ve reached black belt you can continue to earn different degrees of black belt (0-6 degrees), a red/black belt (7-8 degrees) and finally a red belt (9-10 degrees).

For more information contact us at 224-612-3665.