What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

A grappling style characterized by a lot of groundwork in which the ultimate aim is to defeat your opponent using techniques like arm locks and chokes. One of the many great things about BJJ is that it is sparring based (we call it “rolling”), so you get to really apply the techniques you’re learning without holding back. There’s no punching or kicking or whatnot. You could look at it as a form of fighting without hurting. One of the reasons BJJ has become popular is that it’s an essential element in MMA (mixed martial arts).

What kind of BJJ do you teach?

Sport BJJ. That doesn’t mean that what you learn won’t be useful in self-defence, though. You’ll be taught all the positions — mount, back control, side control, closed guard, and so on — and we place a particular emphasis on takedowns, grip fighting and guard passing, as well as open guards like De La Riva, collar and sleeve, and spider-lasso. We’re a competition-focused club, and we like to compete.

Do I need any equipment?

We train wearing a jacket and pants, collectively called a gi, similar to the one’s judo guys wear. If you already have a gi, then great, but if you don’t, we can lend you a jacket – for your first 3 classes we will lend you a gi jacket for free. After that we hope you choose to keep doing bjj and are willing to order yourself a gi – after your first 3 classes we charge £2 to hire a gi.  Just message us so we know you’re coming and we can bring in a jacket for you.