The first thing we do upon entering Base Grace Jiu Jitsu is greet Professor Carlos by shaking his hand. We then leave our shoes or thongs behind and enter the matted area to warm up and greet the other members.
When it is time for the class to begin we all line up in order of belt rank (black, purple, orange, yellow, grey, and white). Within each of these grades the most recent addition to the line is to the left. All face Carlos, his accompanying teacher(s) and the picture of Helio Gracie and ….
We then run through about a 10 minute warmup – taking you through various useful moves like front/back rolls and …….. Carlos is always there watching so don’t be afraid to ask for help if you don’t know what to do.
After warm ups there will be about 20-30 minutes of drilling. Carlos will carefully run through how to do each move step-by-step before helping you find a partner to drill with. He’ll then be around to help you, answer questions, and fix anything you are doing wrong.
After that there is usually 20-30 minutes of “rolling”. Once you feel comfortable then you can jump into some rolls, everyone will be happy to work with you slowly and teach you as you roll.
When rolls are finished you line up in order again facing the front, bow out and follow the line to shake hands.
With that you’ve completed your very first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class!