The belt around your waist is the most visible part of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and also the most misunderstood. New students often assume it works like other martial arts, show up, pass a grading, collect the next colour. BJJ does not work that way. The BJJ belt system is famously slow, deliberately hard to game, and at a good school it tells you something real about a person’s jiu-jitsu. Here is how it actually works, after running an academy in Stratford since 2013.

What is the order of belts in BJJ?

For adults the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ranking system has five main colours, awarded in a fixed order from white to black. Beyond black belt sit the degree ranks and the rare coral and red belts that mark a lifetime in the art. The full adult order looks like this:

That last line surprises people: black belt is not the finish line. Most black belts will tell you it feels like the moment they finally understand how much there is left to learn. The coral and red belts above it represent decades of contribution to the art, the red belt is reserved for the founders and pioneers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, such as the Gracie family.

What does each BJJ belt represent?

Each belt colour is less a trophy than a description of where your jiu-jitsu is. White belt is about not panicking, learning to breathe, escape bad positions and tap safely. Blue belt means you have a complete, if rough, game: you can pass, sweep, submit and survive. Purple belt is where students often start to feel like real jiu-jitsu players, building a personal style and beginning to teach others. Brown belt is refinement, the same techniques, but tighter, calmer and harder to stop. And black belt marks command of the fundamentals across the board, which is why it takes so long to reach.

What do the stripes on a BJJ belt mean?

Inside each belt colour are smaller markers called stripes. A belt can hold up to four stripes, and they exist because the jump between colours is so large that students need to see progress along the way. There is no universal rule for awarding them, your instructor uses them to recognise growth in technical understanding, mat hours and live application between promotions. As a rough guide, the fourth stripe usually means you are getting close to your next belt, though plenty of people stay at four stripes for a while before the colour changes.

How does the IBJJF kids belt system work?

Children do not follow the adult colours. The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) uses a separate, expanded youth belt system because progress for kids is paced very differently. The youth order runs white, grey, yellow, orange and green, and each of those (except white) comes in white, solid and black variations, giving young students plenty of milestones to work toward.

Why do kids have so many more belts? Because under IBJJF rules a child cannot be awarded an adult blue belt until they turn 16. Without the extra colours, a young student could spend many years on a single belt, so the youth system gives them frequent, earned milestones that keep training rewarding. At Stratford BJJ we group kids by age and stage to match these youth standards, so children are always learning with the right peers.

How long does it take to get each belt in BJJ?

This is the question every new student asks, and the honest answer is: longer than you think. There is no fixed timeline, and a thoughtful school will never promise one, but here is a realistic range based on consistent training a few times a week.

That ten-year figure is real, and it is one of the things that makes a BJJ black belt mean so much. The timeline is not a punishment: it simply reflects how long it takes to develop technique that holds up against a fully resisting partner. Training more often, rolling regularly and competing can move you through faster, but no one is fast-tracked past the work itself.

How are BJJ promotions actually earned?

Unlike many martial arts, most BJJ academies have no formal grading exam. You will not sit a test on a set day. Instead your instructor watches you train over months and years, and promotes you when your jiu-jitsu is genuinely ready. At a good school three things matter most: technical understanding: you know the positions, the why behind them and how they connect; mat hours: consistent time spent training, drilling and rolling, not just attendance counted on a sheet; and live application: your technique works against a resisting partner, not only in drilling.

That is exactly how we do it at Stratford BJJ, promotions are based on technical understanding, mat hours and live application, never on how many classes you have ticked off. It is also why you should be wary of any school that promises a belt by a certain date or charges a grading fee for it. A belt that is given for showing up does not mean much; a belt that is earned on the mat means everything.

Frequently asked questions

Almost every adult who walks into our academy in Stratford is carrying the same quiet worry: am I too old to start jiu-jitsu? Right behind it come the others, I am out of shape, I will get hurt, I will embarrass myself in front of the younger guys, my knees and back are not what they were. They are fair questions, and you deserve a straight answer rather than a sales pitch. Here is ours, after coaching adult beginners since 2013.

Is 40 years old too late to start BJJ?

No, and we mean that plainly. Forty is a completely normal age to begin, and the same goes for your 30s and 50s. The reason is the art itself: Brazilian jiu-jitsu is built on leverage and timing, not on being the strongest or fastest person in the room. A smaller, older, less athletic person who understands position will routinely control a younger, stronger beginner who does not. That is the whole point of the gentle art: it was designed so technique beats raw athleticism. The best time to start BJJ was years ago. The second-best time is this week.

You will not be alone, either. Walk into almost any BJJ academy on a weeknight and a big share of the adults on the mat began training in their 30s or later. Life experience is genuinely an asset here, older students tend to be patient, coachable and good at asking better questions, which is exactly how you learn jiu-jitsu fast.

Do I need to be in shape before I start?

No, and waiting until you are “ready” is the single most common reason adults never begin. You get in shape by starting, not before it. Our BJJ Basics fundamentals class is built for total beginners, so the warm-up, the drilling and the pace are all scaled to where you actually are on day one. Nobody expects you to be fit. Within a few weeks the cardio, mobility and functional strength come on their own, simply from showing up two or three times a week. Trying to get in shape first just delays the thing that gets you in shape.

Will I get hurt starting BJJ over 30?

Injury risk is real and worth respecting, but it is very manageable, far more so than most people fear. The first thing to know is that beginners do not spar on day one. You start with technique and positional drilling, and live rolling comes later, gradually, when you are ready. The second thing is the tap: you learn to tap early, at the first sign of pressure on a joint, long before anything is at risk. There is no medal for toughing out a submission, and the smart adults are the ones who tap the soonest.

Beyond that, protecting your joints, tendons and ligaments as an older beginner comes down to a few simple habits. Warm up properly. Stop at sharp pain, the kind that is different from ordinary soreness. Stay hydrated and let yourself recover between sessions. And tell a younger, stronger partner to ease off, a good training partner will, every round.

What should beginners over 30 expect in the first month?

Honestly? You will feel clumsy, and that is completely normal. The first month of jiu-jitsu is a humbling, fascinating learning process for everyone: there is a lot of new vocabulary and your body is learning movements it has never made. You will be sore in places you did not know existed. You will get controlled by people half your size and wonder how. This is the part that makes adults quit, and it is also the part that, once you push through it, hooks people for life.

What helps most is mindset. Treat the first month as data-gathering, not testing. Show up, drill the fundamentals, ask questions and let the rest come. By week three or four the soreness eases, the movements start to click, and you begin to see why people who start later so often wish they had started sooner.

What are the benefits of starting BJJ after 30?

The benefits go well past self-defence, though that is real too. Adults who start training in their 30s and beyond consistently tell us the same things:

How do I find the right BJJ gym as an adult beginner?

Not every academy is built for adults starting later. When you visit, look for a dedicated beginner or fundamentals class rather than being dropped straight into the deep end with competitors. Watch how the coaches teach, are adult beginners engaged and supported, or just surviving? Ask whether the mats are cleaned after every class, whether there is a clear curriculum, and whether you can try a class for free before committing. A good gym will welcome the question and let you watch a session first.

That is the standard we hold ourselves to at Stratford BJJ. Our adult fundamentals program, BJJ Basics: is built specifically for new adults, the free intro class lets you try before you decide, we lend you a gi so there is nothing to buy, and there are no contracts. You can start when you are ready, at the pace that suits you.

Frequently asked questions

Most martial arts quietly assume you are the bigger, stronger person in the room. Brazilian jiu-jitsu assumes the opposite. It was designed so a smaller person could defend themselves against a larger, stronger attacker, which is exactly why it has become the go-to self-defence art for women. If you have ever wondered whether martial arts could genuinely keep you safe, this is an honest answer from a Stratford academy that has run a Women’s-Only program for years.

Is BJJ effective for women?

Yes, and not as a feel-good slogan. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling art built on leverage, position and technique. It does not reward whoever can hit hardest; it rewards whoever understands angles, weight and timing. That is why a woman who weighs 60 kilograms can learn to control, hold down and submit a partner who outweighs her by 30 or 40. The whole system is engineered around the size mismatch most women face in a real confrontation, which is what makes it genuinely effective self-defence rather than a workout that hopes for the best.

How does leverage beat size and strength?

This is the heart of it. In a striking art, a strength and reach advantage matters enormously. In jiu-jitsu, you learn to use the strongest parts of your body against the weakest parts of someone else’s, your hips and legs against an opponent’s neck, elbow or shoulder. You use the ground to take their balance away, frames to create space, and grips to steer where the fight goes. A bigger person’s strength becomes far less useful once they are off balance and their joints are exposed. You are not trying to overpower anyone. You are making their size work against them.

Why fight from the ground and off your back?

Many real confrontations end up on the ground, and for a smaller person that is often the most dangerous place to be, unless you know what to do there. BJJ flips that. From your back, in what we call the guard, you can control distance, defend yourself, and work toward escaping or ending the situation, all while a larger attacker tires themselves out. Learning to be comfortable and capable off your back is one of the biggest shifts women describe after training. The position that used to feel like the worst-case scenario becomes one where you have options.

How does BJJ keep you calm under pressure?

Self-defence is not only physical. The reason people freeze in a frightening moment is panic, and panic is what jiu-jitsu trains out of you. Every class, you spend time with a resisting training partner on top of you, breathing, thinking and working a way out. Over months that becomes second nature: the racing heart settles and you can act instead of freeze. Hard, focused physical training like this is also a proven way to burn off stress and lower cortisol, which is why so many women say BJJ left them feeling calmer and more capable far beyond the mat.

“I’d feel intimidated walking in”, and other honest worries

Almost every woman who trains with us felt some version of this before her first class. The worries are real and they are worth answering plainly:

If any of those sounds like the reason you have been putting it off, you are exactly who the Women’s-Only class was built for.

What is Stratford’s Women’s-Only BJJ program like?

Our Women’s-Only Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes run Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm, coached by Camila Villalobos Bieber. It is a supportive, beginner-friendly room, women of all ages, body types and fitness levels, training the same fundamentals curriculum we teach in every class. Nothing is watered down. You learn real, practical self-defence in a space designed to feel comfortable while you find your feet. As your confidence grows you are welcome to stay in Women’s-Only, move into our mixed classes, or do both. The first class is free, we lend you a gi, and there are no contracts to sign.

What do women gain beyond self-defence?

Self-defence is what brings most women through the door; it is rarely what keeps them. The confidence that comes from knowing you can handle yourself spills into everything: work, relationships, how you carry yourself walking to your car at night. The fitness is real and it sneaks up on you, building strength, mobility and cardio without a single boring treadmill session. And then there is the community: a welcoming group of women who genuinely support each other’s progress. A lot of members tell us the friendships are the part they did not expect and would not give up.

Frequently asked questions

It is one of the most common questions we get from people about to try Brazilian jiu-jitsu: should I train gi or no-gi? Both are the same art at heart, leverage, position and submissions, but they look and feel different on the mat, and the difference between gi and no-gi matters more than most beginners expect. Here is an honest comparison, and where we think a new student should start.

What is gi BJJ?

Gi BJJ is the traditional form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. You wear a gi: a heavy cotton jacket, trousers and a coloured belt, sometimes called a kimono, and the fabric is part of the game. You grip your opponent’s collar, sleeves and lapels to control them, set up sweeps, and finish chokes and armlocks. Because those grips let a person hold and stall you, the gi rewards patience and precision over speed. It is slower, more technical, and the style used in most traditional academies and IBJJF tournaments.

What is no-gi BJJ?

No-gi BJJ, also called submission wrestling, is trained in a rash guard and shorts with no jacket to grab. With no clothing grips, the game gets faster and slipperier, and it leans more on wrestling: underhooks, overhooks, body locks and head control instead of collar and sleeve. No-gi also opens up leg locks and heel hooks that gi rules often restrict, and its speed and lack of grips make it the version closest to mixed martial arts. It rewards athleticism, scrambling and tight body-to-body control.

What is the difference between gi and no-gi BJJ?

The simplest way to see it is side by side. The gi gives both people lots of handles, which slows everything down and makes technique king; no-gi takes those handles away, which speeds everything up and rewards movement.

Neither is “better.” They are two angles on the same skill set, and most experienced grapplers train both.

What are the pros and cons for a beginner?

For someone brand new, the gi has a real teaching advantage. The grips give you something to hold while you think, the slower pace lets you feel a position before it changes, and being controlled by an opponent’s grips forces you to learn proper escapes rather than muscling out. The trade-off is that the gi can feel hot and frustrating at first, and there is a uniform to buy once you join. No-gi is more beginner-friendly in one way: there is less to learn about grips on day one, but its speed can overwhelm a newcomer, and without handles it is easy to fall back on strength instead of technique. For building a foundation, the gi usually wins.

Why does Stratford BJJ start beginners in the gi?

Every new student at Stratford BJJ starts in our gi-based BJJ Basics program, and that is a deliberate choice. The gi slows the game down enough that you can actually learn, and because your opponent can grip and stall you, you cannot rely on speed or strength to escape a bad spot. You are forced to do it with technique. Those clean fundamentals are the hardest thing to build and the most valuable thing to own, and they carry directly into no-gi when you are ready. Start sloppy and fast, and you spend years unlearning bad habits; start in the gi, and you build a foundation that holds up everywhere.

Should you train both gi and no-gi?

Eventually, yes, and most of our members do. Training both makes you a well-rounded grappler: the gi sharpens your precision and patience, while no-gi sharpens your speed, scrambling and body control. Once your fundamentals are solid in the gi, our NoGi / Submission Wrestling classes are the natural next step, and the two complement each other so well that progress in one tends to lift the other. You do not have to choose forever: you just have to choose where to start.

What do you wear for each?

For your very first class you do not need either, just comfortable athletic clothes and a water bottle, and we lend you a gi so there is nothing to buy before you try it. Once you join, you will want your own gi for BJJ Basics (a clean cotton jacket, trousers and belt) and a rash guard and shorts for no-gi. Train barefoot, keep your nails trimmed, and you are set for both.

Frequently asked questions

Every week a parent walks into our academy in Stratford and asks some version of the same question: is BJJ actually good for my kid? Usually they are weighing it against hockey, soccer or another martial art, and they want a straight answer, not a sales pitch. Here is ours, after running youth jiu-jitsu programs since 2013.

Is BJJ safe for children?

This is the first thing every parent asks, and it is the right question. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling art: leverage, control and position, with no striking. Nobody punches or kicks. Children learn to “tap” the moment anything feels uncomfortable, and the class stops there. Add small coach-to-kid ratios, age-appropriate technique, two-plus adults on the mat and clean, sanitised mats, and you have a sport with lower injury rates than soccer, hockey or running. The first thing we teach a child is how to fall safely and how to tap, before anything else.

What are the benefits of BJJ for kids?

The benefits go well beyond fitness. Because progress on the mat is earned one small step at a time, jiu-jitsu quietly teaches children that effort pays off. Here is what we see again and again:

Those last points matter most to parents. A child who learns to stay composed when an opponent is on top of them tends to stay composed when a test, a sibling or a schoolyard situation gets stressful.

Does BJJ help with bullying?

Yes, and not in the way people expect. We teach kids to be bully-resistant, not bully-creating. The rule on our mats is simple: use your words first, walk away when you can, find an adult, and only ever use jiu-jitsu to protect yourself. Because BJJ is control-based, a trained child can keep themselves safe and de-escalate a situation without hurting anyone. Parents consistently tell us the bullying stopped being a problem, partly because the skills work, and mostly because the quiet confidence is obvious to everyone around them.

Does BJJ really help kids manage stress?

It does. Hard physical activity that demands total attention is a proven way to burn off nervous energy and lower stress hormones like cortisol, and it is very hard to worry about anything else when you are problem-solving on the mat. For high-energy kids, and for many kids with ADHD, that combination of structure, movement and focus is exactly what helps. They leave class tired in the best way, and a lot of parents notice better sleep and a calmer evening at home.

What age can a child start BJJ?

Children can start as young as four. At Stratford BJJ we group kids by age and stage so they are always learning with the right peers, never thrown in with teenagers:

If you are wondering whether to put a four-year-old in jiu-jitsu, the honest answer is that the Tots class is built for exactly that, short, fun and game-driven, with no pressure.

What do Stratford parents notice after a few months?

The on-the-mat skills come quickly, but the changes parents mention first happen off the mat. After two or three months of training twice a week, the most common things we hear are: their child is calmer and more focused at home, more confident with new people, and the one that surprises parents most: a teacher has asked what changed. That is the real return on a kids martial arts program: a child who listens better, bounces back faster and believes they can handle hard things.

How do you choose a good kids BJJ school?

Not every academy is the same. When you visit, watch how the instructors talk to the kids, are children engaged and participating, or just being managed? Ask whether coaches are background-checked and first-aid certified, whether the mats are cleaned after every class, and whether there is a clear curriculum and belt progression rather than “show up and roll.” A good school will happily let you watch a class and try one for free before you enrol. (Those are the same standards we hold ourselves to.)

Frequently asked questions

If you are thinking about trying jiu-jitsu, or putting your child in it, “is it safe?” is the honest first question, and it deserves an honest answer. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a grappling martial art built on leverage, control and position. There are no punches and no kicks. That single fact removes the source of most serious injuries in combat sports. But no physical activity is risk-free, so here is a straight, balanced look at what the real risks are, how common injuries actually happen, and what a good academy does to keep them rare.

Is Brazilian jiu-jitsu generally safe to practise?

For most people, yes. Studies of martial arts and combat sports consistently place BJJ among the safest grappling arts, well below striking-based disciplines like boxing or Muay Thai. The reason is structural: in jiu-jitsu, the goal is to control a resisting partner and earn a submission through technique and leverage, not to hurt them. The moment a submission is locked in, the person on the receiving end taps, and the round stops. Compare that to a sport built on collisions or full-contact blows, and it is easy to see why BJJ injuries tend to be fewer and milder.

What are the most common injuries in BJJ?

Being honest means naming the risks. The injuries we see most often are minor and the kind any active person picks up. The serious ones are uncommon and almost always preventable.

Notice what is not on that list in any meaningful number: concussions and head trauma. Because there is no striking, head injuries are far less of a concern in BJJ than in most contact sports. The most serious injuries that do occur almost always trace back to a single avoidable cause, ego, which brings us to the system that prevents them.

What safety mechanisms are built into BJJ training?

Jiu-jitsu has a safety valve that most sports simply do not: the tap. When a submission is applied (an armlock, a choke, a shoulder lock), the person caught taps the mat, their partner or themselves, and the technique is released immediately. Tapping is not losing. It is how everyone trains hard for years and stays healthy. The first thing we teach a new student at Stratford BJJ, before any submission, is how to fall safely and how to tap early.

How does BJJ compare to other sports for safety?

This surprises a lot of parents: jiu-jitsu generally carries a lower injury rate than many popular team sports. Soccer and hockey involve high-speed collisions, sudden direction changes and contact you cannot stop on demand. Even recreational running produces a steady stream of overuse injuries. BJJ has none of the impact of a body check and none of the blows of a striking art, and a built-in stop button in the tap. None of this means it is impossible to get hurt. It means that, contact-for-contact, jiu-jitsu is one of the gentler options on the body relative to its reputation.

How are injuries prevented in BJJ?

The biggest factor in whether someone trains for decades injury-free is not luck: it is how they train and where. Most of the risk is in your own hands.

Are skin infections a risk, and how are they prevented?

Because jiu-jitsu involves close contact on shared mats, skin hygiene is a fair thing to ask about. At a poorly run academy it can be a problem; at a clean one it is rare. The fix is simple and it is the responsibility of both the academy and its members. At Stratford BJJ the mats are disinfected regularly, and we ask everyone to shower after training, wash their gi and rash guard after every session, keep nails trimmed, and stay off the mat with an open cut or any skin issue until it has healed. Clean mats and good personal hygiene make skin problems a non-issue for the vast majority of students.

Is BJJ safe for kids and older beginners?

Yes, and the same things that make it safe for adults make it especially good for kids and people starting later in life. Children train in age-grouped classes with no submissions in the youngest groups, lots of supervision and a focus on falling, moving and games. Older beginners drill at their own pace with partners matched to their size and experience, never thrown in with a hard-rolling competitor. Because you set the intensity and the tap is always available, jiu-jitsu is one of the few contact activities people genuinely train into their fifties, sixties and beyond.

How do you choose a safe, reputable BJJ academy?

Honestly, the academy matters more than the art. The same techniques are safe in good hands and risky in careless ones. When you visit a gym, watch how it is run. Are the mats clean and the room well kept? Are coaches matching partners by size and experience, or letting a big white belt spar a small one? Do instructors hold first-aid and CPR certification, and is there a clear warm-up and curriculum rather than “show up and roll”? Is the culture calm and respectful, with tapping treated as normal? A good academy will happily let you watch a class and try one for free before you commit, the same standards we hold ourselves to at Stratford BJJ, where our coaches are vetted and first-aid certified and our tap-early culture is the rule, not the exception.

Frequently asked questions

Walking into a jiu-jitsu gym for the first time is genuinely one of the scariest parts of starting, and almost always the part people worry about for nothing. If you are attending your first jiu-jitsu class and you are unsure what goes down, this is the honest, minute-by-minute version from the coaches who have run beginner classes in Stratford since 2013. By the end you will know exactly what to expect, what to wear and bring, and why the first class is far gentler than the movies make it look.

What actually happens in a first BJJ class?

A typical beginner class runs about an hour and follows the same rhythm every time, so it stops feeling foreign fast. You start with a light warm-up to loosen up, move into movement drills like shrimping and forward and backward rolls, then learn one or two fundamental techniques with a training partner. The coach demonstrates, you copy, and an instructor or an upper belt circles the mat to fix details. The class is geared towards new students, nobody is going to throw a white belt into the deep end. The whole point of part of the class being slow and repetitive is so the movements start to feel natural.

What should I wear and bring to my first class?

Keep it simple. You do not need to buy anything before you try Brazilian jiu-jitsu: we lend you a clean gi for your first class. Here is the short list that covers a gi or no-gi beginner class:

We supply the loaner gi, so there is no need to wear a rash guard you do not own yet or buy a uniform before you know you like it. Trim your nails, leave the watch at home and you are set.

Your first BJJ class, minute by minute

It helps to see the whole class laid out so nothing catches you off guard. Here is roughly how a 60-minute beginner class begins and runs from the moment you arrive:

Arriving 10 to 15 minutes early before class begins is the single best thing you can do. It turns a stressful scramble into a calm start, and gives the coach time to learn your name and any past injuries.

Will I be sparring or rolling on day one?

No, and this is the worry we hear most. There is no day-one sparring at Stratford BJJ. Rolling for the first time only happens once you are comfortable, know how to fall and understand how to tap. When you do start live training, you go light with a controlled, experienced partner who looks after you, not an advanced student trying to win. If you get caught during training, you simply tap early and tap often: tapping is not losing, it is how every black belt in the room learned, and it is what lets you train tomorrow. Positional sparring, starting from one position and working a single problem, is how beginners ease into it long before any full roll.

Do I need to be in shape or have experience first?

No on both counts, and this is worth saying plainly because it stops so many people from starting. You do not need any grappling experience, beginners walk in with zero background every single week. And you do not need to get fit before you start; you get fit by training. Go at your own pace, take a knee and grab your water bottle whenever you need to, and your conditioning will climb on its own over the first few weeks. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is physically demanding in a good way, and a little delayed onset muscle soreness the next day is normal: it fades fast as your body adapts.

What are the etiquette rules I should know?

BJJ has a few simple customs that make the room feel welcoming once you know them, and coaches expect zero polish from a first-timer. The big one is the phrase you will hear everywhere: leave your ego at the door. Nobody cares that you are new, and getting tapped is just part of learning. Beyond that: shake hands or fist-bump your training partner before and after drilling, keep yourself and your gi clean, and step off the mat if you need a break. Most importantly, do not be afraid to ask questions, if you are unsure about a technique or how to tie your belt, ask the coach or an upper belt. They would far rather you ask than guess.

How do I feel ready instead of nervous?

Almost everyone feels nervous before their first class, and almost everyone says afterward it was one of the best decisions they made. A few things make stepping onto the mats easier: come and watch a class first if you want, eat something light an hour or two before, arrive early, and tell the coach it is your first time so they can pair you with the right partner. Remember the room is full of people who were exactly where you are now, friendly, encouraging and genuinely glad you showed up. Treat it as the start of an exciting journey, not a test.

Frequently asked questions

If you have signed up for your first Brazilian jiu-jitsu class, the most common question we hear is a simple one: what do I wear? The good news is that for your very first class the answer is easy, and you almost certainly already own everything you need. This is the practical, no-nonsense guide we give every new student who walks into our academy in Stratford.

Can I wear regular gym clothes to my first BJJ class?

Yes, for your first class, regular athletic clothes are perfect. A t-shirt or rash guard with a pair of athletic shorts or leggings is all you need. The one rule that matters: nothing with zippers, pockets, buttons or hard drawstrings. In grappling, fingers and toes get caught in pockets and zippers scratch your training partner, so smooth, snug-fitting clothes are safer for everyone. Choose something stretchy that gives you full freedom of movement, because you will be moving in every direction.

One more thing that trips up new students: jiu-jitsu is trained in bare feet on the mat. Leave your shoes at the edge: you will remove them before stepping onto the mats, and bring a pair of flip-flops or sandals for walking to the washroom and back.

What should I wear to my first BJJ class?

Here is the simple checklist. Stick to this and you will be comfortable, safe and ready to learn from the first minute.

That is genuinely it. You do not need to be fit, you do not need experience, and you do not need to buy anything. Just arrive 10 to 15 minutes early so you have time to meet the instructor, get changed and sign in without rushing.

Do I need to buy a gi or a belt for my first class?

No, and please don’t. Stratford BJJ provides a clean loaner gi for your free first class, so you can try the real thing without spending a cent. (If you prefer to train in just your athletic clothes for the first session, that is fine too.) We suggest waiting until you have trained a few times and decided to continue before you buy your own gi, belt or gear. There is no sense buying equipment for a sport you have not tried yet, and your coach can point you to the right size and brand once you are ready.

What do you wear under your gi for gi classes?

Once you continue training and move into gi classes, your gear depends on whether the class is gi or no-gi, so it is worth knowing both. In a gi class you train in the traditional uniform (jacket, pants and belt), with a base layer underneath:

Keep your gi clean and dry. Wash your gi after every session, grappling is close-contact, so a fresh, dry uniform is part of being a good training partner.

What do you wear for no-gi BJJ?

No-gi BJJ is trained without the traditional uniform, so your clothing is your gear. The standard no-gi outfit is a rash guard paired with board shorts, grappling shorts or spats (compression leggings). The rash guard should be snug so it does not get grabbed or ride up while you grapple, and again, no pockets, zippers or buttons. Spats are popular under shorts because they protect your skin and keep everything covered during fast scrambles. For your first no-gi class, a plain compression shirt and athletic shorts work perfectly well until you decide to grab proper grappling gear.

What about hygiene and etiquette?

Because jiu-jitsu is a close-contact grappling art, hygiene is not optional: it is basic respect for the people you train with. The rules are simple and every academy worth training at follows them:

None of this is complicated. Show up clean, with short nails and a good attitude, and you will fit right in.

Do I need a mouthguard or other protective gear?

For your first class, no. BJJ is a control-based grappling art with no striking, so you do not need pads, gloves or headgear. A mouthguard is a sensible, inexpensive addition once you start rolling regularly, and some people like knee pads if they have sensitive knees, but neither is required to begin. The only “gear” that matters on day one is comfortable clothes, water and bare feet. Everything else you can add later, on your coach’s advice, as you settle into training.

Frequently asked questions