New to BJJ? Start here.
Practical guides for people starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or getting back to it. No fluff, sources at the bottom of every one.
How to Start BJJ: A Beginner's Guide
Picking a gym, your first class, gear, belts, and how often to train. Everything you need to walk in the door.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
Your First BJJ Class: What to Expect
What to wear, how the class runs, whether you'll spar on day one, and why tapping is a good thing.
Updated Jul 12, 2026
How to Choose a BJJ Gym
The coach, the beginner program, the culture on the mat, and the contract. What to check and what to walk away from.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
How Much Does BJJ Cost?
Membership prices, real drop-in fees from listed academies, gear costs, and the fees hiding in the fine print.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
The BJJ Belt System Explained
The full belt order, stripes and degrees, IBJJF minimum times, and what the coral and red belts past black actually mean.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
Gi vs No-Gi BJJ: What's the Difference?
Grips, pace, rules, and gear: how the two styles differ, and which one a beginner should actually start with.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
Open Mat Etiquette: How Not to Be That Visitor
What an open mat is, when a beginner is ready, and how to visit another gym without becoming a story they tell later.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
BJJ Glossary: The Terms Every Beginner Hears
Oss, rolling, shrimping, the guard: the words you'll hear in your first months, defined in plain English.
Updated Jul 14, 2026
BJJ for Kids: A Parent's Guide
Starting age, what a kids class looks like, the injury numbers, how kids belts work, and what to look for in a program.
Updated Jul 24, 2026