Most "your first BJJ class" guides on the internet are written by people who already love BJJ. They're cheerful, and they skip the parts that actually matter to a beginner: what to wear, how nervous is normal, what etiquette you'll trip over without anyone telling you, and what you'll feel like the morning after. This piece is the version I wish I'd had when I walked into my first class in 2012.
It's also Düsseldorf-specific. The general internet advice for "first BJJ class" is fine, but it's calibrated for an American audience and a different sport culture. Some things are different here. We'll mention them where they matter.
The 24 hours before your first class
You're going to feel nervous. That's correct. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a contact sport you're about to do with strangers, in clothes you've probably never worn, in a building you've probably never been to. Anyone who tells you not to be nervous either doesn't remember their first class or is selling you something.
The thing that helps most is knowing what's actually going to happen. So here's the shape of a Foundation class: you arrive 10 minutes early. You change into a kimono (we lend you one for your first Gi class) or a rashguard and shorts (for No-Gi). You walk onto the mat barefoot. The class lines up, bows in, and the coach leads a warm-up — about 10 minutes of joint mobility, breakfalls, and basic movement patterns. Then 40-50 minutes of structured technique, drilled with a partner. Then 15-20 minutes of light positional sparring at a controlled intensity, optional for beginners on day one. Then bow out. Total: 85 minutes.
You will not be jumped into a fight. You will not be asked to do anything you haven't been shown. The coach will probably introduce you to a senior member who acts as your training partner for the day — that's not a hazing thing, it's how every academy that takes beginners seriously starts a new person. Their job is to slow down for you. Yours is to ask questions.
What's actually in the bag
For a free trial class at Imperial Ground, you need:
- Close-fitting athletic clothes if you're trying No-Gi (rashguard + shorts is ideal but anything close-fitting works for day one). For Gi, we lend you a kimono.
- Flip-flops for walking off the mat. This is a hygiene norm, not a fashion choice. Floors aren't for bare feet; mats aren't for shoes.
- A water bottle. 85 minutes is a long time to be thirsty.
- A small towel for the shower afterwards. We have showers; we don't lend towels.
- Short fingernails and toenails. Cut them the morning of. Long nails on the mat are how partners get accidentally cut.
- No jewellery. Earrings, watches, rings, necklaces stay home or in the changing room. They get caught.
If you decide to stay after a few classes, you'll eventually want your own kimono (€80-150 for a beginner-friendly one), a rashguard for No-Gi (€30-50), and a mouthguard. None of that is needed for the trial. We're not going to upsell you in the lobby.
The first 30 minutes on the mat
You'll be given a partner — usually a senior belt who's been asked by the coach to take care of you. Their job is to drill the technique with you at a speed and resistance that lets you actually learn it. If you're paired with another beginner, the coach will check in on you regularly.
The first thing you'll notice is that BJJ is closer than any sport you've done before. You'll be in actual physical contact with another person for most of the class. This is normal. It's also the source of most beginners' mental block — Western adults aren't socialised to be that close to strangers, and the brain registers it as a threat for the first few classes. The brain gets over it. Trust the data: nearly everyone who keeps coming for two weeks doesn't notice the closeness anymore by week three.
The second thing you'll notice is that you'll be confused. You're going to be shown a technique with five or six steps. You're going to forget the third step the moment you try to do it on your partner. Then they're going to gently correct you, and you'll forget step five instead. This is the actual learning process. Nobody learns BJJ in a class. They learn it across hundreds of repetitions over months. Your job in week one is to leave the mat marginally less confused than you arrived.
Three words you should know before you go
If you only learn three concepts before your first class, learn these:
Tap
"Tapping" means physically tapping your hand twice, clearly, on your partner or the mat. It means: stop, I yield, this position is uncomfortable enough that I want it to end. Your training partner is required to release immediately when you tap. Always. No matter what they think they could have done. Tapping is not losing. It's how the sport stays safe. You should expect to tap dozens of times in your first month. So should everyone else.
If you can't free a hand to tap, tap with your foot, or just say the word "tap" out loud. It works.
Frame
A "frame" is a structural position — usually elbows or forearms held in a specific shape — that creates space between you and your partner. You'll use frames to defend, to escape, and to breathe. The first thing a Foundation class teaches is how to frame, because without frames you panic, and panic is what gasses beginners in their first roll.
Breathe
The single biggest mistake new BJJ students make is holding their breath when things get tense. Don't. The technique works better when you're breathing. The position is less scary when you're breathing. The aerobic adaptation that makes BJJ sustainable for 30 years happens when you're breathing. If you remember nothing else from your first class, remember to breathe through the position you're in, even when you don't like the position.
Gi vs No-Gi — what to pick on day one
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has two main expressions. Gi is practiced in a traditional kimono — gripping the cloth is part of the strategy, the pace is slower, the technical depth is greater. No-Gi is practiced in a rashguard and shorts — grips are based on the body and clinches, the pace is faster, the wrestling element is more pronounced.
For an absolute beginner, I usually recommend Gi as the entry point. The slower pace gives you more time to process what's happening. The grips give you anchors to hold onto when you're confused. The traditional structure of class-and-belts is also psychologically helpful for the first six months — there's a clear path forward.
That said, plenty of people start in No-Gi and never look back. The right answer is the class that fits your schedule and the one you actually show up to. At Imperial Ground:
- Foundation Gi — Mon / Wed / Fri 19:00 (85 min)
- Foundation No-Gi — Tue / Thu 19:00 (85 min)
- Women's Only — Tue + Thu 18:00 (60 min, taught by Coach Anke)
The first month: what's normal, what isn't
Here's what most people experience in their first month, in roughly the order it happens:
- Sore in places you didn't know existed. Particularly the upper back, hips, and grip muscles. The soreness peaks around session 3-4 and largely fades by week 6. Stretch, hydrate, sleep.
- Mental fatigue. BJJ is cognitively demanding in a way running or weightlifting isn't. You'll come home from your first few classes more tired than the physical exertion would predict.
- The "I'm so bad at this" wall. Everyone hits it around week 2-3. It's the moment when you realise everyone in the room is light-years ahead of you and you'll never catch up. This is wrong, and the fastest way past it is to keep showing up. Skill compounds.
- The first technique that suddenly works. Usually around week 4-6. A move you've drilled twenty times finally lands on a resisting partner and the lights come on. This is the moment most people commit. Wait for it.
- A nagging minor injury. Common and usually small — a finger that doesn't want to bend, a stiff neck, a tweaked rib. Tell the coach. Adjust your training around it for a week. It usually clears.
What's not normal: anything that doesn't get better with rest in 7-10 days. Anything that involves sharp pain rather than ache. Any joint that doesn't return to full range of motion. If those happen, see a physiotherapist. Düsseldorf has several BJJ-aware physios — ask any senior member at the academy and they'll point you to one.
Düsseldorf-specific things you might not have thought about
A few things that are particular to starting in this city:
- Most academies operate primarily in German. Imperial Ground operates fluently in English alongside German, and Portuguese with Coach João, but if you walk into another gym, you may need basic German for class etiquette. Worth knowing.
- Krankenkassen and martial arts. Some German private health insurances reimburse a portion of "Präventionskurse" — BJJ doesn't typically qualify, but a yoga or mobility class run alongside might. Check before you pay annually if that matters to you.
- Anwohner-Parkzone D is what you'll see around our building. Free after 21:00 and on Sundays. Most of our members come by U-Bahn or bike — Römerstraße 6 is 5 min walk from Schloss Jägerhof.
- The first class culture. In Brazil and the US, walking in unannounced is normal. In Germany, calling ahead or filling out the trial form is standard. We don't enforce this strictly — walk-ins are fine — but the form lets us match you with the right partner.
What we ask of you in return
Three things, all small:
- Show up clean. Shower before class, fingernails short, kimono or rashguard washed. This is the single most universal etiquette point in BJJ and the one beginners trip over most.
- Tap when you need to. Don't wait. Don't be a hero.
- Tell us if something isn't working. If a partner is rolling too hard, if a coach's instruction was unclear, if you're not feeling great today — say so. Imperial Ground has an anonymous Speak Up channel for the bigger things, but most concerns can just be a quick word with the coach before class.
The first class is free. Book it through the trial form, and one of us will be on the mat to greet you.
João Macedo is the founder and head coach of Imperial Ground Martial Arts in Düsseldorf-Derendorf. Black belt under Alliance, ~14 years training, day job at Vodafone Germany.