Question 1

What are the gym's hygiene rules?

Accepted Answer

• We ask that you please find time to shower before coming into the gym. Please be considerate of others if you've been sweating in the hot sun, or used the restroom throughout your day. Being clean makes training a more enjoyable experience for everyone.
 • We ask that you please wear deodorant. We spend a lot of time in close proximity that we want to avoid as much body odor (B.O.) mishaps as possible.
 • We ask that you please do not walk with your bare feet while off the mat. Please bring sandals to walk around in so we can minimize the amount of dirt or bacteria being brought on to the mats for your safety.
 • We ask that you wear no shoes while walking on the mats. Only wrestling shoes are allowed during wrestling classes on Mondays.
 • We ask that you come to class with trimmed fingernails and toenails. We want to avoid any unnecessary scratches to our training partners that may lead to unnecessary skin infections that could have been avoided with a simple nail clipper.
 • We ask that you come to every class with a clean gi, or rashguard. Nobody wants to train with someone who has smelly, or sweaty, gear from the previous session.
 • We ask that if you have acquired a skin infection, to please get those inspected and taken care of before entering the gym for a session. We take staph infections, ring worms, and other sorts of skin irregularities seriously for the health and safety of our team.

Question 2

What should I wear/bring to the gym?

Accepted Answer

We are fortunate to have a gym where we train in gi and nogi bjj, wrestling, boxing, and muay thai. Here's what you'll be needing to bring for those sessions:

Water

This should go without saying, but please hydrate before you come to class, and always have a bottle of water handy. We usually have water bottles available, but don't always count on the bottles being there when you show up to your session as sometimes we run out. Take care of your body, bring water.

Jiu-Jitsu

Gi: Please bring a fresh and clean gi (or kimono) top and gi pants to each training session with your ranked belt. We have rentals, but recommend that members buy 2-4 gi's that they can call their own and are able to wash on a consistent basis.

NoGi: Members should wear shorts and compression top/rashguard. We recommend wearing tights underneath the shorts and wearing long sleeved rashguards to avoid any cuts on the arms or legs that may result in a skin infection. However, you're free to wear what you'd like. Women are free to wear leggings instead of shorts, men are not allowed to wear only leggings.

Wrestling

Members should wear shorts and a shirt. We allow only wrestling shoes to be worn on the mats, however, members can opt to train in their bare feet as well. Women are free to wear leggings instead of shorts, men are not allowed to wear only leggings.

Boxing/Muay Thai:

Members should bring their own hand wraps to keep their hands safe while training in boxing or muay thai. We ask that mouthguards be purchased to protect your teeth should you decide to spar at the end of class. We recommend purchasing 14oz or 16oz gloves to train in. Any gloves less than 14oz are not desirable to train or spar with. If you're in muay thai, please purchase some shin guards to protect yourself from kicks.

Question 3

What should I expect at training?

Accepted Answer

Jiu Jitsu

Expect classes to be an hour-and-a-half long. We begin our training with 5-10 minutes of warm-ups where it could be stretches, hip-escapes, wrestling sprawls, pummeling, knee walks, etc., these movements are meant to get your body loose and ready for the techniques that we are going to go over for the day. The structure of the warmups vary from instructor to instructor.

Afterwards we will spend about 45-50 minutes drilling two to three moves of the day. Moves can range from passing the guard, guard retention, and of course everyone's favorite, chokes and submissions.

Once drilling time is over, the instructor will then tell everyone to grab some water in preparation for sparring, or as we call it "rolling". We roll for a minimum of 3 rounds of 5 minutes. You will spar with a new partner each round. Depending on how much time we have, the instructor may allow 4 or 5 rounds of sparring. We advise you to be smart when choosing your partners, and you're allowed to say, "no" to anyone that you don't feel comfortable rolling with.

At the end of class, we all line up against the training wall and begin shaking each other's hands and congratulate each other on a well trained session.

Wrestling

Expect classes to be an hour-and-a-half long. We begin our training similar to our jiu jitsu program with 5-10 minutes of warm-ups where it could range from stretches, wrestling sprawls, pummeling, knee walks, etc., these movements are meant to get your body loose and ready for the techniques that we are going to go over for the day.

Afterwards we will spend about 45-50 minutes drilling two to three wrestling concepts. Whether it be how to control and pin your opponent, how to defend against an opponent's takedown attempt, or setups to execute a proper takedown.

Once drilling is over, the instructor will then tell everyone to grab some water in preparation for sparring, as we call it in wrestling, "going live". You will spar with different training partners for 3-5 rounds of 2 minutes. The objective in the wrestling match is to execute takedowns against your partner. Once both bodies fall on to the mat, you stop, get up on your feet and reset the match again until time runs out.

At the end of class, we all line up against the training wall and begin shaking each other's hands and congratulate each other on a well trained session.

Boxing/Muay Thai

Expect classes to be an hour-and-a-half long. We begin our training similar to our jiu jitsu program with 5-10 minutes of warm-ups where it usually consists of shadow boxing and kicking. These movements are meant to get your body loose and ready for the techniques that we are going to go over for the day.

Afterwards we will spend about 45-50 minutes drilling two to three boxing/muay thai concepts. Usually there will be combo's or defensive tactics that you'd train with your partner who would be holding mitts and pads up for you to strike against for a certain period of time until you switch places and let the other partner work.

Once drilling is over, the instructor will then tell everyone to grab some water in preparation for sparring. We usually do 3 to 5 rounds of 3 minute sparring. Those who do not wish to spar are allowed to practice drills on the punching bags on the side of the gym.

At the end of class, we all line up against the training wall and begin shaking each other's hands and congratulate each other on a well trained session.

Question 4

Do I need any experience?

Accepted Answer

No former experience is necessary and all levels of fitness can enjoy learning BJJ. In our case,  we train as a team and all levels are welcome to train with us.  We encourage all our students to help develop other students, that way we get better as a whole.

Question 5

I'm not as young as I used to be, is it too late for me to start?

Accepted Answer

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is truly a martial art for everyone and there is a thriving community of senior practitioners. We tailor our teaching to the individual and it's a sport you can take at your own pace.

Question 6

I heard BJJ is full of people who like to hurt each other, is this true?

Accepted Answer

Through BJJ, we have met some of the nicest people ever. We can't speak for all academies but we provide a fun, safe environment to train and take every effort to insure our students can enjoy learning this art injury free.

Question 7

Is it safe for women to train Jiu Jitsu?

Accepted Answer

Yes it is! At first glance it can seem like BJJ is a heavily male dominated sport but in fact, women's Jiu jitsu is thriving and all genders of all ages are welcomed into our team. We have created a very diverse and inclusive environment to train and we're proud to be so.

Question 8

Is it safe for my child to train BJJ?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely, we have a thriving kid's program that is well supervised and safe for children from 4+ to train. Our kids program focuses on the core values of discipline, respect and hard work that prepares kids for adult life, helping them to overcome modern problems.

Question 9

Do you offer private classes?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we do offer private classes. They can be a good option for people who want to focus on a specific aspect of their training or who have scheduling conflicts with our regular class times.

TILLIS
BJJ & MMA

Frequently Asked Questions