The decision to try Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is usually not made overnight. Most people think about it for weeks, sometimes months. They search online, watch a few videos, maybe ask a friend who trains. And then they hesitate — because they do not know what to expect when they actually walk through the door.
If that sounds like you, this post is for you. Here is exactly what your first class at Lasco Jiu Jitsu looks like, from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.
Before You Walk In
You do not need any special gear for your intro class. Wear comfortable athletic clothing — shorts and a t-shirt are fine. If you have a rashguard, bring it. If not, do not worry.
Come a few minutes early if you can. It gives you time to meet the team, ask any questions, and get a feel for the space before class begins. You will notice immediately that the academy is welcoming — this is not a tough-guy environment where newcomers are tested or intimidated. Everyone remembers their first day.
The Warm-Up
Every class at Lasco begins with a structured warm-up. This typically includes movement drills specific to BJJ — things like shrimping (a sideways floor movement), forward and backward rolls, and basic partner drills.
These movements will probably feel unfamiliar. That is completely normal. Nobody expects a beginner to move like someone who has trained for years. The warm-up is also your first chance to start calibrating your body to how BJJ moves — and you will be surprised how quickly it starts to feel more natural.
The Technique Portion
After the warm-up, Coach Mateus will demonstrate a technique or a sequence of techniques. He will explain the mechanics, show it multiple times, and then pair students up to drill it.
As a beginner, you will be partnered thoughtfully — with someone patient and experienced enough to help you understand what you are working on, but not so advanced that the gap is discouraging.
This is where the learning really happens. BJJ is a physical art — you cannot learn it by watching. You have to feel it, repeat it, make mistakes, and try again. Your first class will give you your first taste of that process, and most people find it immediately engaging.
Rolling (Sparring)
Depending on the class structure, there may be a live rolling component at the end — where students practice what they have learned in a more dynamic, reactive setting.
As a brand-new beginner, you will not be thrown into the deep end. Coach Mateus is deliberate about how and when new students are introduced to rolling. Safety and confidence come first.
If you do roll, the goal is never to dominate. It is to explore, to apply what you have seen, and to get comfortable being in an unfamiliar situation — which, as it turns out, is one of the most valuable things BJJ teaches you.
How You Will Feel Afterwards
Tired. Probably more tired than you expected. BJJ uses muscles and movement patterns that most people have never trained, and the mental effort of learning something completely new adds to the fatigue.
But alongside the tiredness, almost every new student reports something else: a feeling of engagement and curiosity they have not felt in a long time. A sense that they found something worth coming back to.
That feeling is what keeps people training for years. Sometimes decades.
You Will Not Be Good on Day One. That Is the Point.
Nobody is. Not a single person at Lasco Jiu Jitsu — including Coach Mateus — was good on their first day. The art takes time. The beauty of BJJ is not arriving at a destination, it is the journey of constant, measurable improvement.
Your first class is just the first step. And the hardest part — deciding to walk through the door — you have already done.
Ready to take that first step? Book your intro class at Lasco Jiu Jitsu, Varsity Lakes. We will take it from there.
