To start jiu jitsu, find a gym with a culture you trust, book a free trial class, show up in athletic clothes, and train. You do not need any experience, any equipment, or any level of fitness for your first class. That’s our answer when people ask us “how do I start jiu jitsu?” Here’s the longer version of the story.
Book a free class at 10th Planet Airlock if you’re ready now. Keep reading if you want the full breakdown before you decide.
Step 1: Choose the Right Gym
This is the most important step and it has almost nothing to do with technique. The gym you choose determines who you train with, how you’re coached, and whether you stick with jiu jitsu long enough for it to change your life.
What to look for: coaches who prioritize safety and long-term development over intensity. Training partners who take care of each other on the mat. A culture where beginners are welcomed and experienced members help bring them up. Cross training with other gyms and coaches who maintain good relationships in the sport. Month-to-month memberships with no contracts, so you’re staying because you want to, not because you’re locked in.
What to avoid: gyms where ego drives the training. Any gym that requires a long-term contract before you’ve had a chance to see if you even like it. Coaches who date students (yikes). Gyms that don’t cross train or where members aren’t “allowed” to cross train. Gyms that sandbag people in competitions instead of promoting them at a reasonable pace.
At 10th Planet Airlock, we’re month to month with no sign-up fees. Your first class is free. Our head instructor Rei Villa is a 10th Planet Black Belt and retired 20-year Army veteran who built this gym around safety and coaching quality. We were voted the #1 Best Martial Arts Gym in Bastrop County in 2025. (And we’re about to do it again in 2026… yes, really.)
Step 2: Book a Free Trial
Every good gym offers a free trial class. This is your chance to feel the culture, meet the coaches, and see what training looks like before committing to anything.
At 10th Planet Airlock, you can book your free trial online. Pick a class time that works for your schedule. Come have some fun with it and meet the team. That’s it.
Step 3: What to Bring and What to Wear
For your first class, bring yourself and a water bottle. That’s the essentials.
We train no-gi jiu jitsu, which means you wear athletic clothes instead of a uniform. Shorts or leggings (avoid zippers and pockets if possible) and a t-shirt or rash guard. Ideally not a tank top (keep your pits to yourself). Flip flops recommended since you’ll be barefoot on the mats.
Trim your fingernails and toenails before you come. Brush your teeth. Deodorant. The basics of training in close contact with other people. (Don’t make us make you do it…)
You do not need to buy anything before your first class. No gi. No rash guard. If you decide to keep training, your coaches will help you figure out what gear to pick up over time. Check out our jiu jitsu glossary if you want to learn the terminology before you walk in.
Step 4: What Happens in Your First Class
A typical class at 10th Planet Airlock is one hour:
Warm-up: Fundamental jiu jitsu movements that get your body ready for the session.
Technique: The coach demonstrates a technique or sequence. You pair up with a partner and drill it. This is where you’re learning, and your partner knows you’re new. They’ll work at your pace.
Live training: Positional rounds or rolling (live sparring). On your first day, this is almost always limited to positional work: getting to mount, passing guard. No submissions. You’re learning how to move and control your body before anything else.
Your training partners will adjust to your level. Experienced grapplers know how to work with a beginner. They’ll guide you, give you openings, and talk you through positions while you’re rolling. It’s more like guided practice than a fight.
We wrote a full walkthrough of what your first jiu jitsu class looks like if you want even more detail on this.
Step 5: How Often to Train When You’re Starting
Three times a week is plenty when you’re beginning. That gives your body time to recover between sessions (jiu jitsu uses muscles you didn’t know you had) and gives your brain time to process what you’re learning.
Some people come in hot and try to train five days a week from the start. Some people can do that. Most burn out. Consistency beats intensity every time. Three classes a week for six months will make you better than six classes a week for one month. Show up regularly, train at a pace your body can sustain, and the progress comes.
No-gi jiu jitsu classes in Bastrop run six days a week at 10th Planet Airlock with morning and evening options, so you have flexibility to build a schedule that fits your life.
Step 6: Stick With It Past the Hard Part
The first few weeks of jiu jitsu are humbling. You will be confused. You will be tired. You will get tapped out by people who are smaller than you and who started three months before you. Every single person in the gym went through this phase. Every one.
The people who get good at jiu jitsu are the ones who kept showing up. There’s no secret technique. There’s no fast track. There’s just mat time. The more hours you spend training, the better you get. Somewhere around the two-month mark, something clicks. Positions start making sense. Techniques start working.
If you’re wondering whether you’re too old or too out of shape to start, the answer is no. We have members from 5 years old to their 70s. You start where you are and the training meets you there.
Start Here
10th Planet Airlock. Dedicated no-gi jiu jitsu academy in Bastrop, Texas. Inside Bastrop Fitness Project at 303 Martin Luther King Dr, Bastrop, TX 78602. Right off Hwy 71. Near the Buc-ee’s.
Your first class is always free. No experience needed. No gear required.
Discounts for active duty military, veterans, law enforcement, and first responders.
Book your free trial class at 10th Planet Airlock →
Or call us: (512) 271-5260
Or email: airlockbjj@gmail.com
Check out the full class schedule here.
10th Planet Airlock | 303 Martin Luther King Dr, Bastrop, TX 78602 | Inside Bastrop Fitness Project | Voted #1 Best Martial Arts Gym in Bastrop County 2025 | We Defy Foundation Partner
