You’ve been thinking about this for a while. Maybe weeks. Maybe months. Maybe you’ve driven past Bastrop Fitness Project on Martin Luther King Dr and thought “I should really try that jiu jitsu thing.”
Maybe you’ve already booked a free trial with us and now you’re sitting there Googling what to expect at your first jiu jitsu class because the idea of walking into a room full of people who know how to choke each other is, understandably, a little intimidating.
Good news. You found the right post. We’re going to walk you through the entire experience, step by step, from the moment you pull into the parking lot to the moment you leave. No surprises for you over-planners out there. This is simply exactly what happens so you can stop imagining worst case scenarios and start imagining yourself learning why so many people are so obsessed with jiu jitsu.
Because you can. We promise.
Before You Show Up: What to Wear to Your First Jiu Jitsu Class
This is the part everyone overthinks. 10th Planet Airlock (all 10th Planets, really) is a no-gi jiu jitsu gym, which means you don’t need to buy a uniform. No special outfit. No white pajamas. No gi. Just wear comfortable athletic clothes. Shorts or leggings (no zippers, no pockets – if you can help it, and nothing too baggy that someone could get tangled in) and a t-shirt or rash guard. Flip flops or Crocs (if you’re crazy like that) are recommended. You’ll be barefoot on the mat.
That’s it. Don’t buy anything. Don’t stress about looking the part. Most people who walk in for their first class are wearing the same gym clothes they wear to the gym. As long as it’s all clean, you’re fine.
One thing we do ask: trim your fingernails and toenails before you come. This is a close-contact sport and nobody wants to get scratched up. Brush your teeth too. Deodorant. The basics. You’d be surprised how much this matters when someone’s face is 6 inches from yours. Check out our FAQ page for a few more first-day details.
You Pull Into the Parking Lot. Now What?
We’re located inside Bastrop Fitness Project at 303 Martin Luther King Dr in Bastrop, TX. Right off Hwy 71. Near the Buc-ee’s. You’ve probably passed it before. (If you just moved to the area, we wrote a whole post about why jiu jitsu should be your first call as a new Bastrop resident.)
Park anywhere around the building. There’s a nice parking lot here. Look for the literal GIANT windows with the 10th Planet Airlock logo all over them. It’s pretty obvious once you find the parking lot. When you step inside, you’ll see the mat area. It’s not a massive corporate gym. It’s a community jiu jitsu gym. There are people warming up or chatting. It feels like walking into someone’s living room, except the living room has mats on the floor and everyone in it could probably submit you. But they won’t. Not today anyway.
Don’t want to make a beginner mistake? Don’t walk on the mats with your shoes on. No one’s gonna yell at you, but it’s a rookie thing.
Introduce yourself to whoever is nearest the door. Seriously, just say “hey, it’s my first day.” Trust us when we say we’re a community gym. That means we’ll be genuinely happy to see you and welcome you in. Good jiu jitsu people love new people. Every single person in that room had a first day once, and most of them remember it vividly.
You’ll Meet the Coaches
Our head instructor is Rei Villa, a 10th Planet Black Belt, IBJJF First Degree Black Belt, and retired U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service. He’s also a Tactical Combatives Instructor and Sheepdog Response instructor. He is, objectively, one of the most qualified martial arts instructors in Central Texas. He’s also a genuinely kind human being who is stoked when new people show up.
Depending on the class you attend, you might also train with Coach Chris Bennett (10th Planet Black Belt out of Tucson, leg lock specialist, extremely technical), or Coach Tyler Hixson (but only if you’re a parent coming for kids classes or a morning class zombie).
Whoever is coaching your class will know it’s your first day. They’ll check in with you before class starts, give you a quick rundown of how the hour works, and make sure you’re paired with someone who knows how to train with a beginner. You will not be thrown to the wolves. This may not be true of every jiu jitsu gym in the world, but it’s how we do things.
What the Warm-Up Looks Like
Class starts with a warm-up. We typically work through a structured flow of something out of the 10th Planet Warmups System because it’s ingrained in what we do as a 10th Planet gym.
If you can’t do something, that’s fine. Nobody is going to single you out. Everyone is focused on their own warm-up. The coaches are here to teach you how this works.
The Technique Portion: This Is the Learning Part
After the warm-up, the coach demonstrates a technique. Maybe it’s a sweep from guard. Maybe it’s an escape from side control. Maybe it’s a choke from the back. Rei or another coach will show it a few times, explain the details, and then you pair up with a partner and practice it.
This is where jiu jitsu gets interesting. You’re going to learn something you’ve never done before and then immediately try it on another person. Your brain is going to be overwhelmed. Your body is going to do approximately none of what the coach just showed you. This is normal. This is everyone’s experience. The person you’re drilling with has been doing this for months or years and they still mess up techniques all the time.
The technique portion usually runs about 20-30 minutes. You’ll drill the same move (or a sequence of moves) multiple times. Each rep gets a little better. By the end you’ll have a rough understanding of what you just learned, even if your body hasn’t quite caught up to your brain yet.
One thing Rei emphasizes for every new person: jiu jitsu is not about learning moves in a vacuum. He teaches the story of a fight, the logical progression from standing to the ground to a dominant position to a finish. Even on day one, you’ll start to see how individual techniques connect to a bigger picture. That context is what makes everything click faster.
Rolling: What Sparring Feels Like as a Complete Beginner
After technique, most classes end with live rolling. This is sparring. You and a partner try to use what you’ve learned (and whatever instincts you have) to control, sweep, or submit each other.
Here’s what nobody tells you about your first time rolling: it is going to be confusing. Wonderfully, hilariously confusing. You will have no idea what’s happening. Someone is going to get on top of you and you’re going to think “well, I have no plan for this.”
That’s the experience. That is literally everyone’s first roll. The black belts in the room went through this. The blue belts went through this. The person who started two weeks before you went through this.
In most cases on your first day, the game will be limited to just getting to mount, passing the guard. You won’t be dealing with submissions right away.
Still, it’s useful to know a few things going in to rolling:
- Tap early and tap often. If someone catches you in a submission (a choke or a joint lock), tap their body or say “tap” and they’ll let go immediately. Tapping is not losing. Tapping is how you learn without getting hurt. Everyone taps. Every class. Every day. Forever. And tapping is sacred. Your partner must let you go, no questions asked.
- Breathe. Beginners hold their breath. It’s instinct. Fight it. Breathe through your nose. If you’re gasping after 90 seconds, you held your breath. It gets better fast. Your cardio will learn to catch up with this. Most people have no idea how bad their cardio is for fighting. Even elite athletes trying jiu jitsu are surprised…
- You don’t have to roll. If you’re not ready to spar on your first day, you can sit out and watch. Or drill with a partner at a lighter pace. Nobody will judge you. Some people roll on day one and love it. Some people need a few classes first. Both are fine.
- Your partner will adjust to you. Experienced grapplers know how to train with beginners. They’re not going to go 100% on you. They’ll let you work, guide you into positions, and give you openings to practice what you just learned. The good ones will talk you through it while you’re rolling. “Try to get frames in the way.” “Good, now turn and get to your knees.” It’s more like guided practice than a fight.
Rolling rounds are usually 5-6 minutes. You’ll do 2-4 rounds depending on the class. Between rounds you switch partners. By the end of class you’ve grappled with multiple people, each with a different body type and style. You’ll be tired. You’ll be confused. And something in your brain will be going “wait, I want to do that again.”
That’s how it starts.
After Class: What Happens Next
Class wraps up. People shake hands, slap hands, fist bump. Someone will probably ask how your first class was. The coach will check in. If you loved it, you’ll feel it. If you’re sore and overwhelmed but weirdly excited, that’s the right feeling.
Nobody is going to corner you with a clipboard and a membership pitch. We’re month to month with no sign-up fees. There’s no contract. If you want to come back, you come back. If you need a few days to process the fact that a person half your size just tapped you out (with love), take those days. We’ll be here.
If you trained during an evening class, Bastrop Cafe is right in the building. Grab a smoothie or a coffee. Sit with the exhaustion for a minute. That’s one of the best parts of training at the Bastrop Fitness Project building: the post-training hang is built in.
Common Fears (and Why They’re All Wrong)
“I’m too out of shape to start.” You don’t get in shape to start jiu jitsu. You start jiu jitsu to get in shape. We have members who showed up on day one completely out of breath after warm-ups and now train 4-5 times a week. Jiu jitsu is the workout. You don’t need to prepare for it.
“I’m going to get hurt.” Jiu jitsu is lower impact than most martial arts. No striking (unless you’re in our Muay Thai class, which is a different conversation, but even that sport is quite safe). Good training partners control the intensity. Tap when something hurts. Communicate. Injuries can happen in any sport, but jiu jitsu at a good gym with good culture is remarkably safe.
“Everyone is going to be better than me.” Obviously. You’ve never done this before. But “better than you” does not mean “going to embarrass you.” It means you’re surrounded by people who can teach you things. That’s a feature of a great gym.
“I’m too old.” We have a member in his 70s who is a killer. Some start jiu jitsu for the first time in their 40s. Some start at 5 years old. You work at your pace, with your body, at your intensity. This sport scales to you.
“What if I’m the only woman?” You won’t be. Maybe in one random class, but not on our team. We have a dedicated Women’s Jiu Jitsu class every Thursday that’s completely free, led by Coach Andrea. And women train in our regular classes all the time. The culture here is respectful. Full stop.
The Programs We Offer (Quick Rundown)
Since you’re here, you might as well know what’s available:
Adult No-Gi Jiu Jitsu is our flagship. Six days a week, morning and evening options. All levels, all ages. This is probably the class you’re thinking about trying.
Adult Muay Thai & Kickboxing for people who want to add stand-up striking to their training.
Kids Jiu Jitsu for ages 5 and up. Two programs: Tiny Astronauts (ages 5-8) and Lil’ Astronauts (ages 8+). If you’re a parent reading this post because your kid wants to try martial arts, this is the one.
Women’s Jiu Jitsu every Thursday. Free. Led by Coach Andrea. No membership required.
What to Expect at Your First Jiu Jitsu Class: Just Show Up
Look, we could write 10,000 more words about this and it still wouldn’t replace the experience of actually doing it. The parking lot. The handshake. The warm-up. The technique. The first time someone puts you in a position you’ve never been in and your brain goes “oh. OH.” That moment is yours and you can’t get it from a blog post.
We’re at 303 Martin Luther King Dr in Bastrop, TX, inside Bastrop Fitness Project. Right off Hwy 71. Near the Buc-ee’s. In the greatest city on Earth.
Your first class is free. No experience needed. No gear required.
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
