How is Jiu Jitsu Different than other martial arts?

Jiu Jitsu is a grappling martial art, which means it focuses on physically controlling and dominating your opponent. Some similar arts and sports would be Judo and Wrestling. This differs greatly from striking martial arts, where the main objective is to strike or harm your opponent. While all martial arts have their place and can have their own benefits, jiu jitsu is excellent for all people because it focuses on leverage and control. A person of any size and physical ability can learn jiu jitsu and find ways and means to make techniques and concepts work for them using their physical traits and skills. Jiu jitsu is also taught to law enforcement in certain parts of the world because of its effectiveness in physical altercations.

Another major benefit of jiu jitsu is the blending of theory and practice. Students slowly build up their skills and abilities in class against varying levels of resistance. In other martial arts and sports, sometimes techniques are not practical for everyday practice because of safety concerns. In jiu jitsu, experienced students can take part in supervised live training or ‘rolling’ on a consistent basis, which allows two individuals to train with each other to the best of their ability without major risk of injury.

Do you need to be fit to take classes?

Definitely not! Jiu jitsu is for people of all skill and fitness levels. You will find over time that by taking part in class, you will work up a good sweat, get in a good workout, and start to feel better. The general experience of starting jiu jitsu classes, coupled with good diet and sleep habits, often leads to healthy and natural weight loss and improvements in general fitness and mobility.

can parents watch kids classes?

Professor Josh has developed a reputation over the years of making kids classes very fun and engaging for the kids in class, and their parents watching! With that said, if you are worried about your child being focused on you instead of class, if you feel you will have a difficult time avoiding communicating with your child, or if you just need to step away, you are encouraged to leave your child in our capable hands. Please note that there is absolutely no coaching permitted from off the mats. Parents are welcome to watch kids classes, as long as they are respectful of the class and their child’s participation, and refrain from communicating with their child or other participants.

can Neurodivergent kids/adults have a positive experience?

Absolutely! Neurodivergent students often thrive in jiu jitsu because of the unique nature of our martial art. The balance of structure, routine and personal development and learning is a great experience for all. We encourage students (if adults) or parents (if children) to share any information they are comfortable passing along, with regards to their needs or effective strategies to best support them. As a qualified Special Education teacher, Professor Josh brings a wealth of unique experience working with neurodivergent students to the mats.

any tips for beginners?

Try your best, listen to your instructor, have fun, and keep showing up to class! The start of your jiu jitsu journey is a special one, and we are so excited to join you on this path. Slowly building your body up for this type of exercise can take some time so we recommend doing your best to stay hydrated, eating well, and getting adequate sleep. In order to safely enjoy the experience, please maintain the proper hygiene steps you are briefed on at the academy (ie. washing your gi and showering after every class, etc.), and to follow the mat etiquette you are taught by your instructor (ie. how to wear your belt, how to start and end class, etc.)

How does ranking work?

Jiu jitsu follows a very detailed ranking system. All belts prior to black belt have a black rank bar on them. Students can earn up to 4 degrees on their belts before being promoted to the next rank, based on their progress and commitment.

Adults have 5 belts - white, blue, purple, brown and black. Black belts receive their ‘Professor Stripes’ and degrees based on tenure. 7th (red/black), 8th (red/white) and 9th (red) degree black belts are reserved for those who have spent the better part of their lives training and teaching jiu jitsu.

Kids under 16 have 5 belt colours - white, grey, yellow, orange and green. Each of the kids ranking colours after white have three belts: white stripe through the belt, solid colour, and black stripe through the belt. Students must be at least 16 years old to achieve the rank of blue belt.

Earning a belt promotion takes a decent amount of training and commitment, but the jiu jitsu community as a whole prides itself on the integrity of the belt system. One important factor when learning jiu jitsu is your instructor lineage, tracing your learning to the roots of the art. For students of Wavebreaker Jiu Jitsu Academy, the lineage is as follows:

Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Alvaro Barreto > Sylvio Behring > Marco Costa > Joshua Sequeira > You