Why it exists
Not a watered-down version. The same class, a different room.
The women’s classes here are not an introductory taster or a self-defence seminar with jiu jitsu sprinkled on. They run the same no-gi curriculum, with the same steady technical progression, as the mixed classes on either side of them.
What changes is who is in the room. For some people that removes the single biggest barrier to walking in for the first time. For others it is just where their training partners are. Both are good reasons, and plenty of our members train the women’s classes and the mixed ones.
At a glance Women’s only
- System
- 10th Planet no-gi
- Who
- All experience levels
- When
- Friday 5:00 PM, Sunday 2:00 PM
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Team
- Competition team
- Also
- Mixed classes open too
Your first hour
What actually happens
You arrive ten minutes early in a t-shirt and shorts. Someone shows you where to leave your shoes and where to stand. The class warms up, then a coach breaks down one or two positions and you drill them with a partner who knows it is your first day.
Toward the end there is positional work — short, controlled, from a set starting point. You will not be thrown into a full round on day one, and you can sit anything out without anyone making it a thing.
Common questions
Things worth knowing
I have never done anything like this. Is that fine?
It is the most common way people arrive. The class runs with beginners and experienced grapplers side by side, and the coach pairs you with someone who will look after you.
Do I have to roll with men?
Not in the women’s classes — that is the point of them. In mixed classes you are always free to choose your partners, and you can say no to any round without explaining yourself.
Is this a self-defence class?
It is a jiu jitsu class, which is where a great deal of practical self-defence actually comes from: controlling distance, getting back to your feet, escaping from underneath someone bigger. You learn it as a skill you drill, not as a set of moves demonstrated once at a workshop.
What should I wear?
A fitted t-shirt or rashguard and leggings or shorts without zips or pockets. Hair tied back, nails short, no jewellery. Nothing to buy before your first class.
Can I train while pregnant or postpartum?
Talk to your doctor first, then talk to us — plenty of people modify their training through both, and drilling without live rounds is often a good middle ground. We will work with whatever your clinician advises.
Do I have to compete?
No. There is a competition team and people here have brought home titles, but the overwhelming majority of members train because they enjoy it and never enter a tournament.
Mat pass Admit one
Friday at five. Come and see.
Your first class is free, you can sit anything out, and nobody will make a thing of it.
- Wear
- A t-shirt and shorts. Nothing else needed.
- Next class
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