What to expect in your first class
What to expect in your first class
We like to say the hardest belt to get is your white belt. That just means you got past the nerves, the self-consciousness, whatever story you were telling yourself, and you walked in to try. A lot of parents are more nervous than the kid. That first class is worth talking about.
Some schools will toss a new student straight into the group and have an assistant hover nearby. Here we put kids by skill, so a first-timer is in a room they can actually exist in without getting overwhelmed. You do not want their first hour to be a flood.
A small thing, and I mean this kindly: please do not walk in, put your hands together, and bow like you have just entered a temple. I never know what to do with that. My name is Matt. Come on in. If a school demands a secret handshake on day one, that is a little weird. Just come in and listen a lot.
Be interested. Say, I do not understand this. If someone gets impatient with a first-day question, you found that out before you signed up long term. That is useful. You may not want to train with those people.
Sir and ma'am is part of the culture in a lot of karate, taekwondo, and kendo. In jiu-jitsu it is usually first name, or Coach, or Mister. If the instructor would rather you drop the sir, they will tell you. Better to be a little too polite than the other way around.
Shoes come off when you walk on the mat. Some rooms bow to the flags when you enter. I still do it. A few of the jiu-jitsu guys look at me like I am being formal. It is just what I grew up with. Follow the room in front of you.
Leave the jewelry in the car. Show up in sweats if you want. We will usually loan you a uniform. Other schools sell you one or have something there to change into. No makeup. Nails and toenails short, please. And come in clean, especially for jiu-jitsu. Then plan on another shower after. I have had people walk in off a horse farm. You do not want that to be the memory of the first class.