Essentials Jiu-Jitsu

Designed by our head coach and founder Ciaran Brohan after a lot of time and research our Essentials Jiujitsu classes are the perfect place to get started with you Brazilian Jiujitsu Journey.

We are the only gym in gym in Cork that has an complete beginners focused curriculum, and we are confident that our beginners classes will give you the perfect start to BJJ if you’re looking to train in Cork.

We remember starting our Jiujitsu Journey and how tough it can be to start a new hobby. The curriculum has been designed with these questions in mind. In fact with T45 starting in 2018 the majority of our students had little to no experience before coming to train with us.

Even our highest-level students will often comedrop back into the Essentials classes to top up their knowledge of the core of Jiujitsu, which account for 90% of everything you’ll do in the sport. Figure out the basic concepts and you’re set for a long and prosperous BJJ journey.

What Should You Expect During a Essentials Jiujitsu Class?

The Foundations classes take place five times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday). We have a diverse range of students and due to the broad range of topics being taught, these classes are some of our most popular. This means you will never find a lack of students to practice against in your own weight group or skill range.

The Essentials classes are both Gi (Kimono) and Nogi (Shorts and Tshirts). However, you can always come in gym gear if you’re unsure what to bring and just get stuck in!

Weekly Modules

Following the warm-up, your instructors will teach you a series of progressive moves focusing on a specific area (module) of the BJJ game.

Let’s say our focus in a week is Guard Retention or Guard Sweeps, we’ll start by covering the important concepts around the technique. This will be followed by a specific move set which will be demonstrated to all the students, giving everyone the opportunity to view the breakdown of the details from all angles.

We start with each technique, demonstrating the ‘need to know’ aspects slowly and clearly, followed by an opportunity to ask questions and fine-tune any details that students are unsure about.

Once the move is demonstrated and everyone is satisfied, students will divide themselves into pairs (usually based on weight or skill level), before drilling that technique repetitively until both training partners feel confident in their understanding.

At first, we encourage the details to be practised slowly. BJJ is not about brute strength, you should be able to complete a move based on positioning and alignment

Implementing Your New Technique – Live Training

After all the techniques of the class have been taught and drilled, we finish the class with sparring. Sparring takes place in rounds, and the goal is to try and put your learning into practice in a real situation with a resisting partner.

Often we also do what is known as Positional Sparring, which is where you start in a particular position and you have a specific goal to achieve; for example, a sweep, pass or submission.

Both of these types of live training are what makes Jiujitsu both a practical martial art and good workout! It’s common to be very tired after a few sparring rounds.

One Last Thing

As with all our classes, please note the following:

• Arrive to class on time or preferably 5 minutes early so you don’t miss out on the warm up
• Trim your nails, remove piercings – personal hygiene is an absolute must
• Bring a big bottle of water