Adult jiu-jitsu for beginners and beyond
Start in GB1 Fundamentals, Gracie Barra’s beginner course, with classes early morning, late morning and evening. Move into advanced, No-Gi and competition training when you’re ready.
Where every adult starts: GB1 Fundamentals
GB1 Fundamentals is the class for anyone who has never trained, or is coming back after a long break. It assumes you know nothing and teaches one technique at a time.
A typical class starts with a warm-up, moves to a technique the coach demonstrates and you practice with a partner, and ends with situational drills where your partner gives you realistic resistance at a controlled pace. You can sit out any round.
Most beginners spend their first months in Fundamentals. It runs Monday through Saturday, with early-morning classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, late-morning classes Monday through Thursday, evening classes Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and Saturday at 10:00 AM.
Starting jiu-jitsu as an adult: safety, age and how often to train
The adult path
Gracie Barra’s adult program has three stages. You move up when your coaches say you’re ready.
- Stage 1
GB1 Fundamentals
Beginners, and anyone returning after time offGracie Barra’s foundation course. Classes pair self-defense techniques with the core positions of jiu-jitsu, so you learn what to do if someone grabs you and how the sport works at the same time. Every adult starts here.
- Stage 2
GB2 Advanced
Students the coaches move up from FundamentalsMore live training, more detailed technique and the transitions between positions. You move up when your coaches say you’re ready.
- Stage 3
GB3 and Open Mat
Blue belts and upBlue-belt-and-up classes, an adult competition class on Wednesday mornings, and two open mats a week (Thursday evening and Saturday late morning) for open training time.
- Alongside
No-Gi
Adults, after a few Fundamentals classesGrappling without the jacket, using wrestling-style grips. Adult No-Gi runs Tuesday at 7:00 PM, with an advanced No-Gi class Friday at 6:30 AM. Beginners usually add it after a few Fundamentals classes.
Self-defense classes for adults
Jiu-jitsu is self-defense built on control rather than striking: how to stay on your feet, escape a hold, get back up if you’re taken down, and keep a larger person from hurting you.
The Gracie Barra Fundamentals curriculum mixes self-defense techniques with sport positions, and you practice them against a resisting partner rather than in the air. That’s what makes the skill reliable under stress.
What it doesn’t teach is punching and kicking. If you want striking, a boxing or kickboxing gym is the better fit; many people do both.
Women can join the Friday women’s class as well as Fundamentals. Women’s jiu-jitsu
Already train? Advanced, No-Gi and competition
Experienced grapplers train in GB2 live-training classes, GB3 classes for blue belts and up, a Wednesday 8:00 AM adult competition class, and open mats Thursday at 7:00 PM and Saturday at 11:00 AM. Adult No-Gi runs Tuesday at 7:00 PM, with an advanced No-Gi class Friday at 6:30 AM.
If you’ve trained before, tell us your rank and background when you book so the coaches can place you in the right class from day one.
Adult class times
“Free intro OK” classes can be booked as a first class. Times are Arizona time. Full weekly schedule
Monday
- 10:00 AMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levelsFree intro OK
- 11:00 AMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 6:00 PMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levels, mat 2Free intro OK
- 7:00 PMGB3 Blue Belt and UpExperienced adultsMembers
- 8:00 PMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
Tuesday
- 6:30 AMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levelsFree intro OK
- 7:30 AMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 10:00 AMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levelsFree intro OK
- 11:00 AMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 7:00 PMAdult No-GiAdults, all levelsFree intro OK
- 8:00 PMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
Wednesday
- 6:30 AMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levelsFree intro OK
- 7:30 AMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 8:00 AMGB3 Adult CompetitionExperienced adultsMembers
- 10:00 AMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levelsFree intro OK
- 11:00 AMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 6:00 PMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levels, mat 2Free intro OK
- 7:00 PMGB3 Blue Belt and UpExperienced adultsMembers
- 8:00 PMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
Thursday
- 6:30 AMGB3 Blue Belt and UpExperienced adultsMembers
- 7:30 AMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 10:00 AMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levelsFree intro OK
- 11:00 AMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 6:00 PMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levels, mat 2Free intro OK
- 7:00 PMOpen MatExperienced adultsMembers
Friday
- 6:30 AMAdult No-Gi (GB2)Experienced adultsMembers
- 7:30 AMLive TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 10:00 AMWomen’s ClassWomen, all levelsFree intro OK
- 11:00 AMGB2 Live TrainingExperienced adultsMembers
- 6:00 PMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levels, mat 2Free intro OK
Saturday
- 10:00 AMGB1 FundamentalsAdults, all levels, mat 2Free intro OK
- 11:00 AMOpen MatExperienced adultsMembers
Questions adults ask before starting
Still unsure? Call (480) 512-9177.
I’ve never trained. Which class do I take?
GB1 Fundamentals. It runs early morning, late morning and evening, six days a week, and it’s the only class a beginner needs for the first few months.
Am I too old to start?
Probably not. Our adult classes include students from their 20s into their 60s. You control the pace, and you can sit out any round.
How many times a week should a beginner train?
Two or three classes a week. That’s often enough to build on each lesson and leaves time to recover.
Is jiu-jitsu good self-defense?
Yes. Jiu-jitsu teaches you to control someone bigger without striking, and GB1 Fundamentals includes self-defense techniques for common grabs and holds alongside the sport positions.
Try a Fundamentals class
Pick a beginner class this week. Wear athletic clothes, bring water, and arrive 15 minutes early; we provide the gi.
Book a free intro class
Free, and we provide the gi. Takes about a minute.