FOUNDATIONS
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for beginners in Northeast Portland.
“The skills of jiu jitsu are strongly sequential. There is no mastery of advanced moves without prior mastery of basic ones.”
— John Danaher
Starting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can feel intimidating. The movements are unfamiliar, the vocabulary is new, and it’s natural to wonder whether you’ll keep up or whether everyone else already knows what they’re doing. Every experienced practitioner has stood in exactly that place.
Foundations is our four-week introduction for adults. You’ll begin with a small group of new students and learn, at a deliberate pace, the positions that everything else in jiu jitsu is built on. You don’t need any experience or baseline fitness. Only a willingness to begin.
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The Structure
Four weeks · Twelve classes · Small groups
Next course begins Nov 1.
The classes build on one another, so we ask that you take them in sequence.
Our Foundations program exists to make those first weeks thoughtful, welcoming, and enjoyable. Rather than stepping directly into regular practice, you'll begin with a small group of new students, learning the essential positions and movements that everything else in jiu jitsu is built upon.
There is no expectation that you already know anything.
Only a willingness to begin.
The Curriculum
Over four weeks and twelve classes, you’ll work through the essential positions in the order they build on each other.
Week 1: Control and Escape. Learn to move safely, keep your balance, stay calm in difficult positions, and escape from common bad spots.
Week 2: Guard. Understand distance and connection, and how closed and open guard let you defend, control, and neutralize a partner.
Week 3: Back Control. Learn how control develops from position, along with the fundamentals of submissions, taught with an emphasis on safety.
Week 4: Standing. Breakfalls, movement, grip fighting, and introductory takedowns.
Schedule and Format
Tuesday and Thursday, 6:30 to 7:30 PM. Small-group instruction with your cohort.
Saturday, 11:00 AM. Review and drilling of the week’s material.
On Saturdays you’ll practice alongside our regular students. It’s a chance to review the week, meet the wider community, and see how these fundamentals look at different levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. You don’t need fitness or athletic experience. Conditioning and mobility develop through the practice, and the pace is set so you can build gradually. That shared experience creates a different rhythm than regular practice.
You’ll always control your own pace. If anything is uncomfortable, you tap your partner or the mat, and they stop immediately. You’ll learn to tap in your first class.
It happens. Because the classes build on each other, we’ll help you catch up, and the Saturday review is a good place to go over what you missed.
You’ll move into our regular all-levels adult practices, already knowing your classmates and the core mechanics.
Yes. If you’ve trained before or taken a long break and want a clean, structured base, Foundations works well as a reset. Not sure where to start? Write to us and we’ll help you decide.
Not at all. You are welcome to join regular practice from day 1. This path is just offered as an alternative for those who prefer a more guided beginning.
Is Foundations right for you?
Foundations is designed for people who have little or no previous experience with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Four weeks.
Twelve practices.
Small group instruction.
Courses are offered periodically throughout the year.
It is an excellent place to begin if you:
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Are completely new to martial arts.
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Prefer learning alongside other beginners.
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Would like a gradual introduction before joining regular practice.
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Have trained in the past and would like to rebuild your foundation.
If you've trained elsewhere already, write to us. We'll happily recommend whether Foundations or regular practice is the better place to begin.
Begin
If you're interested in joining the next Foundations course, we'd love to hear from you.
Tell us a little about yourself, and we'll let you know when the next group begins.
CLASS SCHEDULE
