Out of Shape and Nervous? Come Anyway

It’s the last week of October in Indio, and the valley has finally cooled off enough that the garage feels like a place you could exercise in. Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, and the clocks go back on Sunday. A lot of people tell themselves this is the season to wait it out and start in January. When we ask what’s really holding them back, it is almost never the schedule. It’s the picture in their head of a room full of fit people watching them gasp.

The Picture Is Wrong

Walk into a Flow class on a Tuesday night and you’ll find accountants, nurses, a contractor with a bad shoulder, and a guy who hasn’t run since high school. Most of the room started out of shape. Our coaches like to say that nobody gets fit to start jiu-jitsu; they start jiu-jitsu and get fit along the way. The people who look comfortable in the back were once the person gripping the edge of the mat wondering whether to turn around.

What Happens When You Get Tired

You will get tired, probably in the first ten minutes of the warm-up. Here’s what we do about it: nothing dramatic. You step to the side, drink some water, and rejoin when you can. Nobody counts your breaks. Drilling is done with a partner at a pace you can both handle, and a good partner slows down for a new person without being asked, because every one of them remembers being new.

“Will I Get Hurt?”

Newer people usually ask this second, right after the fitness question. The honest answer is that jiu-jitsu is a contact art, and that is exactly why we teach tapping first. A tap is just a pat on your partner or the mat, and the rolling stops right there. Professor Carlos Miller has been teaching for over 29 years, and the habit he starts with every beginner is the same one: tap early, tell your partner what’s sore, and come back next class. Rolling is optional in your first weeks anyway.

Choosing Your First Night

Pick the one that survives your real week, not your ideal one:

• Tuesday 7 PM, adult No-Gi
• Thursday 7 PM, adult Gi
• Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 5:00 AM, adult Gi
• Saturday Open Mat, 9 to 11 AM, the most relaxed room we have

For a first class, wear comfortable workout clothing, the kind you’d wear to a gym. You don’t need a gi on day one. Saturday is a good choice if you want the least pressure, and this weekend you’ll be home well before the trick-or-treaters.

Why Not Wait for January?

Because the January crowd walks in with the same worries you have now, plus the guilt of a month of holiday eating. Starting in the last days of October means you spend November learning the basics while the room is calm, and you’ll already know where to put your hands by the time everyone else is making resolutions. Your first class is free, with no commitment attached.

Call or text (951) 337-3781, or stop by 42425 Jackson Street, Suite C112. You can read more on our adult jiu-jitsu page.

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