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The Purple Guide to Learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 10 Days
A No-Nonsense 10-Day Starter Plan to Learn Real Techniques, Feel What Rolling Actually Is, and Decide If BJJ Is for You
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: First Day
First Day
Let's be clear about what you are about to do: you are going to get on the floor, sit there for a while, try to move yourself from sitting to standing in a controlled way, and then you are going to feel your muscles start to burn in places you forgot existed. This is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, day one. It is not glamorous. It is not a highlight reel of flying armbars or slick submissions from a UFC promo. It is you, a mat or a carpet, and a series of small, awkward movements that your body is not used to making. And that is exactly the point.
If you've never tried BJJ, your mental image is probably two people twisting each other into pretzels. That is the end result after months of training. Today, you are not going to learn a submission. You are not going to learn how to choke someone. You are going to learn how to be on the ground without feeling like a beached whale, and you are going to learn how to get back up. That sounds almost insultingly simple until you try it. Here is a small sampling of what your first session will actually feel like: you are going to sit on the floor and try to get into a position called "the guard." Do you know what the guard is? It is when you are on your back, your legs are bent, your knees are up