Get Ready for your 1st day
OUR FACILITY
Here's an inside view of our space. There are mats everywhere so that you don't get injured when you're on the floor or near a wall. For sanitary reasons, please remove your shoes outside before stepping onto the mats as we don't want to bring in dirt from outside.
Once inside, place your shoes on our shoe rack. Then hang your coat and bags on our bar with hooks located underneath our custom painting. We also have a shower with soap on the wall and clean towels if you want to shower. We have one bathroom and behind the mirror there are hair ties as well as feminine hygiene products.
If you're thirsty, please try to bring a water bottle. However, if you don't have one, we have compostable cups for you to use to fill up.
WHERE WE'RE LOCATED
| Located right by UIC Pavilion
| Off Racine 294 exit
| Off Racine Blue Line stop
| Close to Pilsen, Little Village, Medical District, Downtown, Greek Town, South Loop, West Loop
WHERE TO PARK
We've provided a map that shows all the places you can park for free indicated by the blue location markers. If necessary, we have some parking passes, but are limited.
WHAT TO WEAR
The best clothing to wear are clothes that you can easily move in. Normally, compression shirts and shorts are best. If you have a gi, please bring it, if not, no problem. Also, you'll be barefoot so do not worry about socks.
NO JIU-JITSU EXPERIENCE? TRY THIS MOVE AT HOME
HOW TO TIE A JIU-JITSU/ BJJ BELT
ETIQUETTE
We pride ourselves on our culture. It's one of those things that you can't buy. Here are some quick insights about the etiquette at the gym
ATTITUDE
This isn't a tournament. There is no need to break your training partners. These are training partners, not opponents. We like to make sure everyone is having fun and also very safe.
HYGIENE
Cleanliness is next to godliness. We keep a clean facility and spray down the mats each day. Please do not walk onto the mats with your shoes and if you already have a gi or other workout close, please arrive with them cleaned and not already sweat filled. Additionally, please try to keep your nails trimmed and cleaned.
TIMELINESS
If you arrive a couple minutes late, it's no problem. However, please do try to be on time. If you are more than 10 minutes late, you may be asked to participate in class later or the next class as the instructor is already running class for those on time.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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DO I NEED EXPERIENCE?No experience necessary. Just like learning a language, you'll do best when thrown into a situation right away. We will pair you with someone more experienced so you can learn from a higher belt and this gives our higher belt the opportunity to coach- a very Montessori approach to jiu jitsu. You won't be required to spar, but you're welcome to it and we will again pair you with an advanced member to ensure no one gets injured.
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WHAT ARE CLASSES LIKE?We have two types of jiu-jitsu classes: those with a uniform (gi), and those without (no-gi). We do both. Our noon and evening jiu-jitsu classes are taught in the gi. If you don't own one, we have loaner gis for you to borrow. Tuesday evenings are both gi/no-gi and Saturday mornings are no-gi. This is our typical class structure: | 15 minutes of warm-ups | 15 minutes of drilling technique 1 | 15 minutes of drilling technique 2 | 15 minutes of "line drills" where you practice a position against eachother. ​| 20 minutes of 5 minute sparring rounds
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WHAT'S THE VIBE?Very chill. We are a no-ego gym. If you have uniforms of a different color or with patches from different gyms, we don't care. Just get in here to train.
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WHEN ARE CLASSES?We have morning, noon, early evening and late evening jiu-jitsu classes. See our schedule!
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ARE CLASSES SPORT OR SELF-DEFENSE ORIENTED?While we primarily focus on the sport aspect of jiu-jitsu, what you learn in class is very applicable to real life situations. Here's a full article we've written to help you better understand our philosophy of street and sport jiu-jitsu.
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HOW DO I GET STARTED?We don't allow walk ins so you'll need to book a spot prior to entering. You can book here: https://www.chicagoschoolofgrappling.com/schedule
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
NICK CIMM
BJJ BLACK BELT
"My teaching method is a blend of styles, including things I learned during my time in the military and from past instructors, to break down concepts and techniques in a way from which anyone can benefit."
JOHN LE
BJJ BLACK BELT
"I’ve been devoted to showing everyone the internal and external power of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I formed the Northwestern University BJJ club and started JitsLab.com– an analytical way to measure performance and to create automatic highlights."
DERRICK DEMAIO
BJJ BLACK BELT
Derrick is a big kid at heart and strives to see everyone he knows do better. Specifically, he designed the Fundamentals Jiu-Jitsu class because he remembered what it was like to be brand new and to not know a thing.
MATT OLIVA
BJJ PURPLE BELT
Matt is one of our No Gi specialists. His approach is to really focus on the newest, freshest and most innovative techniques in the world of grappling. Matt is very technical in his teaching style, but very welcoming as well.
MARCO JAIMES
BJJ BLUE BELT
Marco is home grown from the Chicago School of Grappling! He is a great technical instructor and teaches our no gi class. He is also an avid competitor and methodical in his approach to learning and teaching new material.
BOOK A CLASS
Sign up for our 7 day free trial.
No annual contracts.
No hidden fees.
HELPFUL ARTICLES WE'VE WRITTEN
