With the Vaccine Roll out and the unwinding of restrictions coming along, people who have been working from home and in Quarantine may be wanting to get active and try a new sport.

Jiu jitsu may be that sport and if it is, we here at Progress JJ have provided a  guide of what you’ll need and where to start Jiu jitsu.

First of all, you’ll need to find a club that will suit you, with social media you can easily research the club for you. You can choose the club for you, from the convenience of the location and class times, to the style of Jiu Jitsu whether it's primarily a Gi school or No Gi focused school. Most academies have a Facebook page, Instagram account and websites so you can do your research on them. They will usually post information of the instructor’s lineage on their website, e.g. who they got their grades from. Their Instagram would be full of techniques they teach, the accomplishments of their competitors and students and team accomplishments. Many academies that are seen as ‘legitimate’ would be followed on Instagram etc by higher grades from other academies and have relationships with other owners of academies as Jiu Jitsu is a close knit community.  

When it comes to what you need when you start out in Jiu Jitsu, we have a list of items you need. 

• Progress Academy Kimono – Our brand new basic kimono, made with the brand new starter in mind, which comes with a free white belt. The Kimono is lightweight and extremely easy to dry, and combines Progress JJ's style with affordability. 
• Bearfoot Slides – When you are on the mats you are usually barefoot unless you wear wrestling boots which is rare in a jiu jitsu class. If however you need to nip to the loo during session or grab some water, you need some easy footwear. Bearfoot JJ is a brand specialising in slides and flip flops at great prices.
• Rashguard and spats - Especially after the pandemic Hygiene is in the forefront of everyone's mind. Rashguard's and spats are usually worn under the kimono to help protect against skin infections. Here you can look at the range of rashguards we sell at Progress ! 
• Antibacterial Soap – Keeping clean is a key component of close contact combat sports, there are many soaps you can use to help fight possible infections, Brands such as defense soap, armbar soap and Idee Pure all offer great soaps to help protect you against skin infections. 
• A towel - Whether it's to help keep you dry during the session or one for your post training shower, a towel will be needed in your kit bag.