Walking through the door of the gym for the first time can be intimidating. For someone who has been training for years, it’s sometimes hard to understand why that is, when you have become so comfortable on the mats. You will have to think back to your first jiu-jitsu class. I can still remember waiting outside the door of the gym for the teacher to unlock it. I can remember meeting two other students who were also waiting, and thinking to myself, am I going to fight these guys tonight? And what does that mean? It’s easy to see why it’s hard to even get the courage up to attend your first jiu-jitsu class.

The movie Fight Club comes to mind, where in the basement under the bar, it is decreed as the third rule of fight club, if it’s your first time here, you have to fight. So the short answer is no, if it’s your first jiu-jitsu class you don’t have to fight. A well run gym, with quality instructors, will ensure that your first class is exactly what you need it to be, and what it needs to be is different for every student. If you are feeling anxious and unsure about the sport, then there is absolutely no reason to spar your first class. Your teacher should offer you the option to just sit and watch the shenanigans. That way you get a chance to watch other people sparring (or rolling), and see what it’s all about. Maybe you watch people rolling around on the mats trying their best to murder each other. and you decide that you don’t even want to try it EVER, and that’s just fine.

If you’re the crazy type and want to jump right into the deep end of the pool and spar your first class, then your options will depend the rules at your particular gym. Some instructors I have met will not allow brand new people to spar after class, they want a minimum of experience before you roll. Not a bad idea. Other instructors will let you roll your first class, but will pair you with an experienced student who will make sure you don’t get hurt. In this scenario, what often goes unnoticed by the new student, is that during the roll, while they are focused with sheer unbridled spastic zeal on killing the advanced student, the advanced student (AKA upper belt) is not only NOT trying to submit the new student, but the upper belt is actively protecting the new student from themselves, to prevent injury.

And then there’s the Lord of the Flies style gym where it truly is survival of the fittest, and anyone is welcome to roll with no limitations. In this situation, where you have brand new students rolling with brand new students, the most risk for injury is found. Not only are two new jiu-jitsu practitioners unaware of how to protect themselves or their sparring partner from obvious injuries, but both new students are likely to be going full throttle with their foolish pride on the line. Anytime I see two new white belts rolling crazy (white belt on white belt violence), I go look for my truck keys so I can be ready to give someone a ride to the hospital.

In conclusion, no, you do not have to fight your first night of jiu-jitsu, and I am not sure that fight is even the correct word. Sparring after class should be one thing and one thing only, practice. It’s just grappling practice, no one is giving out trophies at the end. It is a time and place to make mistakes, learn, and help your sparring partner do the same. The most important thing to remember at your first jiu-jitsu class, is that YOU are in control of the situation. If you are offered the chance to roll after your first class, you have the option to say “no thanks, I think I’ll just sit and watch for now”. Whatever you decide, welcome to jiu-jitsu.