This is a competition class exclusively for people who compete or intend to compete in women's divisions. We explicitly welcome trans, non-binary and intersex competitors. The goal is to train hard together in a safer environment. Come ready to be pushed to your limits.
The classes are gi or no-gi depending on our upcoming events.
Please either contact @fightclub.bjj on instagram or bring both options with you.
Fight Club is not a regular BJJ class. It is competition training. The goal is to provide women* with a space to go hard with each other and see if the techniques actually work. In order to do this safely we require a certain level of jiu-jitsu from anyone who wants to participate. The minimum requirements you'll find below are not to keep people out but to keep people safe. If you read this and find that you cannot join, please don't feel discouraged. It only means that you need a little more time to be ready. Enjoy your journey and we are looking forward to training with you once you've had a bit more experience.
General jiu-jitsu level:
Gracie Berlin members: 3 stripe whitebelt and up.
External guests (any other gym): All colored belts are welcome. Exceptions can be made on
individual level for seasoned whitebelt competitors. If in doubt, please contact @fightclub.bjj on instagram.
Takedowns:
Most of the serious injuries we've had have been caused by people not being used to takedowns. Therefore it is a non-negotiable that if you want to join Fight Club you also train takedowns. We expect any white belt who wants to join to have taken at least five standup classes. We expect everyone to continue to do takedown training as part of their regular gym schedule. We are not offended if you go to the judo class instead of Fight Club in order to do that.Never go for a takedown that you know might injure the other person if you do it badly. Never jump guard without prior agreement.
Everyone who joins needs to know how to breakfall safely.
Knowledge:
We are a competition class, not a technique class. Nobody will think for you or tell you what to do. Therefore, when joining, make sure that you come prepared and have a "game plan" for what you want to do in competition. If you are a Gracie Berlin member you can also approach any of the senior Fight Club members and ask them for help coming out with one.
You should have a basic knowledge of all important positions in BJJ and have at least one defensive and offensive answer from each of them.
Attitude:
You don't need to be friends with anyone, but you have to be friendly and respectful to everyone. When giving feedback, make sure to formulate it respectfully. If there is a person who you are scared of rolling with or who made you scared during the roll, we suggest the following:
- if you feel comfortable to, tell the person directly
- if you don't feel comfortable to do that, it's okay. tell the coach of the session. They will observe the person and see if there is an issue, then approach the person about it
- if there is a big issue, we will involve Felipe
Mindset:
This is supposed to be the hardest class of the week. Come prepared to push. If you're injured or overtraining, it's probably not the right class to join. We want you there but we want you happy and healthy!
When we have exercises that require fast switching (queen of the hill), pay attention to when it is your turn.
Be careful with your training partners. If the choice is between "losing" and injuring your partner, choose losing. This is training, not competition. Remember that the number 1 rule of fight club is not to injure anyone!
If there is a large size or skill discrepancy between two training partners, it is on both to make it work in a way that is challenging.
Everyone who comes to Fight Club deserves to be in Fight Club!
Rules of Fight Club:
1. Do not injure anyone, including yourself.
2. Do not crank submissions. Let go rather than hurt your partner. 2a. Work your late stage escapes, but be fair and tap if you got caught.
3. Choke as hard as you want. It's their fault if they pass out. 3a. Do not pass out. Tap.
4. Go as hard as you can without violating rule 2 and 3. This is a competition class.
5. Come with a game plan in mind. Know your takedown and your guard pull. Know the grips you want. Ask higher belts for help figuring out your strategy if you need to.
6. Do not accept! Not the takedown, not the guard pass, not the sweep.
7. Any drill you do ends in a scoring position. That means securing and controlling. Don't stop halfway.
8. If you have a significant size or skill advantage, work your plan B, C, or D. It is your job to make it competitive and worthwhile for both.
9. There is no winning in Fight Club. We are all training to get better together and win out there.
10. Tell everyone you meet about Fight Club.
