Try Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — the Free Trial Class
The Free Trial Class at Carlson Gracie Amsterdam is free, and it runs on Mondays, twice a day: in the 08:00–09:00 and the 18:00–19:00 Beginners & Intermediates classes. The schedule shows which Mondays — almost all of them, and it is the one place that is always current. Women have a third option — a free first class in Friday's 18:00 Women's Only Class with Professor Olga Lyashevska.
No experience, no fitness requirement, no equipment. The academy lends you a gi, the class is taught in English, and someone will be there to welcome you personally. You book below, you arrive 15–20 minutes early, and you train.
That is the whole arrangement. The rest of this page answers everything you might be wondering before you come.
The most important belt
On your first day, you will wear a white belt. Every belt after it must be earned through your own commitment, consistency and development — the white belt is the only one every student receives, on day one.
And that is exactly what makes it the most important belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: it is the one belt every single person in this sport has worn. Every black belt on this mat — every black belt in the world — started exactly where you are today.
So there is nothing to be embarrassed about, and nobody to impress. We don't expect you to arrive as a fighter. We invite you to begin as a student.
Your first hour, step by step
A first class at Carlson Gracie Amsterdam takes about an hour and a half from arrival to leaving: 15–20 minutes before the class, one hour on the mat, and around 15 minutes afterwards for questions. Here is the whole of it.
Arriving
We give you a gi — the kimono — for your first class. You change in one of the academy's three changing rooms and leave your things in the storage area.
Before the class starts
We make sure everything is ready and give you your white belt, and we show you how to tie it properly.
The white belt is the most important belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, because everyone starts there — every black belt on this mat, and every black belt in the world.
The warm-up
The class opens with a basic warm-up built on three fundamental movements: running, hip escapes and rolls. Nothing you need to already know.
The technique
After the warm-up comes the first technique. Depending on what it is, you work with one or two training partners.
We always start with something very basic — enough for your body to learn the movement and find the coordination before anything harder is asked of it.
The techniques follow a logical sequence. A class might begin with a simple takedown, move to a guard pass where you learn to control the key points of the position, and finish with a submission. Another might start with defending a neck attack, combine that defence with a takedown, and finish with a submission again.
There are countless variations that Carlson Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gives us to explore.
Training designed for beginners
After the technical part, beginners take part in a specific training exercise built for their level. You might spend two and a half minutes controlling a more experienced student while they keep one hand attached to your belt. Or, if the lesson is about back control, you might start from the back of a training partner.
There are countless ways to set these up, and the point of all of them is the same: a beginner learns from a realistic situation, with the right amount of control and guidance around it.
The end of class
We shake hands with everyone in the room — a sign of respect and appreciation, and the way every class here ends.
After class
You have around 15 minutes to ask questions and talk to us about anything you want to know.
Those fifteen minutes are the reason Monday's Advanced class starts at 19:15 and not at 19:00. The timetable was moved back a quarter of an hour, for everybody, so that nobody's first evening here ends with the next class waiting on them.
After that the next session begins — on a Monday evening, the Advanced class at 19:15. If you would like to stay and watch the first 30 minutes, you are very welcome. After those 30 minutes we ask you to leave the training area, so the space stays available for the members who have finished training and are getting ready to go.
We want your first experience at Carlson Gracie Amsterdam to be welcoming, respectful and enjoyable, from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.
The honest answers to the questions everyone has
Am I too old for this? No. Adults start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu here at every age, and every student develops at their own pace — that is a founding principle of how this academy teaches, not a marketing line. Nobody is pushed through anyone else's timeline. More on that on Start here.
Do I need to be fit first? No. Training is how you get fit. Your first classes are technique-focused, and you work at your own intensity from day one.
Will I get hurt? This is the fear that stops most people, so here is the clearest answer we can give: beginner classes are frequently a full hour of technical instruction with no hard sparring. You learn correct movement, build confidence, and let your body adapt before more demanding training is introduced. Long-term development matters more here than fast progression — students who train for ten years are the goal, and injured beginners do not become ten-year students.
How many people will be there? Up to forty. It is a big room and a big group — which means you will always find a partner near your size and level, and you will never be the only new person on the mat.
Do I need to know anything about BJJ? Nothing. The trial class assumes zero knowledge. That is what it is for.
What do I wear? What do I bring? Normal sports clothes and water. The academy lends you a gi for your first class — from your second class you will want your own, and gis are sold at the academy.
What language is the class in? English. All adult classes are taught in English — students here come from all over the world, and English is what lets everyone train together.
The Monday I wanted isn't on the schedule. Why? A small number of Mondays in the year do not run a free class. The schedule is the only place that is current, and the booking step offers you only the Mondays that are open — so you cannot book one that is not running.
I can't make Mondays. Am I stuck? Not at all. The free class runs on Mondays — and for women, also in Friday's Women's Only Class — but you can come as a €25 single class on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening, or Wednesday or Friday morning. Same welcome, same class, same borrowed gi if it is your first time. How drop-in works.
Why is the free class only on Mondays? Because those two hours belong to people arriving for the first time. Monday takes no paid visitors, and the free class is once per person — so the room you walk into on a Monday is mostly other beginners and the students who came to help them.
What happens after the trial? Whatever you decide. If you want to continue, the options are all public — memberships, class packs, and for women joining for the first time, the Women's Starter Package: ten classes for €100, valid four months. If you don't, you will have spent an interesting hour and you are welcome back any time.
Book your free trial
Pick the Monday you want — 08:00 or 18:00 — enter your name, email and phone, and you will get a confirmation by email. Only Mondays that are running appear in the booking step, so whatever it offers you is a date you can come.
Questions first? Completely normal — WhatsApp +31 6 81911917 or the contact page. Getting here, parking and what the building looks like: plan your visit.