Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

There are a variety of lesser-known benefits:

And of course, there are the practical benefits associated with being able to defend yourself in a life-threatening hand-to-hand combat 

Injury risk is inherent in every athletic activity, however combat sports (especially those involving striking) probably get the worst rap out of any of them. After all, there are neurological risks associated with the repeated blows to the head.

They might not deserve this reputation though. Teen boxing has fewer injuries per capita (and concussions) than high school cross country running.

In any case, our children’s and adult group classes NEVER involve head blows. Hard-sparring in striking is the only place in a boxing gym that you would see repeated blows to the head take place (outside of the ring), and is only ever allowed sparingly after months of careful training, neck strengthening, and with a hefty dose of protective gear.

We instead focus on technique, speed, footwork, and strategy. These are the unsung heroes of every fight, and take years of careful practice to properly develop. Most of class time is dedicated to partner drilling, footwork technique, and detailed instruction, using heavy bags, crash pads, focus mitts, etc.

Injuries in our classes are exceptionally rare, and by-and-large consist of bruises and sore muscles. 

You should spend a decent amount of time researching martial arts and combat sports and weighing your options, however there’s only so much that you can learn without, well… doing it.

You’ll never know until you just.. try it. Words can only do so much. Every gym is different, and every instructor has a different philosophy. We offer trial classes at no charge so that you can answer these questions yourself with firsthand experience, just schedule one below.

We’ll have you sign a waiver when you get there, then at the end of class (or in the following days, there’s no rush) you can decide if you’d like to join the gym as a member.

Schedule my free class

Everybody’s path is different. 

A highly dedicated, competitive, and focused individual can progress in skill at our gym fast enough to receive a blue belt in two to three years. 

However, for most people, jiu-jitsu is a hobby. Students who only come 2-3 times a month will not learn or retain enough technique to get their blue belts in that timeframe. Students who choose not to roll or compete are limited in their opportunities to execute techniques in a live environment, something our instructors consider crucial to promotion. 

We do not belt based on attendance, our students must be able to demonstrate their skill on opponents, not just cooperative partners.

Our lives outside of the gym can be very demanding. Academics, professional careers, family dynamics, sickness, we won’t hold any of that against you, come when you can, as often as you can, and you will see improvement. Even if you can only come a couple of times per month.

That said, those who come more often to class will see quicker improvement. They will find it easier to remember concepts and techniques from one week to the next, and will be promoted (when applicable) on a more regular basis in accordance with this increased skill. Most of our students average around two classes per week.

What are you looking to get out of this? Some students are just looking for a fun, active hobby to do with friends, others want to win IBJJF. Our instructional team can do both, the choice is yours.

We hope to increase our availability by bringing more instructors onto our team or to hire employees to open the doors and widen our gym schedules in the future, but unfortunately our hours and class availability are limited. 

We post semi-regularly to our YouTube channel, past classes, quick technique instructionals, etc. if you would like to learn more in the style of Arroyo Grappling Academy. You could also find a friend to practice the techniques you learned in your last class (the more drilling you do, the more likely that motor program will stay in your system), or you could attend one of our Open Mats to help lock techniques in with a bit of extra rolling.

Weightlifting or running outside of class can help you improve more quickly as well by directly working on strength and stamina to give you more time to think during your rolls.

Motivation is hard, even for experienced athletes. Remind yourself why you do what you do. Maybe you like the empowered and confident feeling you get in jiu-jitsu class, or maybe you like the way that boxing makes your body feel. Maybe it helps you decompress after a hard day of work. Whatever your reasons are, write them down and don’t let yourself forget them. 

Actively carve out time for your hobbies (not just combat sports!), for instance, every Monday night from 7:30pm to 9:00pm is for jiu-jitsu, and committing to not schedule other event over it. 

It’s important to frequent places outside of just work and home to feel fulfilled. Create havens for yourself in your schedule for the things you enjoy. And above all else, don’t do things just for the outcome. Don‘t only enjoy boxing if you win the match. Relish the process too, or you might wake up one day wondering where all the time went.

The honest answer is that it depends. 

We trust you to make decisions about your health, but we also don’t take major injuries or health conditions lightly. 

Many of our students have had joint repair or replacement surgeries due to previous injuries, and elect to tap earlier if a submission involves their left shoulder for instance, or to avoid shooting double-legs because both of their knees have been repaired. We don’t hold these small technique limitations against them, and they are able to train unaided in normal group classes.

However there are also students whose health conditions are simply too dangerous or disruptive to the student to allow for normal training methods (i.e. chronic pain/fatigue, spinal concerns). Combat sports can be physically demanding, and are not for everyone. 

Reach out to us by email to get more information about class structure/activities and possible accommodations from our head coach Daniel Arroyo at daniel-arroyo@arroyograppling.com.

Gym-specific Questions

Absolutely! Trying out a class is the best way to know whether or not a program is a good fit for you, so we encourage all prospective students to attend at least one before they commit to paying membership dues.

After your first class we can get you signed up same-day, or if you still need some time to think it over, we can always take care of it at the next class you come to.

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Arroyo Grappling Academy is a nogi, 10th-planet style school. We allow leglocks at all belt levels, and include wrestling, judo, sambo, aikido, and techniques from other martial arts disciplines in our curricula to provide well-rounded grappling for all students. 

Matches nearly always start on their feet, and demonstrable stand-up skill is mandatory for all promoted students. It’s more important to us that our students are able to defend themselves and take a dangerous opponent down than it is for us to adhere strictly to traditional jiu-jitsu situations where both players are already grounded. 

We offer classes for schoolchildren ages 5+, schoolchildren, teenagers, adults, and older adults. 

Our instructors will not assist children in the bathroom. Minors must be able to toilet independently if they are to be dropped off by their parents. We may consider younger children on a case-by-case basis, but if they cannot use the bathroom by themselves, a parent or guardian must remain in the gym with them for the duration of class.

We reserve the right to refuse young students on the basis of extreme behavioral problems that put other students at risk of physical injury. Safety is of the utmost importance to us, especially when it comes to children.

Our atmosphere has been described by current and former students as “down-to-earth,” “practical,” and “relaxed.” Our instructors are dedicated to being approachable and helpful while only teaching techniques that have been tried and true in competition settings.

Experienced members roll explosively and aggressively with one another, but change their demeanor entirely when rolling with smaller or more inexperienced teammates. They use their expertise and superior ability to protect newcomers from injuring themselves, while at the same time allowing them to work and execute proper technique on them.

At Arroyo Grappling, students of all sizes and genders roll against one another. This helps us combat the formation of ‘cliques’ within our classes, and forces our students to work on technique rather than just muscling through movements. 

We host seminars from collegiate and professional/Olympic athletes, our own open-to-the-public jiu-jitsu tournaments, in-house tournaments, and free open mats every Friday evening, keep an eye on our Instagram @arroyo_grappling for more information on upcoming events.

Our instructional philosophy puts heavy emphasis on learning techniques and muscle movements through careful, focused partner drilling. This helps your brain cement the motor program with fine detail before it has to execute it under pressure where conditions are less ideal. This is different from traditional Brazilian teaching methods which tend to dedicate most of their class time to rolling.

Current neuroscience supports learning multiple techniques in a single class and alternating or spacing out different movements over weeks and months. Traditionally, jiu-jitsu gyms focus on a singular technique and its variations for weeks or months at a time. This is good for making sure that every single student in the entire school has seen a specific technique, but falls short when it comes to getting students competition-ready quickly or aiding in their long-term retention. Half-forgetting techniques before having to re-remember them to work on variations helps your brain realize that those memories are important and worth sealing into long-term memory.

Head coach Daniel Arroyo has offered one-on-one privates for dedicated practitioners before, but you would need to reach out to him via email for more information on his current workload and whether or not he is willing to take on new private clients. 

Coach Danny’s hourly private rate is $45/hour. Please do not inquire about privates if you are unable or unwilling to pay this rate. Unlike our other offerings, private lessons are unable to be discounted due to their one-on-one nature and the increased preparation required for instructors.

Despite its reputation as an easy and sluggish practice, yoga has been shown to significantly improve muscle recovery and help prevent injury in professional football players through enhanced positional awareness, muscular coordination, and flexibility.  The Seattle Seahawks even made it mandatory for their players to practice yoga!

Alessandra Howell, our yoga instructor, tailors her yoga programs to combat sports athletes, focusing  on the muscles and joints that tend to be injured the most often, and challenging our members through strength-based flows, isometric contraction, and athletic balance exercises. 

Money-related questions

Our basic adult membership is $90/month/person. This covers a single combat sports discipline, i.e. jiu-jitsu. If you would like to do more disciplines, such as boxing or kickboxing, upgrade to the full membership for $150/month/person.

Kid’s level 1 and children’s striking classes are $45/month/child per discipline. Therefore parents who would like their child to learn both jiu-jitsu and boxing would pay $90 per month for that child.  Level 2 kid’s jiu-jitsu classes cost $75/month/child. 

Check out our Pricing & Payment page for more information on our pricing. 

We urge clients to try a free class on us before paying to make sure that they enjoy the sport. Go ahead and sign up for a trial class below!

Schedule my free class

We charge students via a digital invoice system. We send out email invoices each month that provide our students the option to pay via credit/debit card, PayPal, or Venmo. Members can even opt-in to the autopay features if they would prefer so that they don’t have to remember to pay every month.

Membership fees are due on the first of the month and members remain unable to attend classes until their fees have been paid (we have to keep the lights on somehow!).

Membership fees are charged monthly (for the month that they are paid in i.e. an April 1st payment is for April access), and can be cancelled at any time, however we do not offer refunds at this time.

People without memberships are free to attend open mats on Fridays, one free trial class per discipline, and/or yoga classes with a $20 drop-in fee per class (except yoga, which is $10/class).

Drop-in fees for combat sports classes such as jiu-jitsu and boxing are $20 and provide one person with access to all classes at the gym for one day. 

We offer discounts for public service members, students (high-school, trade, college, or graduate), and for struggling families. 

For more information, please email Daniel Arroyo.

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