Open Mat Jiu Jitsu Cottleville, MO

Open Mat Jiu Jitsu near Cottleville, MO. Experienced Brazilian jiu jitsu students in Cottleville, MO shouldn’t limit their hours practicing martial arts to competition or classes. Time spent testing out new techniques, situational and positional drills, and live rolling greatly increases not only your skill as a martial artist, but also your enjoyment of jiu jitsu and wellness. It’s also a great way to meet new friends and help them improve their skills, too.

At Gracie Barra O’Fallon, our mission has always been to make Brazilian jiu jitsu accessible and rewarding to all Cottleville, MO residents interested in it. In addition to our full schedule of jiu jitsu classes for all ages and abilities, we offer multiple open mat sessions every week for adult Gracie Barra BJJ players at the blue belt level or above in Cottleville, MO looking to drop in, roll with other grapplers, and improve their skills in an enjoyable, unstructured setting. Conveniently located off Interstate 64 and Highway 364, our O’Fallon Brazilian jiu jitsu gym is easy to access for Cottleville, MO BJJ players who want to sharpen their game. Check our schedule for weekly dates and times, or give us a call at 636-544-3655 for more information about Cottleville, MO open mat jiu jitsu sessions at Gracie Barra O’Fallon.

Why Come To Open Mat Jiu Jitsu?

Since martial arts have been established, it has been regarded that structured drills and practice under a teacher, while important, are simply not enough to become a well-rounded martial artist in Cottleville, MO. Different martial arts have their own terms for free sparring or practice of new skills. Judo, for instance, calls these sessions randori, karate practitioners often talk about kumite, while in Brazilian jiu jitsu the sparring at open mat sessions is named rolling.

The benefits of open mat jiu jitsu sessions in Cottleville, MO are numerous and wide-ranging, and include:

• Getting to try out new moves you may have seen in instructionals, while watching MMA or submission grappling matches, or seen performed by higher-ranking students
• Allowing other Cottleville Gracie Barra students to better their abilities along with you
• Getting advice from higher-ranking students about your technique
• Preparing for competitions
• Meeting other jiu-jitsu students and getting to know them both on the mat and off
• Every session is different — one week could allow you to focus on situational grappling or work from mount, while another week may have a black belt from a Gracie Barra gym in another city coming through Cottleville, MO and wanting to roll

What To Expect At An Open Mat Jiu Jitsu Session

Visiting an open mat jiu jitsu session may seem quite intimidating, especially if you’ve just been promoted to a new belt level or someone only visiting Cottleville for a few days and not a regular at one particular Gracie Barra gym. However, most open mats are friendly and accessible. Remember this advice when heading to open mat jiu jitsu in Cottleville, MO:

• Expect to roll. Most people at any given open mat are there to get proper grappling time in. There will usually be some small-group drilling or instructional sessions, but one-on-one grappling is the rule.
• Don’t forget the benefits of drilling. Even with most people at open mat wanting to roll, being able to work with another person on sweeps or moves from guard has multiple benefits, especially for less experienced grapplers.
• Don’t be afraid of rolling with a higher level belt. Even if you are a blue belt and get asked to spar with a black belt, don’t hesitate to do it. You’ll be shocked at what you can learn from one-on-one sparring or drilling with a more experienced BJJ player.
• Use your time wisely. Especially if you are preparing for an upcoming BJJ tournament or other competition, only coming to an open mat to roll is not the smartest decision. Situational drills, takedown practice, and improving your guard passes are all important things you can do at open mat.
• Adjust what you’re doing based on your partner. It’s a good idea not only for higher level belts to roll with many of the newer students at an open mat, but also to use that time for good purposes. Higher belts should look to practice recently-acquired skills or experiment with different techniques against lower belts, gaining mastery of those skills, and then put them to use against equally skilled or superior partners.
• Have fun and enjoy the atmosphere! Open mat is a great place to hang out with other Gracie Barra martial artists, talk about anything relating to Brazilian jiu jitsu, MMA, or indeed other topics, and improve your skills in a unstructured atmosphere. It’s not uncommon for a group of people to go out and grab dinner and drinks after an open mat session to build camaraderie and team spirit.

Open Mat Jiu Jitsu in Cottleville, MO | Gracie Barra O’Fallon

Gracie Barra O’Fallon strives to offer the finest in Cottleville martial arts instruction as well as fellowship and camaraderie, regardless of your experience or current skill level. Along with Brazilian jiu jitsu, we offer Cottleville, MO kickboxing and self-defense classes, as well as Barra Fit, which combines high-intensity interval training with martial arts fundamentals.

Since Carlos Gracie, Jr. started the first Gracie Barra gym more than 30 years ago in Rio de Janeiro, the Gracie Barra philosophy has always been to make Brazilian jiu jitsu available to anyone who wants to learn it, as well as instilling positive values like honor, discipline, and respect for oneself and others. Gracie Barra O’Fallon has brought this mission to many people from all around Cottleville, MO, supporting the new student while improving the veteran. Our Cottleville, MO open mat jiu jitsu sessions are made for experienced Brazilian jiu jitsu players who are looking to grow their martial arts abilities, and as such they are open only to Gracie Barra BJJ practitioners at the blue belt level or above. If you are interested in stopping by for a Cottleville, MO open mat jiu jitsu session at Gracie Barra O’Fallon, or for more information on any one of our programs, call us at 636-544-3655 or contact us online.