Open Mat Jiu Jitsu New Melle, MO

Open Mat Jiu Jitsu near New Melle, MO. Experienced Brazilian jiu jitsu students in New Melle, MO shouldn’t limit their hours practicing martial arts to competition or classes. Time spent trying out new submissions, situational and positional drills, and live rolling greatly benefits not only your ability as a martial artist, but also your enjoyment of jiu jitsu and wellness. It’s also an excellent way to get to know other martial artists and help them become better jiu jitsu players, too.

At Gracie Barra O’Fallon, our mission has always been to make Brazilian jiu jitsu accessible and rewarding to all New Melle, MO residents who practice 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 New Melle, MO looking to swing by, roll with other grapplers, and practice their skills in an unstructured, enjoyable setting. Conveniently located off Interstate 64 and Highway 364, our O’Fallon Brazilian jiu jitsu gym is easy to access for New Melle, MO BJJ players who want to sharpen their game. View our schedule for weekly dates and times, or give us a call at 636-544-3655 for more details about New Melle, MO open mat jiu jitsu sessions at Gracie Barra O’Fallon.

Why Come To Open Mat Jiu Jitsu?

Since the beginnings of recorded martial arts, it has long been recognized that structured drills and practice under a professor, while crucial, are simply not enough to become a fully-skilled martial arts practitioner in New Melle, MO. Different martial arts have their own terms for free sparring or practice of new techniques. Judo, for example, refers to these sessions as randori, karatekas 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 New Melle, MO are diverse, and include:

• Getting to experiment with new moves you may have seen in instructionals, while watching MMA or submission grappling matches, or done by higher-ranking belts
• Allowing other New Melle Gracie Barra students to improve their abilities along with you
• Getting tips from higher-ranking students about your technique
• Preparing for competitions
• Meeting other jiu-jitsu players 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 New Melle, MO and wanting to roll

What To Expect At An Open Mat Jiu Jitsu Session

Coming to an open mat jiu jitsu session may seem quite intimidating, especially if you’re a newly-promoted student or someone only in New Melle for a short period of time 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 New Melle, MO:

• Expect to roll. Most people at any given open mat are there to get good, solid grappling time in. There will often be some small-group drilling or instructional sessions, but one-on-one grappling is most common.
• Don’t forget the importance of drilling. Even with so many people at open mat focusing on rolling, being able to work with another person on guard passes or moves from guard has multiple benefits, especially for less experienced grapplers.
• Don’t be afraid of rolling with a senior grappler. Even if you are a blue belt and get asked to roll with a black belt, go on ahead. You’ll be shocked at what you can learn from one-on-one sparring or drilling with a BJJ player with more experience.
• Use your time wisely. Especially if you are readying yourself for an upcoming BJJ tournament or other competition, only coming to an open mat to roll is not the smartest decision. Takedown drills, working on guard passes, and situational exercises are all important things you can do at open mat.
• Change 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 less-experienced students at an open mat, but also to use that time for the right purposes. Higher belts should look to practice newer skills or experiment with various techniques against lower belts, mastering 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 opportunity to meet other Gracie Barra martial artists, talk about BJJ, MMA, or anything else, and boost your skills in a loose setting. It’s fairly common for a group of people to go out and grab dinner and drinks after an open mat session to continue that team spirit and friendship.

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

Gracie Barra O’Fallon strives to offer the finest in New Melle martial arts instruction as well as team spirit and friendship, regardless of your experience or current skill level. In addition to Brazilian jiu jitsu, we offer New Melle, 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. opened the first Gracie Barra gym more than three decades ago in Rio de Janeiro, the Gracie Barra philosophy has always been to make Brazilian jiu jitsu accessible to anyone insterested in it, as well as teaching them positive values like honor, respect for others, and discipline. Gracie Barra O’Fallon has brought this mission to many people from all around New Melle, MO, nurturing the new student while building the veteran. Our New Melle, MO open mat jiu jitsu sessions are designed for experienced Brazilian jiu jitsu players who are searching 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 New Melle, MO open mat jiu jitsu session at Gracie Barra O’Fallon, or for more details on any one of our programs, call us at 636-544-3655 or contact us online.