How to Start BJJ in Delhi: A Complete Beginner's Checklist for 2026
You have decided to start BJJ in Delhi. Now what?
The gap between deciding to start and actually walking into a class is where most beginners get stuck. Not because of fitness, not because of fear, but because the practical questions pile up: Where do I go? What do I wear? What will happen? Will I be the only complete beginner? What if I'm terrible?
This checklist answers all of it. Follow it in order and your first class will be exactly what it should be — a genuine beginning.
Beginners and experienced students train together at Knots & Collar — the fastest way to start BJJ in Delhi.
Step 1: Choose the Right Academy
This is the most important step and the one most beginners rush. The wrong academy can give you bad habits, preventable injuries, and a distorted understanding of what BJJ actually is. The right one changes your life.
The single most important criterion: verifiable instructor lineage. Ask any prospective instructor who gave them their black belt, and who gave that person theirs. The answer should be specific, transparent, and traceable to a recognised international source. An instructor who cannot or will not answer this question clearly is not a safe choice.
Also look for: a clean mat, supervised sparring, appropriate instruction for beginners, and a culture where experienced students look after newer ones rather than imposing their full game.
At Knots & Collar in Defence Colony, our lineage is direct: Professor Binish Sukhija, black belt, promoted by Professor Waqar Ahmad, black belt under Grandmaster Ricardo de la Riva. Transparent, verifiable, and one of the most respected lineages in BJJ history.
Action: Book a free trial class at the academy of your choice before committing. Every legitimate academy offers this. Do not join anywhere that will not let you try before you pay.
Step 2: What to Wear to Your First Class
For your first trial class, you do not need a Gi. Wear comfortable workout clothes — a fitted t-shirt or rash guard and shorts or fitted trackpants. Avoid loose clothing with buttons, zips, or pockets that can catch fingers or cause injury. No jewellery. Short nails.
If the trial class is No-Gi, what you wear is your training kit. If it is a Gi class, you will be lent or paired with instruction on how to manage without a Gi for the first session.
After your first class, if you decide to continue, you will need to purchase a Gi for Gi training. Do not buy one before your trial — confirm you want to continue first.
The Knots & Collar No-Gi community — students from Delhi and beyond, all of whom started exactly where you are now.
Step 3: What to Expect in Your First Session
Understanding what will happen removes the anxiety of the unknown.
Warm-up: The class begins with a structured warm-up — movement drills, shrimping, rolling, hip escapes. These movements feel strange the first time. They will become familiar within weeks.
Technique: The instructor demonstrates two or three techniques, broken down step by step. You practice with a partner under supervision. Ask questions — there are no stupid questions in a beginner class.
Sparring: The first class typically ends with positional sparring — controlled rolling in a specific position rather than a full round. In some academies, beginners do not roll in their first class at all. Both approaches are valid.
What you will feel: Tired, a little disoriented, possibly frustrated. This is universal. Every person on the mat felt exactly this in their first session. The confusion is temporary. The tiredness means it worked.
Step 4: What to Buy Before Your Second Class
If your first class confirms you want to continue, buy these before your second class:
A BJJ Gi — essential for Gi training. In Delhi, you can buy quality Gis locally. Knots & Collar makes the Made in Bharat Minimalist Gi — 380 GSM, manufactured entirely in India, designed for training and competition. A quality alternative to imported Gis at a fair price.
A mouthguard — protect your teeth from accidental contact during sparring. A basic boil-and-bite mouthguard from any sports shop is sufficient to start.
Flip flops — worn to and from the mat, not on it. The mat is clean; the changing room floor is not. This is a hygiene habit every BJJ practitioner develops early.
Rashguard + Spats — A rashguard and spats to wear under your Gi. It reduces mat burn and keeps you more comfortable during longer sessions.
Step 5: How Often to Train in the First Month
Two to three sessions per week is the ideal frequency for a beginner's first month. More than this and your body will not recover adequately; less than this and the learning will not consolidate between sessions.
The first month is about building the physical patterns and the mental map that BJJ requires. This does not happen in one session per week — the gap between sessions is too long for the body to retain what it learned. Three sessions per week is the minimum for meaningful development.
Do not train every day in the first month. The soreness and fatigue of beginning BJJ are real. Your body needs time to adapt.
Step 6: What to Do When It Feels Impossible
It will feel impossible. This is when most beginners quit, and it is the single most important period to survive.
The feeling of being tapped out repeatedly, of not understanding what is happening, of trying a technique you drilled perfectly and having it fail completely against a resisting partner — this is not evidence that you are unsuited to BJJ. It is BJJ. It is what white belt feels like for everyone.
The practitioners who become good at BJJ are not the most talented beginners. They are the ones who showed up again after the session that felt hopeless.
What to do: come back. That is the entire instruction. Show up again. The understanding that feels permanently out of reach in the first month is waiting on the other side of the first month. You cannot find it without going through it.
At Knots & Collar, we check in with new students specifically during this period. You are not alone in navigating it.
Step 7: How to Know You Are in the Right Place
After your first month of training, you should be able to answer yes to these questions:
Do I understand what is happening during class, even if I cannot execute it perfectly? Do experienced students treat me with patience? Does the instructor notice my development? Do I feel physically safe during sparring? Am I being challenged without being overwhelmed?
If the answer to all of these is yes, you are in the right place. Stay.
If the answer to any of them is no — if you feel unsafe, if ego on the mat is producing injuries, if no one seems to notice or care whether you improve — find another academy.
The mat should be the best part of your week. If it is not, the problem is the environment, not you.
Starting BJJ at Knots & Collar, Defence Colony
Our free trial class is available to complete beginners every day of the week. No Gi, no fitness level, no prior experience required. Just show up.
We are located at A-269, Second Floor, Defence Colony, New Delhi. Open 6:30 AM – 12 PM and 3 PM – 9:30 PM, seven days a week.
Book your free trial class → Call: +91-9717956687
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Fitness is not a prerequisite for BJJ — it is a result of consistent training. Start where you are.
That is the normal starting point. The majority of people who join Knots & Collar have no prior martial arts background. The programme is designed for complete beginners.
The first noticeable improvement in capability typically comes within three to six months of consistent training. The first belt promotion — from white to blue — typically takes one and a half to two and a half years. BJJ is a long-term pursuit.
Membership fees at legitimate Delhi academies range from approximately ₹2,500 to ₹6,000 per month. Contact Knots & Collar at +91-9717956687 for current pricing.
Yes — at Knots & Collar, every new student starts with a free trial class. Book at knotsandcollar.com/pages/schedule-a-visit.
Written by Professor Binish Sukhija, BJJ black belt under the De La Riva lineage and founder of Knots & Collar, Defence Colony, New Delhi. Book your free trial class →
Knots & Collar is located at A-269, Second Floor, Defence Colony, New Delhi. Gi BJJ and No-Gi classes run 7 days a week. Call +91-9717956687.