How Fit Do I Need To Be?

Well, the easiest answer is quite simply, not at all.

Any good Jujitsu club or academy will not require you to have any level of fitness when you start training. They should however, check how fit you are so they can ensure you have a fun time and aren't put off after 5 minutes of a warm-up if it's too much for you.

I have seen many people enter a dojo who are incredibly unfit, who some may regard as being 'too old', 'too fat', or even 'too young'. There is no restriction with the martial art of Jujitsu since most of the techniques require little or no strength anyway.

Will My Instructor 'Push' Me?

It's definately a good thing to push students to their best and to get the most out of them, but it is obviously just as important to make sure everyone knows they can take each session at their own pace, sitting out for 5 minutes of the warm-up if it gets a little too much.

One last thing that really should be mentioned, is to not feel at all embarrased by sitting out and taking a breather. The chances are, everyone else there has certainly done it once or twice in the past, so you can be sure no-ones looking!

Will Jujitsu Make Me Fitter?

This is one of those answers that really depends on how much you're willing to put into it. As with most things in life, the more you put in, the more you get out.

If you're just thinking about going to a 1 hour class each week, we would strongly recommend you think again.

For a start, by the time you come back next week for another class you'll have forgotten almost everything you learnt the week before.

Keep Going!

In terms of fitness, you really need to keep going constantly to keep the momentum up. Attending just a 1 hour class per week will be like taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back each time you train.

Also, be sure you find a good fun club to train at, with friendly people all there to have fun and help eachother. Obviously it'll soon become a chore if you're just going with getting fit on your mind - the main reason people sign up for a gym membership and sooner or later don't bother going anymore.