You Don’t Need a Gi for Your First Class

“What do I wear?” is one of the first questions we get after someone books a trial, usually by text, sometimes half-joking: “please tell me I don’t need one of those white pajama things.” The short answer is no. Not for your first class, not your second, not until you’ve actually decided this is something you want to keep doing.

For that first free class, wear something you already own. A plain t-shirt and shorts or leggings work fine — the only real rule is no zippers, no buttons, no pockets, nothing with metal hardware that could scratch a training partner or snag on a sleeve. Mid-August in Riverside, most people show up already dressed for the heat, and it happens to be exactly the kind of outfit that already lives in a gym bag.

A Few Things That Matter More Than the Outfit

Shoes come off before you step on the mat — sandals or sneakers at the edge, bare feet from there. Trim your nails the night before if you can, since long nails scratch a training partner more than people expect. Long hair gets tied back so it stays out of your face and out of someone’s grip. And jewelry stays in the car — rings, earrings, watches, all of it. None of this is complicated, but it’s the kind of thing nobody thinks to mention until you’re standing in the doorway wondering.

Gi, No-Gi, and What the Difference Actually Means

Here’s where the word “gi” trips up more people than it should. A gi is the traditional jacket-and-pants uniform — heavier woven fabric, a belt, the look most people picture the moment they hear “jiu-jitsu.” No-gi is the same sport trained in a rashguard and shorts, no jacket to grip onto. Both are real jiu-jitsu; they just change what you’re allowed to hold. Our Adults BJJ class, Monday and Wednesday at 6:30 PM, trains in the gi. Youth NoGi and Wrestling, Tuesday and Thursday at 6 PM, is exactly what it sounds like — shorts and a rashguard, no jacket required. If your family is signing up for both, that’s two completely different closets, and we’ll tell you plainly which one you actually need before you ever have to guess.

If you do stick around past that free class, a gi becomes something worth having. It’s how most students train long-term, and it’s part of how the belt system itself works. We’ll walk you through sizing and where to get one when the time actually comes — no rush, no pressure to buy anything before you know this is for you. To be upfront about it now: a gi isn’t included in membership pricing on any of our plans, so there’s no hidden cost sitting behind that free first class.

We’re deep into that back-to-school stretch of August where the academy fills with new faces trying things for the first time, and a solid chunk of the questions at the front desk this week have been some version of “so, what do I wear.” So consider this the answer, in writing, before you ever have to ask it out loud: come in whatever you’d wear to a normal workout, bare feet, hair tied back, no jewelry, and we’ll take care of the rest once you’re through the door.

Your first class is free. Book an adult trial or a kids trial and we’ll have you on the mat in something you already own.

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