Mat Chess FAQ
That’s no problem! We’re flexible and work with families. Let us know your needs, and we can likely accommodate them.
Absolutely! BJJ is a grappling art. As such, it doesn’t include kicking or punching and is similar to wrestling in that regard.
Because of this, kids can spar at full intensity, which safely gives them a lot of experience with a fully resisting opponent. We’ve had students who’ve encountered self-defense situations that they couldn’t deescalate. And we’re proud to report that each student was able to keep themself safe through the conflict.
Yes, but we strongly recommend that students attend at least two days per week.
Jiu-jitsu is an effective sparring-based discipline. Because of this, more skilled kids can control less skilled kids. Students who attend one day per week struggle to maintain parity with their peers.
Additionally, jiu-jitsu is a sport focused on control, and most of that control happens on the ground. Students have a lot of context for ball sports but typically don’t have any context for jiu-jitsu. As a result, orientation can take significantly longer for a student who attends one day per week.
That said, we do have a few families who elect to enroll in one day per week, and we maintain the option.
Absolutely! We have students of all sizes and skill levels, so they always have a productive training partner to work with.
One of the hopes of martial arts is that through training and technique, a smaller practitioner can control a bigger, stronger opponent. Students realize this hope during every Brazilian jiu-jitsu training session!
BJJ is tough, and losing at sparring can be intense.
When you lose at basketball, someone put a ball into a hoop more times than you. When you lose at BJJ, someone physically controlled and dominated you. This can be intense and difficult to deal with. Kids also fall funny and get bumped during training. It’s not uncommon for kids to say they want to quit after a hard sparring session or a funny fall.
We find that BJJ gives students a healthy bit of frustration — and that the experience of going through frustration can be of enormous value.
Year in and year out, we see kids (and adults, for that matter) being able to deal with life’s frustrations a bit more easily after their BJJ experience. Life outside the mats seems a little less intense thanks to their experience.
Again, going through something difficult like BJJ and coming out on the other end can be a confidence-boosting experience. We find that once they have another good day of sparring, they’re back to enjoying training and having great fun on the mats. Almost without fail, every kid who’s been training more than a year has had a moment when they’ve asked to quit.
Most of those who stuck with it were able to experience the tremendous value that BJJ training can provide. We find that a little calm and staying the course go a long way in their human development — and we hope you find the same.
As with any sport, there’s always risk of injury. That said, we haven’t seen a serious injury stemming from kids’ BJJ training since our 2011 inception.
This is quite a powerful statement, given the thousands of kids who have been on our mats. Personally, we were injured far more frequently while playing basketball as kids than while training BJJ as adults.
Yes, they may! We’ve successfully integrated students from ASB, Laurelhurst, Thornton Creek and many others.
The only hurdle is that we can’t provide transportation. If you can provide transportation to either Bryant Elementary or the gym, we take care of the rest!
No, that wouldn’t be very safe or productive.
We teach roughly half the class together as one large group going over fundamental technique. Then, we break into two groups according to size and skill for sparring so that students can spar with others who are safe and productive for them.
That’s no problem! You have many things to do in life, after all.
Absolutely not! Almost all kids who come in have never trained before. Plus, we have a robust system to orient new students and teach them the fundamentals.
Our kids’ martial arts class starts at age 5. At that age, we find students have the concentration necessary to pick up technique efficiently.
Through experience, we’ve learned that starting kids too early can lead to them feeling frustrated. This also risks losing their long-term martial arts enjoyment and progress.
Because karate and TKD are striking arts with kicking and punching, it would be highly dangerous and irresponsible to have kids spar at an intensity replicating a self-defense situation.
As a result, karate and TKD for kids often focus on forms and theory rather than the practical application of technique in a high-intensity environment. BJJ, being a grappling art, allows for safe sparring at full intensity because it doesn’t include striking. This gives students a lot of experience with fully resisting opponents, similar to what they’d experience in a self-defense situation.
Additionally, it allows BJJ to be a fantastic sport. We have many kid competitors who benefit from having an excellent competitive outlet. BJJ is also a fantastic problem-solving intellectual puzzle that keeps both kids and adults engrossed for years to come!
We start integrating students into our adult program around high school.
At that time in their development, we find students can better handle the weight of adults and make use of the more nuanced and detail-oriented techniques we teach in adult class.
We designed our program to escape the seasonality of sports and allow your child to train year-round. In addition, we start class early so that our program doesn’t typically interfere with students’ other activities.
Our membership also includes unlimited access to classes, and we offer our kids’ class Monday through Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. There’s no need to sign up for specific days — simply come in when it suits you all best.
We also have many soccer families who come in a bit less during soccer season and a bit more outside of season. Our program is flexible and fits around the other things your busy student does!
The internet is rife with opinions on this one! We do a 50-50 split for a reason.
Gi emphasizes a more distanced guard game, and the gi can be “training wheels” for developing tension (push and pull control). You can then apply this control in both gi and no-gi training. No-gi emphasizes a more butterfly and chest-to-chest game, helping develop pressure and lifting guards.
Both are highly valuable. To create well-rounded grapplers, we train both!
In the first six months of training two to three times weekly, students typically go through three major projects.
The first is a breathing project. When people start, they typically hold their breath, causing them to fatigue quickly. Learning how to be calm under pressure and breathing through it not only help you be less tired but also allow you to think and use the techniques you’re learning.
The second is escaping from all five dominate positions in jiu-jitsu. When you start, you find yourself in poor positions regularly. Learning how to escape allows you to work on the other aspects of jiu-jitsu.
The third is learning at least one movement from all jiu-jitsu positions. This allows you to move entirely through efficient jiu-jitsu movements and replace your intuitive movements.
For jiu-jitsu, all you need is a gi that fits you well. We sell gis that help support the gym instead of Jeff Bezos, and we can help you get fitted.
First, don’t worry in the slightest about being new to martial arts! Training people from zero is what we’re known for.
As with all things in life, the more you do, the better you get. All classes are beginner friendly. Fundamentals classes are also very helpful because they go over the art’s most essential movements. However, you should supplement them with standard classes as well.
To compete, you need to show competence in each jiu-jitsu position and a willingness to compete. We have each competitor work with the instructor on tournament mindset, strategy and game plan.
For The Revolution, the largest BJJ tournament in the PNW, we have a complete 6-week camp in preparation three times annually. We have many other students who compete regularly in other tournaments, both local and abroad. It’s our goal to support the competitors’ goals.
We have a long-standing tradition of competition and have sent students all around the globe to compete!
We think about this question incessantly! It’s our goal as instructors to maximize your progress, given your time commitment.
The simple answer for you as a student is to come to class as often as you can! We design our class structure to make the most of your time investment with 90-minute to 2-hour classes. That’s also because we don’t need to short-change sparring or technique.
Our curriculum is similar to an academic curriculum. We teach in weekly blocks so that you aren’t learning techniques that don’t go together but rather learning in logical systems. Additionally, we add resistance to make the techniques sparring-ready and then spar five-plus rounds in every class.
In fact, we’ve been focused on maximizing student learning since we opened in 2011!
All sports carry a certain risk of injury. In our personal experience, we’ve been injured more frequently playing basketball than training martial arts.
There’s a common misconception that people suffer injuries because of submissions. However, if you’re in a good gym environment (like Mat Chess) and have good training partners who care about each other’s progress and well-being, injuries from submissions are highly uncommon.
Injuries happen most commonly from dynamic, explosive and surprising movement. While we do all we can to prevent injury, it’s always a possibility — albeit an unlikely one.
Easy answer — you should train both!
Boxing focuses on your hands, hand defense and footwork, while Muay Thai covers clinch, kicks, knees and elbows. They complement each other incredibly well, which is why we teach both.
To start, we have community gear that’ll get you through. Still, you’ll want your own gear for sanitary purposes. We recommend getting these items:
- Hand wraps
- 12, 14 or 16 oz. gloves
- Shin guards
- A mouth guard
- Groin protection
We can point you in the right direction so that you buy the best gear for you and your budget.
To compete, you need to show competence in each phase of a Muay Thai fight and a willingness to compete. We have each competitor work with the instructor on tournament mindset, strategy and game plan. Then, we put competitors through a camp leading up to the competition to ensure they’re ready to perform at their best.
We take competition and safety seriously and ensure each student is truly ready for competition. We have a long-standing tradition of competition and have sent students all around the globe to compete!
We believe “cardio kickboxing” is a misnomer that actually means “boxing without learning technique.”
You always get a great workout at Mat Chess while simultaneously learning superb, tried-and-true techniques taught in a way that maximizes your learning and progress. We’re a martial arts gym, and our classes are also a great way to work out!
Wrestling focuses on taking your opponent to the ground and pinning them on the ground. Jiu-jitsu focuses on taking your opponent to the ground, controlling them on the ground and then submitting them with a choke, armlock or footlock.
They complement each other, and we train both at Mat Chess!
You certainly may! Many of our students also come from a BJJ background, so going barefoot is perfectly fine as well.
At Mat Chess, we combine each wrestling style with an emphasis on the feet and battling for the takedown. We have specialists in folkstyle, freestyle and Greco in the gym alongside our Brazilian jiu-jitsu wrestlers.
Yes! We have wrestlers coming in from Ballard High, Roosevelt, Blanchet, Seattle Prep and Lincoln. Training with us is a great way to stay engaged in wrestling year-round!
Absolutely! We have D1-D3 represented on the Mat Chess mats regularly. Come on in!
Absolutely! We’re well known for teaching BJJ students how to take down their opponents effectively under both wrestling and BJJ rulesets.
To try out a class, all you need are clothes you feel comfortable working out in. We have community gear ready for you. After starting your training, you’ll want to purchase a set of 12-16 oz. gloves, hand wraps and a mouthpiece.
You’re more than welcome to sit out of any training at any time. That said, we always spar at the level of the least senior sparring partner.
The goal of sparring is to be able to practice the techniques we learn in class. This often means that we “technical spar,” which is of lower intensity. However, we also spar harder when preparing for competition with ready-and-willing training partners.
Please communicate with your training partners and coaches, and they’ll help guide you to maximize your progress through sparring.
We believe “cardio boxing” is a misnomer that actually means “boxing without learning technique.”
You always get a great workout at Mat Chess while simultaneously learning excellent tried-and-true techniques taught in a way that maximizes your learning and progress. We’re a martial arts gym, and our classes are also a great way to work out!
Parking is easy! You have an abundance of free street parking surrounding our building.
All you need are clothes you feel comfortable working out in. If you’re trying out a class, we have community gear that’ll get you through the day.
Absolutely not! In fact, 95% of the people who come in have never trained before. We’re renowned for teaching you from zero.
Open mat is noninstructional time when people come in to drill, spar, roll and work on their own martial arts projects. It’s a great opportunity to push yourself while having a good time with the community.
Our kids’ class accommodates ages 5 to 15. We start integrating students into adult class around high school, and our oldest student is 71 years old!
Overwhelmingly, the answer is to come to class! We design our class structure to maximize your progress, so doing the things needed to free time to attend class is often the most important part of maximizing your learning.
Your coaches also work with you on your personal development. Each Mat Chess coach has excellent experience working with you on your unique goals.
The best time to start is now! Don’t worry in the slightest about not being in the shape that you want to be in.
And don’t waste time thinking you should work on your general fitness to start your martial arts journey. Martial arts will help with that!
