Most people's nerves before a first class are not about the martial arts. They are about the small stuff — where to park, what to wear, whether everyone will turn and look when you walk in.
So here is the whole thing, start to finish, with nothing left out.
Before you arrive
Wear something you can move in. A t-shirt and shorts, or sweats. That is genuinely it. You do not need a uniform for a sample class and we would rather you did not buy one before you know you want to come back.
Bring bare feet. We train barefoot on the mat. Socks slip, which is how people get hurt.
Skip the big meal. An hour before is fine. Twenty minutes before is a bad plan for everyone.
Arrive about ten minutes early. Enough time to sign in, meet the instructor who will be looking after you, and get your bearings before anything starts. Rushing in at the last second is the one thing that makes a first class harder than it needs to be.
Bring
Comfortable clothes, bare feet, a water bottle. Nothing else — we supply any equipment a sample class needs.
The first ten minutes
Someone will meet you at the desk, take a few details, and walk you over to the instructor running the class. You will be introduced by name. If you are a parent, you will be pointed at the seating alongside the floor — you can see the entire class from there, and you are welcome to stay for all of it.
New students are put next to an experienced one, near the front but not in the middle. Close enough to hear, close enough to copy, not stranded on display.
Warm-up: about ten minutes
Light running, jumping jacks, some stretching. Nothing you have not done in a school gym. The point is to get warm and to shake the nerves out, and it is deliberately the easiest part of the hour.
If something hurts or you cannot do a movement, you say so and we give you a different one. That is not a special accommodation, it is just how the class runs.
Basics: about twenty minutes
Stances, blocks, a punch, a kick. You will learn perhaps four things and repeat them a great deal. This is the part that surprises people — there is far more repetition and far less choreography than films suggest.
An instructor will come to you specifically and fix your feet. Expect to be corrected. Being corrected is not criticism; being ignored would be. In our room it means somebody is paying attention to you.
You will not be good at it. Nobody is on day one, including every black belt in the room. That is not the bar.
Drills and games: about fifteen minutes
In kids classes this is target work, pad drills, relay games with a technique buried in them. It is the loudest part of the hour and the part they will talk about in the car.
In adult and seniors classes it is pad work and partner drills at whatever pace you set. Nobody spars on a first visit. There is no scenario where you turn up to try a class and end up fighting somebody. If that is the worry keeping you from booking, set it down.
The last five minutes
Line up, bow out, a short word from the instructor. Kids usually get a mention of who worked hard — and it is not always the most talented one in the room.
Afterwards
The instructor will come and find you, ask how it felt, and answer whatever you want to ask. We will tell you what the programme looks like from here and give you the pricing in writing so you can talk it over at home.
Then you go home. Nobody signs anything on the floor, and nobody stands between you and the door. If it turns out not to be a fit, telling us so is a completely fine answer and we will not chase you about it.
That is the whole hour.
No surprises, nothing hidden, and the first one is free. Pick a time that suits your week and a coach will call to confirm it.
A few things people ask afterwards
Will I be the oldest person there?
Almost certainly not. Our adult classes run the full range, and we have a separate seniors programme for 65 and over built around balance and mobility rather than keeping up with anyone.
I am not fit. Is that a problem?
No, and it is the most common reason people put off starting. You set the pace. Nobody is timing you and nobody is watching except to help.
Can I train with my kid?
Plenty of parents do, and it is one of the better things about the place. Some start after months of watching from the seating area, which is a perfectly respectable way in.
What if my child refuses to join in?
It happens, and it is not a disaster. They can sit with you and watch the whole class, and often they will join halfway through once they have seen how it goes. If they do not, we try again another day. We do not drag anyone onto the mat.