BJJ Grading FAQs

What time does it start

Grading Starts on Saturday at 11am and will finish at 12.30

What do I need to wear?

Wear a white gi and make sure your belt has the correct number of stripes.

How do I know if I’m eligible for grading?

Everyone is welcome to attend and take part in the grading. There are no entry requirements. I would advise all current BJJ students to attend and take part so you get an idea of what’s involved in our gradings and also to help support your team mates.

I haven’t been training enough in BJJ / I haven’t been training in the Gi?

Come along and take part anyway so you can help support your team. You would want them to be there to support you.

What techniques do I need to know?

Grades are awarded based on knowledge of BJJ as well as performance on the mat. There are no specific techniques you need to know for each grade.

Will it be too hard for me?

No. If you have been training regularly in our normal BJJ classes you won’t find the grading day any more difficult than a normal class. Obviously for students going for higher grades the grading is tougher due to more rounds of sparring however you by the time you are ready to grade to a higher belt you will be more than ready for these challenges due to your consistent training.

How much are the grading fees and where can I pay ?

We don’t charge for gradings. You earn your belt by training consistently for years and years and being a good training partner. At the higher belts you may need to pay a registration fee to the Ibjjf to have your belt officially recognised and certified.

Is it possible to be ungraded ?

Yes. This Saturday we will officially be introducing ‘ungrading’. This is a special ceremony for students who have been promoted to a particular belt but have slacked off significantly or avoided training with tougher sparring partners. We will also be removing stripes from students who’ve been training for an extended period of time but still cannot escape from Mount.

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www.dkmma.com.au

DKMMA Zero 2 Hero MMA Training Camp

 Always wanted to LEARN MMA and test yourself in competition?

Here is your opportunity!

The Zero 2 Hero 6 Week MMA Training Camp is back!

Contenders will train in 4 sessions per week for 6 weeks learning the fundamental skills of Mixed Martial Arts.

Start Date is Monday 13th January!

They will then fight on our Bushido Amateur MMA event at the end of the program.

The matches are held under a modified ruleset which allows the participants to gain valuable experience while minimising the risk of injury.

This program is limited to 12 Participants.

We are now taking bookings for the next Contenders program.

This course is suitable for complete beginners of all fitness levels. Once you complete the course you will be given a opportunity to compete in our Bushido Amateur MMA competition.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

6 weeks of training 4 times a week!

High level coaching in BJJ & MMA from our highly experienced team!

MMA Training uniform!

Train alongside our current competition team!

Opportunity to Compete in Bushido Amateur MMA!

WHO CAN JOIN?

We are only taking 12 contenders!

It is open to people of any skill and fitness level. Ideal if you have done zero or very little training before.

=================================

What are you waiting for?

Book your Spot here :

https://dkmma.com.au/mma-zero-2-hero-course

Long Term BJJ Training

Eleven years ago since I got my black belt and I thought this would be useful advice for anyone who is in the earlier stages of their JiuJitsu training. 

Although it’s definitely important to have goals I think it’s also important to realise that goal setting will only get you so far. You have to enjoy the training in order to stick with it and to train consistently. 

Most people won’t really enjoy training, they might enjoy it for the first few weeks or months but after that the novelty will wear off. 

That’s why all the gradings and coloured belts in martial Arts were invented in the first place. To motivate people into training consistently because they feel they will get some kind of tangible reward at the end. 

The bad news is these rewards can be meaningless and don’t really work. If you don’t train consistently you won’t make progress and if you don’t make any progress you won’t enjoy the training. 

Even after you reach a major milestone such as a black belt you realise that you still need to keep training to maintain and improve on the progress you have made. The longer you train the smaller increments of progress you will make and the time between these improvements seems longer. 

Real Martial arts and combat sports training is tough and it isn’t for everyone. I think most people will figure out within a few weeks of their first sessions whether they want to do this long-term or not. 

To me, martial arts is a lifelong pursuit. It’s about gradually improving my skill level, understanding and ability even if it’s only a small amount every year for as long as I possibly can. 

Learn BJJ in Melbourne

Learn BJJ in Melbourne

START BJJ TRAINING TODAY!

Learn BJJ in Melbourne!

Want to become fit and learn a new sport while also learning self-defense?

The DKMMA Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program is the top choice for martial arts training in Melbourne. Check out our Exclusive Online Offer today or request more information!

DKMMA is Melbourne’s #1 destination for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We follow a structured approach to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training and pride ourselves on coaching excellence while providing a safe and welcoming environment for all levels and abilities.

Our BJJ Program offers a great culture and learning environment for all levels of students. On an average night on our mats, you will find Black Belt champions training alongside recreational grapplers and high-level MMA fighters rolling with beginners just starting out on their Martial Arts journey!

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What Makes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Different To Other Styles Of Martial Arts?

Whereas many other martial arts mainly focus on kicking or punching, BJJ is primarily focused on ground fighting & the concept that a smaller person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger opponent by using leverage and weight distribution, taking the fight to the ground and using holds and submissions to defeat them.

What To Expect In Our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Classes?

 

A Safe, Fun, and Encouraging training environment.


We follow a training curriculum that maximizes your learning and development while allowing you to learn in a fun, safe, and cooperative environment.


Learn the correct movements, exercises, and techniques and how to use them safely.
A supportive team of fellow students who will help you make progress on your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Journey.
A well-structured program with exact Grading Requirements to build a great foundation for your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu journey
                                    

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Why Train Brazilian Jiu Jiu Jitsu At DKMMA?

BJJ is one of the most effective Martial Arts Styles in the world as proven in the UFC and other Mixed Martial Arts events.Our Classes are professionally planned, structured and supervised.Get fit, lose weight and increase strength while learning Real Martial Arts.Develop more mental focus and increased energy levels while releasing stress and making new friends.

Learn Effective self-defence skills that will give you the confidence to protect yourself and your family.

Learn MMA in Melbourne

 START MMA TRAINING TODAY!

Learn Mixed Martial Arts at DKMMA Melbourne


Fairfields PREMIER MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL
Learn MMA in Melbourne


The DKMMA program is the top choice for martial arts training in Melbourne. Check out our Exclusive Online Offer today or request more information!
DKMMA is Melbourne’s #1 destination for MMA. We follow a structured approach to MMA training and pride ourselves on coaching excellence while providing a safe and welcoming environment for all levels and abilities.

MMA has rapidly risen to become one of the fastest-growing and most popular sports in the world. As popularized by the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), MMA is a combination of the very best of all martial arts and combat sports. MMA is a proven form of self-defence and a fantastic way to get fitter & stronger.
The DKMMA curriculum caters to students of all fitness levels, from complete beginners to experienced professional fighters. Our highly-qualified, professional coaches have the expertise and experience to help you reach your goals.

DKMMA is the home of one of the longest-running MMA Teams in Melbourne.


DKMMA classes place a strong emphasis on combat effectiveness, correct technique, building confidence and personal development. You will get fit and learn new self-defence skills while training in a safe, structured, and professional environment.




DKMMA is renowned for its quality coaching and training. Our coaches are some of the most experienced in Australia with over 25 years of experience in competing and coaching.

DKMMA is home to several state and national champions. We cater to all different levels from complete beginners to experienced Professional MMA Fighters.

What Will I Learn In MMA Class?
You will learn how to integrate striking and grappling skills together in MMA classes as well as how to apply them inside the cage and how to train and prepare correctly for an MMA fight.

Why Train MMA At DKMMA?

Learn MMA in Melbourne

DKMMA is the Premier Martial Arts Academy in Melbourne. We have World Class coaching in a World Class Academy. We have everything you need under one roof with classes in BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing & Mixed Martial Arts.
You will develop your MMA skills safely & effectively & achieve your personal goals at DKMMA.

MMA combines the most effective techniques from all Martial Arts Styles as proven in the UFC and other Mixed Martial Arts events.

Each MMA Class at DKMMA focuses on the highest percentage combat tested techniques.


Our Classes are professionally planned, structured, and supervised.We follow a precise curriculum that maximizes your MMA learning and development while allowing you to learn in a fun, safe and cooperative environment.


Get fit, lose weight, and increase strength while learning Real Martial Arts

Learn new skills from experienced Black Belt coaches while training alongside a great team of supportive training partners.

Develop more mental focus and increased energy levels while releasing stress and making new friends.

Learn Effective self-defence skills that will give you the confidence to protect yourself and your family.

Learn MMA in Melbourne

Bushido Fight Night 3 - Full Fight Card

Live MMA Action in Melbourne

Just over a week to go.

Bushido 3 - The Last Samurai will be back at @thornburytheatre

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The Key to Success in BJJ Training

The Key to Success in BJJ Training

An old training partner of mine once jokingly told me that one of his pet peeves about JiuJitsu is that you cannot buy anything to make yourself appear legit. It doesn't matter if you're not very good at other sports, such as cycling, you can buy an expensive bike and gain instant respect and credibility.

BJJ was much tougher. It wasn’t possible to make yourself seem more credible by spending money on JiuJitsu. The mats don’t lie. You can buy an expensive GI or name-drop all the legends you trained but if you are lacking in actual jiujitsu skills you will be found out and exposed as soon as you start rolling. This happened quite a few times at my old gym. A new visitor with a questionable rank would turn up and get destroyed on the mats by the competitive blue belts and purple belts.

Our gym, The Carlson Gracie Boiler Room, was small and basic. Sometimes up to ten people from all over the world from Brazil & Eastern Europe lived and slept there. The training was very intense, and the majority of people who tried a class almost never returned. We just wore cheap judo gis. It didn't matter how you looked - what mattered was how many times you got tapped out on the mats and how you did in the last tournament.

Inevitably, this would change. Any sport that becomes more mainstream will always attract different types of people. In the past, BJJ was only for people who really wanted to fight. Sparring sessions at my old gym were the closest you could get to having a street fight without getting seriously injured or arrested, which is why people turned up night after night.

In some ways, I miss this type of culture in BJJ and MMA. In the past, it was about who could actually fight and about testing yourself rather than fancy gyms, sponsorships, and social media influencers.

Even if you're fighting and competing, you still need to be aware of all these new developments, but I always encourage my fighters not to be distracted by the bright lights and to concentrate on the hard work on the mats.

‘It's tough to get out of bed to do roadwork at 5 am when you've been sleeping in silk pyjamas’

Marvin Hagler

Come train with us at DKMMA - 324 Darebin Road, Fairfield, Melbourne.

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BJJ Melbourne

My BJJ grading criteria

BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU GRADING REQUIREMENTS 

After my last article, I have been asked what I would consider the criteria & benchmarks for progression through the ranks to black belt in BJJ. Obviously as previously discussed there are no standard grading criteria across the board in BJJ. The requirements can vary greatly from school to school. But here are some of the things which I consider most important and useful when deciding if a student is ready for promotion:

Consistent attendance:

I only grade students who train regularly and consistently. Jiu-Jitsu isn't something you do every day for two months and then take six months off. Promoting students who train like this would send the wrong message to the consistent students. Ultimately this would damage everyone's chances of progressing. Regular attendance is important, but the student must also be improving.

However, if they are regularly attending training and still aren't improving, then it implies my coaching is ineffective. Those who come to class regularly will improve, and it has nothing to do with how talented they are or even how good I am at coaching, it has more to do with Jiujitsu being such an effective system that practically anyone can develop the skills with dedicated practice.

Success in Competition:

Competition is one of the easiest and most reliable indicators of your ability. If you win your division in a decent-sized competition. (Ie. you won several matches to get to the final) then in my opinion you deserve to get promoted to your next belt.

I don’t see any point in holding students back so they can keep winning white belt divisions again and again.

Sparring Performance at the gym:

The majority of BJJ students have very little interest in competition. Most just want to learn and develop the skills. Sparring in class is how they gauge their improvement.

Rolling in the gym isn’t the same as competing in a tournament. There isn’t the same level of intensity or pressure. Instead of trying to win at all costs, the best competitor in the gym might be working on his weak areas or trying out new strategies. If a non-competitor student can consistently hold their own against students with a higher belt, then it is obvious they should also be promoted to the next belt.

Technical Ability:

Some students can do well in competition at the lower belt levels or do well in sparring at the gym but if they rely more on their strength and athleticism rather than really understanding techniques then in my opinion they aren’t ready to progress to the next belt. Demonstrating and executing JiuJitsu techniques correctly rather than just muscling through them is essential. i

How you Roll:

Being able to roll or spar properly is important for progression in most styles of martial arts but especially in Jiujitsu. There are very few advanced techniques in BJJ. In other martial arts, you don't learn certain advanced techniques until you reach a certain belt or rank. In BJJ you generally learn everything at the same time, but what changes is the way you roll.

Beginners often roll in an uncoordinated way and hurt their training partners with accidental elbows and headbutts. Experienced grapplers roll in a smooth and controlled manner avoiding erratic unpredictable movements and without cranking on submissions. They know how to apply as much or as little pressure and energy as it takes to achieve the objective. They don't try to bully or dominate the lower belts.

Being a good fit for the Gym:

It could be argued that this may be a selfish motive for the coach to promote students, for after all, what difference does it make what the student's attitude is, so long as they are winning medals and can beat everyone at training?

As mentioned previously the majority of BJJ students don’t care about competition. Very few could tell you who the current world champions are let alone the champions from five years ago. In order to learn BJJ, you'll need to surround yourself with a supportive team. Establishing the right team culture is crucial. If one student has the wrong attitude, it can bring the entire team down, so having the right attitude and mentality is more important than talent or medals.

Fitting in with the culture of our school is a very important factor for me. Having students who win competitions is important, but it is not important enough to spend hours every night with people you do not like because of their attitude or because they are competing or training for the wrong reasons. In addition, I've found that these types of people result in the gym losing more members.

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BJJ Melbourne

Bushido Fight Night 3 - The Last Samurai : Melbourne MMA

                

Bushido Fight Night 3 - The Last Samurai

Saturday 30th July at Thornbury Theatre.

Confirmed matches so far:

• Tom Andrews vs Sam Marles
• James Andrews vs Mark Furnari
• Jaiven Callander vs Jokota Franks
• Laurance Lockington vs Ben Sayer
• Dariean Menchini vs Titus O’Donnell
• Toby Montfroy vs Jake Bradley
• Liam Gusti vs Tom Hardwick
• Ashley Rodgers vs Tom Pratt

More matches to be announced soon.

If you would like to fight on one of our future events contact us via our website here:

Check out our last Bushido fight night below:

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Bushido Amateur MMA Melbourne

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/.../bushido-contenders...

Next Bushido Contenders amateur mma event is coming up on Saturday 9th July.

This is undoubtedly the best first step for any aspiring MMA fighter or for any martial artist wishing to test their skills and training under a safe modified MMA rule set.

Bushido Contenders is the perfect first step for any aspiring MMA athlete and many of the fighters who have gone on to have success on the local fight scene began their fight careers on this event.

Rule Changes for Teens MMA.

The next Bushido Contenders Amateur MMA Competition is coming up on Saturday 9th July

After consulting with some of the coaches who have been supporting our events over the last few years we have decided to make the following rule changes for the under 18 year olds division.

All matches will be 70% contact. Referees will give a warning for excessive contact and second warning will lead to disqualification.

All matches will still be 2 x 3 minute rounds however a submission will end the round but not the match. Ie. if one fighter gets subbed in the first round, we have one minute round break then another round.

As with adult matches all takedowns and Submissions must be applied in a controlled manner to avoid injuring the opponent.

We hope that by bringing in these rules we can encourage more teens to take part and also make it a more useful experience for everyone.

Sign up via this Link:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/.../bushido-contenders...

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