First timer anxiety... It's normal, don't let it stop you!

It's natural to be nervous about trying something of this nature for the first time. Someone may be unsure of what to expect from a variety of areas.

• Gym Setting 
• Practitioner Demeanor
• Personal Insecurity of capabilities
• CO-ED Training

There may be even more excuses someone could come up with that I haven't thought of, but these are a good example of circumstances that lead to a hesitation to start.

1. Gym Setting -- You probably won't find any two jiu jitsu schools exactly alike. But that is not such a problem, most schools will allow people to come and watch a class in session in order to get a sense how things work and what can be expected. From there it's all about how you feel about what you see. At this point you would ask questions and go from there.
2. Practitioner Demeanor -- So you may not get a chance to meet every student in the school when checking it out or even want to at first. But if this is a concern of yours then keep in mind that individuals with ego's and bad attitudes don't last long in jiu jitsu. The likelihood of having to deal with this is low, not impossible but very low.
3. Personal Insecurities of capabilities -- Let's get real with this one, pretty much everyone in the beginning has a lot of difficulty getting the movements down. It takes a certain kind of coordination that simply isn't all that natural. Then you have to deal with limitations of your body type. This is all okay and everyone has to or has dealt with it, once you accept this it is smooth sailing from there.
4. CO-ED Training -- This may be one of the more considered variables in contemporary training. Given the close quarter contact that is involved with this martial art. Men and women both initially have reservations in regard to training with each other. Men can be concerned with the size difference as are women and then there is the concern over hands on contact. Even so, everyone is there to train and there is nothing that indulges sexuality when it comes to defending chokes and joint locks :-) 

Well if anyone would like to add to this I would love to here some feedback in the comments. So long for now and let me leave you with this thought :-)

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