Beginners are always welcome at Ohm
We know stepping into a martial arts gym can be intimidating, but it’s never easier than at Ohm. Come by any weekday a few minutes before beginner class at 5:30 p.m., and Russell or DJ will greet you and walk you through the basics.
Wear your own workout gear: No special clothing is required, and you don’t need to buy our gear
Start where you are: You’ll be able to join in or step out any time you like
Feel free to observe: Wondering if you’ll like Jiu Jitsu? Come watch a class!
Trying out Ohm is easy and commitment-free
We offer a free training session, and member contracts renew every two weeks, so you’re never locked into a long-term commitment. Prices start at $70 for two weeks.
Step 1: Sign up for a free trial
Step 2: Come to the gym, meet us and try it out
Step 3: Discover a workout you love
Find training that fits your schedule
We run beginner classes Monday through Thursday at 5:30 and all-levels classes the same days at 6:00. (Beginners are welcome to stay for all-levels classes for no extra charge.)
Monday - Thursday: 5:30 beginner class, 6:00 all-levels class
Friday night: All-city open mat
Saturday morning: Ohm members open mat
At open mat, instructors are on-site if you need help, but we don’t hold a structured class on those days. The Friday night open mat is open to all gyms and anyone who trains jiu jitsu, even if they’re not members of Ohm. This helps strengthen the jiu jitsu community in Birmingham, and it helps our members sharpen their skills with new partners.
FAQs
-
When you walk into the gym, you’ll see a couple of benches where you can hang out and watch class or stash your stuff, and then you’ll mostly see mats — that’s where our training happens. In the back hallway, we have bathrooms, showers and a water refill station.
When you come in, sign in at the iPad to your left (you can sign in with your free trial). DJ or Russell will probably say hi as soon as you come in, but if you don’t see them, ask anyone wearing an Ohm rashguard, and they’ll point you in the right direction. Take your shoes off before walking on the mats, check out the rules (they’re posted at check in), and that’s it!
Want more? We’ll email you a complete beginner guide when you sign up for a free trial.
-
You can wear your own workout clothes to class, but tight-fitting clothing (like board shorts, yoga pants or rashguards) are best. We don’t wear shoes on the mats, so be prepared to slip your shoes off when you start training (flip flops or slides are great). Bring a water bottle (we have a water station where you can refill it), and if you want to take a shower after class, bring a towel. You can throw all of this in a gym bag and stash it in our cubbies when you walk into class.
When you sign up or get your free trial, we’ll email you a PDF with complete details.
-
We practice no gi jiu jitsu, which means you don’t need to buy the traditional gi or any kind of uniform. You can wear your own workout clothes when you’re first starting out, but if you decide to join the gym, most people buy a rashguard and spats. A lot of people also like to wear shorts over their spats.
You can buy Ohm branded gear if you want to, but we never force you to buy our gear. We offer rashguards, spats and shorts for men and women, and we have t-shirts, too, in case you want to rep Ohm when you’re not at the gym.
If you’re on a budget and want to purchase inexpensive gear that won’t wear out, we recommend looking at 93brand.com.
-
Yes! We have an eight-week beginner program that’s designed to walk you through all the basics you’ll need to know. It’s designed so you can start at any point in the program — there’s no beginning or end, so you’ll jump in whenever you’d like, and eight weeks later, you’ll be through the beginner program.
Our instructors and owners, DJ and Russell both have black belts in jiu jitsu, and they study consistently to stay up-to-date with the latest techniques. If you’re a beginner, you’ll love their personal approach that meets you where you are and gives you the support you need to keep going.
-
If you’ve been to jiu jitsu before, but it’s been awhile, you have the option of coming to beginner classes at 5:30, or coming to regular classes at 6:00. Beginners can also stay for the 6:00 regular class if they’d like to, so you won’t be out of place if you’re getting the feel of jiu jitsu again after a long break.
-
Our free trials don’t expire, so you’re still welcome! If you still have your sign in information, you can use that, and if you don’t hit us up through our contact form or on Instagram, and we’ll get you set up.
-
“Ohm” rhymes with “home.” Our name comes from an electrical term that measures resistance — we love it because jiu jitsu is a sport based on resistance. You can see hints of the electricity inspiration in our branding: Our skull has lightning bolt eyes, and our rashguards feature an electric eel. We sometimes call our members the Omega Team because the ohm measurement is symbolized by the Greek letter omega.
-
Of course — we have several women who train with us, and a few of our founding members are female black belts, so you’ll have women at every level to learn from and train with. The majority of our members are men, so you’ll get the most out of your training if you’re willing to train with both women and men, but women are always welcome at Ohm.
-
This depends on the injury; it’s best to talk to your doctor first. (You can tell your doctor that jiu jitsu is a contact grappling sport that’s similar to wrestling, in case they aren’t familiar.) You can ask DJ and Russell for advice about training with certain injuries, but of course, your doctor’s advice takes priority. If you get injured while you’re training (it happens), it’s easy to freeze your account until you’re back in the gym again.
Here’s what our members say:
