Wrestling is the other half of grappling. At True North Jiu-Jitsu, our wrestling classes teach you how to take the fight to the mat on your terms, hold position once you get there, and build the conditioning that lets you do it late in a hard round.
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Why Grapplers Train Wrestling
Wrestling fills the gaps that show up in most jiu-jitsu games. These are the three things students notice first.
A wrestler chooses whether the fight stays standing or goes to the mat. You will drill entries, level changes, and finishes until getting a takedown stops feeling like a coin flip.
Getting on top is one skill. Staying there while someone works to reverse you is another. Wrestling teaches the pressure, hips, and hand-fighting that keep you in the dominant position.
Wrestling is demanding by nature. Scrambles, sprawls, and live rounds build the kind of work capacity that carries straight over into your jiu-jitsu rounds and your kickboxing rounds.
How It Fits Together
Jiu-jitsu is at its strongest once the fight is on the mat. Wrestling is what gets it there. Training both means you are not waiting for a partner to pull guard or hoping the match starts in a position you like.
At True North Jiu-Jitsu in Coquitlam, wrestling is taught as a companion to our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program rather than a separate world. The takedowns, grips, and pressure you learn are the ones that keep working when the gi comes off and the guard comes into play.
What You Work On
A takedown is three things: getting to the position, finishing it, and keeping what you earned. Wrestling training covers all three, because a beautiful entry means very little if your partner recovers guard two seconds later.
Expect stance and motion, hand-fighting, level changes, single and double leg entries, sprawls and defence, and mat returns. Then expect to do them live, against someone who knows exactly what you are trying to do.
Honest Expectations
Wrestling asks more of you physically than most training. There is no comfortable position to rest in and no easy round. Students who stick with it usually say the first few weeks were the hardest thing they had done in the gym.
The trade is real. Wrestling is one of the fastest ways to become a genuinely difficult person to beat, because it removes the part of your game an opponent could previously avoid.
Who It Is For
You do not need a high school wrestling background. Most of our students arrive with none, and the fundamentals are taught from the stance up.
Competitors use wrestling to close the gap between their guard game and their takedown game. Hobbyists use it because it is a hard, satisfying workout with a skill attached. Both get the same coaching.
True North Jiu-Jitsu Reviews
See what our members are saying! Browse through the reviews to get a glimpse of the True North Jiu-Jitsu experience straight from our community. From parents of young students to adult martial artists, our members love training at the best martial arts school in Coquitlam.
"I’ve trained at True North Jiu Jitsu Academy and can confidently say it’s one of the best gyms around. The coaches are extremely knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely care about each student’s progress, whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced practitioner. The..."
- JUN
"A couple of months ago, I decided to try Jiu Jitsu, mostly out of curiosity and with a half-closed mindset. I honestly didn’t think it would become a long-term passion but I couldn’t have been more wrong. After finishing my very first one-hour class, I already wanted to come..."
- Anna Kwok
"This is the place !! If you want to teach your kids to excel at life in a safe and kind envoronment this is the place to go! And if you want to get into a really healthy hobby as an adult without running into guys with egos or attitiudes like some other clubs this is a really..."
- Fraser Dodich
"Professor Ahmad is a dedicated instructor, great mentor and father with a healthy lifestyle, great to see his success and growth. A great example for building strong minds and creating leaders in the community, with his evident positive energy, the minute you meet him. Highly..."
- Cedar Roofs
"I started my jiu-jitsu journey at at True North Jiu Jitsu Academy for 7 years, and overall it was a great experience. The owners and instructors genuinely care about their students and work hard to create a respectful, welcoming environment on the mats. Training is well..."
- Omar Khan
"Excellent Jiu-Jitsu academy! Friendly and welcoming environment, highly skilled instructors, and a great atmosphere focused on learning and growth. Amazing place for both adults and kids. Highly recommend!"
- Igor Avi
"True North Jiu-Jitsu Academy was an incredibly welcoming and friendly place. I took my children there yesterday to try it out, and they had an amazing time. The atmosphere was comfortable and positive, the people were very kind, and everything felt well organized and supportive...."
- amanda k
"Been coming here for a few months now and this team really treats everybody like family. Extremely welcoming to beginners and they always have multiple black belts present. On top of that all the blue-brown belts are very informative as well. 10-10 highly recommend checking them..."
- Gavin Chia
Online exclusive offer
Secure your spot & get started today with our EXCLUSIVE online offer!
By opting into the web form above you are providing consent for True North Jiu-Jitsu to send you periodic text messages. Standard rates may apply. You may opt-out anytime by replying STOP.
Where You Are Training
True North Jiu-Jitsu sits on the Brunette Avenue strip in Maillardville, southwest Coquitlam, close to the Brunette and Lougheed interchange and about two kilometres from the New Westminster line.
The academy holds a 5.0 rating from 116 Google reviews, the highest of any dedicated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym in Coquitlam. Our instruction is led by Professor Khatib Ahmad, a fourth degree black belt, alongside a coaching staff who train and correct on the mat rather than from the side of the room.
Beyond the Takedown
Wrestling changes how you train more than it changes what you know. Students who add it tend to carry these habits into everything else they do at True North Jiu-Jitsu.
Wrestling puts you in chaotic positions on purpose. Over time you stop panicking in a scramble and start reading it, which is a habit that shows up everywhere in your grappling.
Level changes, sprawls, and mat returns train your feet, hips, and posture to work together. Most students find their base improves quickly once they start wrestling regularly.
There are no shortcuts in a wrestling round. The sport rewards showing up, repeating the same entry a hundred times, and pushing through the part of the session that stops being fun.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Thinking about adding wrestling to your training in Coquitlam? Here are the questions we hear most. If yours is not covered, give us a call or drop by the academy.
No. Most of our students have never wrestled before. We start with stance, motion, and hand-fighting, and build entries from there. If you have a background from school or another gym, the coaches will push you further along instead of holding you at the basics.
Wrestling works well on its own and it works even better next to jiu-jitsu. Most people who train both find the two feed each other. If you are unsure where to start, come in for a free trial class and we will point you at the right one.
It gives you control over how the match starts and how it stays. Takedowns put you on top, top pressure keeps you there, and the conditioning means you can still do both in the last minute of a round. It closes the gap that shows up when your opponent will not let you play guard.
Wrestling involves contact and falls, so technique comes first. You learn how to fall, how to sprawl, and how to control your partner's landing before you are drilling at speed. Coaches supervise live rounds closely and stop anything that is going the wrong way.
Shorts or wrestling gear and a fitted shirt such as a rash guard work best. Loose clothing gets in the way during scrambles. If you are not sure what you have, come in what you train in and we will sort it out.
True North Jiu-Jitsu is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy first. Alongside BJJ and wrestling we run kickboxing, women's self-defence, kids classes, private lessons and birthday parties, plus a sauna and cold plunge and a meal prep program. New students of all ages get a free trial class.