Walk into most martial arts schools and the warmup is an afterthought: jumping jacks, pushups, a jog around the mat. Walk into a 10th Planet academy — including ours here in Murrieta — and you'll see something completely different. Our warmups are jiu jitsu. Every movement has a purpose, every drill builds a skill you'll use that same night.
Movement First, Conditioning Second
The 10th Planet warmup philosophy starts from a simple observation: the best warmup for grappling is grappling movement. Shrimping, bridging, granby rolls, technical standups, and animal movements aren't just getting your heart rate up — they're installing the fundamental movements of jiu jitsu into your muscle memory. A student who has shrimped ten thousand times in warmups doesn't have to think about shrimping when they're trapped under side control. The body just knows.
This is why our warmups in Murrieta look like a choreographed flow rather than a fitness class. New students sometimes feel uncoordinated for the first few weeks — that's normal. The movements are new. But they stack fast, and within a month the warmup that once felt impossible starts feeling like a moving meditation.
What a Typical Warmup Looks Like
A standard session opens with joint mobility — neck, shoulders, hips, and ankles, the four areas grappling stresses most. Then we move into the core movement series: forward and backward shrimping, bridging variations, shoulder rolls, and granby rolls. From there we layer in partner movement drills: pummeling for underhooks, grip-fighting games, and takedown entries at low intensity.
The whole sequence takes fifteen to twenty minutes and serves three purposes at once: injury prevention through proper warmup, skill installation through repetition, and conditioning through continuous movement. Compare that to twenty minutes of burpees and you'll understand why 10th Planet students move differently.
Why It Matters More Than You Think
Here's the hidden benefit nobody talks about: the warmup is where beginners build their foundation without realizing it. The shrimp you drill in warmups becomes the escape that saves you in your first live roll. The bridge you practiced a hundred times becomes the reversal that makes you fall in love with this art. Students from Temecula, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, and Canyon Lake all go through the same movement education — it's the great equalizer that takes complete beginners and gives them grappling bodies.
It also builds mental toughness the right way. The warmup is challenging but achievable, and finishing it every class teaches your brain something important: you can do hard things. That lesson compounds.
Warmups for Kids: Same Philosophy, Different Game
The movement-first philosophy scales beautifully to our kids' programs in Murrieta. For Toddlers (ages 2–4), the 'warmup' is animal-movement games — bear crawls, crab walks, frog jumps — that build coordination while kids think they're just playing. Littles (5–8) graduate to structured movement flows with a playful edge. By Juniors (9–12) and Teens (13–16), the warmup looks much like the adult version, scaled to their bodies.
Parents watching from the sidelines often don't realize what they're seeing: their child is installing the movement vocabulary of jiu jitsu through play. A 7-year-old who bear-crawled for a year has hips and shoulders that already understand grappling. That's the 10th Planet warmup philosophy doing its quiet work — and it's one more reason our kids' programs in the Temecula Valley produce such confident young grapplers.
The Science Bit: Why Movement Beats Mindless Cardio
Sports science backs the approach. Dynamic, sport-specific warmups improve performance and reduce injury risk more effectively than static stretching or generic cardio — this is well-established in the research. But 10th Planet warmups go further: they're skill acquisition disguised as preparation. Every rep of shrimping is a rep of the escape you'll need later; every granby roll is a rep of the inversion that defines advanced guard play.
There's a neurological layer too. Complex movement patterns build proprioception — your brain's map of your body in space — which is arguably the single most important athletic attribute in grappling. Students who move well learn faster, get injured less, and enjoy training more. That's not marketing; it's motor learning. And it's baked into every class at our Murrieta academy, from the first warmup rep of your free trial onward.
Your First Warmup: What to Expect
Nervous about keeping up with the warmup on your first day? Don't be. New students at our Murrieta academy get grace — coaches will show you simplified versions of every movement, and nobody expects coordination on day one. Within two weeks the basic movements feel natural; within two months you'll flow through the full sequence without thinking.
The warmup is also your first taste of the 10th Planet difference. While other schools do jumping jacks, you'll be learning to move like a grappler from minute one. Come experience it with a free trial class — 26305 Jefferson Ave, Suite M. Your body will thank you.
Quick Answers
Do I need to be flexible to do the warmup?
No. The warmup builds the mobility it requires — start with simplified versions and your body adapts within weeks. Our coaches scale every movement for beginners.
How long is the warmup?
Typically 15–20 minutes. It's structured as movement education, not punishment — you'll learn grappling fundamentals disguised as preparation.
Is the warmup the same for kids?
Same philosophy, scaled delivery. Kids learn through animal-movement games and playful flows that install the same movement vocabulary.
Can I try a class before committing?
Yes — your first class at 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Murrieta is completely free. You'll experience the full warmup system, meet the coaches, and train with our community at 26305 Jefferson Ave, Suite M. No uniform, no experience, no pressure.
Experience It Yourself
Reading about the warmup system is one thing. Feeling your body learn to move like a grappler is another. Come try a free class at 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Murrieta — 26305 Jefferson Ave, Suite M — and experience the most intelligent warmup in martial arts. Your first class is free, no-gi means no uniform to buy, and our coaches will guide you through every movement step by step.