FAQs

Jiu-jitsu classes are available for adults (including women-only classes), and children ages 3.5 to 14. Based on size and attention span, teens join the adult classes around the age of 15. Boxing/MMA is for adults, but older children (age 9+) with good attention spans and focus are welcome to those classes.

For your first class, whatever active wear you’ve got is perfect. Please wear footwear such as slides or crocs that are easy to slip on/off. Once you’ve enrolled, our team will walk you through the uniform situation. At Solarte, we really don’t care what logo is on your gi or rash guard or what color it is. Just come in and train!

We’re at 1600 Carlsborg Rd • Carlsborg, WA, in a brown wooden building just south of Old Olympic Highway and Carlsborg Road. You’ll see a big white vinyl banner on the side of the building that says “Sequim-Carlsborg Martial Arts”. The door to enter is on the end of the building with a concrete patio.

We offer Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (also known as “BJJ” or “Submission Grappling”) and Boxing/Mixed Martial Arts.

When you first enroll, we recommend well-priced, but high quality gear that you can purchase on Amazon. For jiu-jitsu uniforms, go to Amazon and search for “Elite BJJ” and you’ll see gis, rash guards, leggings and grappling shorts for both adults and kids. You can also ask Jenn about Solarte-branded rash guards, leggings, shorts and gi patches to sew onto the back of your gi.

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We have classes seven days a week including morning and evening options. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, there’s a spot for you. Visit our Schedule Page for the full schedule.

Yes—and you should! Your first class is on us, no strings attached. Contact us or give us a call to schedule your first FREE lesson. NOTE: When you first arrive, please come in 10 minutes early for orientation and a little bit of paperwork.

At Solarte, we have only one class that is for intermediate/advance students only: Mondays 6:30–7:30pm Intermediate/Advanced Gi Jiu-Jitsu. ALL OTHER CLASSES are open to beginners. Even if you’re brand new, you can learn takedowns, roll, play the training games because we take our gym rules seriously. That’s what keeps our gym environment safe and fun for everyone.

Comfy active wear and a water bottle. That’s it. We’ll handle everything else. If you decide to enroll, we’ll give you the details on uniforms/gear then.

Promotions are based on the progress of your skills, not how long you’ve been coming in. If you choose (because this is voluntary for both adults and youth) you’re welcome to ask your instructor at any time about getting stripes/belt promotions. NOTE: Plenty of adult and youth students never opt into the whole belting/striping thing and they are treated with the same respect and appreciation as those that do. Some students (especially those interested in competing) do find getting stripes/belt promotions helpful. Either way is absolutely fine!

NOTE: Youth students are not eligible for the opt-in belt/striping program until the age of 8. They can then schedule a 15-minute evaluation with the youth instructor. Parents/family/friends are highly encouraged to attend and are welcome to ask questions and take pictures/video. At least one parent/guardian must be present for the evaluation.

We use a systems-based approach that covers all the main skill sets of jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. We want all students to develop a complete, well-rounded game instead of blindly memorizing moves that may or may not be appropriate to their physicality and temperament.

Absolutely—we encourage it. The more people you train with, the better you’ll become. It’s also a great way to experience the greater martial arts community and make new friends!

Call the coaches by their first names or just “coach”. If you like bowing or shaking hands, feel free, but it’s not required. In the youth classes, we do bows/hugs/hand shakes as part of their boundary setting practice.

Open mats and seminars are open to everyone, regardless of where you train or your gym affiliation. Just make sure you check our Gym Rules before your first time on the mat with us.

If your body/mind doesn’t want to do a thing, then please do not do that thing. Whether or not you spar or compete, we value every student who comes in to train! If you DO want to compete, please ask about our competition team.

We have VERY flexible payment option. See our Membership Page for details!

There are NO contracts! You have a choice of setting up a subscription or paying by-the-class. See our Membership Page for details!

If you have PayPal, you can log into your account and go to Recurring Payments to cancel. If you don’t have PayPal, please Contact Us and we will cancel your subscription for you.

Drop-ins and pay-by-the-class are $10–$25 per class, self-determined sliding scale. You can pay with cash or Venmo. See Membership Page for Venmo details.

[NOTE: Boxing/MMA is for adults/teens, but focused and disciplined youth are welcome.] Safety is our top priority. Yes, these are combat sports and bumps happen. However, we enforce our gym rules consistently, and we will call out unsafe training the moment we see it. It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new or have been training for years. Your safety and everyone else’s comes first!

If you/your child is taking a gi class, once you have your gi, you’re all set! For students taking boxing, you might want to buy hand wraps, gloves and a jump rope sized for you. A boil and bite mouth guard is another optional piece of equipment for adult students in both the jiu-jitsu and boxing/MMA programs.

Jiu-jitsu and boxing are some of the best sports for building confidence and coordination in kids. Our coaches are experienced at working with all kinds of personalities. Shy, awkward, and uncoordinated—all are welcome here!

We’ll reach you by text, email and through our Signal group chat. To join the group chat, please download the Signall app on your phone first. Then text or email Jenn a request to join. She’ll send you the sign-up link.

We also post updates on closures, events and more on our Schedule Page as well as our Facebook and Instagram pages @solartebjj.

You do not need to contact us for any of the kids classes or most of the adult classes. Life happens and we’ll be happy to see you next time you’re in! The only classes where it’s nice to get a heads up are the noon and 5am sessions. See Communication & Admin above for info on joining the Signal group chats. We also appreciate being contacted if you’re going to be away for an extended period of time (such as vacations).

We observe major holidays and follow local school closures for weather. Any time we’re closing up, we’ll let you know through email, social media and the Signal group chat. If in doubt, the Schedule Page is also updated with any last minute closures and holiday notices as well as upcoming events.

We have top-of-the-line extra thick mats built for optimal shock absorption and traction. We clean and sanitize the mats daily, ensuring you train on a safe, pristine surface every session.

We have ample parking next to the building and between the trees. Please see our Contact Us page which has a detailed parking map.

Solarte’s space is very simple and to-the-point. We have a changing room, bathroom, potable water. We do not offer exercise equipment and we don’t have a shower. (Most students have access to their own showers within a few minutes drive.) During classes, we do use some equipment such as kettle bells, Bosu ball, agility ladders, jump ropes, gloves, kick pads, etc. Adult students may access the storage room for bandages, disinfecting wipes, athletic tape, extra gis and other training equipment.