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4820 Corrales Rd, Corrales, NMMonday to Thursday: 4:00 to 8:30 pm
Ukemi Judo and Jiu-Jitsu
(505) 555-0126
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Judo and jiu-jitsu in Corrales

Every judo class starts with learning to fall

Children, teens and adults train on one big mat. Kids' classes by age start with falls and rolls, and a family class lets a parent and child learn together. Come in, sit on the bench and watch a class first.

Try a classSee the schedule
  • Ages 5 to adult
  • A family class twice a week
  • Spanish spoken
Two instructors demonstrate a throw on a mat while a class of children watches from behind, in a bright room with tall windows

Ukemi

Every student learns to fall first

Ukemi is the Japanese word for falling and rolling. Kids' classes start here, on a thick mat, one step at a time.

  1. 01

    Sit and tip back

    A student sits, tucks their chin and rolls onto their back, slapping the mat with both arms. Everyone starts here, at any age.

  2. 02

    Fall to the side

    From sitting, then kneeling, then standing, a student falls to one side with an arm out and the chin tucked in.

  3. 03

    Roll forward

    A roll over one shoulder, first from a kneel with an instructor beside the student, then from standing.

  4. 04

    Land from a throw

    Only when the first three feel easy does a partner throw, a small throw from the hip, so the student already knows how to land.

Sample content.

A student can stay on any step as long as they like.

Weekly classes

Find your class by age

Judo and jiu-jitsu on one big mat. Pick a day, then narrow by age.

Fall session

Showing 14 of 14

  • Monday

    • 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm

      Kids' judo

      Archana Dasgupta

      Ages 5 to 7White and yellow beltsOpenTry a class

    • 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

      Kids' judo

      Archana Dasgupta

      Ages 8 to 12All beltsOpenTry a class

    • 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

      Adult judo

      Urbano Ballesteros

      AdultsAll beltsOpenTry a class

  • Tuesday

    • 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm

      Falls and rolls

      Judo · Archana Dasgupta

      Ages 5 to 7White beltOpenTry a class

    • 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

      Teen judo

      Suheir Tabet

      Ages 13 to 17All beltsOpenTry a class

    • 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm

      Adult jiu-jitsu

      Urbano Ballesteros

      AdultsAll beltsOpenTry a class

  • Wednesday

    • 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm

      Kids' judo

      Archana Dasgupta

      Ages 5 to 7White and yellow beltsOpenTry a class

    • 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

      Kids' jiu-jitsu

      Archana Dasgupta

      Ages 8 to 12All beltsWaitlistTry a class

    • 6:45 pm – 7:45 pm

      Family class

      Judo · Urbano Ballesteros and Archana Dasgupta

      Parent and childAll beltsOpenTry a class

  • Thursday

    • 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

      Adaptive class

      Judo · Suheir Tabet

      All agesAll beltsOpenTry a class

    • 6:15 pm – 7:15 pm

      Adult judo

      Suheir Tabet

      AdultsWhite to green beltsOpenTry a class

    • 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

      Adult jiu-jitsu

      Urbano Ballesteros

      AdultsAll beltsOpenTry a class

  • Saturday

    • 9:00 am – 10:00 am

      Family class

      Judo · Urbano Ballesteros and Archana Dasgupta

      Parent and childAll beltsOpenTry a class

    • 10:15 am – 11:30 am

      Open mat

      Urbano Ballesteros

      AdultsAll beltsOpenTry a class

Sample classes.

Kids' classes have up to 14 students, teen and adult classes up to 20, and family classes up to 12. Times change each session; the booking page has the current week.

Belts

From white belt to black

Each color adds a few skills. A student tests when the instructor sees them, never on a date.

  1. White belt

    Everyone starts here
    Skills

    • Bowing on and off the mat

    • Falling back, to the side and forward

    • A first throw, from a kneel

  2. Yellow and orange belts

    Skills

    • Falls and rolls from standing

    • Hip and shoulder throws with a partner

    • A first hold on the mat

    Moving up

    When the instructor sees the skills, at a belt test

  3. Green and blue belts

    Skills

    • Throws on a partner who moves

    • Ways to turn out of a hold

    • Linking one throw to the next

    Moving up

    When the instructor sees the skills, at a belt test

  4. Brown and black belts

    Skills

    • Free practice with a partner at a steady pace

    • Showing a newer student how to land

    • Helping with belt tests

    Moving up

    When the instructor sees the skills, at a belt test

Where to startTry a class

Sample levels.

No belt comes with a date. Every student moves at their own pace.

Families

Parents and children on one mat

On Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, a parent and a child learn the same fall and the same hold side by side.

Everyone else is grouped by age, so no adult has to keep pace with a child and no child with an adult. A student who moves in different ways can join the Thursday adaptive class; tell us what helps when you book.

  • Family class, parent and child

  • Adaptive class, all ages

  • Classes in English or Spanish

Try a family class
An older man and a teenager practice the same stance side by side while an instructor watches

Instructors

Three instructors, every class

Families meet the same faces every week, and the owner teaches in Spanish and English.

  • Urbano Ballesteros, owner and head instructor, in a white judo uniform with a black belt and arms folded

    Urbano Ballesteros

    Owner and head instructor

    I teach the adult and family classes and sit with every student before a belt test. Classes are in English or Spanish, whichever you like.

  • Suheir Tabet, instructor, kneeling on the tatami in a white uniform

    Suheir Tabet

    Instructor, teens, adults and the adaptive class

    Suheir leads the teen class and the Thursday adaptive class. She starts every new student at the first step of a fall, however old the student is.

  • Archana Dasgupta, instructor, standing in a black training shirt and loose trousers in front of heavy bags

    Archana Dasgupta

    Instructor, kids and family classes

    Archana teaches every kids' class and the family classes. She keeps the warm-up moving and is the first face most new families meet at the door.

Mat safety

Questions about the mat

What parents ask most before a child's first fall.

What is the mat like?

The whole floor is covered in thick tatami-style mats, with soft edges and no gaps. Before each class an instructor walks the mat, picks up anything loose and checks the seams.

How does a child learn to fall without getting scared?

In small steps. A new student starts by sitting and rolling back, then kneeling, then standing. An instructor stays beside them, and a student can stay on any step as long as they like.

Are children thrown on their first day?

No. Throwing starts only after a student can fall in every direction on their own, and the first throws are small, from the hip, with a partner of the same size.

What does an instructor do if a child bumps a knee?

Class stops for that child. An instructor sits with them, a parent is called over from the bench if needed, and we tell you what happened at pickup.

Do kids and adults practice together?

Only in the family class, where a parent and a child learn the same fall side by side. Every other class is grouped by age.

Is there a rule about contact to the head?

Yes. Kids' and teen classes never include strikes or holds that involve the head, and an instructor watches every partner drill.

Come and watch a class

The bench by the window looks onto the whole mat. Choose a class on the booking page, or call.

Try a class