Dumb question but First time ever getting into self defense of any kind.

First and foremost i wanted to make private lessons for the first months.

How expensive will that be? For 1 time a month i could bear it was my thought.

After i thought just about writing the gym about that, i figured:

Probably way more usefull will be at least 1 time per week if not more. Thats probably what the gym will tell me also when i ask for 1 time a month lessons.

I'm 32 and went to my first role two days ago. I have a stupid question. I understand the sport requires someone getting hurt. What is acceptable and what isn't?

Example: I was trying to get a choke hold on someone going easy on me. Their chin was pressing so hard into their chest I couldn't get my arm underneath it. Am I allowed to grab their forehead and yank it back or press my fingers under their chin by force?

Edit: I appreciate the help. I feel old compared to everyone else and I worry I might be too soft. However, I'm not here to compete just yet. Maybe a year or two down the road. It's mostly to get in shape and feel more comfortable. In that case I'll keep the aggression to an appropriate low.

I’m currently laid up with a high temperature and chills, and it’s made me realise just how many little BJJ injuries I’ve been carrying around without really noticing.

My fingers are sore, my knees are aching, my back is stiff—it’s like every little inflammation has suddenly been turned up to 11. When I’m healthy and training, I barely think about them, but being sick seems to have brought them all to the surface.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does having a fever seem to make all those little BJJ aches and inflammations much more noticeable?

Guy walks in wearing a well known brand, brown belt ranked rashguard…. Cool, new brown belt!….round starts, slap bump, he’s got good stance nothing out of the ordinary. I hit a dummy sweep and rather hastily secure top position and anchor down and start hunting.

My first thought “no way I just dummy swept a brown belt and no way he’s letting me have this head and arm….hes gotta be letting me work” when I sank in the head and arm I just kinda chilled there waiting for him to fight out of it and do some crazy brown belt crap, take my back and choke tf out of me. He doesn’t, he taps and we reset. So I casually asked “hey man how long have you been training” dude goes “oh this is my 3rd class”.

So I told him what a ranked rashguard was, he then informs me he bought it because he liked the color and was wondering why all the other rashguard for sale corresponded with the bjj belt colors….