BJJ is for Everyone

Where is the gym located? Is it practical to get there. You are going to want to train at least twice per week and so how easy it is to get there must be an important consideration.

Take a look at the gym’s schedule (it should be on their web site). Make sure there is plenty of choice. Whilst it’s a good idea to get into a routine (trying to train on the same times and days) that’s not always possible. The broader the schedule the more chance it will work for you no matter what life throws your way.

Avoid gyms that have long term contracts and programs. They will tell you it’s to help you make a commitment to the process. In reality it is because it works for their business model. They also may lack confidence in their ability to keep students. The best gyms have the best instructors and have no problems keeping students. With kids it’s even more vital to avoid contracts. Kids are prone to changing their minds especially when it comes to sports. There is a good reason for this not all kids like the same experiences and it take a while to find the sport that suits them the most. 

Is the facility clean and well managed? Hygiene is important ask the gym how they clean and how often and if you like what products do they use, especially for cleaning the mats. In BJJ you spend a great deal of time close to the mat surface, it is important that it has been cleaned properly.

Do some research on the legitimacy of the chief instructor (known as a Professor in BJJ). What’s his lineage is he or she a genuine Black belt. Go and what a class and see how it is run or better try a class. Good gyms will offer a trial class free of charge. There are many black belts but not all of them are good teachers.

Do you like the vibe of the gym. This is really, really, really important. You can’t do BJJ on your own and so the partners you will be working with need to be people you get along with. Look for a positive and happy vibe. This doesn’t mean the BJJ is taken less seriously, on the contrary but it means you will make friends and enjoy the classes.

When you take part in a class or watch look to see if the instructor is engaged and not just going through the motions. Is he or she keeping the eye on everyone, especially the new people. Generally speaking, it is better to belong to a gym where the owner is the chief coach. It’s their livelihood and so they are much more likely to deliver a first-class experience opposed to an employee. 

Be mindful of the very big gyms. They often feel like a revolving door in terms of instructors.  It is important at the start for you to get consistency in both your training patterns and your instructor.

Take quick look around at the other students when you try or watch a class. Is there a variety of sizes and belts? It is important that there is. You can’t learn everything from the instructor he or she merely guides you and gives you the technical basis for BJJ. It’s the other students you work with that hone your skills. All higher belts in BJJ have an obligation to teach (Purple and above) also having a wide range of belts in class will be helpful to you. The size issue is also very important. In BJJ you use what you have and so learning to cope with stronger heavier people as well as smaller faster is crucial to your development.

Make sure that the instructor has a lot of experience and knows how to handle a large diverse class. He or she needs to be aware of what is going on and checking that people are not doing stupid things. With the kids, ask if instructors are background checked and know how to teach kids, it’s very different to adults. If a gym is a member of the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation) then the instructors will have been background checked and they will have taken the Safe Sport course.