Your Gym or Mine? From Speed Dating to the Long Term Commitment: How to Choose a BJJ School

As we approach 2016, many take the time to set new goals for the upcoming year. Whether that is formal New Year’s resolutions (not my personal favorite), or just a great time to re-evaluate goals in general and adjust plans accordingly, the calendar change and end of the hectic holiday season seems to be a common time to do so. In that spirit, I will offer some thoughts on selecting a BJJ gym. This should pertain to newcomers, those that may be looking to get back into Jiu-Jitsu following some extended time off, as well as those that have spent some time already studying casually, and now would like to take it to the next level.

The best starting point in selecting a school is with an evaluation of both your short and long-term goals. For newcomers or those getting back into the art, the emphasis can certainly be more on the short-term, but I would recommend keeping long-term goals in the back of your mind as well. For those moving up the commitment ladder in BJJ, I would recommend focusing primarily on the long-term goals—especially if considering a change in schools or moving from a casual training level to a serious one. The relationship between short and long-term goals is very important and worth thinking about in all cases. We dove deeper into this relationship in September’s article on practice schedules: 10,000 Hours?!

Short-term goals…

…tend to be driven by one or a combination of the following interests:

1. Self-defense – studying something that will make the student feel more confident in public, around others, and more capable in the unfortunate circumstance of an attack
2. Fitness – a hallmark of the New Year’s resolution and aging in general, many people do not (or cannot) keep up with exercise schedules simply by joining a gym; they need to find an outlet where improved fitness is the result of the activity and not necessarily the sole purpose
3. Relationship goals – looking for a hobby to enjoy with a partner, spouse, friend, or family member that can be shared and strengthen bonds
4. Challenge – the adventurer that must regularly shake things up by trying new and/or difficult things
5. Competition – for the perennial athlete constantly entering sports they can compete against others in or the student trying to reach the next level in the BJJ journey

Long-term goals…

…tend to be extensions or further-out milestones of these same goals, but often get more specific. For some examples:

1. Self-defense – more than just confident in public, this might be connected to a career path
2. Fitness – to be in the best shape of their lives, serious weight loss, medical orders, etc
3. Relationship goals – long-term parenting plan for child to learn discipline, respect, dedication, etc.
4. Challenge – black belt, mastery, becoming an instructor, etc
5. Competition – medals, rankings, full-time professional aspirations

Logistics

Once you have evaluated you short and long-term goals with the appropriate level of importance, you can begin to look into your options. Before evaluating each school on a deep level, you need to narrow down or find out exactly what options are even viable. There could be a nationally recognized school in the area run by a living legend of the art, but if it is hour away, for all but the most serious students it would not be an option for any regular training schedule. However, there may be an affiliate closer by that still offers access to the lineage and occasional trip to the facility.

For reasons such as the one above, I feel that location is one of the top drivers. After all, if you are going to do anything more than once a week, it better fit your general day-to-day runaround. For the beginner, I would even recommend a smaller gym run by an accredited but lower ranking student that happens to be right around the corner from home or work over a high level gym that will double or triple your time commitment just due to commuting. As you get more serious, you can always consider expanding your options. If you have a fairly busy schedule and select a school that it will cost you an additional 4-5 hours of travel time just to fit in 2-4 hours of study and training, you aren’t likely setting yourself up for success over time.

Here are my top drivers to consider in building your short list of options:

1. Location (reasonable radius from your day-to-day whereabouts)
2. Budget (make sure you plan a low to high acceptable window before getting wooed by gym that might but you in the black)
3. Schedule (work, school, family, etc)
4. Personal commitment (hours and days available to train)

Once you evaluate your short and long-term goals against your logistical drivers, you can create the list of reasonable options and begin to weigh the merits of each gym.

The Pledge of Allegiance

For sure, the most important piece of the puzzle and why I recommend this as the final evaluation. Not only is this the most important, but it is going to be the most time consuming; however, I highly recommend taking the time. Whether you are a newcomer with fairly simple short-term goals, or someone more aggressively looking to dive in or step up in the art, you are still talking about a fairly real commitment. There is almost no point to getting involved in BJJ for a couple or even a few months. The only reason you would do that is as a test if you have any interest at all (probably a couple to a few classes will give you that information), or you are committed to the adventure, but need to test out a specific facility before committing.

Let’s get rid of an outlier first. If you live in an area that has only one option, well, there you have it; start there and see where it leads. However, if you are in an area that has more than one or a whole plethora of options, here are the things to consider. The order of consideration will be dependent on some of your personal goal and logistics analysis, so this is not necessarily in order of importance, but I’ll try to lay it out in a suggested order.

• Instructors – In most circumstances, this will be the most important consideration. This is because a great instructor can easily make up for other areas that a school may be lacking in, and a terrible instructor can ruin all of the benefits of even the most amazing facilities. However, it is not as simple as, who is the best instructor, highest ranking belt, or most well-known personality in the area. Great instructors and great students don’t always click. You must find the instructor that meshes well with you. Furthermore, I have met some amazing instructors that are lower ranking than the head of the school, but they just understand how to teach, or how to teach you. So long as you have access to high level instruction, and your instructor does too, you may truly benefit from a solid relationship with a lower ranking (but well-accredited) instructor under the careful guidance of a higher rank.
• Culture – Next to how you will click with the instructor, is how you will click with the culture of the school or program. Do teammates have similar goals to yours, and are there higher ranking mentors available that are further down the journey? Is this a tough competitive school, or a laid back group of committed but casual hobbyists? Is the group inclusive to varied cultures, genders, ages, or do you want a group that is more focused (even if very nice and accepting in general)? This could be the consideration for a student that really wants to push hard and isn’t comfortable doing so alongside notably different types of students. What is the attitude of, language used, level of tradition, politeness of the group? Is the culture all about simply training in the art, or does it have a way of life vibe to it? Is it run like an athletic team, a come as you go loose vibe, or even more strict and militant? More rules, less rules, and expectations of the group all will play into how you fit in and how long you will grow with them.
• Lineage – Is everything in martial arts. However, I list it third here because an amazing lineage will not make up for a bad relationship between you and the instructor or the group (unless harsh relationships are something you thrive under). On the flip side, a great relationship with a group or instructor that is lacking in any serious lineage, will eventually reveal serious limitations of its own. BJJ especially is lineage focused and whether your direct instructor is one of the high ranking members or not, access to that lineage will quickly become of the utmost importance. The reputation about levels of mastery in BJJ is no joke. It is very, very real, so research the lineage of your direct instructors, the head of the school, and the affiliation itself. Early on, you may just need it to be legitimate, but eventually it will become a bigger part of your journey.
• Schedule and offerings – What training options does the school offer and what are you looking for (going back to your goals)? Do they have enough classes for your skill level at times that fit your schedule? Do they offer other types of classes that you would like to supplement your training with (fitness/strength, other arts, stretching or yoga)? No point committing to a great instructor or program that offers only one class a week fitting your schedule. Furthermore, this will help determine bang for your buck. What are the costs compared to your budget? Are there access tiers (number of class limits, open training times, etc)? Are there contract terms (not necessarily a bad thing), and if so, can you have a trial period before signing (if not, that is a bad thing)?
• Facilities – I list this last, because while there are some basic requirements for safety, cleanliness, and space, there has also been some of the best Jiu-Jitsu in the world taught out of some pretty meager locations and even started in garages. It isn’t necessary to have a full weight room, state-of-the art equipment, or 2000 square feet to learn great Jiu-Jitsu. However, your personal goals may dictate some needs such as exercise equipment (of some sort), heavy bags or striking equipment, higher standard of cleanliness (some people love the grit of old-school fight gyms, while others want a martial arts focused fitness club). Aside from absolutely sub-par facilities for my intended goals, I wouldn’t trade anything above simply to have a “nicer” facility (but that’s me).

Example: legend of the sport Kurt Osiander’s passion, but hard-nosed approach to training may be perfect for some, while abrasive to others:

Doing the Research and Avoiding Red Flags

How do you take your list of options and start whittling it down to visits and trial runs? Start online. Online you can find proximity to your day-to-day whereabouts, reviews and pictures of facilities and instructors. You can find class schedules. You can double and triple check lineages and legitimacy. You can check accredited affiliations, as well as connections to gyms in the greater area and what those connections may bring. Definitely read everything they post about their instructors and affiliation. You can find excellent information on forums like reddit.com, bullshido.com, or sherdog.com. You can check the depth of lineage on sites like bjjheroes.com. For competitive schools check their fighters out. Does the school have Facebook pages full of pictures of awards and medals? Are these verifiable through competitive organization such as IBJJF, NAGA, US Grappling, AGF (to name a few)?

After getting a good online background, remember that nothing beats personal experience. Go to the schools on your short list. Go to all of them. Check them out and talk with the instructors, the front desk, etc. Find out all trial options before committing to anything in writing. Watch a class, especially if brand new to martial arts, before even joining in as a guest. Feel the vibe, feel the culture, see how the instructors teach. I would even recommend, cost allowing or if no cost for an intro class or two, to simultaneously try out a few schools at the same time. Be honest with them about your goals, your expectations, and if you are evaluating multiple options. A great school may even refer you to another location if they know it is a better fit for what you are looking for. Of course, that kind of honesty and humility may lead you right back there. Most of all, go enjoy the experience and see where you feel most at home.

Here are some red flags worth avoiding:

• school lists BJJ or Jiu-Jitsu in its offerings, but specializes in another art, and has no pure BJJ class on the schedule
• cannot trace BJJ instructors to any affiliation or lineage in the known BJJ world
• no opportunity to try a class or two out, or have an uncommitted trial period (even if paid) before committing to a longer term contract
• complete filth (mats, changing room, bathrooms)
• instructors that are more challenging than welcoming, especially if there is no proof of their credentials
• notable bad reviews online that are not offset with a much more notable list of good reviews
• Japanese JuJistu being advertised as BJJ (unless that is what you are looking for—it is different)

If you are someone that is getting back into BJJ after some time off (but want to jump in full throttle) or if you are looking at selecting a school that may take you further than where you currently are at (even if it is respectfully so), here are a couple goal setting articles that may further help your decision making process:

• Jiu Jitsu ROI
• Jiu Jitsu ROI Part 2
• Should I Compete?
• BJJ Goal Setting (competitive focus)

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