So you want to pick a BJJ school?

If you are still reading this page I am going to assume you are either my Mom (Hi Mom!) or you are really interested in selecting a place to try Jiu Jitsu out. Congrats! All joking aside you will love, specifically if you find the right gym that fits your needs.

Master Helio Gracie the inventor of BJJ

There are a few questions you should ask yourself when looking for a gym:

1. Why do I want to train? Are you looking to compete in tournaments? Want to learn for self defense? Want to make friends in the community? 
2. Where do I live? Is it a big city or a small city? Is there a college near you? 
3. How much do I want to pay? Do you have expendable income? \
4. Who is your gym affiliated with?

In my next 3 posts I will address these questions.

Why do I want to train?

It may surprise you that there is a huge difference in the atmosphere of certain gyms. At lot of the variation in atmosphere comes from the level in competition people who attend the gym participate in. This includes BJJ competitions and MMA fights.

The gym I currently train at has a laid back atmosphere. We have several guys that compete in tournaments and a handful of guys who fight MMA. Warm-ups & drilling moves is left to individual participants discretion to work at their own level of intensity. As a result, it is important to pick a partner that is interested in working at your level of intensity. When we roll live it is an altogether different story. We compete fairly hard. Our head instructor has done an outstanding job of cultivating an atmosphere where we are able to go hard but are respectful of each others' safety. If there is one thing every gym should have, it is a culture where everyone's safety is of utmost importance. A gym where people apply submissions without regard for their BJJ buddy's safety is not a place you want to be.

In contrast, I spent a year in Denver and trained at a gym that was heavily focused on competing. The atmosphere there was far different than my gym at home. Warms-ups, drilling, and rolling were conducted with an intensity towards improving technique and cardo for everyone (whether you wanted to train hard or not). In addition, the relationships between members were much more competitive (still friendly, but with a definitive edge that is not present at my current gym).

I think both types of gyms are great, depending on what you want to get out of BJJ. My current gym suits my aspirations in BJJ better then the gym in Colorado, but that is strictly a personal preference. If you want to be successful at competitions and are not someone who independently pushes yourself, you may want to look for a gym more like the one I had in CO. If you want to compete and can push yourself, a gym like my current one may suit you. If you are looking to make friends and learn the art of BJJ a gym like my current one would probably do just dandy (yeah I said "dandy").

It is important to ask yourself what type of training you want to do. Some gyms do not work on self-defense aspects inherent to BJJ, focusing almost solely the competition side of BJJ. Some people like it that way. Others are have a split of self-defense and competition BJJ, and still others focus almost solely on self-defense. I like the split. Self-defense is fun, but getting thrown can get irksome after awhile.

Finally, you should investigate what the schools train in. Some schools wear a GI (I will cover selecting and purchasing GIs in a later post). The GI vaguely resembles the Taekwondo uniform you wore as a kid in Karate. However, in Jiu Jitsu it has much more utility. Some schools train in shorts and t-shirts (or rash guards). Some schools split time.

There are diverging theories on the utility and practicality of the GI. Some schools think it forces students to utilize technique over strength, thus improving their overall game (like running 6 miles to get faster at running 3). Other schools think it is impractical to train in something you never wear in real life. Personally, I think I would be even worse than I already am, if I had not trained in a GI. It forces you to mind your positioning so much more than if you are just wearing a t-shirt and shorts. However, I think it is also important to train without it so you get a feel for the speed not wearing one. Our school trains with and without. My school in Colorado trained totally without a GI. Again a personal preference. However, GIs can get pricey, if you invest in several of them.


Well that is a lot for you to think about. I will let you digest it. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.