7 Signs You’ve Chosen the WRONG BJJ Gym
If you want to increase your Jiu-Jitsu skill sets as quickly and as much as possible, then you need to choose the best possible BJJ gym to practice at. Unfortunately, too many grapplers spend months, if not, years at the wrong gym, which can hinder their progress and even put them at risk of an injury. In the following sections, we’re going to provide you with 7 “warning signs” to watch out for when choosing a BJJ gym.
Warning Sign #1: They Charge Too Much (or Too Little)
You need to be weary when a Jiu-Jitsu is charging either too much or too little for their services. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for when you sign up for a BJJ gym. In general, expect to pay about $120 per month for a quality Jiu-Jitsu gym.
Warning Sign #2: They Don’t Teach Enough Self-Defense
Jiu-Jitsu is about learning self-defense just as much as it is learning skills for competition. If your gym never teaches self-defense BJJ then this is a warning sign that you should move on.
Warning Sign #3: They Don’t Sanitize The Mats
Jiu-Jitsu mats need to be cleaned before each and every practice, no exception. Grappling on a dirty mat is one of the easiest ways to catch a skin disease, including ringworm or even worse, staph.
Warning Sign #4:
They Only Teach One Form of Jiu-Jitsu (Either Gi or No Gi). Learning Jiu-Jitsu, you need to be learning how to grapple with and without the gi. If you’re not practicing without a gi every so often, then how can you expect to defend yourself on the street? Learning both forms of BJJ will make you a better-rounded grappler in the long run.
Warning Sign #5: The Instructor Isn’t a Black Belt
BJJ instructors don’t always need to have a black belt in order to teach a class. After all, just because you have a black belt doesn’t mean that you’re a good grappler. Likewise, just because you have a purple belt doesn’t mean that you can’t beat many of the black belts out there (a purple belt even won the infamous Abu Dhabi tournament). With all of that being said, you should only train at a gym with instructors who have their black belts. This is especially true if you’re a beginner, since your ability to judge exactly how experience an instructor is will be poor.
Warning Sign #6: They Don’t Make Safety a Top Priority
Are the grapplers slamming each other exceptionally hard? Are they performing illegal moves with consent from the instructor? Any gym that doesn’t make safety a top priority should be avoided at all costs.
Warning Sign #7: They’re Controlling
Finally, is your gym attempting to control your lifestyle outside of the gym? If so, this is a clear sign to walk away.