BJJ Gyms - How to Know Which Gym is Right for You?
- Gyms
- BJJ
- Training
Beginning a jiu-jitsu journey can be overwhelming, especially when faced with the abundance of BJJ gyms available. Our team at Porrada has been through the same issues. Trying to find the balance between a convenient location and also a culture that promotes intense training.
When picking a place to train at, it’s important to consider the following:
- Credentials
- Convenience
- Training environment
These considerations will help you identify gyms that best align with your beliefs, goals, and values.
Let’s examine one of the first things to look for in a BJJ gym.
Credentials of the BJJ gym
The first consideration is credentials. What credentials does the gym have?
If you intend on competing in BJJ tournaments, looking for a gym that has a track record of consistently winning medals in competitions can give you insight on how they can advance your competitive journey.
If you just want to learn the basics of BJJ but don’t plan on going to competitions, you don’t have to look for a gym with tons of medals. Gyms with qualified instructors (i.e. experienced grapplers, blackbelts, licensed trainers) can help you hone your skills and learn new techniques.
Convenience of the bjj gym
Once you've identified gyms with solid credentials, the next step is evaluating their practicality.
Here’s an example for perspective:
Gym A has great instructors, a consistent schedule, a great training environment, and costs $90 a month. They do not have many members and aren’t as focused on competition but it’s only a 5-minute drive from home.
Gym B has great instructors, several gold medals from tournaments, has received praise from highly-respected members of the BJJ community, and is $70 a month. Gym B is a half hour to an hour away, depending on traffic. Based on this information, which gym would you rather go to?
Even though Gym B looks more promising, it may be better to go with Gym A as its distance will make it easier for you to consistently train BJJ.
Additionally, if you feel the need for a change of environment every once in a while, it doesn’t hurt to visit the other gym a couple of times a month to get experience from different grapplers.
When you start off your jiu-jitsu journey, consistency is a must, so finding the gym that is the most convenient is crucial for long-term success.
Training Environment
Lastly, it’s important to see what the training environment is like in the BJJ gym.
There’s an old saying that goes, "You are the company you keep."
This is especially true when you’re first starting out. You want to make sure you’re around the right people to develop good fundamentals and so forth.
You may not yet know what a good training environment looks like, and that’s okay! As you train more consistently and explore different gyms, whether by visiting them in person or researching them online, you will begin to develop a clearer understanding of what makes a great training environment.
However, there are a few key questions that you should ask yourself in the beginning when looking for a good training environment.
- What is the gym's training philosophy?
- How do grapplers treat each other?
- How do the instructors treat grapplers?
Training philosophy of the BJJ gym:
Training philosophy is about what kind of training the gym engages in, and what their beliefs are about it.
A gym with good training philosophy reinforces BJJ fundamentals, gives a profound breakdown of each move being taught, and emphasizes the importance of athleticism for peak performance.
How grapplers treat each other:
The way grapplers treat each other is also important. You want to be in a place with a supportive community that motivates you to go beyond your limits.
Relationship between instructors and grapplers:
Instructors are the number one people you look up to in a gym, as they have immense BJJ knowledge and years of experience.
A good instructor is patient, understanding, and may be open to new ideas (like moves, mindset, etc.) from students or other instructors from outside. The best instructors are the ones who are still hungry for growth.
These are the questions you can ask yourself to determine which training environment best suits your needs.
Gi Versus No-Gi Classes
A lot of gyms offer both types of classes, but it's worth doing your research before going. Gi uses a traditional kimono and belt, with a lot of the grips relying on the collar or sleeves. no-Gi is trained with rash guards and shorts, there's no fabric to grab and the pacing is much faster. If you're leaning toward no-Gi, it's worth knowing what to wear to your first Gi or first No-Gi class before you show up.
Conclusion
Finding the right gym may be challenging at first, but understanding these concepts will help you determine which ones will elevate you to your highest potential as a grappler. Remember to try several gyms before deciding on your new “home” gym. Be open to new things and be humble and respectful when visiting gyms.
See you on the mats!
