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A WORD OF ADVICE

If you’re a beginner to Jiu Jitsu I must warn you about a few things – You should know that not all schools are created equal and it is very important that you make an educated decision before picking a school.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the UFC and other Mixed Martial Arts events, everyone and their brother is re-labeling their schools as “MMA” or “Grappling” schools. As an experiment, go into last year’s phone book and see how many Karate schools have become “Mixed Martial Arts” schools. My point is: You have to be selective when choosing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school.

In fact, you should NEVER join a school or BJJ program unless it meets ALL the following FIVE criteria:

  1. Their instructors are qualified. What are the instructors’ credentials? Have they competed? What is the reputation of the organization that they represent i.e. do they “sell” belts? Remember, if you want to be the best you have to learn from the best.

  1. The school MUST have a written curriculum.  Is there a method to the madness? You’ll be shocked to know how many schools don’t follow a step-by-step program so neither the teacher nor the student knows where they are going and how far along they are.  Surprising but true.

  1. The school must produce winners. Ask yourself, has this school produced any national champs or winning teams? No matter the credentials of the instructor, it does you no good if he can’t pass on that expertise.  Find out who these winners are – are they all Div 1 athletes or are they taking “normal” people and bringing them to a championship level?  What level are their best athletes competing and succeeding at?

  1. The school should have a diverse group of students. Some programs are attended only by casual non-competitive grapplers who just want a place to hang out and shoot the breeze.  Other programs consist only of 18-25 year old tatoo-covered wannabe MMA fighters.  Whether you want to be physically fit, learn self defense, train for the World Championships, are a man, are a woman, are out-of-shape, or are an Olympic athlete, the school should have a program for you when you start and a program to progress toward.

  1. The prices are NOT unbelievably low. Remember that you get what you pay for.  Lots of places offer Jiu Jitsu and MMA training just like many restaurants have steak on the menu BUT there is a big difference between getting steak at Applebees and ordering steak at Ruth’s Chris.  These “bargain” schools usually have dirty facilities, unqualified instructors, and limited schedules. Make sure you distinguish between AFFORDABILITY and VALUE if you are forced to consider training at these kinds of places.
        
         Of course, it’s a given that the school should be clean and well-maintained, and the staff, courteous and professional.