Finding the Perfect Jiu-Jitsu School

There is an area of Jiu-Jitsu that I really don’t think much about anymore. I don’t think about it because I am quite happy where I’ve been training for the past four years. I’ve grown as a person and have learned some very valuable skills. I’ve also made some great friends.

The area I’m talking about is finding the perfect Jiu-Jitsu school. And as Ryron and Rener Gracie put it, finding the perfect school – “for you.”

We’ve had many people walk through our doors in search of the perfect school. Many of them have stayed, but a few have left. I would say the majority of those who left, left because they either lost interest or weren’t as physical as they thought they were. That’s fine, because as I like to say, life is about trying a whole bunch of things to see what’s right for you. If you need to quit something, then quit and keep searching for something else.

There were a few who possibly left because they didn’t feel our school was a match for them. Either they wanted to get into MMA style fighting (we don’t do that) or they wanted to lay around and talk all class (we don’t do that either). Whatever the reason, we’ve kept a bunch, but lost a few.

As Ryron and Rener put it and from their observations through the years, there are five factors that generally go into finding the perfect Jiu-Jitsu school:

1. Cleanliness
2. Curriculum Emphasis
3. Class Structure
4. Cooperative Vibe
5. Coach Qualifications

I would also like to add a few of my own: