Identifying a Good School

So you've been considering getting into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and want to know what to look for in a good gym to make sure you're getting the right education--what?, you weren't considering that? Hmm... 

Don't fret, that's a common misstep. The world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is spreading faster than it ever has before. A lot of that has to do with the increasing popularity of MMA; and the online presence of the sport makes it easy to dip your toes in before really committing to the sport. That puts us in such a cool position to explore and really understand what you're getting into before it's too late. These days we're just a Google search away from exploring (anything). With that in mind, when you're considering a gym--either as someone new, or as someone changing schools--there are some things to keep in mind.

Prof. Pedro Sauer with my instructors at Steel City Martial Arts

Lineage:

In the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a lot of weight is placed on your, and your school's, lineage--in short: who gave who their black belt. Why does that matter? Well, do you remember the "Telephone Game" we all played as children, and how the original message wasn't the same at the end? Unfortunately, BJJ is like that. That's not to say that adding your own flair--or passing it on through instruction--is a bad thing; because it's not. But what you want to avoid is someone teaching you some muddy form of BJJ and charging top dollar for it.  Speaking on that subject, Relson Gracie once said that "water is purest closest to the spring," and I tend to believe that.  When you're considering a school, take a look at your head instructor's lineage. If you're lucky enough to be training under a real-live Gracie, your homework is pretty easy. But if not, ask. A good instructor shouldn't find that question offensive and it will open up the lines of communication between the two of you. 

Belt Rank:

There was a time when if you lived outside of Brazil and a Blue Belt came to your school it was a big deal (that time is referred to as "the 1990's"). At that time, a Purple Belt was nearly unheard of, so just learning any BJJ was better than nothing. To a point that's still true. But that point, for me, is how much are you paying versus what are you learning. Your head instructor should be a higher rank; and in my opinion, at least a Purple Belt. As always: if your options are restricted, then you can't whine too much. But if your options are open, you should be looking to obtain the best/highest level of education available to you. 

ProTip: Both of those bits of information could be found on a schools website, with maybe more specific details found under the instructor's bio. 

Class Schedule:

Pretty self explanatory here. What's the point in signing up for a school when you can never make the classes? Believe it or not, I've talked to people who did all the right homework on a school and signed the agreement only to find out they can only make 1 class a week due to work/personal schedules. So be careful! Great schools will have a lot of options and a lot of classes. No 'real' BJJ school only has 1 or 2 days of BJJ classes. If that's the case, then you're most likely dealing with a school that is concentrating on something else. 

Sensei Sonny Achille of Steel City Martial Arts

Atmosphere:

Before you sign any papers, give the school a visit and talk to some people. Talking with the head instructor, as well as the other instructors, is a great place to start; but also reach out to current students. Get a vibe for the personalities of that place. Remember: Water seeks its own level. People tend to congregate with similar people. See if the people in your gym are your kind of people. There's no right or wrong answer here, but there is a right and wrong vibe for you personally. For the most part, BJJ folk are all fun, nice, polite, and friendly people. But the gym may be more intense than you anticipated from the way the nice guy sounded over the phone. e.g. A close friend of mine told me  about a time he dropped in to a very well known BJJ school in SoCal; and how the training was turbo-intense. He was cool with that, but very surprised by how intense it got. Which might be a turnoff for some, but maybe perfect for others. So talk to the people there training and get a vibe for the atmosphere.

Competition:

I know, you're probably wondering what that has to do with anything because you don't want to compete and have no intentions of it. Well, first of all you don't have to compete to join a school--I hope--but if you're at a school that produces consistent competition winners then I feel confident in saying that the instruction there is probably pretty good. I think as a potential customer and student that you need to know what sort of education you're buying into and looking at how the school does in competition is a good glimpse. 

Reputation:

Remember when I mentioned Google searching? Check out the school's online reviews. Unlike a lot of other businesses, BJJ schools' online reviews are usually pretty fair. In other lines of business, people like to take the the web and use it as a place to complain about their bad customer service experience. Whereas with BJJ you'll see a fair mix of current students being proud and traveling BJJ practitioners leaving reviews for other travelers. I don't think anyone is safe from the upset student/parent that's mad about something leaving a nastygram review, so keep the number of reviews in mind--maybe even read them :)

With all that said, I think if you give at least those checkpoints some consideration when it comes time to pick a school you should be in good shape. If not, you tried. Remember: if it seems fishy, or slimy, then it probably is. There's a lot of people in the world looking to take advantage of people for money and our community isn't an exception. But with a little bit of homework and asking the right questions you can be comfortable with your choice.

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Gi'ed Up From the Feet Up

So now that you've got a gi, how do you take care of it? That might have been something you've already considered, but maybe not. I'm sure by now you've see some ripping, tearing, stitching, and patchwork on the gis of your training partners, and you've just spend some good quality dough on your gi, so you probably want to avoid that sort of thing for as long as possible. In this post we're going to take a look at gi maintenance and how to care for your new suit of armor so that you don't end up with a rip a lot sooner than you should...errr, or will.

Photo Cred: Shin Zen Bi/Flicker

 Eventually, your gi will rip, tear, and/or fall apart. General wear and tear is just a fact of life. But you can take some steps to prolong the life of your gi by just being more aware of what you're putting it through. One of the first things to consider is: What is my gi made of? The majority of the gis out there are going to be 100% cotton, which means they're going to shrink. Even some pre-shrunk gis will shrink (on average) 3-4%. Keep that in mind; because if you're working in something 'a little snug' with someone else pulling on it, chances are you'll rip a seam, or bust through a knee altogether if that's the case. Sewing that is an option, but the material is already compromised and the stitch will most likely tear again. Sewing a tear and covering it with a patch is a good option in that case. Personally, I've never heard any arguments against it--other than the happenstance that the placement isn't conducive to BJJ. Some gi manufacturers even try to anticipate that by placing their company's name/logo patches in areas that are going to get the most wear and tear like collars, knees, shoulders, and sometimes the odd case of the back seam.

Photo Creds: Kelly Labor, SCMA

So check me out in the GroundGame Titan Energy gi, (also available in BLACK, if that's more your style) from this week's sponsor, GroundGame Fightwear. You can see GroundGame's patchwork displayed on the gi top where I'm most likely to get some gorilla pulling on me and potentially causing enough stress that it might cause a rip and ruin my day.





You can also see the pants are a little special as well with built-in canvas covers over top of cotton pants. The extra layer does exactly what you think it would: more protection. Also, the canvas is tougher than cotton--if you didn't already know that--so you shouldn't get those pesky knee-rips as we illustrated in the first picture; but that's not without some compromise to flexibility. Like all things in BJJ, you give something for another, and in this case you're giving up some flexibility for durability. But don't be so quick to count that out.  I like the option to add some more armor on some days. Sure, giving up my flexibility for a class can be a bummer, but not as much as going to the advanced class and having someone rip your pants all because you wanted to push yourself a little, ya dig? (Good. I knew that ya could.)




So now that we're all done laughing at my hair in those pictures (I swear it doesn't always look like that), let's rap a little about washing your gi. You're going to hear a lot of sides to this story as to what it the best method. Personally, my wife washes mine in our normal washing machine on COLD water. Weather permitting, I'll hang dry outside because I like to try to be traditional, but I live in Pittsburgh, PA and sometimes it's colder than hell and snows, so in those instances, I (she) does put then in the clothes dryer and I've never had any problems. I've heard of guys who refuse to subject their gi to the physical beatings that a washer/dryer session can put on a gi by hand-washing it. (A training partner told me that Garry Tonon told him that he puts his in his bathtub with some soap and stomps on them like he was making wine.)  Look, on that front, do what works best for you, but PLEASE just be sure you're getting it clean. Just whatever you do: DO NOT USE BLEACH. Bleach will weaken the fabric so bad that it will rip 1,000,000x's faster than it would have in normal circumstances. I didn't even consider that when I came home with blood splatters on my gis. I'd spot-treat the areas and think it was fine--it wasn't. The areas were all weak and ripped too easy.
PRO TIP: If you're going to throw them into the washing machine, knot-up your pants string so that it doesn't get all wibbly-wobbly and pulled out while it's in there.

Hang Drying for Jesus to bless my gis w/ luck

But what if you WANT to shrink a gi, well, okay. That's going to take some guesswork, but it can be done. If you're one of those BJJers who's in between sizes, buying a size up and shrinking down is a good option. To do that, more or less, do the opposite of what I just mentioned about washing/drying. To shrink a gi: Wash that sucker in a washing machine on HOT water, then dry it HIGH heat. But tread softly, young white belt. Overdoing it is easy. You don't want to have super-short sleeves on your new gi, and not be allowed to even use it in competition. Because there are IBJJF Rules about that sort of thing, but that's a topic for another day.

Finally, transporting your gi. Seems dumb, but it's a real thing. If you're lucky, the gi manufacturer will provide a gi bag with your gi. Check out the nice one GroundGame gave me. Some guys will wear their gi to class, some even carry it like a school boy carrying books using their belt like a bookstrap. It's my personal opinion to transport mine in a bag. I'm scared of spilling coffee on it while driving to class. There's also the weather factor--rain, mud, sleet--getting onto it before class. Also, if you use public transportation, I'd prefer that you didn't rub your gi in my face that was just laying on a spot where who knows was sitting and farting (not to mention taking it home all sweaty). Any kind of bag is fine, but if your gi manufacturer is nice enough to provide you with a gi bag, use it, man!

BIG THANK YOU to this week's sponsor, GroundGame Fightwear.
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Ain't Nothin But a Gi Thing (Baby)

So it's time to buy a gi; but where do you even start? There's a lot to consider when it's time to buy a gi, especially when you're new to the whole process, and in the coming weeks we're going to take a look at the ins and outs and do our best to give you some guidance so that the process is as painless (and inexpensive) as possible,

There are a lot of gi companies out there, and all of them want your business, and that's fair. Just like any other product, the manufacturer wants to make their product more appealing, but also recognize that they're in a niche market with a specific demographic. Some gi companies stay more conservative and traditional by specializing in traditional white gis. While others like to add more flavor to their product by putting them out in various colors, perhaps with patches, and even with built in rash guards. When you're considering a gi (and probably your first) you should consider your gym's rules first. It's not unusual for some gyms to require a more traditional approach--only allowing white, and sometimes blue as well--while other gyms may be a little more loose on their gi policy. I only mention it because it's an easy oversight and you don't want to be the new kid who shows up to a traditional school with a $200 USD+ black Shoyoroll that you can't even wear.

Once you've determined what your gym allows, you're next step is where to buy a gi. Some gyms sell them on-site, but if you're not lucky enough for that and don't have a Gis-R-Us in your neighborhood, the internet is your best friend and enemy. It's your best friend because it's basically the only place that you can shop, but it's also your enemy because you can't look at your perspective purchase in person to make sure the fit is perfect. (SPOILER: The perfect fit is rare.)

The first thing you need to consider in buying a new gi is the price. Don't go shopping out of your budget. A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gi can be an expensive venture, but it is an investment; and like most things, the more you invest, the better the product, and the bigger the risk. You're new to Jiu Jitsu, that means you're not certain you're going to love it forever and ever, so it's dumb for you to spend a lot on a flashy new gi. It could be a waste of money if you end up quitting after a few months, but more importantly, you'll look like an asshole if you show up in the flashy new gi as a new kid to the sport. Others might downplay that a little, but it's true, you'll be 'that guy' and in the process, look like an asshole. All BJJ gis are essentially the same, though. I say that because you can get a good/solid gi for under $100 USD that will work just as well as the expensive ones--they might not last as long, but they work just fine and are a safe, calculated investment. One of the best things on the internet for this process is http://www.bjjhq.com/. BJJHQ sells 1 BJJ-related item a day at a discounted rate; and usually have at least a gi a week on there. If you haven't already been to the website, get ready for your new addiction. You'll find a lot of great stuff on that website (everything from mouthpieces, cups, and rash guards, to gis, DVDs, and no gi shorts), but it's a great website to find a good gi for sale at a nicely discounted price. 

Since we're all not the same size of human, gis come in different sizes. Assuming you're an adult, your sizing will start in the category "A1." "A" meaning "Adult" and "1" meaning the smallest adult. As the number goes higher, the gi increases in size. Most (if not all) manufacturers have a size chart associated with their product. In my experience, all of the charts measure differently. By that I mean that some measure across the chest/shoulders, while others take that measurement vertically (as seen below). 

  Confusing, right? Yeah. It's a real trial and error process. Generally speaking though, if you eyeball the size chart and order what you think will fit best, it probably will. You might swim in it a little, but that's okay--it's better than it being too small. (Pro Tip: Pay attention to what others your size are wearing and ask them what they like/don't like about their gi, and keep mental notes). If you're especially tall, or short, for your weight, you're probably going to bump into some issues but it shouldn't completely hinder your time on the mat. Remember when I said that the gi companies pander to a niche community? Use that to your advantage--feel free to reach out to them via email or a phone call to ask questions. They want, NAY!, need your business, so it's in their best interest to provide good customer service to you. 

'But what about weaves? What's with all this weave business?' Weaves are the type of stitching the manufacturer uses to make the gi top strong(er). Dependent upon what weave your top is, can determine its durability over time, strength, its level of shrinkage, and so it. The world of weaves is intricate, and Fenom Kimonos summed it up perfectly here so I won't try to rephrase what they've already done perfectly. 

In closing, you're going to need a gi. Get something that abides by your gym's rules, isn't super-flashy, and makes sense for you and your size. It's a lot to digest, but it ain't nothin' but a gi thang.