What a decent BJJ Dojo should have?

Question

I went to observ a BJJ class,seemd great,instructor could explain everything well,broke everything down so people would get it. BUT I had this man who teaches Karate,and a woman (There husband and wife) they were on my back about enrolling in Karate,because it isnt exactly traditional,they said they do some groundwork. They said this BJJ is more sport side,and On the BJJ website the owner is form Brazil and goes by the traditional Gracie way. Im confused..

Answer 1

1. Being a sport does not mean it is ineffective.

The "it's just a sport" argument is common, and rather ignorant. Taking part in competition (a defining characteristic of a sport) does not automatically mean a style is no good for self-defence: quite the opposite, if its full-contact like muay thai, BJJ etc. It means that it is possible to use the techniques of that style in a regulated environment, which conversely can result in people who are capable of defending themselves using those same techniques, presuming its trained with 'aliveness' (in short, progressive resistance, as compared to compliant training where at no point is your partner attempting to stop you applying your technique).

Certain people (and it sounds like this karate instructor is one of them) place great stock in statements like "that's just a sport, whereas MY martial art is far too deadly for competition". What they really mean is that they never train their techniques under pressure, and therefore lack any demonstrable verification that what they're learning actually works.

2. What to look for in a good BJJ school.

First I'd recommend you take a look at the following link, as its got good coverage of all the common questions about finding a martial arts school:

http://www.bullshido.com/articles/findin... (FAQ on finding a school)

Specific things to look for:

- A competitive record: does the school regularly send people to compete, and do they perform well? If they do, that demonstrates the instructor is good enough that his students learn effective technique that they are able to successfully apply on a fully resisting opponent (i.e., in a competition).

- A verifiable belt: is the instructor clearly listed under a reputable black belt, or are they reluctant to clarify who gave them their rank?

- Regular classes that fit with your schedule.

- Clean mats. That may seem like a minor point, but hygiene is important. There are numerous dangerous infections that can be problematic in close contact grappling sports like BJJ, wrestling etc (you may have heard of staph, MRSA, ringworm etc). Dirty mats greatly increases your chances of catching something unpleasant.

Finally, you might find this article useful for further information on BJJ:

http://www.bullshido.com/articles/brazil...

Good luck with your training!

Answer 2

People who claim BJJ is only for sport clearly are either 1) trying to sell you something, or 2) fear BJJ. In gracie jiujitsu, you learn many self-defense aspects of grappling and standup as well.

"some" groundwork from karate will not be sufficient - the groundwork in karate will most likely feature 1 or 2 sweeps, maybe a mount escape, etc...