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Home » BJJ Belts & Promotion » How do I know if a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor is legit?
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How do I know if a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor is legit?

- John Q. Whitebelt

Posted by John Q. Whitebelt in BJJ Belts & Promotion, Finding a BJJ School, Starting BJJ | 1 comment

Community Answers

  1. This solution has been deemed correct by the post author

    76
    7-24-13
    Aesopian says:

    If you are researching a potential school, the best place to start is their website, then use Google to verify their claims. The website should tell you the names of the instructors, their belt lineages (who promoted them), the school’s association/affiliation, and their other credentials such as tournament wins and instructor certifications.

    Winning medals in BJJ, MMA and other grappling events are all pluses. Look for wins in the IBJJF Worlds (Mundials), Pan Americans (Pan Ams), regional Opens, NAGA, Grapplers Quest, ADCC (Abu Dhabi), or ADCC Trials, especially the adult black belt or advanced divisions. If they also do MMA, look for wins in local MMA events and ideally the UFC and other major MMA organizations.

    Note that not all instructors or schools have big tournaments wins, and they can still be qualified instructors and good schools. But wins are a big sign they are teaching good BJJ.

    A search for the instructor’s and school’s name should turn up results that show their connections to the BJJ community, such as tournament results, interviews on BJJ sites, competition or instructional videos, forum discussions about them, etc. Finding them (or their instructor) on sites like BJJHeroes.com is a very good sign.

    You should be able to establish who gave them their belt rank, especially if they are a black belt. A clear lineage back to the Gracies is usually a good sign.

    If you can’t easily establish who gave an instructor their rank from researching online, try asking by emailing, calling, or going in person. Black belts are usually very proud of their lineage and association, so you should have no trouble finding out. Be very suspicious if their answers aren’t direct and verifiable.

    Most BJJ schools are in a larger association, such as Gracie Barra, Alliance, Atos, or many others. Google will help you research these associations. BJJ forum discussions in particular will help you discover their reputation.

    A BJJ instructor is not required to be a black belt. Some associations allow blue belts (the lowest rank above white belt) to run affiliates. This is common in areas without well developed BJJ scenes. In this case, the affiliate will usually join an association that’s run by a black belt. The head of the association should occasionally visit, usually to give seminars and award belt promotions.

    That should help you determine if a BJJ instructor is qualified, but it still doesn’t tell you if you even like their classes! Do trial classes at whatever schools you are considering, and pick the one that suits you best.

    If you still need help checking out the legitimacy of a school, you can ask about it in the Finding a School section of this site.

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