5 Red Flags for a “McDojo” BJJ Gym

Most of us in the martial arts world are familiar with the term “McDojo” which can have a bit of a broad meaning. In the worst case, it can be a martial arts school where they are just showing outright false information, like using one’s “chi” to defeat one or multiple opponents, or nonsensical (and dangerous) self-defense techniques. However, that is just the extreme end of the spectrum. You can indeed have martial arts schools that are showing mostly good information, but are still watered down, unwelcoming, dangerous, or otherwise have a negative atmosphere. This article is written with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) in mind, but could easily translate to other arts. I’ve seen other article on this topic, but many of the “red flags” are extreme examples. Below are 5 more common red flags you should be on the lookout for when looking into a new BJJ school for  you or your family.

1. Is the BJJ school welcoming to visitors/outsiders?
   Are the instructors welcoming of other students who want to cross train? (Do you ever see other team patches on your mats?) BJJ is still a fairly small and tight-knit community. Rolling with someone is our way of breaking-bread… like a handshake. If your instructors aren’t accepting of other non-affiliated grapplers, ask yourself “Why is that?”. If you’re not “allowed” to visit other gyms, what is the reason? If your school is running a solid program, they should be confident in their value to you and you should be able to cross-train as needed.
2. Are you forced to purchase and wear only the BJJ school’s gear?
   Gym pride is great! So is being able to choose your favorite gi manufacturer or rashguard. Maybe you want a green or multi-color gi?  Offering custom gis, or rashguards is a great idea, but it shouldn’t be mandatory. Of course, requiring your school patch be worn for competitors makes sense. Otherwise, why not be able to express a little bit of personality? This also goes back to being unwelcoming to visitors.
3. Does the BJJ school use attendance cards to promote / promote too quickly?
   Tracking attendance can be a useful tool for school owners. Tracking class metrics and making sure students don’t slip through the cracks is a great idea. However, if students are being promoted purely based on number of classes attended, this is a HUGE RED FLAG. Some folks need more time to pick up information, and some need less. Typically, white belts get a new stripe every 3-4 months. This means it can take between 15-20 months to achieve blue belt for the average grappler who attends about 3 times/week.
4. Does your BJJ school claim to be #1 or “the best” in an area without actually backing it up?
   For example: if a gym is brand new, or if the instructor is a lower rank/less accomplished than instructors from surrounding schools, but claims to be “the best”… ask yourself what this claim is based on. Being the best doesn’t mean you’re part of an affiliation with the most schools in the world, or that you have a famous BJJ family name in the school’s name. (TIP: Schools with famous names don’t show anything that other Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools don’t show. It’s about the instructor(s), not about the name)
5. Does the head instructor of the BJJ school have clear lineage?
   If you aren’t able to find/verify the lineage of the head instructor, you should run (not walk) to another school. Even if the techniques being shown aren’t absolutely wrong, there will surely be missing bits and pieces that could add up to danger in a self-defense situation. Even if it’s not a safety issue; you would hate to get into your advanced belts only to realize that you’re lineage is also not verifiable and the validity of your rank is in question.

It used to be that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools were few and far between and you may have needed to settle for any option you could find. However, the number of BJJ schools are rapidly growing and people most often have options to choose from. Do a little bit of homework and don’t be afraid to try out all your options before you choose your BJJ home. Even if a BJJ school has a familiar name, that only goes as far as the front door. Make sure the place you choose can back it up with solid instruction and a positive atmosphere.