Choosing a Martial Arts Gym
For those of you who don’t know, I recently moved from Montreal to Toronto. So far, it’s been fun settling in, exploring the city, and trying new restaurants and activities. One activity that I enjoy immensely is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), and I have been looking around for the right place to train.
Back home, I was a member of Jiujitsu Montreal, which was a friendly and tight-knit community. There were typically only 5-10 students per class, led by head instructor Shawn Mozen. Shawn is an excellent coach who breaks techniques down simply and explains the rationale behind their effectiveness. He is a disciple of Henry Akins, a black belt under Rickson Gracie, who is universally regarded as the greatest BJJ practitioner of all time. Shawn teaches BJJ the way it was initially intended; for self-defense. I appreciated the real-life applicability of his style, and I was looking for that type of focus in Toronto.
I decided to write this article to detail my decision-making process in the hopes that it could help those of you that someday might have an interest in starting BJJ and want to know what to look for in a gym.
As I began my search, I kept in mind the following quote from Shawn in an article I had written about him a few years ago.
Don't pick the first school you visit. People will go all over town, sitting in traffic, to get a good deal on running shoes for their kids. But they'll sign them up at the martial arts school right around the corner. You're entrusting your kid with a coach to train them, help them be excited about training, and fall in love with the sport. But you can also completely crush all that with a lousy coach; you can turn them off the sport entirely. So something so valuable shouldn't be chosen by how close it is to your house. Even if you have to drive further to go to someone better, you have to do it. Otherwise, you're better off waiting, and at least you won't spoil it for your son or daughter by taking them to the wrong person. So go check out the gym around the corner to see if they like it. But check out at least three or four other places too.
The first gym I tried was called Budo Canada. Unfortunately, it wasn't a great experience. It was a loud, open gym, with other classes going on, which was distracting. I liked that the class was small, but the instructors weren’t invested in the students and were distracted by their private conversations. Also, there wasn’t any explanation for why they were teaching us those specific techniques on that day. I found myself looking at the clock, hoping the class would end. On top of that, neither the instructors nor the receptionist asked me for feedback, which was disappointing. Overall, I didn't get a good vibe from this gym, so I crossed it off my list.
Next up was Freestyle Dojo, a short drive from my apartment, offering only No-Gi classes. I immediately liked it better than Budo because it was a smaller and quieter space with only one class going on at a time. I enjoyed the first session enough to buy a two-week trial and attended several more sessions during that time. Although it was a better atmosphere, the techniques emphasized were more unconventional (i.e., Reverse De La Riva guard). I am not saying that those techniques don't have real-world applicability. Rather, I am more interested in focusing on the fundamentals like closed guard, mount escape, side control, etc. and those weren’t a focus.
The third gym I tried was Rev MMA, which is currently the only Gracie-Certified Training Center in Canada. I had heard about Gracie University before, and I decided to start with the Combatives program because of its focus on self-defense techniques. Although that program is designed for beginners and I already have a few years of experience, drilling the basics more is always beneficial.
Rev MMA has classes for various martial arts, including BJJ, Boxing, Muay Thai, and Krav Maga. Upon arriving for my first class, the receptionist greeted me and explained their BJJ program. I got introduced to the head instructor, Joel Gerson, who took the time to ask me questions and learn about my training background.
I enjoyed the first class because the Combatives program offers organization and structure. The program is broken down into 36 core techniques taught over 23 classes. They post the schedule monthly, so you know what techniques you will learn in each class. I like that transparency because, at so many gyms, you don't know the instructor's teaching plan. I prefer knowing what I will be learning in the months ahead to look forward and prepare for those classes.
The one thing I didn't like at Rev MMA is that it can get very noisy with multiple classes being taught simultaneously. That makes it hard to hear and focus on the instructor's words. I also didn't notice anyone cleaning the mats between classes. Hopefully, they clean them at the end of the night because with so many people training, everything gets messy quickly. It is also a 45-minute commute to get there, which isn’t ideal but will be worth it if I learn the proper techniques in the right environment.
Ultimately, I decided to sign up for one month at Rev MMA. The way their program works is that the variable cost depends on how many classes you attend per week. I chose the cheapest option of attending two weekly classes, which amounted to $150 + tax per month. That is a lot of money, especially since that membership doesn't allow me to participate in unlimited classes. Although the price is steep, I plan to continue training there. I might try a few more gyms closer to home in the next few months, but I am content with Rev MMA for now.
I have included my criteria below for you to consider. How much value you place on each item is up to you, but at least you have a starting point.
Criteria to look for:
Noise level: Are there other classes going on at the same time? Are there walls to separate those classes?
Friendliness of staff: Are you greeted upon your arrival? As you leave? When it’s your first class, does the head instructor take time to get to know you?
Cleanliness: Do you see the staff cleaning up before or after class?
Applicability to self-defense: What type of techniques are taught? Do they teach techniques starting from standing position like protecting from strikes, clinching, etc., or is it all from the ground?
Head instructor: Do they speak loud and clear? Do they answer questions openly?
Price: How much is an unlimited monthly membership? Do they offer class packs if you can't attend as much as you would like per month?
If this post has motivated you to embark on your martial arts journey, I would love to hear about it.
Feel free to comment with any questions you may have.
Good luck!