Building a Gym Where Growth Matters More Than Rank
The Importance of A Positive Gym Environment in Bjj.
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Building a Gym Where Growth Matters More Than Rank
Being in charge of a program allows you to make quite a few decisions that many Jiu-Jitsu Black Belts can’t. This is not about ruling over a program but making the program work in ways that you wished it had when you yourself were a student.
When I was coming up, the environment that I training in was kind of a dog eat dog gym. While many of us didn’t compete, we often trained as if we were. Our instructor demanded us to roll and train seriously for the sake of being at a certain level.
When my instructor was around, people trained harder and rolled with more intensity than normal in the hopes that they would impress him. If the instructor happened to sit on the edge of the man near a pair or if they knew he was looking in their direction, the intensity was spiked up.
Genuinely a weird phenomena.
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Redefine Progress
A few years ago, our gym switched over to promotion events twice a year, June and December. While I don’t have to stick to that and I will sometimes promote outside of that window, I have found it to be useful. I think it allows students not to worry so much about the promotions during the rest of the year.
They can just train for the sake of training and getting better.
While in class, I try to get my students to focus on game development, connections, and enjoying the process as a whole. Having fun is and always will be a big part of of any program that I lead or am a part of.
I don’t just want, I need students to enjoy themselves so that everything else falls in place.
Normalize The Marathon
Both of my custom black belts have the phrase, “The Marathon Continues” stitched on them.
The phrase embodies how I feel about training and life as a whole.
First, it’s a nod to West Coast Hip-Hop artist, Nipsey Hussle, who coined the phrase before he passed away. The way he described what the phrase meant to him always hit me in the most intense way, so I adopted it in his honor.
Second, I try to speak to many of the mistakes that I made along the way.
My mother has always had this unique way of teaching lessons based on her own mistakes, that always stuck with me. Her honestly and openness have always been been something that I respected most about her and have tried to emulate.
So, I try to do the same with my own Jiu-Jitsu journey. For example, I’m willing to share how poorly I handled Blue Belt or the various mistakes that I’ve made over my time as a student and instructor.
I constantly refer to our Jiu-Jitsu careers as a journey or marathon to emphasize how long this all takes. This is not a sprint and everyone runs it uniquely.
Celebrating Contributions, Not Just Competence
I have students who contribute far ahead of their competence.
For example, I have a student who is the heart of the program. He’s someone who’s constantly looking after his training partners on and off the mats. He checks in on their families and takes action when he sees that things are not well.
He’s an obviously competent Purple Belt, but it’s his leadership and contributions as a human being that consistently outpace his contributions on the mats.
I’m fortunate enough to have multiple students who operate this way.
Promote A Community of Shared Knowledge
At the end of every class, we have a short Q&A session. During these sessions, I’m the one who often answers the questions but there will be times when someone will ask a questions that I’m not suited to answer.
I’m fortunate enough to have students who have become subject matter experts in specific elements of Jiu-Jitsu.
When someone asks a questions that’s better suited to be answered by one of them, I show what I might do, but also defer to a specific student.
Model The Behavior You Want
None of us are perfect and we all have shortcomings when it comes to our personality. I’m not always “on” and I am bound to make some missteps from time to time. My goal is to model the behavior that I want to see out of my students.
For example, I will ask them questions when they do something that I’m unfamiliar with in order to pick their brain on a technique. I check in on students when I haven’t see them in a while or they seem off. I have difficult conversation with them in private and most importantly, I apologize when I’ve made a mistake.
Your program doesn’t have to be perfect, it’ll never be. What it needs to be is kind, genuine, and humble.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a Blue or Purple Belt coming up, pay attention to your instructors. Watch them for both the things that you like and dislike and let that be your guide to building the coaching version of yourself you’ll value most.
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Thank you for reading.
David Figueroa-Martinez
Founder, DFM Coaching
Coach | Writer | Grappler
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DFM Coaching is dedicated to helping you overcome mental hurdles and achieve your full potential in BJJ. Whether through in-person instruction, seminars, private lessons, remote coaching, or video analysis, I provide personalized support tailored to your needs. Keep pushing forward, and let’s grow together!