Why You Should Train Jiu-Jitsu in Another School

It was not uncommon to hear how training in other Jiu Jitsu schools was frowned upon back in the day when I used to live in Rio. In some cases, even called a treasonous act against the school/professor you were affiliated with. Words like ‘Creonte’ (slang for traitor) were often used in the Jiu Jitsu circles. I believe that today things have changed a bit and it is more acceptable to see students from other Jiu Jitsu schools, visiting a rival school, or training with friends from other lineages. The reality is, this should have always been the case.

No one teacher has the right to reject the idea that his/her students will do the eventual training in a competitor’s gym. A student not only has the right to visit other schools, but I would say that depending on your level of seriousness about Jiu Jitsu, this should be something to be done often.

Visiting a new school for a day’s training can be a rich experience on many levels. It will not only test your technical skills against opponents that are different than your habitual partners, but it will also expose you to different teaching and sparring approaches. In addition to the purely physical and technical aspects of it, this experience will also take you as close as possible to a competition environment, short of an actual tournament. It will be a psychological challenge that will only make you better as a Jiu Jitsu practitioner and as an evolving human being.

It will put you in the lion’s den so to speak, a mat room filled with unknown faces and unknown styles. It will undoubtedly strengthen your skills and build up your confidence and reliance on your Jiu Jitsu.

Oss