Dojo Cancers

A few words on how easy it is for one bad apple to ruin your experience in the gym. It only takes one negative person to destroy your journey through jiu jitsu. Most of the time it will be a larger than life ego. They are everywhere. Brazilian jiu jitsu gym owners will usually try to weed them out as soon as they surface. Sometimes it takes time for the real personality to come out. As soon as it appears it needs to be addressed. If left unchecked, this person will become a nightmare and spread like cancer, unleashing negativity throughout your school. This will cause students to become unhappy and possibly leave. No one wants to complain, but you need to speak to your instructor or owner if you have any problems. Trust me, they do want you to speak up. If you don't get the answer you're looking for, maybe this particular gym or school is not for you. Find a school with no egos or "clicks". You can usually identify the cancer by the student thinking he or she is better or above any other student. Another red flag is when the student constantly transfers from gym to gym. There's a reason they don't stay at one gym. The owners or instructors are able to detect the bad apple and get rid of them. Watch out for gym hoppers! They will love the person they are with today and bad mouth the person they loved yesterday. Avoid these people at all costs. Surround yourself with good people and you'll have a great experience. It's that easy.