10 Warning Signs of a Destructive & Negative Jiu-Jitsu Academy
http://www.bjjee.com/articles/10-warning-signs-of-a-destructive-negative-jiu-jitsu-academy/
By Guillaume (Gile) Huni, BJJ black belt and head instructor of Kimura Academy in Belgrade, Serbia.
Training Jiu-Jitsu should be an enjoyable experience. If you are lucky enough to find the right academy and the right instructor, you will learn how to defend yourself, increase self confidence, make new friends, change your eating habits, compete etc…Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is generally very informal, compared to more traditional martial arts. In most cases student and teachers are on a first name basis, there is not so much emphasis on Eastern style bowing.
The reality is that not everybody will find an BJJ academy that meets all their needs. Some schools are lead by instructors with very little experience and end up teaching a watered down version of Jiu-Jitsu. Even worse, some people end up in a school with an unhealthy and destructive environment where they are bullied, judged, pressured and ridiculed.
Very often, one person is responsible for the overall atmosphere of the academy: The instructor. As a leader they should be able to banish negative and disruptive students to preserve the good atmosphere of the group. An instructor should be courteous, inspire, be a role model and inspire.
