Kountermove

So you spent years perfecting your jiu jitsu game. You’re comfortable with your academy, know everyone’s game, and established your workout routine, but you have to move. What now? Being the new guy in most academies can be a challenging experience. If you play this wrong it can set your game back for years. It’s important to know the pitfalls.

Pitfall #1 Waiting until Life Settles Down

You’ve arrived in your new city. Your busy unpacking, adjusting to a new job and surroundings. The thought of shopping for a new academy seems daunting. However, you can’t underestimate the usefulness of having an outlet for your stress during this chaotic time and, unfortunately the longer you wait, the worse your fighter endurance becomes. This is just when you need your stamina the most.

You will be tested when you enter a new academy; advance belts are especially given a hard time. When students see a new advanced belt walk in they see an opportunity to test their own skills against someone who doesn’t know their usual techniques, giving them the possibility to get one over a higher belt than them. Furthermore, instructors encourage their students to beat the “new guy” because it validates their teaching skills, improves morale and bolsters the academy’s collective ego.

What this means is that you are going to have some tough rolls in the beginning and the worse shape you are in the more difficult it’s going to be.

Pitfall #2 Settling on the First Academy

All academies are different. The culture of an academy can range from uptight to laid-back, cerebral to idiotic. It’s important to note that not all will be suited to your personality or expectations for your game.

The most important consideration when deciding on an academy is how you interact with the instructor. They set the tone, rules and thus dictate both the social and technical aspects of the academy.

Some academies stress the physical aspect of jiu jitsu and spend a large part of the class on conditioning, taking time for longer warm ups, sparring sessions and focusing less on going over techniques. Others allocate a large part of the class to teaching the minutiae of a technique, making sure to communicate the nuances within a move and different positions this can set you up for.

The social aspect of an academy can vary just as much as the technical. Some are like factories, focused on getting you in and out. Others are more militant, relying heavily on the rules, routines and order they are used to. Finally, some support experimentation and learning through trial and error, giving you the opportunity to work through moves on your own.
It is paramount for you to gage whether you want to spend your free time in this environment. If you don’t feel like it’s a fit, then don’t waste your time. Don’t just settle for the first academy you go to. The more academies you try to better your fit going to be

Pitfall #3 Don’t Upstage your New Instructor

There will be a host of fresh moves that you’ll be inflicting upon your new peers. You will probably have an urge to explain everything. Don’t. You might be saying to yourself, “if I show my stuff I will be able to ingratiate myself faster into my new academy.” While it’s true it might make your peers happy to learn new moves, this will alienate your new instructor by undermining their authority and knowledge of the game.

Keeping your instructor on your side should be one of your top priorities. Typically your peers are going to take their social cues from the instructor, if your instructor doesn’t like you neither will your peers. Students will pick up on this discord and either ignore you, or pile on against you. Having the instructor on your side will make your life infinitely easier.

Pitfall # 4 Not Supporting your New Academy

You have a dresser full of t-shirts with your old academy logo on them. Wearing them to your new academy is tantamount to talking lovingly about your ex-girlfriend to your new one. Don’t do it! To prevent any unease, I recommend buying your new academy’s t-shirts, patches, hats, etc. as soon as possible. If you can, take off any patches on your gi that identifies your old academy.

In addition, every academy has its own traditions. Try to learn these as soon as possible. For example I went to one academy were you were supposed to bow when you got off the mat. I found this absurd, but I did it only so I betting integrate in to the academies culture
While you might feel like a sycophant, branding yourself as a student of your new academy will go a long way in alleviating any mistrust your new crew might have about you.