should be doing, as we’re an excellent resource of current events and all things related to the sport), there is a greater chance that you will consider using our online shops (or visit our Fightshops) for your purchasing needs in regards to the sport. Some of the homework assignments might even have suggestions to buy some stuff from our website, but I will state this is entirely optional and will done only in the context of a lesson I’m trying to get across.

One quick point I’d like to make. Jiu Jitsu as a lifestyle is more akin to marathon than a sprint. I intend to be involved to some degree with Jiu Jitsu for the rest of my life. I hope to help foster long and healthy relationships within this sport for everyone.


Lesson #1 Mentorship in Jiu Jitsu

Jiu Jitsu is a difficult art to master. Even the initial learning curve can be difficult, and many schools unfortunately have had a high drop out rate because of that difficulty. While there may be a lot of reasons for that initial frustration, most of the responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of the instructor. Here’s the thing, it’s one thing to teach someone Jiu Jitsu, There are a series of positions and maneuvers to be learned that are usually classified as Jiu Jitsu. You can learn them from a book, a website, a video, or whatever. The benefit of having a real live person teaching you Jiu Jitsu is to ensure that you are become better at Jiu Jitsu.

This is what a Mentor should be doing for you. A mentor is someone who is not only showing you Jiu Jitsu, but a mentor will take the time to ensure that you yourself become better in Jiu Jitsu. That is a subtle but an important difference. So let me take the time to emphasize this point again. A MENTOR IS SOMEONE WHO TAKEN THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE YOU BETTER.

Are you not convinced of the need of a mentor? Think you can get learn Jiu Jitsu without one? What sport or activity of a competitive nature can you think of, either individually or with a team, can you think of anyone who got there without a coach? Can you think of any? Of course you cannot. You may not know their individual names, but behind every athlete, team, and champion there was a mentor right behind them who guided them along the way.


•Who is qualified to be your Mentor?

Ideally your Mentor should be the main instructor at your academy. (In large academies your mentor may be senior student, or you might have multiple mentors). To be a mentor requires two things. Firstly, is a working knowledge of the art of Jiu Jitsu and the ability to convey it. I’m not going to say this person needs a black belt (because I know that is not always a possibility, and furthermore some black belts make lousy instructors. In fact, in this series of articles I’m going to largely avoid the topic of belts all together), but this person should have knowledge and experience above your own. Furthermore this person should be able to push and extend your limits, both physically and mentally. This requires a bit of work on the part of the mentor, because it takes getting to know his/her student rather well, and understanding what abilities he/she has and what needs to be worked on. Once again, a mentor should be committed to making you better in Jiu Jitsu, and this is a greater degree of difficultly than simply teaching a class.

•What should you expect from your Mentor?

Once again, you should primarily expect from your mentor the capacity of having someone who cares about your individual progress and who can help you meet your goals. A mentor should have an overall roadmap for getting you better and Jiu Jitsu and will have tailored instruction to meet your needs.

Am I suggesting a mentor turns every class into a private class? No way, that would be impossible, but in virtually every well run class I’ve been through there are plenty of opportunities for observation, interaction and advice between mentor and students. A student should feel free to ask any question of a mentor, however the answer may be that you’re not ready for the answer yet and you’re simply going to have trust your mentor.

If you are in a situation where you cannot find a mentor, you should find a new situation. You can read that for exactly what it means. Jiu Jitsu is not the least expensive hobby in the world, and if you’re not finding mentorship in your Jiu Jitsu class, you should find another class. On the other hand if you’ve found a mentorship relationship with your instructor, you should really embrace it as something very powerful indeed. You may not always agree with your mentor, this is true, but once someone has realistically accepted the position of mentorship, this is a powerful bond indeed.

There maybe another case when it comes time to switch mentors, when there is still a lot of progress to be made in the learning of jiu jitsu, but the current mentor has shown all that he/she can. In a healthy mentor relationship, the mentor acknowledges the limits of his/her knowledge and blesses or even suggests the transfer to another mentor.

• What should your Mentor Expect from you?

Every time I attend class, get on the mat myself, or even do my OntheMat related work, I ALWAYS have the intention of getting better each time. Even if it’s just a little bit better. I don’t find it unreasonable to expect the same from everyone else. If I’m in the class (particularly if I’m teaching class) I honestly expect everyone present to be trying to get better. Some days the steps are smaller than others, but all I’m looking for is forward progress. To tell the truth, one of the things that makes me the most impatient is when the mat is treated as some kind of social club, if you’re not on the mat to work, then I expect you to get off of it.

Once you’ve established a mentorship relationship, it’s pretty safe to assume that your mentor expects you to get better each time and expects you to work towards that goal. A good mentor has realistic expectations, but is always looking for forward progress. You as the student are going to work and listen and as a consequence you should expect to see results.

•Everyone needs a Mentor:

Of course I’ve only covered mentorship in the very early stages of Jiu Jitsu. The need for a mentor never goes away however, and even at the very highest levels of Jiu Jitsu. As I’ve seen time and time in high level competitions the difference between having a mentor in your corner and not is often the difference between victory and defeat. Jiu Jitsu is a lifelong journey and there is seemingly an endless variation