In part 1 of, Do You Only Train Jiu Jitsu At Your Home Gym? The main topic I discussed was training jiu jitsu primarily at your home gym (or gym you have always trained at) and why this can be detrimental to you progress. I also asked the question, does your current gym encourage you to cross train / train with other gyms / attend open mats / etc.?
Most people in life become comfortable with their surroundings and feel safe doing so. As it relates to jiu jitsu, if you have become comfortable with your training, you have probably hit a plateau whether you realize it or not. You have become comfortable with your training partners / techniques and learning. While this may make you feel good, you are not really progressing as you should. If you care about getting better at jiu jitsu, you must break out of this “comfortable” cycle.
To break this cycle, simply seek out others who can push your jiu jitsu to be better. This can be accomplished many different ways, including: attending open mats in the area, visiting different gyms and making friends who will challenge your jiu jitsu to evolve.
Although many gym owners say they “encourage” cross training, in my personal experience they don’t believe this at all. After all, their gym is a business, they are afraid of potentially losing their student or maybe their student learning from others. This is why I decided to write this specific article!
Ultimately, the goal should be about spreading jiu jitsu, improving your technique and passing your knowledge of jiu jitsu to others. Jiu jitsu was here before you starting training and will be here long after you stop training. Enjoy jiu jitsu while you are healthy, try to master the art and share with as many like minded people as you can!