We can all get self-conscious about our standings on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu mats with our coaches and peers. It is always a good feeling to train at a place where everybody knows our names and they are always glad we came. Despite the friendly face and smiles, we all sometimes doubt our standing on the mats after a rough day of training or a comment that you can’t decipher as a compliment or a sarcastic remark. Rest assured, you are probably overreacting and there is a good chance your coaches genuinely like you and having you on the mats.
Here are five signs that your BJJ coaches like you.
You are bestowed a nickname.
Coaches and teammates don’t give every student a nickname. In some cases they don’t even know your first name. If you stick around long enough and have a good relationship with your coaches, you might be lucky enough to get a BJJ nickname. While it might not be as cool as “Jacare” or “Sinestro,” it will be good nickname that plays off your real name, personality quirks, or BJJ style. If your nickname includes words like lazy, shady, or dumb, then take that as a red flag to switch gyms.
Your coaches takes time to help shape your game.
BJJ schools typically have 50 to sometimes 500 students. It is hard for coaches to scout everybody’s game, especially in larger classes of 20 or more students. Take it as a compliment if a coach pulls you aside and gives you extra advice and techniques based around your body type, style, and skills. Not everybody gets the extra unsolicited tips on how to finish chokes, sweeps, and takedowns to help shape their game. So take it as a very positive sign you are in good with your coaches.
They check up on you when you haven’t shown up to class.
Ever get the quick text message, email, or phone call from coaches when you have been MIA from the mats? Maybe you have been battling the flu or busy with work and family for only a week or two, but that is enough for your coaches to check up on you. If they didn’t care, the only time they would call is when your credit card didn’t clear for your monthly dues. Most coaches want their students to be on the mats training since they know it helps to improve their lives off the mats. So it is natural for them to also want to see if everything is alright if they haven’t seen you around for a week or two.
They answer your questions with great answers.
Ever been in a classroom where a teacher or professor gets tired of answering students’ questions? Some teachers get easily annoyed even if the questions are valid. Another sign a BJJ coach likes you is if they take the time to answer your BJJ-related questions even if they are basic ones or totally from deep left field. This can include answering your questions on techniques, scenarios, and counters in BJJ. A bad sign, would be if a coach blows off your questions or saves the Q&A for strictly private lessons.
They corner you at competitions.
For many BJJ coaches, the hours are long if they are a gym owner balancing business, classes, and family time. Even for part-time coaches, there is a lot of demand on their free time. Taking the time out to corner you at a competition is a big sign they like you. Most competitions are on the weekend when they can be spending time with family, friends, or just relaxing. Instead they are traveling to your tournament venue, hanging out at a gym with you and getting you ready to compete. Bonus props to your coach if you are the only one competing from your gym competing at this event.
