Let’s say you’re tight with time and that the training sessions your BJJ gym offers don’t always suit your schedule… Perhaps you’re working at those hours, perhaps you have other obligations to go through – and you’re missing out on training because of that. However, you could train at other times during the day. And some of the other BJJ academies in your vicinity actually offer training sessions at those times.
So, should you go for it? Should you start cross-training at different gyms? Or is it wiser to stay loyal to just one?

STAYING LOYAL VS. TRAINING IN DIFFERENT BJJ GYMS

Here’s the thing. If you’re already training in a healthy environment – in a BJJ gym that encourages a positive culture, under an instructor who is a decent human being and pushes you to become better – then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t drop in and train in different gyms as well.
In other words: there’s no reason why your BJJ instructor should be stopping your from doing that. If you want to get in as many mat hours as you can and if you choose to do so by training in different gyms, then great! You’re a grown up who should make these decisions by himself; if your instructor isn’t letting you do so, then perhaps it’s best to find an academy that is more progressive when it comes to this.

But you also need to keep in mind that, by training in different gyms and not staying “loyal” to just one, the instructors in those gyms probably won’t give their 110% to you.
Meaning, sure – they’ll train you like any other student. But when it comes to going the extra mile, when it comes to staying after class and showing you the details, to getting you under their wing… Don’t expect them to do that. That’s something that’s often reserved for those who they feel are truly a part of their tribe.

It’s nothing personal. Just a case of human nature at work. Nick “Chewy” Albin details more why this is the case on the video below: