Craig Jones has offered a brutally satirical take on gym culture in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Though delivered as humor, his commentary focused on power dynamics, manipulation, and the lack of accountability that can exist inside certain academies.
A major theme of his critique was instructor worship.
According to Jones, problematic gyms often elevate the coach beyond the role of teacher:
You’re not a coach. You’re not an instructor. You are a humble warrior, monk, philosopher, misunderstood genius.
You constantly talk about ego, respect and discipline…
But never for a minute display any of it.If people think you’re spiritual, they won’t notice you’re unethical.
Uniform policies were another target.
Jones suggested mandatory team gear functions less as team identity and more as control and monetization:
Our rashguards, our gear, double the price, no alternatives…
And well, if someone asks why – well, who do you think you are? You don’t support the gear. You don’t support the team.Congratulations. You just monetized identity.
Jones saved some of his sharpest criticism for belt promotions:
What is a belt? It’s not a ranking system.
It is not a measure of skill. A belt is a subscription retention device.People don’t keep training because they love Jiu-Jitsu. They keep training because they want to be noticed.
A belt is colored validation proof you matter, proof you’re improving, proof you belong.Once someone invests years, money, injuries, friendships, identity, they don’t leave.
Not because they love the gym, because leaving means admitting I gave my life to something that didn’t love me back.The belt isn’t a reward. It’s a leash.