Mentoring for new Jiu-Jitsu coaches and academy owners
Mentoring for new jiu-jitsu coaches and people who want to open or improve an academy. Practical, one to one, based on running a dojo in Berlin.
Being good at jiu-jitsu and being a good coach are different skills. Running a school is a third one. In these sessions we work on your real situation: your class, your students, your numbers.
Who it is for
- New coaches and assistant instructors who want to teach with more structure
- Experienced practitioners who are about to open their own academy
- Academy owners who want an outside view on their classes or their organisation
What we can work on
Teaching
- How to structure a class: warm-up, technique, drilling, sparring
- Teaching beginners and keeping them
- Kids and teens classes
- Curriculum design: from a first class to a structured programme
- Feedback, correction and belt progression
Tactics
- Adding a tactical layer to your technique classes (see the strategy seminar)
Running the academy
- Prices, memberships and trial classes
- Space, rent and scheduling
- Websites, Google profile and simple marketing
- Hiring and developing instructors
- Handling conflicts and difficult situations with students and members
- Planning: what to do first and what can wait
Formats
- Single session: 60 to 90 minutes, online or in Berlin
- Three-session pack: a topic, a plan and a review
- Day at your academy: I watch classes and we go through them together
- Monthly check-in for coaches who want regular feedback
Price on request. For your first conversation, a short call to see whether it makes sense.
Who mentors
I am Rodrigo Fernandes. I train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2001, hold the black belt 3rd degree (IBJJF, Team CheckMat) and have taught in Germany for more than 15 years. I own and lead the BJJ DOJO Berlin and built its structured introductory curriculum of 24 classes. I know the work of a coach and the work of an owner from the inside, including the difficult parts.
Note: I share experience, not guarantees. I am not a lawyer, tax advisor or insurance broker; for contracts, taxes and insurance please ask a professional.
Voices
These quotes are about my private jiu-jitsu lessons, not about this specific format.
I’ve attended several BJJ seminars by some big names, but what I learned in my first private lesson with Rodrigo simply exceeded, without exaggerating every of them. An extremely likable person with a profound technical understanding. His analytical way of teaching and explaining BJJ through concepts and body mechanics has left me speechless several times — even days afterward. Thank you for this great experience. I’m looking forward to many more private lessons.
Christian Frey
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be a black belt to take part?
No. Mentoring is for coaches at any belt who teach, or are about to.
Can we do it in Portuguese, German or English?
Yes, any of the three.
Is it online or in person?
Both. Online works well for planning and feedback. For watching a class, I come to you or you come to the BJJ DOJO Berlin.
Enquiries
Tell me where you are now: how long you have been teaching, how many students you have and what you would like to improve.