Finding a gym

Question 1

How do I look for a gym?

Accepted Answer

All the gyms are on one single page. Open the Gyms page. At the top, next to the logo, you'll find the “Search by name or city…” field. Type the gym's name, or the city. To the right of the search field there is the “Filters” button, for narrowing the results. Also at the top there are two buttons side by side: “Map” and “List”. Tap whichever you prefer. Map and List show the same gyms, in two different ways. Map: gyms are red dots. Where they are close to each other, the dots merge into a circle with a number inside. List: each gym is a card with city, affiliation, programs and the links to phone, website and social. In the List, at the bottom of each card, the “View →” link opens the gym's full page. Under the filter bar there is a line saying how many gyms you are looking at, for example “128 gyms”. That number changes every time you change a filter. If you see nothing, first try switching to the “List” view: there the site tells you what is going on.

Question 2

Which filters can I use to narrow the search?

Accepted Answer

Open the Gyms page. At the top tap the “Filters” button, with the sliders icon. A panel with all the choices opens under the bar. Once you have chosen, the “Filters” button turns red and shows a number: how many filters you have on. These are all the filters available today. Search field “Search by name or city…”: it looks in the gym's name, the city, the country name and the affiliation. Country: the drop-down menu that starts at “All countries”. Region: the “All regions” menu. It appears only after you have picked a country. Province: the “All provinces” menu. It appears only after you have picked a region, and only for Italy. Gyms in other countries have no province. Affiliation: the “All affiliations” menu, Gracie Barra or Alliance for example. Type: the three round buttons “Gi”, “No-Gi” and “Both”. Classes: the round buttons “Kids”, “Women”, “Competition”, “Private lessons” and “Trial class”. Verified only: the round button that keeps only the gyms with the Verified check in the list. When it is on it turns green, not red like the others. The round buttons work like switches. Tap once to turn one on, tap again to turn it off. When they are on they turn red. The red “Clear filters” link, at the bottom of the panel, drops the menus and the round buttons. It does not delete what you typed in the search field: you have to delete that by hand. If you pick a country and then change it, region and province empty themselves. That's normal: pick them again.

Question 3

How do I see only verified gyms?

Accepted Answer

Open the Gyms page. Tap the “Filters” button at the top. In the panel that opens, at the end of the row of round buttons, tap “Verified only”. It turns green: only gyms with the check stay in the list. To remove it, tap it again or press “Clear filters”. It works together with the other filters: you can ask for “Verified only” inside your region, or only the ones doing No-Gi. The home page also has a “Verified gyms” section, which shows a few of them without going through the filters. In a small area the list can come back empty: verified gyms are still few. Remove the filter and look at the others too — it does not mean they are worse.

Question 4

The map is nearly empty, I only see a few dots

Accepted Answer

The map always starts from the whole world, at the smallest size. From that far out, the gyms in one area merge into a single circle with a number inside. Tap the circle with the number: the map moves closer and the group splits up. Repeat until you can see the single red dots. Or else use the “+” and “−” buttons at the top left of the map. On a phone you can also spread two fingers on the screen. Tap a red dot: a box opens with name, city and the “View gym →” link. Careful: if you pick a country in the filters, the map does not move there by itself. It stays where it is. It is up to you to drag it and zoom in on the right area. If that feels like too much work, switch to the “List” view: there the filtered gyms are already lined up, with no hunting on the map.

Question 5

No gym comes up, what am I doing wrong?

Accepted Answer

Nearly always it's a filter left switched on. Say you picked Sicily and then turned on “Kids”: if no gym in that region has a kids class, the result is zero. In the “Map” view the site says nothing when the filters rule everything out. You just see a map with no dots, and no idea why. At the top tap the “List” button. The words “No gyms found” appear in the middle of the page. Under them there is the red “Reset filters” link. Tap it: it clears all the filters and the text you had typed in the search. The gyms come back. Now turn one filter on at a time. In the line under the filters you can always check the number. If it reads “0 gyms”, the problem is in the filters, not in the map.

Question 6

Where do the gyms already on the map come from?

Accepted Answer

Most of the gyms you see were not added by any owner. They were imported from OpenStreetMap, the free world map that anyone can edit. That has two consequences. The details can be incomplete: phone, email, website and timetable are often missing. The details can be out of date: the gym may have changed address, name or management years ago. Some listings can be wrong from top to bottom: a weights room that ended up in the list because the name looked like an academy's. The other gyms were submitted by owners or by athletes, and checked by the BJJ Square team before publishing. If a listing is wrong you can report it. At the bottom of the gym's page there is the “Report a problem with this listing” link.

Question 7

I can't find my gym, why?

Accepted Answer

First a quick test: clear the filters and type only three or four letters of the name. If it still doesn't come up, there are three possible reasons.

It was never added. Nobody submitted it and it wasn't on OpenStreetMap. This is the most common case.
It was submitted but is still waiting. Until the team approves it, it appears neither on the map nor in the list.
It is in there, but with no recognised address. If the site couldn't work out where it is, the gym exists but appears in neither view, not Map and not List.

In the third case the gym's page exists all the same. If someone sends you the direct link, it opens.

If you think it was never added, open it yourself: go to Propose a gym.
If you think it's waiting, give it 24-48 hours and try the search again.
If you think the address is missing, write to info@bjjsquare.com with the name and street of the gym.

Careful: Don't submit the same gym twice out of impatience. Search properly first: you create a duplicate and it then has to be taken off by hand.

Careful: If you don't pick the address from the list, the gym may end up with no position and never show on the map.

Note: If more than 3 days have gone by and the gym still isn't there, write to info@bjjsquare.com with the name and the city.

Question 8

I type the right name but the search finds nothing

Accepted Answer

The search compares what you type, letter by letter, with what is written in the listing. It doesn't correct and it doesn't guess. If you type more letters than there are, it finds nothing. Searching “Milano” won't bring up a gym listed as “Milan”. Accents count. “Citta” and “Città” are two different things. Typos are not corrected. “Graice” won't find “Gracie”. It only looks in the gym's name, the city, the country name and the affiliation. It does not look in the street or in the region name. There is only one practical rule: type fewer letters. Delete everything you have typed. Type only three or four letters, “grac” instead of “Gracie Barra Roma Nord” for example. Look at the results and, if there are too many, add one letter at a time. Capitals don't count: “alliance” and “Alliance” give the same result.

Question 9

Is there a way to see the gyms near me?

Accepted Answer

No. On the Gyms page “near me” does not exist: the site does not ask for your location and does not sort gyms by distance. The order is a different one — gyms with the Verified check are shown first, and all the others come below. The “Near me” button only exists on the Events page, for competitions and seminars. It doesn't apply to gyms. In the meantime, the quickest way to reach the gyms in your area is this. Open the Gyms page. Tap “Filters” at the top. In the “All countries” menu pick your country. In the “All regions” menu, which appears straight after, pick your region. If you are in Italy, pick your province in the “All provinces” menu. Or else type your city's name in the “Search by name or city…” field. Searching by city only looks at the city written in the listing. A gym in the town next to yours won't come up: try the province instead of the city.

Question 10

How do I submit a gym that isn't there?

Accepted Answer

You need to be logged in. If you haven't logged in yet, the site takes you to the Log in page and then brings you back to the form. Open the Gyms page. At the top right tap the red “Add a gym” button. The “Propose a gym” page opens. In the “Required information” box, type the name in the “Gym name *” field. Type the city in the “City *” field. Pick the country in the “Country *” menu. Go down to the “Additional information” box and use the “Search address” field. Type the address slowly and wait: a list of addresses appears underneath. Tap the right address in the list. Street, ZIP Code, city, province, region and country fill themselves in. If you like, add email, phone, website and a description. At the bottom of the page tap the red “Submit proposal” button. The button turns to “Submitting…” for a few seconds. Do really use the “Search address” field and pick an entry from the list. That is the step that puts the pin on the map. Typing the street by hand in the “Address” field does not do it. The “Country *” menu holds only 20 countries: Italy, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Australia, Canada and Japan. If your country isn't there, write to info@bjjsquare.com. The “Submit proposal” button stays off until you have typed a name and a city.

Question 11

I've sent the proposal, what happens now?

Accepted Answer

The gym is saved, but waiting for approval. The BJJ Square team checks it by hand, usually within 24-48 hours. While it is waiting, the gym does not appear on the map and does not appear in the list. That's normal, you have done nothing wrong. Watch out for one thing that confuses everybody: after you tap “Submit proposal” no confirmation message appears. You land straight in the gym's dashboard. That means it went through. From that moment the gym is already yours: you are registered as the owner and you can work on it right away, even while it is waiting. Open My sites. In the “Info & Contacts” tab correct or complete the details. In the “Logo & Photos” tab upload the logo and the photos. In the “Programs & schedule” tab put in the class times. Each time tap “Save changes” at the bottom. The word “Saved!” appears. You will get no email when the gym is approved. The way to notice is to look for it on the Gyms page: when you find it, it's published. If after three days it still isn't there, write to info@bjjsquare.com.

Question 12

The “Search address” field can't find my address

Accepted Answer

The list of addresses comes from OpenStreetMap. Many streets are on it, many house numbers are not. If your address is too detailed, the list stays empty. Delete what you have typed and try again with fewer details. Drop the house number: type only “Via Garibaldi Monza”. If it still doesn't come up, type only street and city, no ZIP Code and no “unit” or “floor”. If the list appears, tap the nearest entry even if it isn't the exact number: the pin still lands on the right street. If the list stays empty, type the street by hand in the “Address” field and send the proposal anyway. If you can't pick any address from the list, the gym is saved with no position. In that case it doesn't appear on the map and it doesn't appear in the list either. It can be sorted out later, from the dashboard, without doing it all again. Open My sites. Go to the “Info & Contacts” tab. Find the “Search address” field and try again with fewer details. Tap the right address in the list. At the bottom tap “Save changes” and wait for the word “Saved!”. If after three tries your address never comes up, write to info@bjjsquare.com with the gym's name and the full address: we'll put it in by hand.

Question 13

I've added the same gym twice, how do I get rid of the duplicate?

Accepted Answer

It happens often: the form doesn't warn you if a gym with the same name already exists. You can't delete the duplicate yourself, but you can report it. Open the Gyms page and find the listing to be removed, the wrong one. Open it with “View →” from the list, or with “View gym →” from the dot on the map. Go down to the bottom of the gym's page. Tap the grey “Report a problem with this listing” link. Pick the reason “It was added by mistake or is a duplicate”. In the details box write which is the right listing to keep. Tap “Send report”. The word “Thank you!” appears with the message that the report has been received. No email comes to you. The report is weighed up by hand by the team: the duplicate listing does not vanish on the spot. If the duplicate wasn't yours and you can't work out which is the right one, write to info@bjjsquare.com naming both listings.

Question 14

A gym's details are wrong or out of date, how do I correct them?

Accepted Answer

It depends who you are. If you are the owner or a manager of the gym, you correct the details yourself. Open your gym's page. If you already manage it, the red box “You are the owner of this gym” appears at the top, with the “Manage” link. Tap “Manage”: the dashboard opens. In the “Info & Contacts” tab correct what needs correcting. At the bottom tap “Save changes” and wait for the word “Saved!”. If instead you see the box “Are you the owner of this gym?”, you have to claim it first. If you are an athlete and don't manage the gym, all you can do is report it. Open the gym's page. Go down to the bottom of the page. Tap “Report a problem with this listing”. If the mistake is a big one, the gym has closed for example, pick “It was added by mistake or is a duplicate”. If it's a detail, pick “Other” and explain in the details box what is wrong. Tap “Send report”. Many listings come from OpenStreetMap and nobody has ever updated them. If you know the coach, the quickest route is to tell them to claim the gym and correct it themselves. Reports do not produce an automatic reply. If it's urgent, a phone number belonging to another business for example, write to info@bjjsquare.com as well.

Question 15

How do I ask for a gym to be taken off the map?

Accepted Answer

You need to be logged in. Without logging in, the link at the bottom of the listing takes you to the Log in page. Open the page of the gym to be taken off. Go right down to the bottom, under all the information. Tap the grey link with the flag, “Report a problem with this listing”. A box opens with the title “Report this gym”. Pick one of the four reasons. If you like, add an explanation in the “Details (optional)” field. Tap the red “Send report” button. A green tick appears with the word “Thank you!”. Tap “Close”. The four reasons to choose from are these. “It was added by mistake or is a duplicate” “It's not a BJJ or grappling gym” “I'm the owner and don't want to appear on BJJ Square” “Other” You get no confirmation email. Every report is read and weighed up by hand, by a person: the listing does not disappear straight away and it might even stay, if the report is not accepted. If you get no answer and it matters to you, write again to info@bjjsquare.com naming the gym.

Question 16

How do I contact a gym to try a class?

Accepted Answer

Contact always happens straight with the gym. It doesn't go through BJJ Square. Open the gym's page from the list with “View →”, or from the map with “View gym →”. Go down to the “Contact” box. There you'll find, if the gym has put them in: address, phone number, email, the “Visit site” link and “Message on WhatsApp”. Further down, under the contacts, there are the social icons: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. Tap whichever you prefer: the phone starts the call, WhatsApp opens the chat. On the same page, in the “Where we are” box, you'll find the “Open in Google Maps” link to get yourself taken there. BJJ Square is not a middleman. It doesn't handle sign-ups, it doesn't take bookings and it doesn't collect payments. Prices, timetables and a trial class you agree straight with the gym. If there is nothing in the “Contact” box, it means the listing is incomplete. In that case look the gym's name up on the internet or on social.

Question 17

What does “claimed gym” mean?

Accepted Answer

A gym is claimed when its owner has proved they are the owner, and from that moment they are the one managing it. You can tell from the way the gym's page looks. If the gym is not claimed, the box “Are you the owner of this gym?” appears at the top, with the “Claim gym” button. If the gym is already claimed, that box is gone. If you are the owner yourself, in its place you see the red box “You are the owner of this gym” with the “Manage” link. Claimed listings are more complete, because the owner can add things nobody else can add: logo and photos, class times, instructors, prices, description, events and announcements. Listings that are not claimed often have only name, city and little else, because they come from OpenStreetMap. Claiming is not a simple request. The site sends a confirmation link to the gym's official email address, the one already in the listing. You have to be able to open that inbox. Having an account is not enough. If the listing has no email at all, the site tells you so and asks you to write to info@bjjsquare.com from an official gym address: the check is done by hand. Claiming is also the first of the two requirements for the Verified check: the other one is having the profile at least 70 points. A claimed gym with an empty profile does not get the check. How the Verified check works

Question 18

What does the “Verified” check on a gym mean?

Accepted Answer

The check says two things at once: the gym has been claimed by its owner, and its profile is at least 70 points. Claimed means whoever runs it opened a confirmation link sent to the gym's official email address. So there is a real person behind that profile, not data copied off a map. Where you see it: in the “Verified gyms” section on the home page as a badge next to the name, in the gym list as a badge on the map and at the top of the gym page in the order of the list: verified gyms are shown first in the “Verified only” filter, if you want to see just those Verified does not mean “better gym”. Nobody judges the quality of the teaching, nobody checks the head coach's rank and nobody guarantees every detail is up to date today. It means one thing: the owner is behind the profile, and they filled it in. A great gym that has not sorted its profile yet does not have it, and that is not a judgement on the gym. Do not mix it up with two other things that are named almost the same. A verified belt is about one person's rank. A verified student is the label a coach puts next to your name in his list. Three different, independent checks. How the Verified check works

Question 19

The map doesn't load, it stays blank

Accepted Answer

The map is made of images that come from other sites while you browse. If something blocks those sites, you are left with an empty box, or with the dots and no background. There are three common causes. The connection is slow, or it has dropped. You are on a work or school network, which often blocks the sites the maps come from. You have a very aggressive ad blocker in your browser, which mistakes those sites for adverts. Wait five seconds: the first time, the map can take a while. Reload the page. Switch to the “List” view: if you can see the gyms there, the problem is only the map. Turn the wifi off and use your phone's data, then reload. If you have an ad blocker, switch it off for bjjsquare.com and reload. Try another browser, Chrome for example if you were using Safari. The app installed on your phone doesn't work without a connection. If you have no signal, the map stays empty and there is no way to see it. If you have tried everything and it stays blank, write to info@bjjsquare.com saying which phone or computer you use and with which browser. In the meantime the “List” view shows you the same gyms.

Finding a gym

Other topics

Didn't find your answer?