Mixed Martial Arts Forum banner

What makes for a good program?

882 views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Jersey5.0 
#1 ·
Hello all,
A new school offering MT and BJJ just opened about 15 minutes from my house, so I was happy to hear that. About a year back I spent 2-3 months at a school about 45 minutes away, but stopped going for a few reasons. I enjoyed it, but I felt the instructors themselves were...sub par, to say the least. There was no question as to whether they knew what they where teaching, the problem was that they really weren't teaching anything at all, it was more or less a bunch of shadow boxing and then group up and throw punches/make attempts to submit your partner.

So this leads me to my question. Tell tale signs of a good school. What, if any, are they? This place is new, so it doesn't have a reputation to go on, and I can only sit in on so many sessions without feeling like an asshole. So what's the deal, I don't wanna get stuck like last time, what should I look for at this new place?
 
#2 ·
A lot of exercising, that's one. A lot of cardio, stretching, a LOT of padwork, and a lot of sparring (like semi-contact or something. body shots allowed, no punches to the face)...there also should be full-contact fights btwn the top students of the class...meaning, once you get to their level, you'll fight full contact as well. Also, it's a big plus if they have a ring.
That's for Muay Thai. I haven't started BJJ yet, so I really don't know. Good luck.
 
#3 ·
Besides the actual instruction (because it sounds like you've already sat through a session or two), see if you can confirm/verify the credentials of your instructors. It takes seconds to Google a person's name to be able to verify their credentials if they're documented. You can also do the same for the people who they claim to have been schooled under.

I'd take a minute or two to check out their backgrounds to see if they are legit. onthemat.com is a good place to start. If the place is as new as you say it is, they may not have enough intermediate/advanced students to be able to seriously get into sparring.
 
#5 ·
Jersey5.0 said:
Hello all,
A new school offering MT and BJJ just opened about 15 minutes from my house, so I was happy to hear that. About a year back I spent 2-3 months at a school about 45 minutes away, but stopped going for a few reasons. I enjoyed it, but I felt the instructors themselves were...sub par, to say the least. There was no question as to whether they knew what they where teaching, the problem was that they really weren't teaching anything at all, it was more or less a bunch of shadow boxing and then group up and throw punches/make attempts to submit your partner.

So this leads me to my question. Tell tale signs of a good school. What, if any, are they? This place is new, so it doesn't have a reputation to go on, and I can only sit in on so many sessions without feeling like an asshole. So what's the deal, I don't wanna get stuck like last time, what should I look for at this new place?
the fight world is a small world. everyone seems to know everyone, even from diffrent dojos, this is common due to tournaments.
do not be afraid to ask questions of who and where, how long, what ever questions you want.
the computer serch way is another, as said before.
i am sure there are alot of dojos out there that are a flyby night spot due to the fact everyone wants to learn how to fight.
 
#6 ·
Just thought I would update you guys. I stopped by the place tonight, talked for a while, bullshitted, got a schedule, met with some of the kids taking the class. It looked pretty good. He's new there, says he only has about 25 students at the moment, I liked that. I set it up so that I'm gonna be taking a couple classes and then deciding how I like this new place, and consequently, deciding if I want to join the school.

Run by a younger guy, mid to late twenties, about my age, which was cool, he was down to earth and honest with me.

So yeah, that's the point I'm at right now, just gonna get a few classes under me before I go signing anything, and see how I like the place. I'll keep you guys updated.
 
#7 ·
Jersey5.0 said:
Just thought I would update you guys. I stopped by the place tonight, talked for a while, bullshitted, got a schedule, met with some of the kids taking the class. It looked pretty good. He's new there, says he only has about 25 students at the moment, I liked that. I set it up so that I'm gonna be taking a couple classes and then deciding how I like this new place, and consequently, deciding if I want to join the school.

Run by a younger guy, mid to late twenties, about my age, which was cool, he was down to earth and honest with me.

So yeah, that's the point I'm at right now, just gonna get a few classes under me before I go signing anything, and see how I like the place. I'll keep you guys updated.
the places i go to i pay per month with no contracts. i noticed a lot of people are stuck at a place due to the year contact.
 
#8 ·
kishiro said:
the places i go to i pay per month with no contracts. i noticed a lot of people are stuck at a place due to the year contact.
Yeah, I talked to him about the year contract, and I made it clear that I wasn't all that thrilled due to my college status, possibly going away a few months before my year is up. He said unfortunatley, that's how he does things. We will see.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top