So a friend of mine and I started going to this "Gracie Jiu Jitsu" dojo about 2 months ago and I started noticing a few warning signs that I might be at a McDojo.
Here is the website:
First, there was very little sparring. Students were only "allowed" to spar once a week on designated sparring days, and even then there were a number of limiting rules about speed, force and usable techniques. None of the instructors roll with us. We only rolled with one another.
Second: No striking. None. At all. I know that BJJ is primarily a grappling art, but there is some striking in it. Right? I'm not very knowledgeable about BJJ, but even wikipedia seems to indicate that some level of striking is taught. Is that the case?
Third: Charging for belt and stripe testing. This plays makes you pay money to add an electrical tape stripe to your belt.
Fourth: Extra belts. Even adults are required to test for the "Kidjitsu" ranks of yellow, orange and green. There's no "camo belt" or any of that BS, but there's still at least 3 extra belts that aren't represented by actual BJJ.
Fifth: No lineage/false lineage. The question, "Who awarded you your blue belt?" was not met with fondness. I would think that a legit BJJ instructor would be proud of their own instructor and say their name with pride. Instead, they acted like I was insulting them. Their website calls their style "Gracie Jiu Jitsu", but none of the instructors (all blue belts) are listed on the Grace Academy's Certified Belt Holders list. When confronted, they backpedaled and stated that they are affiliated with "Wolfpack BJJ".
Sixth: Affiliation with Wolfpack BJJ... Based on the MMA Underground forum found here:
; I think this association is a scam...
So here's the long and short of it: I don't want to go there any more. I don't know if I'm being taught legit BJJ techniques because there's no quality control. Maybe these guys are awesome. Maybe they suck balls. I just don't know. That's why I want to go to the Gracie Academy certified BJJ dojo down the street which is being run by Gracie Certified Brown Belt Larry Yap. I know he's legit. I know he has extensive experience in several martial arts, fighting experience at tournaments and even real life combat experience as an Army Ranger. He's awesome.
On top of that, the studio itself looks pretty cool, too. $125 a month gets you access to all the classes you want to attend, plus they have a gym AND you can use unutilized mats to spar whenever you want. They also don't charge for testing. Sounds like a legitimate studio. Sounds simple, right?
But I have this friend... He's been going to this studio with me, and he "really likes these guys" and wants to keep going and we carpool there and I'm such a whiny baby that I don't want to go to this new studio all by myself and roll with these new guys alone. I've explained all this to him, but he's very stubborn. What should I do, besides manning the **** up and just letting him go to his shitty McDojo? How can I convince him?
Here is the website:
HTML Code:
http://www.virginiatkd.com/jiu-jitsu.htmlSecond: No striking. None. At all. I know that BJJ is primarily a grappling art, but there is some striking in it. Right? I'm not very knowledgeable about BJJ, but even wikipedia seems to indicate that some level of striking is taught. Is that the case?
Third: Charging for belt and stripe testing. This plays makes you pay money to add an electrical tape stripe to your belt.
Fourth: Extra belts. Even adults are required to test for the "Kidjitsu" ranks of yellow, orange and green. There's no "camo belt" or any of that BS, but there's still at least 3 extra belts that aren't represented by actual BJJ.
Fifth: No lineage/false lineage. The question, "Who awarded you your blue belt?" was not met with fondness. I would think that a legit BJJ instructor would be proud of their own instructor and say their name with pride. Instead, they acted like I was insulting them. Their website calls their style "Gracie Jiu Jitsu", but none of the instructors (all blue belts) are listed on the Grace Academy's Certified Belt Holders list. When confronted, they backpedaled and stated that they are affiliated with "Wolfpack BJJ".
Sixth: Affiliation with Wolfpack BJJ... Based on the MMA Underground forum found here:
HTML Code:
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=forum.posts&forum=11&thread=1603156&page=1So here's the long and short of it: I don't want to go there any more. I don't know if I'm being taught legit BJJ techniques because there's no quality control. Maybe these guys are awesome. Maybe they suck balls. I just don't know. That's why I want to go to the Gracie Academy certified BJJ dojo down the street which is being run by Gracie Certified Brown Belt Larry Yap. I know he's legit. I know he has extensive experience in several martial arts, fighting experience at tournaments and even real life combat experience as an Army Ranger. He's awesome.
On top of that, the studio itself looks pretty cool, too. $125 a month gets you access to all the classes you want to attend, plus they have a gym AND you can use unutilized mats to spar whenever you want. They also don't charge for testing. Sounds like a legitimate studio. Sounds simple, right?
But I have this friend... He's been going to this studio with me, and he "really likes these guys" and wants to keep going and we carpool there and I'm such a whiny baby that I don't want to go to this new studio all by myself and roll with these new guys alone. I've explained all this to him, but he's very stubborn. What should I do, besides manning the **** up and just letting him go to his shitty McDojo? How can I convince him?