[NeverMan]

OK, so I recently moved from DC to Newark, DE for school. I was attending a Danzan-Ryu school in DC who did Randori on a regular basis. I really liked the instructor and the students. I paid $65 a month for 3 classes/wk on a non-contract basis.

Now, I realize that I'm not going to find anything nearly that good in Newark, DE, money and contract wise but:

I went to a BJJ class last night (since there are no real JJJ dojos in site, as I would prefer to do that but BJJ is better than nothing). The dojo is run by an Allen Sachetti. Here is the website: Sachetti's Martial Arts

It looks as though, from local competitions, that he has good students (they win often in comparison to other local schools) and therefore must have good instruction. He trained under Rickson Gracie and his listed as such under this website: Rickson Gracie - The Martial Arts Encyclopedia
although I believe he is now a brown belt, via the "instructor" page on his website.

He also offers Filipino Dumpag and MT.

OK, here's the rub:

For BJJ or FD or MT, by themselves (3-4 classes/wk) it's $145/month. For everything (almost unlimited classes) it's $185/month. I say unlimited because he has 2 different BJJ teams and they go on different days of the week (1: MWF, 2:TuThF). ALSO, he wants a 12 month obligation (12 month contract).

I'm not use to paying that kind of money and I certainly don't like obligations. I'm married, that's enough obligation for me.

Please, let me know what you think.

ALSO, here are some other places I am planning on checking out. If you have something to say about these places that would be great, thanks:

Tai Kai - Brazilin Jui-Jitsu - News

Wilmington Jiu Jitsu

Silvio Braga Jiu-Jitsu

Rio Jiu Jitsu - Delaware Jiu Jitsu

I'm going to check out all of these places before I decide to do anything, so let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance.

[NeverMan]

OK, this afternoon I went to the Tai Kai place. Much bigger space with partial gym and heavy bags/speed bags. More people.

3 month = 500 up front
6 month = 900 up front
12 month = 250 up front + 125/month = $145/month

First month of first signup is free.
Unlimited Classes, included MMA/BJJ Gi/Grappling No-Gi classes.

[bamboo]

Thats pretty expensive. I paid 240 upfront and 79 a month for 10 months for a 12 month session

What do you have against the bjj?

[NeverMan]

Hey bamboo, that's what I thought. I was paying $65 a month for Danzan Ryu in DC with no contract.

I don't have anything against BJJ, in fact, my first class at Tai Kai they pointed out some good fine points of things that I feel I was missing.

That said, the other side to BJJ is that it is mostly taught as sport, thus leaving way too many things open and being in positions that at a BJJ tournament are "strong", in the real world would be considered very "weak". JMO. Unfortunately, there are no Danzan Ryu places around here and from what I have seen, most of the traditional places don't do live resistance, which I think is extremely valuable.

[zefff]

Expensive aint it? I am right on the limit here at 65 quid per month (130 USD).

[NeverMan]

Originally Posted by zefff

Expensive aint it? I am right on the limit here at 65 quid per month (130 USD).

so $145/month is normal for BJJ training in your experience?

That seems really high to me, but maybe I'm just a poor student.

[bamboo]

From what I've seen, expect to pay between $80-$150 for grappling instruction from a qualified teacher. Depends on the names and if its the teachers full time job.

[NeverMan]

So, I went for my second class at Tai Kai last night. We pretty much did the exact same things we practiced Saturday, all of which might be very useful in a BJJ tournament, but in the real world would get you smacked down like a ho on Church street.

One other thing that bothered me was that my sparring partner pointed out that grabbing the thumbs is illegal in BJJ. Illegal!!?? Nothing on the street is illegal. Sigh. Anyways, it's a good workout and they roll every class for at least 15-20 minutes, plus you can stay after and roll more if you want. Also, they have some decent weight equipment and bags and it's unlimited classes for the price.

Tai Kai is probably where I will end up going. I am going for a third class on Saturday.

Tai Kai is actually associated with the Wilmington Jujitsu place who is associated with Phil Migliarese out of Philly. I believe they are called "Team Balance". Anyone ever heard of any of these guys?

BTW, the instructor at Tai Kai is a guy named Bill Walters. He has his brown belt and his other instructor, Jim Morrison, has his purple belt.

[bamboo]

One other thing that bothered me was that my sparring partner pointed out that grabbing the thumbs is illegal in BJJ. Illegal!!?? Nothing on the street is illegal

But safety dictates that in order to learn to have to make compromises.

The shittacular canryu jiujitsu system they teach around here has all that fun "dirty" stuff except noone can actually practice it as its "too deadly".

I suggest to not rely on the thumbs and such but keep theem in mind as an option. You get the best of both worlds.


-bamboo

[bamboo]

Seems that tai kai is ultimately under relson gracie, theres your big name.