Is your mma gym legit or a joke?!?
Back in the day, if you wanted to train MMA, often the only real option for an aspiring fighter was to drive 1-2 hours away and train in a neighborhood in which you needed a bulletproof vest. To say things have changed would be an understatement. These days, MMA gyms are popping up everywhere at a rate that is almost surreal.
There are so many MMA gyms opening up that in this day and age, if you live more than 45 minutes from a gym that teaches MMA, chances are you live in Montana. The thing is, just because a gym has the initials “MMA” on their signage does not mean they are qualified to teach mixed martial arts.
In order to practice law, you need to pass the bar; in order to be a stockbroker, you need to pass a Series 7 test; and if you want to be a doctor then you need to graduate from med school. However, there is no law that prevents someone from opening an MMA gym.
I’m very fortunate in that I have the option of training at top-notch gyms that are all within sixty minutes of my home. The problem is that there some "mma gyms" within the same distance that have no business being in operation. If you are looking to take up training, you have to be careful no matter how excited you are about getting involved.
Don’t just run to the nearest MMA gym with cash in hand. Know what you’re getting into. Some gyms are going to require that you make an extended commitment of at least six months or more. You don’t want to walk into a gym and instantly sign your name on that dotted line because you got excited by seeing someone throw an amazing high kick.
If you were going to buy a car, would you just go to the lot and choose whatever looked nice and was available? No. Would you not look at other dealerships in order to get comparative pricing and better quality? You need to adopt a similar approach when searching for the right gym. Although it’s a lot cheaper to train MMA than it is to buy a new car, training in a martial art can be expensive.
The reality is that many people out there are being ripped off. There are instructors claiming to hold a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu when they do not. There are former Karate instructors who claim they can help people become pro fi ghters even though they’ve never fought or trained MMA. Simply put, you need to be careful of wannabes with false or otherwise meaningless credentials. A lot of people recognize the mounting appeal of MMA; they see how much money can be made. Instead of starting over and paying their dues in a new martial art, they allege to be able to teach you something they aren’t actually qualified to teach. Right about now, you’re probably wondering how you can determine whether your gym is legit or a joke. Here are some important things to look for.
1. ARE THE PEOPLE WILLING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS
If you’re talking to an owner or head trainer and they are put out that you are asking questions, that’s a red flag. They are running a business and you are a customer. You have every right to want to know what you’re getting yourself into. If an instructor is running a legit gym, there should be nothing to hide and they should be glad to tell you what the gym has to offer.
2. DOES IT LOOK REPUTABLE
You can’t always judge a book by its cover, but you can tell a lot about a martial arts gym by its appearance. Is the gym in a well-lit area? Is it in its own space or does it lease a smaller space within an existing business, such as a fitness gym? Are there windows so that people from the outside can see in it? Have they put money into redecorating? If a gym doesn’t even feel a need to put money into their surroundings, there’s a chance they don’t feel a need to put money into their staff. Do they have newer heavy bags and clean mats? If you’re at a gym that resembles a shack or garage, chances are that’s the level of instruction you’re going to get.
3. PRICE
In martial arts, spending a lot of money doesn’t always guarantee quality training. However, a safe rule to follow is if you buy cheap, you get cheap. The cheapest I’ve seen in regards to this rule is the Philadelphia Fight Factory (home to Eddie Alvarez, Tara LaRosa, and Stephen Haigh), which only charges $99 a month.
Most people suffer “sticker shock” when they see the cost of training. A legitimate MMA gym located in a major metropolitan area is going to cost you around $100-$250 per month for a full program. You can train for less at most gyms if you’re only interested in a single discipline like Muay Thai or Jiu-Jitsu, but you need to be careful about a full MMA program that is less than $100 a month.
If you have no aspirations of competing and are simply looking to get into shape, then you can get away with training at a cheap gym so long as it’s being operated in a professional manner. But if you want quality training, you’re going to have to pay for it.
4. BE SURE TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE MMA CREDENTIALS OF THE INSTRUCTORS
After brainwashing their students for years that MMA was just a fad, many Karate, Kung Fu, and Taekwondo schools are closing up shop and re-opening as MMA schools. Some of these former traditional martial arts schools are no more qualified to teach MMA than someone who has never trained. You want to train under someone who has one or more of the following: certification from a widely recognized MMA school; fights professionally in MMA; is a top-level competitor in Muay Thai or Jiu-Jitsu; or has trained MMA for a significant period of time.
Look, there’s nothing wrong if an instructor has a background in traditional martial arts. Chances are that any instructor over thirty got his or her start in traditional martial arts before transitioning to MMA. Pat Miletich, one of the greatest MMA trainers of all-time, holds a black belt in Karate. But he’s also boxed, wrestled, and trained Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. You only need to be concerned about an instructor if the only thing they have to fall back on is their traditional martial arts background.
Almost as bad as schools closing and reopening with a new identity is that some traditional martial arts schools are simply adding the initials “MMA” to their signage. These gyms are trying to pass off Karate as a contemporary MMA striking technique while simply going out and getting a blue belt to head their Jiu-Jitsu program.
So don’t be afraid to ask for credentials. And once you get the instructors’ qualifications, be sure to check them out. Remember, we live in the information age. If someone makes a claim that you can’t verify through a routine Google search, there’s a chance they are telling you a tall tale. For example if someone says they fought in the UFC, they should show up on Sherdog’s fight finder. Or if someone is telling you they have won big-time grappling tournaments in the past, you should see something when you enter their name into a search engine.
5. ASK IF PRO FIGHTERS TRAIN AT THE GYM
The odds of becoming a pro fighter are already against you unless you’re a former NCAA Division I competitor, a standout Muay Thai fighter or a Jiu-Jitsu prodigy. Even with a strong pedigree, success in MMA is not a guarantee. No matter how much respect you have for the sport, it’s still ten times harder than it looks on television. But if you have pro aspirations, your chances of developing into a pro-caliber fighter are depressed further if you are training at a gym that has no current pros or has never produced one.
6. OBSERVE THE STUDENT BODY
Whether you’re training during a free trial period or just observing a class, be mindful of how the students act. There are a lot of knuckleheads that try and train martial arts. MMA is attracting a lot of people who are insecure with their place in life. These are the types of people who think they are a badass just because they gave someone a black eye while sparring.
Any school worth its salt has ways of weeding out undesirable students from their population. While weeding out methods can vary greatly, legitimate gyms do not allow assholes to run the risk of soiling their gym’s reputation just so they can get an additional $150 a month.
8. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY TRIAL OFFERS AND THEN TRUST YOUR GUT INSTINCT
You should never commit to a gym until going through a free trial period. There is no better way to determine if a gym is right for you than to take advantage of this free trial. After that period is up, you should have a good idea of whether the gym is right for you. If you find that there are a lot of unanswered questions and too many red flags, take that as a sign that you should probably keep looking for a gym that feels like a better fit.
