A question about and for instructors....

Whilst there's a 10PJJ school in my city, its way on the other side of town and, with three kids, a wife, pets, job, mortgage etc., going out there to train is most impractical. My current school is very convenient and has some great coaches and training partners, however, my main BJJ coach has a few attributes that I (and, recently, I discovered, quite a few others) find quite difficult and undesirable. He has a none-to-subtle way of showing favouritism to some of his students and almost blatant disdain and disrespect to others. Even the most common courtesies seem to be too much for him to muster, if you are not one of the chosen ones. I, personally, have never offered anything to him but respect and friendliness but receive little to none, in return.

How do other instructors feel about this situation? Has anyone else felt this from their instructors? Advice, thoughts?

Even when I recently won my division at the last tournament, I barely got an acknowledgement from him, which was extremely disappointing.

He sounds like a "cock" why would you give this man your money, my advice would be to leave

You sure it's not something you're doing that you're just not aware of bro?

I mean, do you like regularly smash the girls up or something? :)

if you have a chance to train with franc its worth the drive. ive been lucky to have met almost all really amazing trainers (including franc and mick) but through talking to people about it and noticing it myself, being a good trainer only has a small amount to do with how good you are at the sport. some trainers are just cocks. i really get annoyed at people who cant atleast be professional while doing their job.

my advice is to get to franc when you can and if u cant make it regularly, maybe invest in some mats that u can throw down in your garage and try and just get a friend over and go through some stuff. get the reps in like that and then you can use your time better when you have training. good luck bro.

btw if ur ever interested, feel free to pop over to nz and come train :)

I could never train under a douchebag or a man I couldn't respect.

who gives a rats ass what this guy thinks about you, what makes him so special. If he runs a good class, has knowledge to impart to you, and you are learning and progressing, then just put in the time. If not, get the heck out!! Make the drive to Frank, sounds like an awsome instructor.

Thanks guys. Convenience is a huge factor and this coach is, possibly, the highest credentialed BJJ instructor in the country. I am lucky we have two other Brazilian (total of three) black belts, who are great guys. The owner is Australian and quite pleasant and also a third "dan" black belt. My muay Thai, MMA and wrestling coaches are fantastic guys, too.

I'd love to hear from Eddie, Chris or any of the other coaches as to how they think the situation should be handled.

Hi Jeremy, what is the situation?
That you are not being recognized? You are not part of your instructors circle of friends?
Sometimes it'll be this way. You gotta ask yourself what do you want out of training. Is it to learn really good jiu jitsu, is it to be friends/pals/buddies with your coach, or is it to train jits close to home.

Many other factors to think about, but those are some major ones.
That's up to you to decide tho, because ultimately you should be happy and comfortable where you train.

I've met Frank, and I know good people when I meet them, right off the bat.
He might not be the highest decorated guy in your country, but he's good people.
I think that goes a long way, because once you're comfortable, you'll really be able to excel.

I'll drive 1000 miles a week, week in and week out, to train with good people.
It's a lil extreme, but know it can be done.

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Originally Posted by JeremyBJJ

Thanks guys. Convenience is a huge factor and this coach is, possibly, the highest credentialed BJJ instructor in the country. I am lucky we have two other Brazilian (total of three) black belts, who are great guys. The owner is Australian and quite pleasant and also a third "dan" black belt. My muay Thai, MMA and wrestling coaches are fantastic guys, too.

I'd love to hear from Eddie, Chris or any of the other coaches as to how they think the situation should be handled.

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If it is Anthony Perosh just call Ryan Jimmo, he'll straighten him out for you. Shouldn't take more than a minute. :)

Convenience should not be a factor at all, quality and competency should. Jiu Jitsu is not just a commodity it is a science and a lifestyle and needs to be treated with respect by both parts. Settling for an instructor because of convenience sake is doing yourself a huge disservice. Jiu Jitsu is a lifelong journey, the company you keep along the way should be based on mutual respect, in order to make the most of that journey. The fact that you have recognized there is an issue answered your question.

Rick is right. You should think about why you are there. I personally would not stay, but i am a little old school in my martial arts philosophies. If he has qualities that are undesirable to you, then why pay him to pass those on to you. If that type of stuff doesn't matter to you then it sounds like you are fine where you are. But just know that bad qualities start at the top. Lloyd Irvin made that very apparent.

Herzog consistently dropping the knowledge.

Zog with science! Everything he said is right on.

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Originally Posted by Chris Herzog

Convenience should not be a factor at all, quality and competency should. Jiu Jitsu is not just a commodity it is a science and a lifestyle and needs to be treated with respect by both parts. Settling for an instructor because of convenience sake is doing yourself a huge disservice. Jiu Jitsu is a lifelong journey, the company you keep along the way should be based on mutual respect, in order to make the most of that journey. The fact that you have recognized there is an issue answered your question.

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Anyone else's mind blown?

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Originally Posted by Kyle Spalla

Anyone else's mind blown?

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That's why we love Coach!! Muthafukin Jedi Master!! The man lives on another level!!:cool:

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Originally Posted by Slick Rick

Hi Jeremy, what is the situation?

I'll drive 1000 miles a week, week in and week out, to train with good people.
It's a lil extreme, but know it can be done.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris Herzog

Convenience should not be a factor at all, quality and competency should. Jiu Jitsu is not just a commodity it is a science and a lifestyle and needs to be treated with respect by both parts. Settling for an instructor because of convenience sake is doing yourself a huge disservice. Jiu Jitsu is a lifelong journey, the company you keep along the way should be based on mutual respect, in order to make the most of that journey. The fact that you have recognized there is an issue answered your question.

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Thanks to all for their input.

To answer Slick Rick's question, the issue is one of manners and courtesy, more than anything else. My coach's skills as an instructor are not in question, just his skill with (some) people. I have an MTS subscription and use this to train with a buddy at my place. Just watching these vids, I get to see how guys like Eddie and Chris treat their students and, it seems quite apparent, that there is plenty of mutual respect (I know, I know, Jason Eisner could be editing :p). Even hearing how Eddie and Joe Rogan talk about Jean-Jaques Machado and how he makes a point to be everyone's' friend and mentor. I've seen Frank in action at tournaments here and he seems like a top-shelf guy. I don't need to be friends with my coach, however, I do expect mutual respect and common courtesy. Lastly, if I was to travel out Franks way to train, I'd probably lose my job and family! ;)

And, to Chris, thanks for your great summation. I agree with all that you've said. As I said before, competency is not an issue, courtesy is. I think myself lucky I have great training partners and other coaches, which (in part) compensates for the one "bad egg". Part of dealing with a problem is to first recognise and acknowledge it exists. Hence, I don't rely solely on my main BJJ coach. I look to other resources, such as MTS, to further my game. In theory, how would you want a student to approach you, if they felt there was a problem?

Cheers guys.....:D