Question about training environments, academies, dojos, ect.

Howz it 10th Planet Ohana! It's been awhile since I posted on the boards but I'm in somewhat of a cross roads with the school I'm training with. My instructor is a talented purple belt of 6 years whose been training and teaching for over a decade. He's won the American nationals at purple belt and brought home medals from other tournaments like pan ams, naga ect. However, his student body is comprised for the most part with white belts. I'd say there's 5 purple belts including himself, two of which never come to class and out weigh me pretty significantly and one who's only about 155 pounds. there's maybe 6 or 7 blue belts including myself. And maybe 20 white belts. He refuses to create a color belt class to stimulate those who want to learn higher level stuff with more of a pace. I just competed in my first jj tournament and won my division and placed third in the open rank open weight absolute. I also placed 2nd in no gi. I really wanna compete to up my level but no one else in the dojo seems to be in the same state of mind. They're not consistent, lack motivation, and are more hobby players than competition players. I've been training here since January and have always felt a little out of place. I was new to a group that for the most part trained together for years and went through so much politics to get to where I am today with the dojo. I'm now a coach in the kids class and was recently promoted to blue belt after the tournament so I'm really trying to up my level but I don't feel that anyone else around me is trying to do the same. My former school nova Uniao has picked up a lot of new talent, and has alot more color belts who are tougher, and more competition minded than my current team mates. When I talked to my instructor about cross training with my former school he was furious. I told him my reasons and he gave me this heavy guilt trip and made me out to be some ego maniac who's selfish and only out for himself. I don't agree but I'm empathetic to his point. Were real close but this has made us both tentative and there's some tension especially since I'm up to renew my membership in September. From January to August I literally only missed one class. I've assisted him with instruction in both the kids, and fundamentals class, and he knows my ambition is to move up the ranks quickly and become an instructor myself.

The sentimental side of me wants to stick it out, but the selfish ego driven side wants to test other waters. He said it would be okay if I trained with bj folks in Hilo which is a 2hr drive away. They're my former school, and my in laws live 20 min. from there. I'm thinking of training M-W here in Kona with my current school, and cross training in Hilo on Thur and Fri.

what do you guys think? opinions...

Welcome back man! first congrats on the tournament win man, gold is an awesome thing, Second i can't remember the exact quote but it goes along the lines of intensity drives intensity, If you're out there wrecking tourneys, repping hard, getting crazy good and ranking up fast, people will notice, and follow suit, be the driving force, the example it will fuel most people. 3rd its your body, trsin where ever you want, cross training is awesome, for everybody, you learn new things and get fresh rolls, do not feel bad, especially if you plan on sticking around with your current place, it will benefit you and your training partners. have a good one dude.

Mahalo Jon! My instructor said the same thing but I've been pushing hard for the past 8 months, and no ones jumped on the bus yet. Alot of peeps have openly expressed that I'm too serious, and there's been some growing pains with jealousy about my place in the dojo and how close I've gotten with my instructor. To me that's super low level. But I guess I'm sounding negative throughout this thread as well. Thanx for reminding me...

I'm all about cross training but right now in Kona there's only 3 schools. We just opened our new spot in Jan, Nova Uniao opened recently and they're teaching out of a karate studio, and Long Man (my instructors former school) also trains out of a karate dojo. Our facility is the best by far with an upstairs downstairs mat, monkey bars, climbing ropes, and a lounge area with a sink for drinks and dishes and shower outside in the back. With the exception of BJs, mos def the best facility on island. That's one plus.

Fly me out to Hawaii I'll set everything straight with your instructor. After a few days you will be allowed to cross train like you should be allowed to and I'll go home.


... I wont even charge you.

thanx renato I mean ryan. lol

If you want to teach at his gym and cross train doesnt that mean you will be bringing in more skill and helping his students more?

Unless he doesnt respect them and thinks it will make you worse?

Ill make him see reason free of charge, also bring Renato.

He's had people sabotage him in the past. A black belt from Longman was sent to help him with his group when he was a blue belt. The blackbelt eventually broke off and tried to steal his students. most of his students left and they are now 1 of the 3 schools in kona. Were another, and Nova Uniao is the last.

to me it's a business strategy that doesn't make alot of sense, but even my friend at whose the instructor at Nova Uniao will not allow his students to cross train. Such an old school mentality in my opinion. If I pay my dues what does it matter.

Welcome back brah! Went with that vape you suggested been flying spaceships and shit ever since. Congrats on the blue belt buddy and welcome back to the 10P fam!

mean ah da dope! lol yeah mine is sitting in the closet right now. I'm on probation for about another year or so. Way cheaper than the volcano with the same functionality

Bro, get out of that gym now. Cross training will always make you better and your instructor is too douchey to let you progress because he's too insecure about his own school. I've been in your situation twice before. If you're not coming home from the gym stoked and high on life most of the time, it's not the right gym. For years I would come home every day from the gym and just be bummed out. You're only wasting your time sticking around. Especially if you're the only guy really wanting to push to compete.

If its possible to train at another school I would leave. Your instructor should encourage you to seek out and learn as much as possible. He isn't in it for the art, he is in it for the business and is afraid of losing students to other schools if they cross train. IMO:cool:

If you wanna compete and be successful you need as many high level training partners as possible.

Be open and communicate your goals as well as your concerns with your instructor. He can either get on board and help or...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

If you wanna compete and be successful you need as many high level training partners as possible.

Be open and communicate your goals as well as your concerns with your instructor. He can either get on board and help or...

---

+1

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

If you wanna compete and be successful you need as many high level training partners as possible.

Be open and communicate your goals as well as your concerns with your instructor. He can either get on board and help or...

---

Agreed.
Also, we have many white belts in our school, but we have only been open since January. Still, a good majority of our white belts are very driven and want to compete and do. We do it as a team and push each other to work hard even if maybe someone is having a bad night. We cheer each other on at competitions. Steel sharpens steel brother, and if the rest of the people in your school, or at least a majority of them, aren't pushing forward trying to progress and advance...how can you do it by yourself? That's very hard. You need at least a few great training partners to help you advance and to discuss and exchange technique with. Almost sounds like you're a ronin in your own school. :-/

I would be interested to hear your instructors side of this.

thanx for all the input guys. It's good to hear outside perspectives on this. I've been talking with my instructor about this for quite sometime. He knows I'm trying to make a big push, he's offered to sponsor me some cross fit and yoga classes to help me get in shape, and is trying to figure out some monetary compensation for my time on the mat with the kids and the fundamentals class, but there are times where I feel he uses my loyalty, and my desire to become a teacher against me. We once yelled at eachother back and forth until 230am arguing the condition and direction of the dojo.

He feels that Im being a little selfish in wanting to cross train and not having enough faith that at some point my team mates will come around. He says theyre hot bodies to train with regardless, and that I should be the change that I wanna see. I really feel though that sometimes he uses my desire to wanna learn and teach against me, sighting that it's a privilege to instruct.

I feel that you can't force a horse to drink water. I've been training two a days M-F for 8 months. I've only missed one class in 8 months prior to our black belt professor from California fracturing my hand with an accidental small joint manipulation. I've said openly that for him to question my commitment is ridiculous and that I feel like sometimes the lack of common goals with the team are holding me back.

that's a lot of I's in that last paragraph.

After a two week hiatus I'm returning on Monday and I'm gonna see how things pan out in september when I'm up for renewal. If he doesn't follow through on the cross fit, yoga, doesn't engage the conversation that he started about compensating me for kids class, and then asks me to pay my dues again, the writing might be on the wall. I paid my 6 months in advance in one payment so I might as well give this decision more time to breathe.

but I appreciate the support and point of view.

Totally agree with the if you're not going home stoked... no bueno.

Leave when your 6 months is up dude.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by La'akea Sanborn

thanx for all the input guys. It's good to hear outside perspectives on this. I've been talking with my instructor about this for quite sometime. He knows I'm trying to make a big push, he's offered to sponsor me some cross fit and yoga classes to help me get in shape, and is trying to figure out some monetary compensation for my time on the mat with the kids and the fundamentals class, but there are times where I feel he uses my loyalty, and my desire to become a teacher against me. We once yelled at eachother back and forth until 230am arguing the condition and direction of the dojo.

He feels that Im being a little selfish in wanting to cross train and not having enough faith that at some point my team mates will come around. He says theyre hot bodies to train with regardless, and that I should be the change that I wanna see. I really feel though that sometimes he uses my desire to wanna learn and teach against me, sighting that it's a privilege to instruct.

I feel that you can't force a horse to drink water. I've been training two a days M-F for 8 months. I've only missed one class in 8 months prior to our black belt professor from California fracturing my hand with an accidental small joint manipulation. I've said openly that for him to question my commitment is ridiculous and that I feel like sometimes the lack of common goals with the team are holding me back.

that's a lot of I's in that last paragraph.

After a two week hiatus I'm returning on Monday and I'm gonna see how things pan out in september when I'm up for renewal. If he doesn't follow through on the cross fit, yoga, doesn't engage the conversation that he started about compensating me for kids class, and then asks me to pay my dues again, the writing might be on the wall. I paid my 6 months in advance in one payment so I might as well give this decision more time to breathe.

but I appreciate the support and point of view.

Totally agree with the if you're not going home stoked... no bueno.

---

It's all a trap. He's trying to bait you with paying you for the kids class, giving you free crossfit training etc... which has nothing to do with the issues you're having. You will still not have anyone pushing to compete with you and you will still not be allowed to train at other gyms. It's so pathetic that he's trying to guilt trip you. My last 2 gyms did this exact same thing and I wasted years there hoping things would change and people would come around. It doesn't happen. Even if he lets you train at other places, I would still leave because just the fact that he had a problem with it in the first place, really shows where his heart is at. He cares more about business than you. He just wants to use you. I know I'm pretty opinionated about this and it's just because it reminds me of the situation I was in and it makes me sick.

I say always cross train if possible.

thanx for sharing your opinion. My family is feeling the same way. It's hard cause I'm at the dojo every week night from about 4pM - 10Pm. I got 2 kids, my daughters 1 and my son is 2. My girl works overnight audit at a hotel and my folks end up with the night shift with the kids. If it's not going in the right direction than I gotta make moves.

1 strong plus is that I have the keys to the gym so I can use our facility at anytime. Now that the summer program is done, I can reallocate my time to training myself in the day at the dojo.

it seems so easy when I think about it but when It's time to make moves I'm a little hesitant. The group in Kona I'd like to train with doesn't own or lease there spot so they don't have control over the facility and how it's used. their property manager actually trains with us and she tells me that they're in the red and may not be able to re lease. I 'm close with my instructor and don't wanna burn bridges.

I wouldn't mind taking the kids to see the inlaws every thursday and friday and training at BJs again on those nights. My girl said she's down to make the trips and see her family.

If you have kids you need to shift your schedule or your priorities ASAP. That's an important detail in the story.

Sounds a bit rough bro. If you know what your goals are in fighting and jui jitsu then you probably know what you have to do, it may just be very hard to go ahead and follow that path.

Nova Uniao is a legit competing group. I'd be there and at BJ's whenever possible and if Verissimo or who ever they got there gets mad about you cross training then Id just let them be mad until they kicked me out. Then i'd move close to BJ.

Gotta follow that path. Budo.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by La'akea Sanborn

mean ah da dope! lol yeah mine is sitting in the closet right now. I'm on probation for about another year or so. Way cheaper than the volcano with the same functionality

---

whaaaa?! Probation you get caught up with law dude? Volcano is hard to deny when company is over, it's kind of like yeah those are my giant balloons I inhale pot out of. Too bulky. The vape you talked me into is awesome and I just tell people it's an air freshner or a broken lava lamp. Win.

I like my volcano, my buddy had a six foot long bag that we attach to a plant hook and just swing around the room. All about the ninja pen right now. Gotta have that full melt.

http://www.ninjapen.com/#!ninja-pen-ket/cxfi

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

If you have kids you need to shift your schedule or your priorities ASAP. That's an important detail in the story.

---

This.....I can understand wanting to teach and having goals you want to reach for yourself, but anything that is taking away from the children is negative. They should be the number one factor in making this decision.

You need to always make sure youre training with the best partners. If you're already making such a big situation by being there 6 hours it should be with the right people weather that's your current sitch or not.

great points.

I've got alot of support at home, Me and my family live with my mom and dad so there's 4 adults to help with the kids. I take my kids to watch the youth jj classes, my two year old loves trying to tumble, and they're already starting to play with eachother. My girlfriend will pick them up either right before or right after kids class. My mom and dad will help her out when they get home at 7pm.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by La'akea Sanborn

great points.

I've got alot of support at home, Me and my family live with my mom and dad so there's 4 adults to help with the kids. I take my kids to watch the youth jj classes, my two year old loves trying to tumble, and they're already starting to play with eachother. My girlfriend will pick them up either right before or right after kids class. My mom and dad will help her out when they get home at 7pm.

---

Hawaii = Family

I really don't understand the mentality of not wanting students to train at other gyms. The only logical explanation I can think of is you're worried you're not as good a teacher or do not provide as good a training environment. I'm fortunate that where I do the majority of my training the instructor is very open minded and, as he only runs the gym on a part time basis (2 nights a week), he has no problems with people training elsewhere. We have a core group of guys that train regularly and push each other along in a supportive way.

I was talking to Frank Barca a couple of weeks ago and he was telling me how he actively encourages his guys to train elsewhere. I'm sure I've heard Eddie talk about the 10th Planet system being very open minded and if something works from another system then he brings it into the 10th Planet system.

When it comes to your personal situation I can only echo what most of the other guys have said. At the end of the day it sounds like your instructor is trying to guilt you into staying. If he really was your friend he would see your frustration and your desire to improve and would encourage that not hold you back. At the end of the day you are responsible for the decisions you make and it sounds as if you know what you need to do.