Training on the road

[Devin Close]

Hello,
I'm new to 10P but caught the bug and can't get enough of it.

I travel domestically in the USA for work (about one week a month, maybe a little more often) and am curious what other road warriors do while on the road in an area without a 10P school close by.

Is it frowned upon to do free-trials of gyms in areas I am working in with no intention of signing up for them long term, or is it accepted to pay some kind of mat fee to train there for a few days while on the road?

I'm assuming I will need to get a few Gi's to travel with as some schools are gi-only and what not, but I would love to hear some of your thoughts and suggestions about how to get some good training in while on the road.

Thanks
Devin

[Benjamin Perry]

Idk what the cost for a week of training typically is but I know that theirs been a handful of travelers come to the gym for a week or two. It's not something outside of the norm, just be up front with the gym you're visiting.

I mean you could lie to get a free trial, but that depends on your moral compass, and probably not something to brag about. I could see that catching up to you someday, as someone could take a picture of you and spread it around on the internet, warning other gyms that you're a cheapskate.

Your life, your choice. ✌

[HerbChao]

I think BJJEE has published a few articles before on this topic (training on the road) so has jiu jitsu times. For me personally if I know I'm headed out to a specific area (for work, family, etc) I'll try to Bing/Google ahead of time any gyms in the area, check their schedule, and then either contact them through the site (or their FB page if they have one) and introduce myself and tell them I'm only there for a day, two, week (whatever it is) I ask them if I can come attend class and offer to pay whatever drop in fee they have. Sometimes the instructor there will cut you a discount since you're passing through (I've had a few altogether waive the drop in, don't always expect it but it's nice when it does happen).

One other tip-try to get a sense of the culture of the club you're visiting. If it's laid back and very open they usually won't care if you wear other team's patches or gear in (for me being a big 10thpjj fan, I still need to watch where I go to cross train sometimes because there are still closet haters out there). For that reason I usually travel with non affiliated gear (an UnderArmour compression top, Phalanx rashguard, and a Gi without patches) just in case. If you like to film (as I do) ask the instructor ahead of time, and same with rolling (let you partner know it's for self study). I've only had a handful in both cases where the gear I wore and filming was an issue.

Hope that helps.....enjoy the journey!...