ps1

Thank you, Patrick, for the invite and congratulations for turning 20! I first joined the forums in 2004. I was in Iraq during the war and KF was how I spent alot of my down time. These forums gave me a way to get out of a pretty tough situation, even if for just a few minutes a day. I remember the BJJ forum was almost non existent at that time. Heck, it was before I actually trained BJJ. LOL. Then I became involved after I came home and, as life often does, I drifted away. Since that time I have had 2 kids, and even run a school full time now. I get to live my dream. I hope all of you out there get as much from these forums as I have over the years. Thank you all!

I classify what you're showing as a pendulum sweep. It uses the momentum of the leg to add to the movement. Great sweep. I call a similar, but different sweep the flower sweep. Here's an old video of me teaching both at a seminar.

They will be talking to you about your goals. Most "commercial" schools are interested in making sure they are the right fit for you and visa versa. They will probably ask you to join. But most will not have "high pressure sales." I think if you go in with an open mind, you'll be absolutely shocked at the quality of service and the way a professional full time school takes care of their members when compared to a club. Just go in, have fun and join if you like it. If you don't like it, don't join.

Wow... congratulations!

They are important to human movement, period. No human movement can happen without a skeletal fulcrum. It has nothing to do with understanding the physics behind them 100%. Understanding mechanical physics helps, but is ultimately not necessary to using levers.

Why does the bow matter? I don't live in Japan. I live where a handshake, hug, or fist bump are a sign of respect. In my school we teach "Respect means treating others as I would want to be treated." If I want others to respect me...that begins with my actions toward them. Even if you consider the bow to be a sign of respect, that doesn't mean that not bowing is a sign of disrespect (unless you're living in a country where this is true. But the US and most other countries don't bow on the regular). Think that through. If they treat you well, if they are kind to others and learn what you teach, if they are a good role model...one flaw makes them somehow disrespectful??? I would have let them test. In fact, it never would have been an issue at all. I would just tell them not to bow when we start class. That's it. Not an issue.

Because while I'm not for profit, I'm still in the establishment stage. As I said, continuously losing students to this sort of thing could have serious repercussions to my business. I didn't say marketing in general is bad. I did, however, say that dubious marketing and business practice is. I'm not confused on the situation at all. I market my school, but I tend to steer away from blatantly poaching students from another school. That may be for some people, but for me it's a no-no. And in my eyes, offering to hand a student a black belt from 4th Kyu after a year if they exclusively train there does very much constitute a McDojo. Is that the very definition of a black belt mill? Pay your fees for a little while, get a black belt. Ah... the situation is clearer now. Thank you for clarifying. I do agree with that. In BJJ, we have "Open mats." This is a time when members from any other school, BJJ or Otherwise, can come and practice together. Similar to you, I NEVER approach any of those people about signing up. I know they already have an instructor. If they approach me...that's different. Text from a member who joined from another school: "If I hadn't approached you. What would you have said to me about joining." Me: nothing...I don't do that. Him: D***! That's part of what I love about this place! Thank you so much.

Put it on video on youtube or facebook.

A passage from "The way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman Soc- "So remember, Dan, embody what you teach and teach only what you have embodied." Dan- "I don't know what I would teach besides gymnastics." Soc- "Gymnastics is enough for now; use it as a way to convey universal lessons," he said. "Give people what they want until they want what you want to give them. Teach somersaults until someone asks for more." Dan- "How will I know if they want something more?" Soc- "You'll know." I teach 200 members. I teach about character, doing well in school, and self defense. Out of those 200 members, I know most will not be training in just 4 years. Less than 10 will make it to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt. But I give the opportunity to as many as I can.

If you're not for profit...why does it matter if they leave? Marketing does not = McDojo, it's just good business. My good friend is the CEO of the most successful Foodbank in the US. They are not for profit. They serve people more than most anyone does. Yet they market all the time. If you don't want to be a business...there's nothing wrong with that. But you seem conflicted. There's a TKD chain in my area that often garners the term, "McDojo." I hear it all the time. I used to think that as well. Until I opened up my school. Then I checked out what they are doing. THey are actually quite talented. They put team members in the nationals every year. Certainly, they have things I'm not a fan of...10yr old black belts and such. But doing those things allows them to provide an outstanding service to those that really want to work hard. Here's what I believe. Running a successful business is my duty to my students. If I do not, I can not guarantee the continued existence of the academy. If that goes under, we have no place to train and my students will suffer because of it. My recommendation is to do one of the following: 1. Run a club in a way that your overhead is so inexpensive that you can do it with only a few members. 2. Run a business in serious way that you can have great success. "If you Karate do yes, good. If you Karate do no, ok. If you karate do sometimes; SQUISH...just like grape." -Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid

Because it is my purpose on this world.

Technique 36 in the Gracie Combatives is the double underhook pass. This is facilitated by executing a straight strike to the face (punch, palm heel ect...) until the bad guy opens the legs. Then you gain control and pass. It's natural to you because you've trained it. But I can tell you that, in the many years I've done GJJ (14 and counting), I've put countless people in my guard and had them punch. None of them have punched straight until trained to do so. People just tend to stink at fighting...that's why the come to all of us

1 stripe Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt (just earned my stripe this year) 3rd degree- Shotokan 3rd degree- kung fu 2nd degree- Aiki Jujitsu

All the time. As Rener says, "If you never train with punches, you're not doing Gracie Jiu-Jitsu."

Yeah... I checked it out as well. It's certainly legit. Hope you're enjoying.

Loves me some knee on belly! I call this armbar the "Little Tea Pot Armbar" because of how his arm makes a handle. Good tutorial.

I know a guy in my area that has done it very successfully. He has 9 full time locations. Of course, he acts as CEO for the business and has other instructors that run it. I've thought about adopting a similar model myself. The only issue is it takes a very long time to get people to brown belt in bjj where they can run their own school. The other guy is TKD and promotes to black belt in 2.5 years (not heresay...he told me that). At that point, he allows his students to start running a school using his systems. I've been researching franchising lately.

Two things I see here that are going on. 1. I think you realize you were too buddy/buddy with the students and that has been covered. If you want to be an instructor to them, you will need to create a certain amount of distance. Not alot, but enough that they see you as an instructor vs a buddy. 2. Familiarity breeds contempt. It's impossible to go back on some of the people you've trained with for many many years. If you have another brown belt friend and expect him to treat you like a sensei (when not on the floor) then you're just crazy. If he/she is a friend, they will certainly treat you with respect on the floor. The best thing you can do is take those people aside and privately ask them to set the example so the others fall in line easier. 3. There's nothing wrong with a fun class. In fact, it should be very fun. But fun does not equal pandemonium. You're in charge. If people aren't falling in line, use the disciplinary measures you academy has in place.

Get out. There's no two ways about this. It's wrong and you should leave. It would be wrong anyway...but he's married too. He's just trying to use his influence over you for sex. It's sick, twisted, and borders on cult mentality. Get out. You owe him nothing and should not respect him in any way.

Thank you.

Awww...shucks! Thanks Patrick! You guys are awesome. Sorry I haven't been online quite as much lately. I just quit my job and am focusing on running my academy full time. So... LIVING THE DREAM!!!!!

Congratulations, Brian! That's amazing.

Happened to me at the worst possible time. I was teaching a class at someone else's academy. I ended up packing up my stuff and storming out of the building. Very embarrassing to say the least.

Inconsistencies in training habits: This is, of course, only viewed through the lens of my own experience. In my TKD training and even Kung Fu training we would practice forms and one steps (different names in kung fu...but basically the same idea). -Then, when it came time for sparring, it looked completely different. So all the forms and one steps didn't apply to how we sparred. - Then we would practice "self defense"... isn't that what we were already doing???... The self defense didn't look like the forms or the one steps or the sparring. To me, that's just a confused message. Is it fun to learn all that stuff, sure. But the lack of consistency makes it tough to get really good at all of it or to identify a theme.

All the best, Bob!