MMA gyms are crazy!?

[quinteros1963]

So visited a MMA gym the other day and I must say it was very nice. It looked like the training studio at the Ultimate fighter. I was ready to join until I heard the word 6 month contract @ 180 per month. Are they crazy? Or is that about what MMA schools charge.

[MMA_Jim]

Thats not crazy at all- thats right around normal for a decent BJJ/MMA school.

My main gym used to charge around $200 a month. A year long contract would bring it down to $180 a month. This is typical of a quality school with quality instruction.

Assuming its a genuine MMA gym (read: it has quality muay thai and brazilian jiu jitsu) then $180 is right around normal. Renzo Gracie's school is around $250 a month, but its also in New York.

As far as schools that arent genuine MMA schools, those are ones that teach karate, aikido, and ju jitsu (of a japanese heritage) and "mix" the styles and therefore claim to be teaching MMA. These are not good MMA gyms and the quality of their students reflects this.

In the end, you get what you pay for. If theres another local run of the mill martial arts schools thats $50 a month, theres a reason for the difference in price. Train at both academies and you'll find out.

[Toptomcat]

I'd say that the '6 month contract' part is a bit iffy, but not the actual monthly charge- provided the gym has a record of producing successful competitors in grappling, standup, and mixed martial arts.

[KarateGeorge]

Though price is no guaranty of quality instruction, it is often a good indicator. Though it may seem a bit pricey, that isn't out of line with the typical price for a good school.

[sensei8]

$180 per month? OUCH! $250 per month? OUCH...OUCH!

[GeoGiant]

Does the gym have a suggested or required time(s) that one needs to be there? Is there a formal class?

[ShoriKid]

For good training, with plenty of opportunities to get in a work out, say 4-5 days a week, couple of work outs a day, it's not bad. I can't afford it, but life and local economies dictate what can be aforded. An MMA/BJJ gym of about any calibur can run well over $100 a month right now if for no other reason than they are the hot thing.

In my area, $100 a month would be pushing it because of the local economy. A new gym has opened that emphasis grappling with some stand up, it's located near the federal prision and they charge $70 or 80 a month for 2 nights a week. His target students are the guards/employees, and they have a higher than average pay level for this area. In any other case he couldn't charge those rates and expect people to pay them here with pay levels/unemployment being what they are.

[Kuma]

Personally I'd say that's a bit over the top.

[ps1]

Yeah... you're going to find that the area in which you live is the most likely indicator of what a school will cost. We charge $100/month. However, we offer Brazilian Jiujitsu 6 days and 2 days of MMA. In addition, the way the mma school is organized makes a difference too. Often there are different paid instructors for each art. Usually a brown or black belt Bjj instructor, boxing or muay thai coach, strength and conditioning coach, judo or wrestling coach, ect...

To avoid each coach having to charge a separate rate for each class it's all lumped into one monthly charge and the student is allowed to attend any classes on all days they are offered.

In addition to our main school, we also teach out of an MMA gym about 35 miles away. That gym costs $150 per month. Several of their students who travel far have started coming to our academy instead. They usually site the cost difference and the fact that they would rather get the info right from the source instead of second hand through the mma owner.

A second factor in the cost of the gym is the overhead they have. Many have a very large and clean training area that includes mats, strength and conditioning equipment, and a cage. This is all costly stuff.

Before shelling out that kind of money, however, I would look at several things:

1. Quality of the instructors and their level of instruction.

2. Do you really need all this stuff to accomplish your martial arts goal?

3. How often are the facilities cleaned? (Anything less than 3 to 5 times per week is dangerous)

Good luck in finding a school and enjoy your training!!!

[JohnASE]

The typical MMA program will have fewer students per class and per square foot than the typical karate school, so fees should be higher. But for more money, you usually get more personal attention. The same goes for many grappling programs. Judo is often inexpensive when they meet in community centers and are taught by volunteers, but a professional gym has large overhead and only so much room. Octagons are expensive!