Marcus Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 This past weekend, I started taking classes at a local school that teaches a bit of everything (judo, brazilian jiu jitsu, karate, kickboxing, nhb, etc.). When I signed up for classes, I specifically stated that I am interested in learning bjj. The instructor told me fine, no problem, sign on the dotted line and I can begin training in bjj on the weekend. I get to class on saturday morning and once again, told the instructor I am really looking forward to training in bjj to compliment my standup skills. So I go through the class and at the end, I hear them announce that one of the students is going to be competing in a judo tournament. Then I hear one of the other students say that he wouldn't be able to make the next judo class. So at this point I finally put 2 and 2 together and I'm thinking okay, the instructor knew I wanted to learn BJJ and I even confirmed it with him prior to the beginning of class, and he never said anything about it being a judo class. So, I went to the teacher and asked what the deal was. He told me saturdays alternate between judo and bjj, and that particular saturday happened to be a judo class. Then he says "well, on weekdays we do all the grappling training together; we teach techniques from all the grappling styles together". So in other words, they sort of lump everything into one class. There are no specific classes in bjj, judo or any of the other styles they claim they teach, it is just all lumped in together. Except of course for the weekend, in which a whopping 2 BJJ classes are given per month. Had I been told this from the beginning, I would have gone elsewhere as I am not interested in learning judo (have nothing against it, just want to learn BJJ). Now I am stuck in a contract for 6 months. What I would like to know from the more experienced grapplers is, since it seems as though I will be taught a hodge-podge melting pot of grappling techniques, how can I tell which ones are actually BJJ and which ones are judo? Are there certain types of locks or submissions that set the two apart? Should I just take my business to an actual brazilian jiu jitsu academy instead of playing "name that style"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirves Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 I never understood these contracts, are they really so common somewhere you have no choice but to join a club where you have to sign one? I would never sign that kind of contract if I had any choice at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeRo Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 one of the signs of a Mcdojo.....is the teaching any good there? if you got 6 months id sit back and enjoy the ride, you never know you might get into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirves Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 how can I tell which ones are actually BJJ and which ones are judo? Well, the good news is that bjj is a lot like judo, so if you only learn judo, it will help you when, after the 6 months you go learn real bjj. There are some differences of course, one being that in judo often the objective is to pin the opponent down, while in bjj the objective is submission. But these are not really as clear cut as I made it seem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kensai Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 Run in to your dojo..... and shout: "HELIO SUCKS" into your teachers face. Now this will encure on of to things, if the teacher laughs nods and says "yes I know". Then thats a Judo dojo. If the guy takes you to the floor and beats the hell out of you, then its a BJJ gym. Its a full proof system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dober Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 lol kensai. White Belt - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiu-jitsu fighter Posted February 18, 2003 Share Posted February 18, 2003 very true kensai, but if i was in dobers place i would take this bastard to small claims court and sue him for lesion and threaten to call the better business bureau "When we go to the ground,you are in my world, the ground is the ocean, I am the shark,and most people don't even know how to swim" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekan Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Had I been told this from the beginning, I would have gone elsewhere as I am not interested in learning judo (have nothing against it, just want to learn BJJ). Now I am stuck in a contract for 6 months. I want to learn as true a MA I can get(as opposed to MA for Sport) which I've been told means reasonable rates and no contracts. These are the signs of people that teach the art for the betterment of the art, and aren't out for the ulmighty $$$. That said, if I go to check out a school and I see a stack of trophys proudly on display, or if they want me to commit to a contract, run out as fast as you can, they are teaching the Arts for the wrong reasons. Opinion> Kung Fu - Orange Sash *Last attended 1998Tetsu Hei(MMA) - White BeltAikido - White BeltJu-Jitsu - White Belt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karateka_latino Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 Oh My, Don't sign Contracts people.. don't do it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light Ng Posted February 19, 2003 Share Posted February 19, 2003 BJJ or Judo? BJJ players see the guard position as a control position. Competitive judo players do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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