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viralmarketing

07-16-2007 09:42 AM

Gracie JuJitsu dojo trip report

I always noticed this GJJ dojo near near me as i drove by, so i decided to finally check it out. I called in, and asked for pricing information, and they refused to give me a price, they gave me a range, 25-200, that didn't help at all. They offered me a free trial class, and they said to come in the next day and that my uniform was ready. Very exciting i thought.

about me:
my background is 2 years varsity wrestling back in middle school whichi was probably 7-8 years ago (im 22 now), so i dont remember that much. I am interested in GJJ cuz i like UFC, and i wanted to get into a sport and have confidence that i could defend myself in any situation. I am also into bodybuilding and general fitness.

Next day after work i came in, 1st thing i see is this..
http://www.graciemiami.com/images/adultprogram.jpg

a big mat with a 50+ people taking instruction from Pedro Valente. I also noticed 2 50"+ LCDs mounted above the mat on each side, showing the technique in slow motion. Nize i thought. I went up to the waiting area, and told the person working there that im here for my trial class, they gave me my uniform and told me where to go to change etc.. It was challenging to figure out how to tie the pants and the belt since i never did anything like this, but i kind of got it, although i thought my belt hung too low. The uniform they gave me was the same as everyone else's kimono, but without the Gracie patch.

First class:
we all lined up and listened to Pedro welcome everyone and then tell them to review what they've learned so far, and that new people should just watch. So i stood with 2 other dudes watching the experienced people practicing things they learned. This went on for maybe 15 mins. Meanwhile Pedro came up to us and told us more about the dojo and asked us about how we found out about this place etc.. After the 15 mins passed, we lined up again, Pedro showed us a technique which was how to fall down properly. i wont go into details... then he had us pair up and practice it. THe way they want u to pair up is with someone who has a higher belt than u. It seemed like most people had their own pals that they paired up with. So since i was new they paired me up with a purple belt, which is the 3rd level, he was a nice guy was giving me alot of pointers and was eager to help. We practiced that for maybe 10 mins. Then we learned another technique which is how to defend from a bear hug and go into a hip toss, but we didnt actually hip toss yet. Then we learned how to get out of a head lock from behind, and a head lock from the ground. In between lessons Pedro would tell us stories of how these techinques helped his students, or how he had used this technique before to help himself. It was a very interesting class indeed.

After the class, i went into the "negotiaion room" they took 1 guy in at a time to negotiate. It was a small room with a table. The dojo is owned by the 2 Valente brothers so the owners not only teach but they also are the ones who are in charge of the whole financial situation. SO i was talking to pedro's brother, Gi, gee or giu not sure of the spelling but its pronounced G-hee.

price:
They were very firm on the monthly price, which was already discounted if i signed a contract for a year. I was concerned about reading everything and learning all the contigencies, and the brothers assured me that this is a family owned business and that i would be treated as family and that if anything happens we could always negotiate something that is right for us both. Anyways, i ended up negotiaing a 10 day trial and if i was satisfied then i would sign a full year contract, otherwise i dont pay anything. The price is $168 a month if u sign for a year, kimono is included (GJJ jacket + pants + white belt). Other wise its $50 per class, and probably more if u do a monthly pay.

Second class:
THe next day (Saturday) i came in for their noon class. I saw some of the same faces from the other day. THis time they paired me off with a more experienced guy who seemed very popular in the dojo, Pedro used him to demonstrate all the techniques. THis guy was also very helpful and knowledgeable. On this day i learned, elbow strikes, sleeper hold, mounting on the opponent when their on their back so they cant push u off & when their on their stomach. During the elbowing, we practiced them on these rubber dummies, there was 4 dummies and we made 4 lines and we would take turns doing 4 strikes each from the left and right elbow, and while we waited in line we would do the elbow strikes on each other's hands. During the sleeper hold tehcnique we watched several videos of hoice gracie, and royce gracie using the sleeper hold to beat opponents and making them pass out in the UFC. Pedro also told us stories of bar fights how security guards he had trained made unruly patrons go to sleep. Very good class i thought.

So anyways, i still have 7 days to decide if i want to do it or not.

Questions:
How does $168 a month compare to other GJJ/BJJ dojos?
Is GJJ/BJJ a good martial art?
The way they teach the class, which is basicly overviewing a technique then having students teach each other, is this a good way to learn & teach? How does it compare to other dojos?

Cliffs:
-Nice facility, clean, owned by the trainers (2 brothers).
-Class starts with a 15 minute review with a partner. Then the trainer shows us a techinque then has us pair off with more experienced students and learn from each other.
-$168 a month kimono included if u sign a year contract, otherwise $50 per class, unknown price on amonthly basis.
-classes last 1 hour and 20 mins.
-The "fundamentals" class is available 4 times a week, m (10am & 7pm), w(10am & 7pm), f(10am & 7pm), s(noon). To complete this class u need to go thru 27 lessons. This will give u a blue belt. Pedro claims that once u earn the blue belt he is confident u can win against any opponent that doesnt know ju jitsu.

soon2b

07-16-2007 09:53 AM