If you know me, you know I hate the big box gyms. I just want you to know I hate flashy, non functional, martial arts schools too. I am not an angry guy. Maybe a little cranky? Ok, definitely cranky. I get sick of people being sand bagged by front end marketing schools with little or no substance that matters. What I mean by front end is, a place that is heavy on marketing and image but week on delivery once you join. I know a dozen schools in my surrounding communities that offer great intro courses that lead to big contracts with horrible service once you are locked in.
Colored uniforms, upgrades, tons of stripes, pre testing, guaranteed belts, mat chats, games….. these are all marketing concepts given to schools by billing companies. Most schools get you to pay big money so they can pay big money to billing companies that disguise themselves as marketing companies. They say their systems are for your students benefits but they are really just brainwashing tactics to give you a watered down system that entertains more then it trains you. Just like the big box gym, they want you to have modest results that keep you coming back for the big gains they promise but never deliver. You always feel close to the big goal but you just fall short. Don’t worry! They have an upgrade for you to feel better about that will just cost a little more.
I am over the promise big but deliver nothing programs. I am sick of red, white, and blue uniforms with tons of belts and stripes. I have nothing against traditional uniforms and belt systems. We all need a system to work through. Do some homework and find out what the belt system is supposed to be. I worked my way through 5 belts – white, yellow, blue, green, brown, and black. My uniform was always white and the only markings were my styles characters on the chest and symbol on the left shoulder, just like every other traditional system in Japan.
This is not a tradition vs modern argument. The issue is made up traditions to market. Don’t say you wear red uniforms because a Ninja Monk taught you his secrets (I actually got this from a prospect last week.) You wear red because you like it and you think it is cool like the guy in Street Fighter. You don’t put your logo huge on the back because of some ancient tradition, you do it because you want your students to be human billboards.
Be real about what you want. Do you want to learn a practical skill or be entertained? Do you want to have confidence because you know something that works or do you want a perceived confidence because you where brainwashed? Do you want to be part of a community that is tight because of a shared bond made through effort or do you want to go where the cool kids go?
If you want real results and positive change you need to find a school that actually trains hard and has markers that truly test your abilities. I am not saying to go where you have the best chance of getting your teeth knocked out. I am saying you need to find a place that has produced more results then memberships. Your choice should not be the school with 500 members but only 3 or 4 good practitioners.
I once wanted to be the biggest school in the world. It didn’t work out well. The level overall was to poor because I couldn’t service my students properly and maintain the level of business I needed to survive. So, I dropped down to a more manageable size and upped my level of service. I am happy, my students are happy, and we get results far superior to those around me.
Am I cocky? Maybe. I know how good I am. I know that my history can’t be matched by more then a handful in the state. Lots of Jersey fighters have gone further but as a coach, I don’t know anyone who has been where I have. For me its my coaching that matters. I have big fight experience for sure, so I get it. But my coaching guys in big fights is my greatest asset.
You want real results in a system that has produced world class talent? Come to Real Elite. No gimmicks, no games, no BS – just real training with elite results. You want a fancy uniform and cool t-shirt, go to the nearest place to where you live, sign an 18 month contract, go for a few months, quit, fight the billing company (lose), then never train again because you are burned.
Real Elite – Muay Thai, MMA, Stength and Conditioning in Asbury Park. Don’t let Asbury scare you – you will come here for dinner and drinks on the weekends, why not train here?
Brian Wright
Real Elite