Gym A or Gym B?

[Hatake88]

Hi guys

I am changing gyms and, due to my work location, really only have two choices. I would really appreciate it if you could look at the descriptions below and tell me which one you would personally go to if faced with the same choice.

Gym A
- $180 USD a month, $40 USD joining fee
- Some really good instructors but also some so-so ones
- Large selection of classes - morning, afternoon and night so that I can at least train 2-3 times a week
- No limit to class sizes - some of the classes can have a ratio of 1:5 (which is good) but others can be 1:25 (not so good)
- Gym is dirty.
- Competition teams for both boxing and BJJ, not sure for MT.

Gym B
- $160 a month, $5 USD joining fee
- Better instructors in terms of both experience (more fights/success in competition) and willingness to teach
- Limited class sizes - I think the limit is 15 students for every coach
- Gym is new and very clean
- Bad timetable - e.g. only 2 MT classes on offer each week; no separation between beginners and more advanced students.
- No competition team for boxing, BJJ or MT (the gym is too new to have that).
- Most students are beginners so the class content is often adjusted to focus on basics. There is boxing sparring but apparently no MT sparring yet (they said they will add it when there are more more advanced MT students).

Thanks guys!

 

[ctrlaltdelete]

go with gym B, spend the extra money on private lessons, try to be part of a forming competition team and maybe that'll knock down your monthly rate as well.
also even if there isnt more MT available for classes, you can still go and hit bags, do padwork with other people, etc

 

[bobthebuilder]

I would choose A, unless B wants to have a competition team soon

 

[fluffball]

My main thing would be the cost per class/how often you go. Nothing else matters if you wind up only going once per week or something due to schedule. Sounds like A would be my choice.

 

[j123]

Hi guys

I am changing gyms and, due to my work location, really only have two choices. I would really appreciate it if you could look at the descriptions below and tell me which one you would personally go to if faced with the same choice.

Gym A
- $180 USD a month, $40 USD joining fee
- Some really good instructors but also some so-so ones
- Large selection of classes - morning, afternoon and night so that I can at least train 2-3 times a week
- No limit to class sizes - some of the classes can have a ratio of 1:5 (which is good) but others can be 1:25 (not so good)
- Gym is dirty.
- Competition teams for both boxing and BJJ, not sure for MT.

Gym B
- $160 a month, $5 USD joining fee
- Better instructors in terms of both experience (more fights/success in competition) and willingness to teach
- Limited class sizes - I think the limit is 15 students for every coach
- Gym is new and very clean
- Bad timetable - e.g. only 2 MT classes on offer each week; no separation between beginners and more advanced students.
- No competition team for boxing, BJJ or MT (the gym is too new to have that).
- Most students are beginners so the class content is often adjusted to focus on basics. There is boxing sparring but apparently no MT sparring yet (they said they will add it when there are more more advanced MT students).

Thanks guys!

How dirty as we talking about for gym A? Are people walking into the washroom with barefeet, then coming back to the mats carrying that stuff with them? If so, thats a dealbreaker. Its good to train at a decent place, but people are at risk for staph on the reg. thats not cool.

For gym B, it looks good as they're new and willing to teach. Other than the head coach are the other coaches as well?

Sometimes, some gyms don't state on the schedule beginner, intermediate, and advanced (ours was like this for awhile), but depending on the outlook, it'll be catered depending on the exp level. So if of 15, 12 are green, its gonna be a beginner class, whereas say 5 people show up, and 4 of them are fighters, it'll be more advanced or high level basics tailored for them

Have you done trials at both locations yet?

 

[DaGenius]

questions...what’s YOUR level of striking? Beginner..intermediate or advanced? That will help me answer

 

[WildBoyDan]

@Hatake88
Gym A sounds like a fighters gym.

Gym B sounds like a boxercise gym

I mistakenly joined a gym like gym b once and regretted it.

The bigger classes in gym A will probably benefit you.. the fact that they have competition teams will benefit you as if you are less experienced these guys become are often like extra coaches.

You also get to help prepare fighters for fights so get some food quality sparring.

Joining gym b will probably stall your progress or you will stagnate.

Get to Gym A

 

[Hatake88]

How dirty as we talking about for gym A? Are people walking into the washroom with barefeet, then coming back to the mats carrying that stuff with them? If so, thats a dealbreaker. Its good to train at a decent place, but people are at risk for staph on the reg. thats not cool.

For gym B, it looks good as they're new and willing to teach. Other than the head coach are the other coaches as well?

Sometimes, some gyms don't state on the schedule beginner, intermediate, and advanced (ours was like this for awhile), but depending on the outlook, it'll be catered depending on the exp level. So if of 15, 12 are green, its gonna be a beginner class, whereas say 5 people show up, and 4 of them are fighters, it'll be more advanced or high level basics tailored for them

Have you done trials at both locations yet?

Yep I've done trials at both locations (which is why I am aware of the cleanliness of the gym/class sizes etc.)

Gym A is dirty in the sense that, after MT and BJJ, the soles of my feet are black. I think they clean the floors after each 'block' of training or at the end of each day. They definitely don't clean it after each class (especially since they have classes back to back). I am not aware of anyone getting staph though.

For Gym B, they have other coaches as well. 1 striking coach and 3 BJJ coaches. I've seen tons of 'advanced' BJJ students (purple and brown belts) but haven't really seen anyone with striking experience on par with myself except for the striking coach (most students have I'd say around 6 months experience).

questions...what’s YOUR level of striking? Beginner..intermediate or advanced? That will help me answer

I would definitely be advanced in both boxing and MT. I used to be an amateur.

I am also a BJJ purple belt.

 

[Hatake88]

To add to my post, although I have competed in the past, I am no longer looking to compete. My current job requires 55-60 hours a week and I am only aiming to do 2x MT, 2x BJJ a week.

 

[Foppa21]

Hi guys

I am changing gyms and, due to my work location, really only have two choices. I would really appreciate it if you could look at the descriptions below and tell me which one you would personally go to if faced with the same choice.

Gym A
- $180 USD a month, $40 USD joining fee
- Some really good instructors but also some so-so ones
- Large selection of classes - morning, afternoon and night so that I can at least train 2-3 times a week
- No limit to class sizes - some of the classes can have a ratio of 1:5 (which is good) but others can be 1:25 (not so good)
- Gym is dirty.
- Competition teams for both boxing and BJJ, not sure for MT.

Gym B
- $160 a month, $5 USD joining fee
- Better instructors in terms of both experience (more fights/success in competition) and willingness to teach
- Limited class sizes - I think the limit is 15 students for every coach
- Gym is new and very clean
- Bad timetable - e.g. only 2 MT classes on offer each week; no separation between beginners and more advanced students.
- No competition team for boxing, BJJ or MT (the gym is too new to have that).
- Most students are beginners so the class content is often adjusted to focus on basics. There is boxing sparring but apparently no MT sparring yet (they said they will add it when there are more more advanced MT students).

Thanks guys!

What do you want to get out of it? Is money going to be a issue? And what about the vibe? If you're going to spending a inordinate amount of time there, you want to as best you can make sure everyone is "normal"

 

[DaGenius]

Ok cool so if you’ve got some ammy fights you’ve definitely done some work. Let me self rant a little bit related to your question...

It comes down to one goal, although you don’t want to compete anymore, do you still want to get better? If you do, choose A.

The mma gym I train at now has mostly people who are pretty new to Muay Thai. 6 months or less. I have more experience than the current and previous coach at the gym. Part of me feels like I’m giving back by partnering with new students and helping them so that’s good. At the same time, I am not getting better and haven’t been since I’ve trained there over the last few years. I’m and old guy now so getting better at Muay Thai isn’t as important to me as it was 5-6 years ago. The worst part is that I now feel like I am regressing after years of not having a person who can hold pads for me. Why do I train there? Primarily I love the Bjj instructors and my Bjj training partners! I’m getting good instruction and getting the gym family vibe that I like. On a side note, I also don’t pay for the Muay Thai classes. I attend as I please after me and the owner (head Bjj Guy) and the Muay Thai instructor came to an understanding.

If you’re still trying to get better..go to the gym with advanced students and more classes. Being dirty is a bad thing..don’t get me wrong. But unless you’re ready to be part of building process for a Muay Thai program, gym b is going to disappoint you long term

 

[biscuitsbrah]

A for sure... Black feet after training sounds pretty bad though lmao

 

[krugansjj]

For sure the best option is Gym B because the teachers have experience of struggle, has a good structure of training.

 

[exclamatio]

Offer to clean Gym A in return for reduced membership!

In all seriousness it is a tough choice though, gym B sounds good but at risk of being too basic. Gym A sounds good but I always question why people can't keep a gym relatively clean, and if they can't organize that, what else is treated with the same attitude. At Evade with have 2 schools with about 200 members at each, day time classes and open mat all day, then back to back classes from 4pm 'till closing. The mats are always cleaned every day, no-one goes home with black feet.

Do both gyms start and finish scheduled classes on time? That's a deal breaker for me if other stuff isn't outstanding.