- Joined
- Jan 14, 2013
- Messages
- 688
- Reaction score
- 157
So I'm traveling for work this week and was lucky enough to stop in to San Francisco. I landed at 5 and hurried to the hotel to drop off my suit case and change. The hotel was nice enough to give me a lift to the BART station and I was in downtown in about 30 min. Super cheap way to travel. A 5 min trek down from the Civic Center train stop to Ralph Gracies and I had arrived.
Walking in and the smell of battle was thick. A bit overwhelming to be honest. After my lungs adjusted, I stepped up to the counter and behind it was none other than Kurt. With his Old man glasses on he was playing with his tablet. He looked up and with at HUGE smile, greeted me, feeling immediately at ease. The dude is so likeable! He handed me the waiver form and took my $35 drop in fee, which I gladly paid.
The gym is...well...what I would call an old school MMA/BJJ gym. One side for MMA/Muay Thai and the other had Huge mat space. You know that you're there to "Fuckin Train".
After slipping into my weathered Black Tatami 2.0, I headed to the mat area to watch the rolling and wait patiently for the 7:30 pm class. I wasn't there 2 min when someone asked me to roll. As a guest you never say "No". Told the guy that I was cold and wanted to go easy to warm up and he was cool. I freakin old and I got to get my body lubed up.
A couple of rounds later, the 7:30 class was called. It was primarily attended by Whites and a couple of Blues. The warmed up was led by one of Kurt's Blue belts. Started with standard stuff but lots of Jumping Jacks and squats. Also Drilled Seo Nagi then Tsuri-Goshi.
A little later Kurt comes in to show a relatively basic technique. Understandable for the audience. We drilled it and he hopped from pair to pair to inspect their execution. We finished up the class by rolling. Rolling a lot. As a guest I normally just sit there until someone picks me. I might also raise my hand to let them know that I'm available.
Overall, an AWESOME experience. Great vibe and super welcoming.
Walking in and the smell of battle was thick. A bit overwhelming to be honest. After my lungs adjusted, I stepped up to the counter and behind it was none other than Kurt. With his Old man glasses on he was playing with his tablet. He looked up and with at HUGE smile, greeted me, feeling immediately at ease. The dude is so likeable! He handed me the waiver form and took my $35 drop in fee, which I gladly paid.
The gym is...well...what I would call an old school MMA/BJJ gym. One side for MMA/Muay Thai and the other had Huge mat space. You know that you're there to "Fuckin Train".
After slipping into my weathered Black Tatami 2.0, I headed to the mat area to watch the rolling and wait patiently for the 7:30 pm class. I wasn't there 2 min when someone asked me to roll. As a guest you never say "No". Told the guy that I was cold and wanted to go easy to warm up and he was cool. I freakin old and I got to get my body lubed up.
A couple of rounds later, the 7:30 class was called. It was primarily attended by Whites and a couple of Blues. The warmed up was led by one of Kurt's Blue belts. Started with standard stuff but lots of Jumping Jacks and squats. Also Drilled Seo Nagi then Tsuri-Goshi.
A little later Kurt comes in to show a relatively basic technique. Understandable for the audience. We drilled it and he hopped from pair to pair to inspect their execution. We finished up the class by rolling. Rolling a lot. As a guest I normally just sit there until someone picks me. I might also raise my hand to let them know that I'm available.
Overall, an AWESOME experience. Great vibe and super welcoming.
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