Why BJJ is so expensive

[DirtyCrabcakes]

If anyone is paying more than $60.00 a month for average BJJ school then you are getting ripped off. A top of the line academy is not more than $80.00 a month. I still think the MMA, BJJ schools are out of line with the pricing these days. Their is a half ass school near me that is charging people $95.00 a month. The two instructors can barely speak english and they are only there 3 days a week. These suckers are paying for 3 classes a week at a local fitness gym where they roll out the mats for a one hour class. I hope many of them go out of business with the crazy prices they are charging. McDojos, that is what they are.

I pay more than double your maximum (for only 9 1-hour classes per month) and I don't feel like I am getting ripped off. I could be paying less, but by paying more I get to train with guys who are medaling consistantly at the Pan Ams and other big international tourneys.

It's all about perceived value. In my area (DC/Baltimore) we have a number of really good schools, so there is no way the McDojos could compete charging high prices.

 

[pittelp]

I here a lot of people complain about how expensive BJJ is where they live and, honestly, I think often the complaints are reasonable. After all, if you train at a Judo club in the same area you often pay, what, 1/3rd the amount.
The difference, I think, is profit. Most Judo clubs I have come across are run by people who are not looking to make money of it. After all, how could you make money teaching Judo to people at $50 a month unless you had huge classes?
If I ever become qualified to be an instructor (at my current rate of progress probably sometime next decade) I want to start a club style program and, hopefully, share space with either a Judo or Wrestling club. How is our sport ever going to become as mainstream as either Judo or Wrestling until kids have access to cheap quality training? Just my two cents.... I wanted to procrastinate rather than write a research paper about
What do you think? Can BJJ ever become a truly mainstream sport with instruction as expensive as it is?

Supply and demand, BJJ is just riding a wave, Rorion and Royce opened the door with UFC I and the market has been steady growing every year throughout the world. Every other martial art done it to some extent in history, thank goodness for school wrestling programs. Bruce Lee charged expensive rates for personal training, Chuck Norris and others had chains of karate schools. Once the wave ends every BJJ school will be slashing their prices, after all, no one wants to roll around with a crack-head and give his buddies free shots while your trying to get the mounted position.

 

[irc]

A blackbelt in BJJ takes 7yrs or more of dedicated training, an accomplishment that parallel's a doctoral degree in any other field.

LO f'ing L. Please never say this again.

 

[lechien]

LO f'ing L. Please never say this again.

Yep, that was pretty sad comparison. :icon_cry2

 

[Aethyr]

LO f'ing L. Please never say this again.

Why? What is wrong with the comparison? I know a guy who got his PhD and later his BB and said he was more proud of his BB than his PhD and that his BB took far more blood, sweat and tears.

 

[Aethyr]

Supply and demand, BJJ is just riding a wave, Rorion and Royce opened the door with UFC I and the market has been steady growing every year throughout the world. Every other martial art done it to some extent in history, thank goodness for school wrestling programs. Bruce Lee charged expensive rates for personal training, Chuck Norris and others had a chains of karate schools. Once the wave ends every BJJ school will be slashing their prices, after all, no one wants to roll around with a crack-head and give his buddies free shots while your trying to get the mounted position.

Its not just supply and demand. There are still expensive schools for anything, whether tennis, soccer, baseball or gymnastics or any other sport. I can pay $10 for the local rec club tennis lessons, or I can shell out $10k for the top coaches. There IS some difference in quality in what you pay for.

In the end, not all BJJ schools will be able to charge top dollar, but the better schools will.

 

[redaxe]

Its not just supply and demand. There are still expensive schools for anything, whether tennis, soccer, baseball or gymnastics or any other sport. I can pay $10 for the local rec club tennis lessons, or I can shell out $10k for the top coaches. There IS some difference in quality in what you pay for.

In the end, not all BJJ schools will be able to charge top dollar, but the better schools will.

This is right on. The more widespread the sport becomes, the more divergence you will have in the range of quality and cost of instruction. The cheapest, low-to-average-quality instructors/academies will probably get cheaper due to more competition (and soon in most areas you won't be able to charge for lessons if you aren't a black belt anymore) meanwhile the most expensive ones with the top qualifications will become even more expensive due to more demand from a bigger "marketplace" of prospective athletes.

 

[pittelp]

Its not just supply and demand. There are still expensive schools for anything, whether tennis, soccer, baseball or gymnastics or any other sport. I can pay $10 for the local rec club tennis lessons, or I can shell out $10k for the top coaches. There IS some difference in quality in what you pay for.

In the end, not all BJJ schools will be able to charge top dollar, but the better schools will.

No one is saying that Pete Sampras or Rickson Gracie are going to slash their prices, I'm just saying that a lot of 1st degree BB's that went into the BJJ business will do what they have to do to stay competitive in business.

 

[ElKarlo]

I think it is main stream and because it is such a young sport in the US (what 20 yrs old here?) there are still a limited amount of instructors.

Also the marketing hype behind it is amazing. Almost every move from the guard or every submission is considered Jiu Jitsu even if the grappler has limited BJJ skills. Just watch any UFC, Strike force or WEC to make my point.

So the uneducated associate every grappling maneuver a "Jiu Jitsu" maneuver even though there are a handful of styles that have similar maneuvers from similar positions.

Also you have to consider that teachers charge what they think they can get away with. So if you have 3 schools in 15 miles charging $150/month the only way to break that habit is to have a quality instructor come in and do it for $75. THAT will force some change.

You are correct though, I have done some searches on Judo in the Tampa area and it is not like 100 schools pop up. There are probably a few more in the area than there are BJJ schools or mma schools and still the Judo clubs charge about 1/3 of the BJJ clubs.

Lets not get started on wrestling, how many places can you go as an adult and learn wrestling? Very Very few yet the places I know are either dirt cheap or FREE!

I think Judo is considered old skool. I went to a Judo dojo in Baltimore, and there werent many students there. But they had a pic from 1955 or so, and it was like BJJ now, full of young guys.

 

[Connection Rio]

I here a lot of people complain about how expensive BJJ is where they live and, honestly, I think often the complaints are reasonable. After all, if you train at a Judo club in the same area you often pay, what, 1/3rd the amount.
The difference, I think, is profit. Most Judo clubs I have come across are run by people who are not looking to make money of it. After all, how could you make money teaching Judo to people at $50 a month unless you had huge classes?
If I ever become qualified to be an instructor (at my current rate of progress probably sometime next decade) I want to start a club style program and, hopefully, share space with either a Judo or Wrestling club. How is our sport ever going to become as mainstream as either Judo or Wrestling until kids have access to cheap quality training? Just my two cents.... I wanted to procrastinate rather than write a research paper about
What do you think? Can BJJ ever become a truly mainstream sport with instruction as expensive as it is?

I understand where you are coming from about seemingly high prices. Take a minute and think about the investment of time and sacrifice a good Professor has undergone to become a Professor and acquire the knowledge to offer students. As a Professor, I for one enjoy the option of being able to make a living from teaching Jiu-jitsu.

 

[Balto]

Comparing the prices of BJJ and Judo instruction in the US is a fallacy. The two are completely different products.

You can get top level BJJ instruction in the US. You have the option of training with a decent number of current and former world champions in the sport.

You cannot get top level Judo instruction in the US. The US is weak in Judo. Most of the current and former world champions are still in Japan.

You have to keep in mind that a lot of these "really expensive" BJJ gyms in major cities are run by guys who have medals from the Mundials or ADCC. How many of those cheap Judo gyms are run by guys who have medals from the Olympics?

I like Judo, but it's a completely different standard in the US than BJJ.

 

[Aethyr]

Comparing the prices of BJJ and Judo instruction in the US is a fallacy. The two are completely different products.

You can get top level BJJ instruction in the US. You have the option of training with a decent number of current and former world champions in the sport.

You cannot get top level Judo instruction in the US. The US is weak in Judo. Most of the current and former world champions are still in Japan.

You have to keep in mind that a lot of these "really expensive" BJJ gyms in major cities are run by guys who have medals from the Mundials or ADCC. How many of those cheap Judo gyms are run by guys who have medals from the Olympics?

I like Judo, but it's a completely different standard in the US than BJJ.

Absolutely. We have a judo guy at our school who trains at his inexpensive judo school but also shells out top dollar for BJJ training. Obviously he sees the value in paying way more for his BJJ otherwise he wouldn't do it...

 

[Steve3730]

Not reading 10 pages of stuff but my answer is because its awesome!

Why are Lamborghinis so expensive?...because their awesome!
Why are high class hookers so expensive?.... because their awesome!
See where I'm going with this?

 

[DirtyCrabcakes]

Not reading 10 pages of stuff but my answer is because its awesome!

Why are Lamborghinis so expensive?...because their awesome!
Why are high class hookers so expensive?.... because their awesome!
See where I'm going with this?

Why are colonoscopies so expensive? Because their... er, wait a sec. Hmmm....:icon_chee

 

[Kyuktooki]

The only fallacy here is that Japan is better at Judo because a lot of government money is put into teaching kids Judo and running top notch university and Olympic programs. Obviously there is more cultural interest as well.
They are grappling products and I am sure you know that a great deal of BJJ is just older Judo ( see Mosh Feldenkrais' book) before the olympic rule changes.
BJJ is expensive only because it is typically run for profit. I am just saying that I hope in the future people who train start to give back to the community and start teach kids and students who may not be able to afford to train otherwise. That is how BJJ is going to become mainstream. It may keep some kids in school and off the streets as well.
I hope to this when I feel qualified. It would be awesome if we could get BJJ or an alternate forum of submission grappling to be a school sport (especially if it would not overlap with wrestling or require those silly uniforms and encourage people to get cleaner mats!).

Comparing the prices of BJJ and Judo instruction in the US is a fallacy. The two are completely different products.

You can get top level BJJ instruction in the US. You have the option of training with a decent number of current and former world champions in the sport.

You cannot get top level Judo instruction in the US. The US is weak in Judo. Most of the current and former world champions are still in Japan.

You have to keep in mind that a lot of these "really expensive" BJJ gyms in major cities are run by guys who have medals from the Mundials or ADCC. How many of those cheap Judo gyms are run by guys who have medals from the Olympics?

I like Judo, but it's a completely different standard in the US than BJJ.

 

[Kyuktooki]

Not reading 10 pages of stuff but my answer is because its awesome!

Why are Lamborghinis so expensive?...because their awesome!
Why are high class hookers so expensive?.... because their awesome!
See where I'm going with this?

I did not ask a question. I simply put forth my view. BJJ is awesome but it is often overpriced none the less. When BJJ costs more than basic yacht club and golf memberships something is wrong.

 

[Thurley42]

:icon_cheeI don't know what you guys are complaining about...I know some places in DC I can get it for 10 bu.....oh...you said bjJ...my bad..





back away slowly..

 

[Train.Harder]

I train BJJ for free, there is this guy from the army at my academy and he teaches me from time to time.

No offense, but no you don't. Not really

 

[Balto]

BJJ is expensive only because it is typically run for profit.

You're proving my point. Because BJJ is run for profit, it has attracted world class instructors to the US, and thus it justifies its price by providing world class instruction in return.

The top Brazilian guys moved to the US to have a better life by making a living teaching. If they would not have been able to teach for profit, they'd still all be in Brazil.

Why aren't the top Japanese guys moving to the US to teach for profit? The reason is that Japan has a much higher standard of living than Brazil so there isn't as much incentive.

So the result is that you can either pay a smaller amount of money for low level Judo instruction in the US, or you can pay a higher amount of money for high level BJJ instruction in the US. There are also low level BJJ places that charge less, but we usually deride those as poor quality options.

You guys like to compare BJJ schools run by world class guys that charge $150/month with recreational Judo schools run by US level competitors that charge $50/month. It's fun to equate the two with "Well, the BJJ guy is a world champion, but the Judo guy is a champion too. He won a few Judo tournaments and is ranked in the top 20 for the US in his weight." In reality, placing at the Mundials is a much bigger accomplishment because it means you are one of the best in the whole world at your weight. There are only a few guys in the world who could realistically beat you at that weight. Being a top 20 US Judo guy means that a whole bunch of university kids in Japan would probably clean you up in competition if they got the chance. It's just a totally different level.

I imagine the Japanese view our Judo level here in much the same way that we view Ari Bolden's competition level. I mean it's great to strive for improvement, but at the end of the day it's a complete non factor since there are no competitive threats coming from either, so really why would you take it seriously?

The best BJJ schools in America are at a much, much higher level than the best Judo schools in America. Accordingly, the price charged is higher, and in fact the ability to charge a high price in the first place is why most of the top BJJ guys moved to America after all.

 

[Balto]

I did not ask a question. I simply put forth my view. BJJ is awesome but it is often overpriced none the less. When BJJ costs more than basic yacht club and golf memberships something is wrong.

BJJ costs more than golf? Do you know how much a country club membership costs in America?