Gym hoppers. Good or bad?

kvltic

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Do you guys think people should stick to one team and not gym hop? What is your opinion on these people?
 
I think people should do what is best for their jiu jitsu and mind their own business.
 
Depends on why they do it. I have moved around a lot, so I've had three different affiliations that I've trained under. If a guy's moved a whole bunch of times, if might be worth while to find out (this only goes out to the instuctor, mind you) what the story was at other gyms and if the guy got kicked out or had behavior problems, etc. Otherwise, it's not a big deal. It's a hobby, there is no such thing as a blue belt being a "traitor" for leaving one school for a better fit somewhere else.
 
If you have been at one gym for a long time and everyone at that club has gotten used to the same styles, I think it is good to switch and evolve your game. Too much bravado behind the club mentality.

I understand being loyal, but going to roll somewhere else can be beneficial to both parties.
 
I've switched 3 times, but thats because of location. I've actually gone back to 2 of them while jumping around. It all depended for me on where I worked/school.
 
For an advanced belt, so much of this depends on the circumstances. For example, an elite grappler may be a big fish in a small pond, and be better able to fulfill his potential in a school with other elite grapplers. Obviously, in the case of someone relocating due to work or other RL circumstances, it can't be helped.

In some cases, it can actually be a good thing. Different teachers tend to focus on different areas of the game. Likewise, after a long time rolling with students in your school, you may learn their games, or general tendencies of students from your school. A change of schools can open a student up to other styles, and result in making a jump.

For a beginner, it often does more harm than good, in my opinion. Consistency is a good thing while learning the basics. A white belt should not change schools unless they absolutely have to.
 
our school only does jiu jitsu so we have quite a few guys that go to several teams for standup and whatnot in addition to ours which is cool because alot of them fight, and those other schools quite often have grappling or jj as well. we have a couple that jump around to those other schools for just the jj though and thats annoying.
 
If you get graded at one gym, that is your gym, unless you have to move away due to work or family. In the latter case you would have to inform your instructor and ask for his blessing, and also contact your potential 'new' instructor and ask him if it was cool.

Being honest and open and friendly means you can be flexible with your jiu jitsu. Being sneaky and deceitful and training in more than one gym without telling either instructor, or getting graded or competing for other gyms but still gym hopping causes tension and people will not be cool with it.

Be sensible, and everyone who says it doesnt matter just gym hop is an absolute *********.
 
If you expect the instructor to put time and effort into caring about your development as a student/grappler/martial artist, you'd best stick around. Sure, he'll teach you as a guest, but he'll teach you as a businessman selling his services for a fee. He won't care whether you're getting better, he won't push you to work on your physical or technical weaknesses, and he won't give you as much attention as the students who have dedicated themselves to their team and their academy. And in my opinion, that's fair. You get what you put in. If you treat your academy like a disposable gym with some instructor that could just as well be anyone else, expect the same in return. I see nothing wrong with training different places to get experience with different training partners and what not, but if you're hopping from gym to gym then you have to be realistic in what you expect out of it.
 
You moved, or you're training a different martial art are pretty much the only good reasons to gym hop.

If it's because the school isn't good, well that's something you'd figure out pretty quickly, so you never would really be apart of their team to begin with.

But if you choose to stick with a school, have some loyalty. Because it's not just a school, it's a team. Martial arts is a team sport. Some people don't see it like that, but remember, you can't excel without the help of your teammates. They help you get better and vice versa.

How are you gonna help your team if you're off training with another one?
 
I'm a "gym-hopper". I used to train at one place, and for a variety of reasons, that place no longer worked for me. The decision to switch was the right one for me, although I still have people with whom I am friendly from my (changed to) old gym. It's my money, my time, and my hobby. Ultimately, where I train is my decision; it's a service for which I pay, not the army.

That said, you make real friendships when you train. I didn't switch gyms lightly, and don't think one should do so often, or without a compelling reason.
 
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I'm a "gym-hopper". I used to train at one place, and for a variety of reasons, that place no longer worked for me. The decision to switch was the right one for me, although I still have people with whom I am friendly from my own gym. It's my money, my time, and my hobby. Ultimately, where I train is my decision; it's a service for which I pay, not the army.

That said, you make real friendships when you train. I didn't switch gyms lightly, and don't think one should do so often, or without a compelling reason.

You are a tool, and abused the good will of your instructor. BJJ isnt some sort of convenient sex service you can pay for and pick and choose, if you change gyms it better be for a better reason than "Ultimately, where I train is my decision; it's a service for which I pay"

I know people like you, and they suck.
 
I'm tending to favor the your time and money your choice. I can see how it leads towards hurt feelings, burnt bridges and resentment, but at the end of the day it is a service and if you don't feel like your getting your moneys worth then you should be able to find somewhere that you feel like you are. Now if you're traveling and moving all the time I don't really feel thats the same thing since it really isn't your fault.
 
You are a tool, and abused the good will of your instructor. BJJ isnt some sort of convenient sex service you can pay for and pick and choose, if you change gyms it better be for a better reason than "Ultimately, where I train is my decision; it's a service for which I pay"

I know people like you, and they suck.

I know people like him too. Actually, I know him personally.

I also know that you are way out of line here. pittfrog is a great guy. I'm proud to have trained with him.

You need to chill out if you're going to stick around in BJJ man. Sometimes people have good reasons for changing gyms. Just accept that and move on. It's a normal thing, and it's not really your business anyway in the end.
 
You are a tool, and abused the good will of your instructor. BJJ isnt some sort of convenient sex service you can pay for and pick and choose, if you change gyms it better be for a better reason than "Ultimately, where I train is my decision; it's a service for which I pay"

I know people like you, and they suck.

Actually, it is a convenient service you can pay for and pick and choose. Don't know why you picked sex, other than to try and denigrate the poster, but BJJ is a business as well as a sport and martial art. People like you should really stick to TKD. The cult of instructor worship and absolute loyalty to the first place you happen to walk into is much more broadly accepted in that 'martial art'. Pittfrog specifically said it wasn't an easy decision, no reason not to take him at his word.

I like my instructor a lot (we trained Judo together before he got much, much better than me at BJJ), and he wouldn't be happy if I decided to train somewhere else, but unless it was a bitter "breakup" he wouldn't hate me if it was for a good reason. As someone said, it's not the army, or the priesthood.

You're not an apostate for switching BJJ schools.
 
You are a tool, and abused the good will of your instructor. BJJ isnt some sort of convenient sex service you can pay for and pick and choose, if you change gyms it better be for a better reason than "Ultimately, where I train is my decision; it's a service for which I pay"

I know people like you, and they suck.

I am hoping this is sarcastic. IT is the person's decision whether or not they train at one gym or another. It could be not meshing with the class right, not feeling enough individual attention, or just plain tired of the decor. There is no right or wrong answer here, since it all boils down to personal preference.

He even emphasized how one should not do it lightly, but BJJ can be a likened to a convenient sex service for some. Its a hobby to most. Do bowlers ask permission to bowl at other lanes for league. Are softball players stuck in one league for ever?

I personally have changed gyms once. I started at a Japanese Jujitsu school close to my house. They didn't have the standup I needed, as I prefer boxing to Karate, and I seemed to outgrow it. IMO I need to get beaten on a very regular basis in order to maximize my improvements. This isn't a slight towards my old gym, but more a statement of fact. There are fundamental differences betweem JJJ and BJJ and my journey took me a certain route. I don't see me leaving my gym atm, but if the something changes, and I am not happy I reserve the right to pay my money elsewhere.
 
You are a tool, and abused the good will of your instructor. BJJ isnt some sort of convenient sex service you can pay for and pick and choose, if you change gyms it better be for a better reason than "Ultimately, where I train is my decision; it's a service for which I pay"

I know people like you, and they suck.

Cmon that's ridiculous. There are any number of legitimate reasons for having to switch gyms. For all you know he left on good terms.
 
You are a tool, and abused the good will of your instructor. BJJ isnt some sort of convenient sex service you can pay for and pick and choose, if you change gyms it better be for a better reason than "Ultimately, where I train is my decision; it's a service for which I pay"

I know people like you, and they suck.

You are the one that sounds like the major tool.
 
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