5. Tournament Experience: GC will NOT allow there students to sandbag. That means their guys will fight at their skill/experience level, they won't have their students sandbag just to see them win belts/medals/swords.
I would like to comment on a somewhat unrelated note.
Sandbagging, as a general matter, seems to be completely out of control.
I was at the recent NAGA DC speaking with a competitor in the no-gi beginner division of an unnamed weight class from an unnamed school.
He informed me that he had several years of judo, had fought low level mma, and was competing in the beginner no-gi at his coach's request. He could have been completely full of it, but I took him at his word.
I don't know if this is commonplace, but I found it to be telling.
As to the general topic of this thread, I stand by my original statement -- try out each school for yourself.
If you're looking for a school that trains a jiu jitsu style geared more towards MMA and self-defense, I think GC is the school for you.
If you're looking for a school that trains a jiu jitsu style geared more towards sport bjj (i.e. emphasis on points/ tournament style jiu jitsu) then I would lean towards baltimore bjj and/or 88.
If you're strictly a hobbyist, either will suffice. Despite what prior posters may have intimated, you aren't going to learn improper technique at any of these schools, and it's really more about personal fit than anything else.
