ralph gracie sf = grr. argh. bleh.

[ohmalley]

so last july i was in sf for a month and wanted a place to train. i bought a pack of 8 lessons to train at ralph gracies in sf. i reinjured my ribs during a hike in yosemite so i was only able to train once before returning to new york. i called a few times and got nobody so i sent an email thru the website explaining the situation, and checking to be sure that i could use them later when i returned (i'm in sf 3-4x a year, usually for at least 2 weeks at a time). i never heard back.

i'm back for a month so last night i drop by just after 7pm (according to the website class starts at 7). times musta changed tho because they're clearly well into class, folks are rolling not drilling. i step up to the unattended desk figuring someone would get to me when they could -- it wasn't my intention to interrupt. then i hear "BROOOOOH. BRO! CAN I DO SOMETHING FOR YOU??" bellowed by kurt (the school manager) from across the sizeable gym. everyone stops for a second and looks at me. i'm forced to respond by yelling back.

"um, yeah, i met you last july -- i'd purchased a pack of lessons."
"DOOOOOOOOOD, THAT WAS LAST YEAR BRO!"
"Yeah, it was 6mos ago. i got injur-"
"HAVE A SEAT BRO I'LL GET TO YOU IN A MINUTE."

so i sit down and after the next round begins he comes up to me at the desk all DOOOD and BROOOOHHH and explains that that was a "loooong time ago doood" and they're no longer good. i explained that i'd called and emailed but hadn't heard anything back. "none of that got to me bro!". i told him i wasn't sure if there was an expiration date on the lesson back but i was hoping i could still use them since i'd already paid. he said no i'd have to buy more. i was very polite and didn't argue, said thanks and left. there was no way in hell i was dropping any more money there, i don't care how good a school it is.

now, to be fair, i kinda had a feeling this is the response i'd get. but jeez, really? they "expired"? the $180 i put in his pocket didn't expire. the mats didn't expire. to the best of my recollection the only thing that's expired is that retarded surfer dude inflection.

i suppose it's all for the best. folks there weren't terribly welcoming. being the new guy, getting drilling partners was like pulling teeth, and one of the guys i drilled with kept making inappropriate jokes about rolling with a particular female student. i can't judge the school by one douchebag, but i also can't say i'm surprised to be aggravated.

on to the next school i guess. gonna try 10th planet tonight. is getting high a requirement there, or just a tactical strategy?

 

[FLoWitheGo**]

Sucks but atleast now you can move on. Where do you train in nyc?

 

[Title Fight Productions]

Ralphs is a different mentality for sure. Kinda the closed nit club feel. Kurt is a good guy usually. Bummer, i think if you head back when he isn't in the middle of class and has more time for you and explain that you come thru the city alot for work and if he takes care of you on the first session you bought you would be much more likely to buy more, then you might get better results.

I do recomend Denny up at `0th planet tho. he is also a young new gym owner and will be more likely to be stoked on someone dropping in from out of town.

 

[batman69]

if you serious and want a competitive but welcoming place, come over to oakland and try out rocha bjj. we're open everyday this week except thursday and friday. the website has all the info: map, schedule, breakdown on the instructor. i won't be there tonight i helped teach this morning, and i promise you won't get bro'd and dooded to death. the url is Eduardo Rocha - San Francisco Bay Area - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - BJJ - East Bay

 

[the heed]

I didn't have a good experience there either. I went there to train with some friends along time ago.. I was a white belt, couple of my buddies were blues from a different school.. We did not feel welcomed at all and at times hostile... I got put to sleep by a very aggressive purple belt. One of my buddies almost got hurt.. I understand they were trying to prove a point by letting us know it's their gym but we felt like they were really looking to kick our ass.. Don't get me wrong I did roll with few really nice dudes but as a majority did not feel safe there.

In contrast Cesar gracie's was super friendly and I even got to roll with Nick Diaz who was actually super helpful. He would tap me out but not crank it and told me what I did wrong.

 

[Balto]

You bought them in July 2009?

If they expired in only six months because you got injured, that's not good customer service from Ralph's place. In that case, I would certainly take a look elsewhere.

 

[FLoWitheGo**]

Keep us posted on the 10th planet school ts. Interested to hear your take on it.

 

[Qtip inspector]

come on in. i'll be there from 5;30 to 9;00 5:30 -7:00 wresting 7;00 900 jiu jitsu. no attitude there, very laid back. my name is ben, I am an assistant instructor there

 

[Balto]

Ralph also has a pretty bad reputation in general. He's known for acting insane and trying to hurt his students. I believe BJ Penn and the Camarillo brothers all left him for exactly that reason.

Plus, the video of him punching Bobby Southworth on crutches was a pretty bad display as well. Personally, I'd avoid Ralph.

 

[ohmalley]

yeah, kurt was definitey a decent guy. i mean, he wasn't mean or anything, i just thought it was kinda cheap/stingy. i appreciated his instruction skill the one class i had with him. just too bad is all. i did explain to him (last july and last night) that i'm in sf frequently, but he just kinda shrugged. ah well.

i dropped in last night at 10th planet at the end of class and denny was SUPER friendly. even offered me a free class, which i didn't expect. hope it works out. it's no gi and i'd prefer a mix of gi as well, but i'm more concerned with finding the right 'fit' in a school. i'd really like to train somewhere consistently when i'm in town instead of popping in at random judo and bjj gyms here and there.

i'll post on the experience later. cheers!

 

[MMA junkie]

Is Kurt Armenian or something?

 

[Qtip inspector]

also, we get drop ins all the time from other gyms. /Denny is well respected and a great teacher. would love to hear an unbaised review.

 

[fourfif**]

I had a similar problem with them. Also I hated it there. Kurt was cool, but overall the vibe was not to my liking.

10th Planet for the win.

 

[elcapitan]

ralphs and his students have a peputation of acting kinda crazy at competitions, i think the school has an overall agressive attitude. . . not saying it is a bad school or anything

 

[Drew Foster]

Dave Camarillo wanted to leave Ralph's for a while but felt threatened and when finally was pulled into an office and cornered by Ralph, he said that's enough, pushed away the fear and went out on his own. There are lots more details to the story, but he explains it very clearly in Guerilla Jiu Jitsu.

That's a bummer. They stole your money IMHO. That's really fucked up. I have heard good things about denny at 10th Planet also.

 

[no_itsnotadash**]

Kurt's always seemed like a cool dude, sucks to hear that man. Try an find a time to meet with him before or after a class and have a mature conversation. You payed money for a service that wasn't provided. Although I will say Ralph's academy doesn't seem like the place to get on someone's bad side lol.

San Fran has some good places, check out Carley Gracie's academy. I've heard good things about the academy.

 

[keynote]

Dave Camarillo wanted to leave Ralph's for a while but felt threatened and when finally was pulled into an office and cornered by Ralph, he said that's enough, pushed away the fear and went out on his own. There are lots more details to the story, but he explains it very clearly in Guerilla Jiu Jitsu.

I actually just started reading Guerilla Jiujitsu last night, and the story blew my mind. Amazing.

 

[anaconda]

You bought them in July 2009?

If they expired in only six months because you got injured, that's not good customer service from Ralph's place. In that case, I would certainly take a look elsewhere.

agree totally..thats bullshit.

also, $180 for 8 classes? so the discounted rate for buying a pack is $22.50 per class? thats crazy.

 

[lechien]

Dave Camarillo wanted to leave Ralph's for a while but felt threatened and when finally was pulled into an office and cornered by Ralph, he said that's enough, pushed away the fear and went out on his own. There are lots more details to the story, but he explains it very clearly in Guerilla Jiu Jitsu.

That's a bummer. They stole your money IMHO. That's really fucked up. I have heard good things about denny at 10th Planet also.

That is not exactly the story.

I think he was only a brown belt and told Ralph that he had enough and wanted to leave him. Ralph called him and another brasilian BB in his office and told him that he will hurt him if he ever leaves him.
At the time, David admit he was not mentally prepared to leave Ralph and it took him a few years to seperate himself.
David also explained on how Ralph used to beat him up for no reasons!
Ralph Gracie takes his creonte business really seriously!

 

[ohmalley]

agree totally..thats bullshit.

also, $180 for 8 classes? so the discounted rate for buying a pack is $22.50 per class? thats crazy.

i believe there was a one-time membership fee built into that as well, but i can't remember exactly how much. 30 or 40 i think. i didn't keep the receipt. i recall thinking the per-class rate was fair or at least common. the drop-in rate for a single class was 30.

alrighty, off to 10th planet. wish me luck!