Free MA training in Anthem, AZ.

[cfr]

Greetings all. A friend of mine teaches a combination of boxing/ kickboxing. BJJ, and some stand up clinch/ takedowns. I wouldn't really call it MMA as we add things in that would be illegal in an MMA bout, but the training probably resembles MMA more than anything else.

The training is free, all that's required is commitment and the willingness to work hard.

PM me if interested.

 

[geezer]

Greetings all. A friend of mine teaches a combination of boxing/ kickboxing. BJJ, and some stand up clinch/ takedowns. I wouldn't really call it MMA as we add things in that would be illegal in an MMA bout, but the training probably resembles MMA more than anything else.

The training is free, all that's required is commitment and the willingness to work hard.

PM me if interested.

Hey cfr, that's a great deal. I wish you and your friend the best of luck. You may find it's easier to find people who will pay money than people who will pay with dedication! And, some people won't believe that you guys know anything if you don't hit 'em up for a fee...even if you beat the tar out of them! Sorry for my cynicism. What you are offering is terrific and you are obviously sincere. Post back in a few weeks and let us know how it's going.

 

[cfr]

Greetings Geezer. I trust all is well?

I've got a few bites from posting on Craigslist so far. I think the biggest issue we will face is that most people either want MMA or something with the official label of "self defense". Being that we are a hybrid of the two, it's tough. In addition to that Antehm is a bit out of the way (as I'm sure you are aware).

If you're ever up for the drive, you're always welcome!!!

 

[terryl965]

I wish you the best of luck

 

[Brian S]

There are grwta martial artists out there still willing to teach for free for the love of teaching/art.

I learned for many years for free. Once upon a time we pitched in 25$ a month for the use of a National Guard facility for a few months. Most of the time we just used one of the instructors backyards or side streets.

Now, we have a place to train that we split with other instructors. One is Goju kai, one is BJJ and MT, and ours is American Goju.

It has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages: We pick our students, if we don't like how a person behaves we can politely ask them to leave and never return.(this has only happened twice in my 17yrs of training)
We try to keep the class sizes small and it's not hard with no big fees to make every month.
People are generally more open and friendly with a less formal environment.

Disadvantages: It is hard to find students since we do not advertise. It is also hard to retain people since there are no contracts and fees. Not dedication,but I'd rather have someone do it because they want to not because they feel they have to.

 

[cfr]

Bump/ edit for this very old post...

To be clear on the type of training, we do NOT stick to MMA rules, despite the styles that we train in. An example would be that if if both people are on the ground, and one rolls onto his stomach, in an MMA/ BJJ match the guy on top would not be allowed to elbow/ punch the back of your neck, whereas we would do just that (not hard of course). This would be a bad idea in a competition anyways, but it illustrates my point well. We also do some practicing with the MMA and/ or BJJ ruleset, but are starting to get more and more away from it as neither of us is ever going to compete.

The training is free, but we are looking for someone who is willing to commit to training regularly (obviously after you're sure you want to pursue it).

Anyone interested please PM me.

 

[cfr]

Bump to the top for this old post.... we are once again searching out new partners.

 

[geezer]

Bump to the top for this old post.... we are once again searching out new partners.

CFR, great to hear that you are still at it. The fact that your group has been hanging in there for over two years now (since the first post on this thread) speaks well of your commitment to what you do. Our Ving Tsun and Eskrima groups down in Central Phoenix and the East Valley are still struggling to keep going too. And I have some younger friends down in Ahwatukee trying to do pretty much the kind of hard, realistic training you advocate... in fact one of their guys is fighting out at the Fort McDowell Casino next Sat. Anyway, they have some really good people, such as Maesto Martin Torres (DTE "Extreme Eskrima"). And they struggle along too. Amazing how hard it is to get dedicated people if you are non-commercial!

BTW-- info for you and anybody else in the greater Phoenix area. There's an open FMA "Gathering" and potluck picnic at Hance Park (the Fwy "deck park") next Sun. 10/24/'10 from 11am - 4pm. It's free, the food is good, and there are demos and free tutorials (this year Master Ron Saturno will be there along with others) all styles and visitors are welcome. And, who knows, you might run into some people who would be interested in joining your group. Hope to see you there.

 

[cfr]

CFR, great to hear that you are still at it. The fact that your group has been hanging in there for over two years now (since the first post on this thread) speaks well of your commitment to what you do. Our Ving Tsun and Eskrima groups down in Central Phoenix and the East Valley are still struggling to keep going too. And I have some younger friends down in Ahwatukee trying to do pretty much the kind of hard, realistic training you advocate... in fact one of their guys is fighting out at the Fort McDowell Casino next Sat. Anyway, they have some really good people, such as Maesto Martin Torres (DTE "Extreme Eskrima"). And they struggle along too. Amazing how hard it is to get dedicated people if you are non-commercial!

BTW-- info for you and anybody else in the greater Phoenix area. There's an open FMA "Gathering" and potluck picnic at Hance Park (the Fwy "deck park") next Sun. 10/24/'10 from 11am - 4pm. It's free, the food is good, and there are demos and free tutorials (this year Master Ron Saturno will be there along with others) all styles and visitors are welcome. And, who knows, you might run into some people who would be interested in joining your group. Hope to see you there.

He Geezer, good to "see" you. Yep, we keep doing it. It's amazing to me that it's so hard to find training partners under these circumstances.

At any rate, is this the seminar that Michael B. is involved with? If so, I may go. It will be easy to spot me, I'll be the guy that has no clue what he's doing with a stick. :uhoh:

 

[geezer]

At any rate, is this the seminar that Michael B. is involved with? If so, I may go. It will be easy to spot me, I'll be the guy that has no clue what he's doing with a stick. :uhoh:

Yep... that's the one. I hope to see you at either the Ron Saturno seminar on Sat. or the FMA "gathering" on Sun. And I'm pretty clueless as far as Serrada goes too, but i know it'll be fun all the same.

 

[Noah_Legel]

I don't mean to derail the thread, but geezer mentioned that it is hard to keep dedicated practitioners when you are a "non-commercial" school. Well, having a commercialized school does lend you an air of professionalism, and making money while teaching people something valuable isn't exactly bad (if it was we wouldn't be a capitalist country, after all). That said, have you thought about filing for non-profit status? That would give you a similar professional status without requiring people to pay for training, although you could accept donations for equipment/gear. Just a thought

 

[cfr]

I don't mean to derail the thread, but geezer mentioned that it is hard to keep dedicated practitioners when you are a "non-commercial" school. Well, having a commercialized school does lend you an air of professionalism, and making money while teaching people something valuable isn't exactly bad (if it was we wouldn't be a capitalist country, after all). That said, have you thought about filing for non-profit status? That would give you a similar professional status without requiring people to pay for training, although you could accept donations for equipment/gear. Just a thought

No, thats never come up. However, it's not my place, so its not really up to me.

I personally think the biggest issue is unless your willing to pay for advertising, where do you advertise? I have adds like these on several boards, but thats really about it.

 

[KenpoVzla]

Whao I have so much respect for instructors that share their knowledge for free. Specially when MA are so commercialized nowadays.

With that said, I suggest you charge some honerary fee at least, and this way you have something for a Marketing Budget, some funds to keep students coming. I think something like $20 per month will make it work.

 

[Noah_Legel]

No, thats never come up. However, it's not my place, so its not really up to me.

I personally think the biggest issue is unless your willing to pay for advertising, where do you advertise? I have adds like these on several boards, but thats really about it.

I think that KempoVzla's suggestion is a good one--you do need to market yourself, even if you aren't trying to make any money, so you will need to pull in some sort of revenue to fund that marketing. You can put yourself in the Yellowpages for free, or pay for an ad in it (the larger the ad, the more it would cost, of course). Then of course you can set up a blog--blogs will get a surprising following if you get the right content--and post up discussions after each training session or on particular topics covered. Movie theaters will put up full-screen ads for you in those pre-movie advertisements and I don't believe that costs a ton of money. Beyond that you can set up a television or commercial, but that gets pricey.