When signing up at an academy do you think people generally look for someone who has a known name. i.e. Nino Schembri or Ralph Gracie? Does your teacher need to be an active or once active tournament competitor? Does it matter if they have a winning record? We see more and more people posting their own youtube videos showing how well they can breakdown techniques or a new transition that has never been seen before. Does your teacher need to market himself ? Or can you just head down to a local academy where the teacher stays low key and doesnt look for the attention?
its all about skills and environment for me. if i go to check a school out and i like the way the classes are and the guys there and the instructor has the skills then i dont give a shit if he has a known name or not.
i dont care but i think alot do. i am comfortable at low key with guys who are like family. As long as we can keep up at tournys i see no problem.
A complete beginner probably has no idea who is a big name in the art. Some may have heard of the Gracies, and others may have done a bit of research on Google, but I would bet that for most complete newbies they've just seen a flyer, and based their choice of school on price, location, and how convenient the timetable is for them. It's only people involved in the sport already who know who the stars are.
James
Nice if you have the choice, but we don't all live in California or NYC.
It's a mix between Instructor and environment for me. Though the two are very closely related.
Name recognition matters a LOT.
50% of my students come to me because they recognize the "Grandmaster Shen" (tm) logo from a flyer taped up at a bus stop or an add in the local "Pennysaver".
They see the picture of me, posing with my "Deer Antler Hook Knives" and they KNOW, they are going to get first-class Internet instruction in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Sir Taps - A complete beginner probably has no idea who is a big name in the art. Some may have heard of the Gracies, and others may have done a bit of research on Google, but I would bet that for most complete newbies they've just seen a flyer, and based their choice of school on price, location, and how convenient the timetable is for them. It's only people involved in the sport already who know who the stars are.
James
As a complete beginner I agree with this statement. I've just recently started training (2nd month) and the determining factors in picking which gym to attend had to do with schedule, proximity to my home, and overall convenience. That being said, it was a nice bonus (from a fans point of view) that the gym was run by a "big name" and that he personally taught some of the beginner classes.
MrGoodkat - As a beginner, I'd just want to feel confident knowing that I'm getting good foundation and quality instructions, regardless of whom it is giving them.
If I decided to take my talents on the road, perhaps South Beach, for example, I'd like to feel comfortable knowing that I can jump right in with someone else and be at about the same level I thought I was, or was being coached to be at.
I was also thinking of taking my talents to south beach
Does it matter what belt your instructor is??? I come from a country town in Australia with only about 25 students. When our team travels to comps we generally are very competitive. Our teacher is a purple belt. And I think at an intermediate level jiu jitsu is very easy to understand and therefore with a good base knowledge and lots of rolling you can be very competitive no matter what rank your instructor is. Obviously If your a brown or black belt you are going to need a further skill base to work with... Thoughts? 
I dont think name recognition is that important, and I've trained with some pretty big names.
To me, what matters most, is how welcomed you feel at the academy, and the overall environment of the gym.
It sure doesn't hurt. Everyone wants to say they got their belts from a reputable source.
Whether it's "fair" or not, I KNOW when I tell people, I got my belt from Doug Semler & Pat McDougal there is an IMMEDIATE respect for me and my skills.
Can't say the same is true if you get belted by some "nobody" (no offence).
shen -
Whether it's "fair" or not, I KNOW when I tell people, I got my belt from Doug Semler & Pat McDougal there is an IMMEDIATE respect for me and my skills.
Can't say the same is true if you get belted by some "nobody" (no offence).
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