Where's the best place to train in the US?

bjh13 - 
Alliance GM -  Alliance HQ in Dunwoody GA, USA! I'd put our medal count up against any any school in the world. Major IBJJF tournaments only (Mundial, Pan, Brazilian + European Championships)  <br type="_moz" />



Congrats, but I'm not sure that kind of thing indicates somewhere is the "the best place to train in the US". Considering most of us are not professional competitors, I would be concerned somewhere like that would have a bit too much focus on the high level competitors and that regular people off the street wouldn't be getting much attention from the high level guys running the school.



 Well if you are in dire need of being hand held and coddled then Alliance is most certainly not for you.
This thread is in reference to all decorated competitors who have medaled at major IBJJF sanctioned events. You quite evidently do not fit that league regardless of what school you choose to belong to. So be quiet.

shen - 

Serious question:

Can any of those people even swing a pair of nunchaku, kama or sai...?

Cause if not, they have NOTHING to smile about.










These guys are smiliing because they dish out very happy endings to the likes of you by stuffing that nunchaku right up your ass.

Serious Answer.




SleepBomb -  is the sister steel? if so, is she turning black?


I've always loved some black in me. You should try it sometime. Make sure its fully funtional.



cdog1955 - IMO, it's not how the competitors or the high levels guys do, it's what kind of progress is the least talented people making that's shows how good the instruction is.


Oh yeah?
I am a World Record total setting, All American Record breaking, elite total holding pro lifter, ranked among top superheavyweight strength athletes on earth , packing 200lb of solid muscle and tits that always get in the way at 5'5" with about enough flexibility to tie my shoes and wipe my own ass...so I do not dabble in the Iron. The Iron is my life.

And not only have i medaled both on weight and absolute in just about every fucking tournament both sanctioned or not that I have ever partaken in, But Master Jacare has found me worthy of a purple which I am testing for in under a week.

I come from a completely different atheletic background and my sport conflicts immensely with the performance demands of the mat...and Jacare made a Jitsuka out of me. And a good one. My game has been fine tuned to work for my very unique bodytype.

So bask in Alliance's glory for they have taken poodles and bred them into pits, then  taken pits and taught them to go right for the jugular.

boom.

nuff said.
 

makinlulz420 - 
Hillary - Seeing Mr. Jim in a gi makes my heart happy.

Alliance is an amazing gym, their competitive accomplishments are incredible, and everyone there treated me exceptionally well. That being said, everyone's tastes are different. I personally do much better in gyms where I can joke with the instructor, ask questions without feeling dumb, laugh, and have fun, as I very easily get tense (from being scared to screw up) and just shut down. It's a pretty intimidating gym, even if it doesn't mean to be. I'm sure someone who has different training goals, or time commitments (the 2-2.5 hour classes at Alliance may not be good for a person with a family and full time job), will have different ideas of the "best" place to train in the US. Best is quite relative, and luckily for the great group of folks in the picture it's the best to them. :)



Hillary, I have trained at Alliance for a long time and its a extremely friendly and family oriented atmosphere. I was here when you visited Which happened to be right before worlds which is the most intense training (of course) for us and even at that time the training is still very friendly and fun. I remember you having a hard time with some of our blue belts, im sure the pressure you put on yourself to uphold your reputation influenced your view of our gym in a negative manner and I don't think its fair for you to come on here and act like you know what your talking about. Maybe someone with a family who trains here could shed some light on this? Im sure Ian and Mr. Jim would be glad to tell you about the family/friendly atmosphere here at Alliance.

God bless.



That was the money shot ^^^
 

So is the question "Where is the best place to train in the US" OR Where is the best place to train in the US if you are a competitor?

If it's the latter, then i couldn't say, maybe Alliance, maybe L.I.'s, maybe somewhere else, i don't really care.

Given this statement " Well if you are in dire need of being hand held and coddled then Alliance is most certainly not for you". Then Alliance is certainly NOT the best place for training in the US. Their own students tell you this.

Who in the hell wants to get coddled? You want coddling, go to the Asian Massage Parlor, not Jacare and Alliance for God's sake.

Stuart Smiley Saves Jiu Jitsu!

SisterSteel - 
 Well if you are in dire need of being hand held and coddled then Alliance is most certainly not for you.
This thread is in reference to all decorated competitors who have medaled at major IBJJF sanctioned events. You quite evidently do not fit that league regardless of what school you choose to belong to. So be quiet.



It isn't about wanting to be coddled, it's about receiving instruction I am paying for. As Hillary pointed out, not everyone is or wants to be a professional competitor, and my concern was if I'm not a gifted and decorated competitor then the high level instructors at the school like Jacare wouldn't even know I exist. Apparently beginners and those who aren't athletic aren't welcome at Alliance HQ based on your statement, so I'm going to say Alliance HQ isn't anywhere close to the best place to train in the US no matter how many champions they are producing.

bjh13 - 
SisterSteel - 
 Well if you are in dire need of being hand held and coddled then Alliance is most certainly not for you.
This thread is in reference to all decorated competitors who have medaled at major IBJJF sanctioned events. You quite evidently do not fit that league regardless of what school you choose to belong to. So be quiet.



It isn't about wanting to be coddled, it's about receiving instruction I am paying for. As Hillary pointed out, not everyone is or wants to be a professional competitor, and my concern was if I'm not a gifted and decorated competitor then the high level instructors at the school like Jacare wouldn't even know I exist. Apparently beginners and those who aren't athletic aren't welcome at Alliance HQ based on your statement, so I'm going to say Alliance HQ isn't anywhere close to the best place to train in the US no matter how many champions they are producing.




Granted, I haven't trained there in years, but I never got that impression at all. I'm not a competitor, nor am I athletic in any way, but I'm stubborn as crap and at least put forth the effort to try to get better and to learn. Jacare never treated me with anything but respect, and never seemed to act like I was of a lesser tier of jiu-jitsu practitioner. The guys who did compete didn't treat me differently, either. Considering some of the places I have trained at, Jacare actually showed more interest in my development than other schools that were focused purely on the competitors. That doesn't equal hand holding or coddling, but rather a respect for all your students based on their individual goals.

Alliance had (and from what I understand, still does) a large contingency of non-competitors who just want to learn a martial art, but may not have the time nor inclination to put forth the extreme amount of effort required to become a world-class competitor. I seriously doubt that Jacare would want to alienate all of them.

FRAT summary: It's a great school.

Yeah I'd say 70-80% of the school is non competitors (or not IBJJF competitors at least) and they all mingle and get along great with the competitors. It's a huge school with big classes, so expecting a ton of personal attention every single class from one instructor is asking a little too much (he's only one person, two if you've got the instructor combo out there), but they do try very hard and don't seem to play favorites. That and there are a ton of helpful high ranks around to work out your issues, so you definitely don't get ignored by any means.

It doesn't matter who you are, Jacare will give you all the love of a drill instructor. I don't know where people have gotten this about him, but, he does actually learn everyone's name. He knows that everyone on that mat exists.

Do you realize how hard it is to remember 400-500 peoples name?

Coddling it isn't, but respectful and caring he is...

He is a hard old man, but he garners respect with his attitude.

Keep in mind as well, Paragon is not just one location at this point. They have a nice spread through SoCal. Their gym is one of the best, IMO.

amichaellee - Keep in mind as well, Paragon is not just one location at this point. They have a nice spread through SoCal. Their gym is one of the best, IMO.



And they are Alliance...

I have an old training buddy (and good friend) that trains at Alliance...and he loves it. And he is not a competitor at all: mid-30's, father, and has a jacked up back. I think he competed once in the last few years and was at Worlds and Jacare told him: win or loss..just do it for the exp. Sounds like a good coach to me.

 jacare is a legend that has produced legends. damn americans need to get their priorities straight and train bjj 3-4 times a day and start training at a younger age.

cdog1955 - So is the question "Where is the best place to train in the US" OR Where is the best place to train in the US if you are a competitor?

If it's the latter, then i couldn't say, maybe Alliance, maybe L.I.'s, maybe somewhere else, i don't really care.

Given this statement " Well if you are in dire need of being hand held and coddled then Alliance is most certainly not for you". Then Alliance is certainly NOT the best place for training in the US. Their own students tell you this.



Be sure to tell the grand Master of this mandatory stipulation that you feel should be added to the fine print to appease the influx of lazy fat assholes who feel they need to get their shoes shined and dicks sucked because they pay a fee to get on the mats with the best grapplers in the world. lol

Sweetness
Sparring with successful athletes, doesn't put you in their league or anywhere near it.  Its supposed to be a privilege, an honor for you, not a mandatory requirement just because you paid a fee. They paid their dues and your job is to earn that same respect. Don't expect it to be handed to you because despite the fact that everyone will bend over backwards to see you succeed, at the end of the day it is YOUR job to put in the work. All training philosophies aside, a good school is one that is built upon solid foundations and instills principles based on respect, loyalty, and perseverence in its people, its a school with an excellent and consistent track record, instructors with a sheer desire to see their disciples succeed, and everyone has one very important thing in common.....a love for the sport.

Alliance can be that for some
Chattahoochee tech might be that for others.

So NO. If you think paying a fee earns you that kind of respect or consideration to where everyone will drop what they are doing to teach you disicpline and dedication... then that must be some good crack you are smoking.

bjh13 - 
SisterSteel - 
 Well if you are in dire need of being hand held and coddled then Alliance is most certainly not for you.
This thread is in reference to all decorated competitors who have medaled at major IBJJF sanctioned events. You quite evidently do not fit that league regardless of what school you choose to belong to. So be quiet.



It isn't about wanting to be coddled, it's about receiving instruction I am paying for. As Hillary pointed out, not everyone is or wants to be a professional competitor, and my concern was if I'm not a gifted and decorated competitor then the high level instructors at the school like Jacare wouldn't even know I exist. Apparently beginners and those who aren't athletic aren't welcome at Alliance HQ based on your statement, so I'm going to say Alliance HQ isn't anywhere close to the best place to train in the US no matter how many champions they are producing.



And receive the instruction you are paying for, you shall. But you need to remain cognizant of the fact that it is YOUR job to step up to keep up. But that is where beginners classes, fundamentals and private tutoring come into play. And if you want to be a fussy bitch because no one knows you exist when the instructors are busy tending to a hundred other noobies just like you, well then come back when you are off the rag. You might enjoy yourself more and everyone will like you better.


JuDoK@ - It doesn't matter who you are, Jacare will give you all the love of a drill instructor. I don't know where people have gotten this about him, but, he does actually learn everyone's name. He knows that everyone on that mat exists.

Do you realize how hard it is to remember 400-500 peoples name?

Coddling it isn't, but respectful and caring he is...

He is a hard old man, but he garners respect with his attitude.


Gold.

Sister Steel is my new hero. Telling it like it is.