3 Money Making Practices in BJJ I Dislike
I didn’t get into Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for money
I never got into Jiu-jitsu for money. I never got into BJJ with the notion that I would someday make a living from it. I never even had the idea that I would be a black belt someday. When I first started training I was learning under a purple belt. Black belts were so scarce in the mid-west that if you saw one it was like seeing a mythological creature. We’ll say unicorn. I just trained because I enjoyed training and hoped to not suck someday.
Now, as a black belt and someone who is more involved with the business side of things. I understand that certain things need to be in place and the business has to be ran like a business. That said, there are 3 money making practices that I see at many gyms that I personally don’t believe in. If you’re reading this and practice these, you may disagree with my ideas and that’s fine. But for me these three practices don’t coincide with my personal philosophy for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. From personal experience I feel like when money is the center of attention and not the training, everyone suffers.
I dislike belt testing fees
One practice I dislike, although it would be fairly lucrative for me if I were to implement it, is belt testing fees. I’ve seen some gyms that do a 60-100 dollar belt testing fee. I’ve also seen some other gyms that charge a fee per stripe. I don’t know why this bothers me, but it does. Something seems odd to me about charging someone for their hard work. I would feel sleazy coming up to one of my students and saying, “Hey brother, great job. I’m so proud of you for dedicating yourself. You’ve grown so much and you passed your test. Oh by the way, that’ll be 75 bucks.”
It takes at least a 1-2 years to get a blue belt and 2-3 years typically for each belt after. This means that that particular student has been consistently putting in the work, paying their gym dues and helping improve not only themselves but also those around them. Isn’t that enough?
I dislike limiting classes
I’ve seen gyms practice a tiered pay structure where you pay price “A” and you get to train 1-2 days a week and if you pay the more expensive price “B” you get to train more, and so on. I could understand doing an additional fee for additional styles but why up charge just to train more of one style.
One of my students told me they visited a gym that charged $170 a month and they could come to 1 class a week. So that student is paying $42.50 per class and on top of that, at one day a week their growth on the mat is going to be hampered.
As instructors, don’t we want our mats packed? As instructors don’t we want our young fledgling Jiu-jitsu practitioners to be on the mat consistently. As instructors don’t we want our students to become the best that they can be? Isn’t that our job and goal? I think so, and I don’t think that charging outrageous amounts for unlimited classes is conducive to this. When I consider this, I think back to myself as an 18 year old. If I would have been under this type of pay structure, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Mat fees
I’ve never charged mat fees to visitors. It always strikes me as strange. People post pictures with #BJJBrotherhood and talk about the BJJ lifestyle and all that shit. But then they pop a mat fee to people just stopping by. I can understand how this could be some nice extra income especially if you have a gym that has a ton of traffic. But with that, I don’t know, it just seems to go against the idea of the brotherhood of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. If I have someone visiting my gym for a day or two. I want to welcome them and give them a Jiu-jitsu home away from home. I don’t think that a great way of showing that is by popping someone with a mat fee that I’ve seen range from anywhere to $20 to $75. Also, I’m always happy to welcome a visitor to our gym. They typically have a different style than my guys and it’s fun to watch, and roll with them and see how the styles react with one another.
As far as the monetary gain, I can tell you that goodwill has a monetary benefit. I’m not sure how to quantify it into a dollar amount, but it’s worth something. Over the years I’ve had several students who became long term students under me because of things they heard from others. One in particular was a Navy seal who trained with us. At the time he was a purple belt, he’s now a black belt and has been back to the gym many times. During his first visit he trained with us for 2 weeks. We just waived any fee since he was only able to train here and there. Well, we welcomed him like one of our own. While working in Iraq he told several people who were moving to a nearby Army base about us. He raved about the atmosphere and the training. Several of these soldiers started training at the gym and have become terrific students and friends. I’m actually having brunch with one of them this Sunday. Too bad Peter W isn’t here to join! Pete if you’re reading this. We all miss ya brother!
Also, I take a certain sort of pride when a person pulls out their wallet and I tell them, “Don’t worry about it, we don’t do mat fees.”
This post is just a rant on my part. I hope it doesn’t come across as too whiny or anything like that. But If you’re reading this and you someday have a gym. Try and keep Jiu-jitsu first. Do what you have to do to make money and run the business, and offer such an awesome experience that people want to come back. But always keep the training and the people first.
As always, thanks for reading,
Chewy
A fee for stripes? Really? That’s a new one…
Yeah. One of the students who told me about the practice said the stripe test accompanied around a $60 fee. Yikes!
Chewy, my friend Peter Serfin in Hawaii forwarded me your piece. Allow me to comment:
Test fees, mat fees, and pricing for classes on any schedule and/or quantity of training are, in my eyes, simply the means to an end. A school owner has a debt –and that debt is not only in immediate “rent and lights” expenses, but in all money issues a person in today’s world might face; that is, IF the school is the primary and/or only source of income for the teacher.
Test fees are another form of tuition. I don’t like them, unless there is some expense involved with the test itself –and then it’s not unreasonable to ask for help in orchestrating it. Test fees help pay the bills –and note, most schools owners could double all the fees they charge…and they STILL wouldn’t be rolling in cash on their bed on friday nights. Most school owners I know have grossly underestimated the amount of money required to run a top notch school —and most haven’t done the math homework they should and could do to figure out exactly what they ought to charge. Note: It doesn’t matter if you charge $70 or $170, if it doesn’t run the machine, it’s going to cause you pain.
As for limiting training time, well —I personally like to train when I like to train, and I don’t really want someone telling me when I can or can’t come to the mat. HOWEVER, I’m a 45 year vet of training, not a new student –and not 25 anymore. With a 98% attrition rate (drop outs) in most schools, I think it’s wise for a teacher, a coach, to guide students to a sensible and safe training schedule. I’ve had both my hips replaced due to overtraining –and, I like to point out, as much as I like pie and chocolate, eating too much makes you sick. Training too much is just as destructive as training too little –and it’s not up to the new practitioner to dictate the training schedule —it’s the smart coaches job.
Charging one price for one class a week and more for additional training is simply a way for the school to meet its overhead; is it the right way? It could be and it might not be. To determine how to charge, I look at the expenses and needs of the school –and work backwards from there. We don’t want to gouge students, of course, but we certainly don’t want to run a school that’s alway light in the wallet. We must responsibly charge in a way that funds all the school’s needs. If you don’t do that, you’re going to have to find another income source –or do without.
Mat fees? Nobody ever charges me, ever, not even for tuition. However, out of respect for the school and with a deep understanding of the burdens of the teacher and school owner, I come prepared to pitch in. It’s the athlete’s job to show some respect to the man or woman who carries the burden of building and maintaining a dojo —the athlete, out of respect for the work, should pay something whether required or not. The school owner may not require it, but the athlete, taught properly, understands the importance of everyone using the school and everyone carrying some of the load.
I personally wouldn’t charge a mat fee, however I’d train all my folks that if you go to another school or drop in, you leave a gift of respect for the school, period. Respect.
These are, of course, my opinions. Thanks for allowing me to contribute them to your discussion.
Tom, thanks for you comment. As someone who’s been involved in the martial arts for a lifetime I appreciate your feedback and respect your opinion very much. I’ll add that I’ve seen some of your videos and information floating around the internet and it’s very informative.
I agree with you on many points and think that the things I’ve listed in the blog that I dislike, can be done sensibly to benefit the instructor, the student and the gym as a whole. My problem arises from seeing students used by their instructors. As instructors we have a certain power with students. They have a deep respect for us typically and there is a bond that exists. When I see that bond abused and misused for things like pure monetary gain with no benefit for the student it bothers me. I’ve actually heard instructors boast about being able to do this and it makes me sick and turns me off. Even worse is when that bond is perverted for “other” reasons.
I suppose the reason I feel so strongly about the issue is that my original instructor abused our relationship and many others in our gym for monetary gain and “other” reasons. In addition, many of my students who’ve come to my gym tell me one of the deciding factors was because they felt like they were being nickeled and dimed by their previous instructor and did not receive anything in return. When they came to our gym they felt more apart of a community and felt like I cared for their growth, which I do.
I also agree with you that many instructors do not understand the costs or the realities of running a business. I know I didn’t at first. Our gym has been around since 2006 and I’ve been in a driver seat since 2009 and it’s been one hell of a learning experience and I learn more everyday. I’ve had the chance to see what works for us. I’ve been fortunate enough to charge less money, offer a superior training experience and attract more people. I make my living teaching BJJ and have done so since 2010. I’ve been lucky but I’ve also been dedicated to the men and women who take the time out of their days and the money out of their wallets. I’m grateful to them and have the deepest desire to build them up mentally and physically and make them as skilled as I possibly can. I’ll admit I possess a certain level of naivety, but what’s most important to me are the people in my gym. And in BJJ in general what is most important to me are the relationships I build with those I encounter. Without them it would be such an empty experience. So I do my best to charge a fair flat rate that keeps the boat a float, offers me a chance to make a living and allows me to offer my students the best training I can muster.
Let me reiterate, I do believe you make valid points on all cases. The three items are simply just not my style. Just like not all techniques are my style of Jiu-jitsu.
Thanks again for commenting Tom.
Chewy