Founded in 1998 - So What?

Customers find comfort in the fact that a business has been in existence for a long time. This is apparently a mark of dependability and continual success and so one feels comfortable developing a relationship with the proprietor with less worry that the business will undergo some bizarre twist of fate that causes it to fail, disappear, etc.

Unfortunately, for the individual looking to find quality Mixed Martial Arts training, this is often NOT the case and the quality of a Mixed Martial Arts program can only be determined by also asking…

• What level of competitor has the program produced?
• How many of those competitors has the program produced from scratch?

These questions have to considered in addition to how long has the program been in existence?

A quality training program must consistently produce top competitors.

Why competitors? Because that provides proof and a point of comparison with other schools. Never judge a school based on the # of colored belts it has because every school has different standards; a Black Belt at one school might be the equivalent skill level of a Purple Belt at another.

Why consistently? Because any school, given time, will eventually run across an athlete that has the genetic and societal background that will make him good. When I wrestled in high school, each high school always has that one kid that is good despite the rest of the team sucking. This kid usually came from a family wrestling background and comes in with years of basement and garage wrestling experience. This kid’s performance is in no way indicative of the school’s wrestling program however. Look the program that has ALWAYS been putting up good competitive numbers.

Why is the level of competition important? Lots of people can coach Championship Little League teams. Fewer can coach Championship High School Teams and once you get into the collegiate and professional levels, there are only a few programs that can coach that level of athlete. The same goes for Mixed Martial Arts schools. Nowadays, there are lots of little schools where you can roll around with your friends and shoot the breeze afterward. But if you want to be a UFC fighter or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion (or an athlete competing at the highest level in any sport), look for programs that have actually produced that level of competitor. Trust me… if a program COULD produce that caliber of athlete – they would!

Remember that the numbers of competitors and titles for each school should go UP with each year that the school has been in business.

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