Im giving a review of St. Louis Training Circle in St. Louis, Missouri. I attended this gym for a month before decided to pack my gloves and GTFO.

Aliveness: Ok Im going to start off with the main problem I had with this gym: Almost 90% of the drills they perform are done in a completely dead manner. For a gym that advertises what they do ass MMA, I did alot of stiff repetitive kids karate class style drills. And if you tried to progressively take the pressure up you would get yelled at by the clubs director and he'll give you a 20 min speech about how some guy broke his shoulder. I heard this story repeated to me and other members at least a hundred times.....per day!!! And whats really funny is on the front page it states they are trying to become STRAIGHT BLAST GYM affiliates. Right. Good luck with that one.

Equipment: Other than a few pair of ratty twins gloves there was no equipment.

Gym size: Now the gym was huge. Two rings with padded flooring and plenty of space around them to shadowbox, skip rope, drill, warm up, etc.

Instructor student ratio: There was one guy that ran the gym with a tight fisted insecurity almost. There were other guys there that would help out, but the instructor seemed like a bit of a neurotic control freak. Anytime someone would help you with technique he would run to the other side of the room to correct them, whether they were wrong or not. Most of the time it took him 10-15 mins to explain the most basic concepts. By the time he was finished with his long winded, step by step, painful explanation you would have cramps in your legs because your muscles went cold. Guys were literally laying on the mat annoyed, waiting for him to shut up so they can drill.


Atmosphere/attitude: This is the gyms strongest point; where it shines. These are some of the nicest guys you could ever meet. A breathe of fresh air compared to other MMA gyms where people bring their egos with them on the mat.

Striking: Below average striking instruction. The instructor conveys his ideas about standup well, but you kind of get the uneasy feeling he doesn't really understand what he's telling you. Almost like he's making some things up as he goes. Or maybe he watches those fight instruction DVDs before he comes to class, then tries his hardest to pass those concepts on. One day you're told to be a "Crappy knockout artist" as he was fond of saying. Other days he would say "Quit being a headhunter!" ?????? That was the meat and potatoes of his boxing/striking instruction.


Grappling: Nonexistent as most guys there, including the instructor, were horrible on the ground. It was like after spending 2 and a half hours on sloppy boxing sparring he would tell everyone it was time for ground fighting and we would roll until everyone gassed. Which usually was after about 5-10 minutes. Good times.


To overview St. Louis Training Circle is a cute gym with nice people, but it has the feel of a group of guys getting together to "play" MMA. If it was free or much cheaper I would recommend it, because the guys there are really nice. IF it was free, but it seems like this guy is trying to make a quick buck. Last day I was there he was talking about raising the dues to $80 a month! Check out the tacky website or go check the gym out and decide for yourself.

Wow stl freestyle im sorry that you had such a bad experience at St. Louis Training Circle.

My experiences with the gym have been outstanding. I came from zero fight experience...that is no boxing, no real fights, no bjj, not even a little basic high school wrestling....to having an all around game that i can feel comfortable with given the time, energy, and work ive put in. 6-9 hours a week isn't to much time to put in to absolutely see results in a month in my stand-up, clinch, and ground game. Considering I was a highschool student last year and juggling MMA, school, and a job I was impressed with the skills I had developed. I have trained with some elite guys since going to college who train for 20-30 hours a week with professionals like rich franklin and they are also impressed with my overall knowledge and skills considering the short time ive trained.

As for atmosphere, stl freestyle could not be more correct. That is definitely the gym's number one quality when it comes to beginners. If you are interested but a little scared of what someone might think of you because you are "unathletic", never been in a fight, or simply intimidated by entering a new place full of guys who have been training a while, then throw all those ideas out the window and come see the feeling you get when you enter and leave the gym for the first time. It is definitely a unique experience and you will be training like one of the regulars in no time...but your skill level, like any other new skill or task, will only increase with as much effort you are willing to put in.

As for equipment, we train with boxing gloves, a cup, mouth gaurd, thai pads, and a punching bag. For a person interested in MMA those are the necessities for beginners. Luckily, we have gloves and pads provided for new people so that they can train a few times and not spend a bunch of money on gear if it turns out they really don't enjoy the sport or being hit in the face...but i've come to love it. What other equipment is really needed for a gym that's just starting to make itself known?... and not to mention the gym has barely been operating for a year and we are currently SPONSORED by American Standup and Cytosport...not bad for a gym that "plays" MMA right?

Keep in mind. Stl training circle represents what it claims and does not act like it is something it is not. No, there is not a BJJ black belt...which is why it does not cost $250 a month. The guy who runs the gym also does not claim to know things when he really does not. Its all about learning things at your own pace and learning how to create a flow and devlop your own style of fighting that you have to find and develop for yourself...I have learned that there is some things that cannot be taught about fighting but instead must be learned through the playfullness of one's own mind. When you achieve this, you will feel it. You will be able to get a ton of positive thoughts, skills, and ideas out of every part of the work out from beginning to end. Why go into a gym and not learn anything until you can prove yourself to the instructor? Why go into a gym and leave with your face beat in because some hard ass had a rough day at work or at home? At this gym these things don't exist. You forget about the frustrations of the day and sink them into being a productive fighter. It's therepeutic.

We train together, learn together, teach together, and get better together. Every one wants every one to get better...and every body wants the other members to be better than them and reach their max potential. Fighting can't be taught in a single month, year, or even in the case of my best friend 8 years. Beginners can't expect to be cage fighters without putting the time and energy in.

I have been a member of the St. Louis Training Circle for about five months now. In that time my skills in all areas have grown very quickly. This was the first club that I spent any length of time attending. This is mostly because of the atmosphere and the willingness to share information.

Aliveness- Ok, with a newer guy that doesn't know the particular move the pressure level is low. That is until the guy starts getting the move 5-7 out of ten times. Then the level comes back up until he's only getting it half the time. The guys that have been here a while are trusted to go to whatever power level they want. Some of our guys are business men that can't walk around with there brains scrambled and their face cut up all the time. Also we are a club not a school. We do have guys that wish to cage fight, and we do have the means to help them get ready for their fights. The only time the instructor ever mentions a shoulder injury is during throws. Basically, don’t try to catch yourself wit your arm. We have recently become a Straight Blast Gym affiliated training group, and we do follow many of their principles and ideas. Including training different techniques and drills from their dvds.


Equipment- There is some things that a bigger school would have that we do not. The gym does have several pairs of boxing gloves, some newer than others, but all in clean working order. We have mma gloves, thai pads, a body protector, four heavy bags, a double end bag, two speed bags, and have recently acquired a sponsorship with American Stand Up and have ordered shin protectors, new boxing gloves and mma gloves from them. These are all free for the members to use, but they are encouraged to purchase their own equipment as they progress. The members also receive the bigger part of the discount from American Stand Up. What does this mean? Good stuff for cheap.


Instructor to student ratio- We have one guy that kind of runs the show, and with out him we wouldn't get squat done. He organizes, teaches most the moves, and pays the rent for the warehouse space that we work out in. But, what are called 'intermediates' are encouraged to bring any knowledge they have about a particular area or move to the table. We like to stay with high percentage moves but you need to know every aspect of the game, and we strive to give the student a wide view of what is going on and at the same time give him have a tight fundamental game.


Atmosphere/attitude- All of the guys at the gym are concerned about two things: keeping you healthy and in shape, and also making you better so you can make us better. There is no time that a member is just trying to beat you to make sure his place in the order of things remains. That is the reason for the different power levels. So you don't walk in without any experience and get knocked out because of a simple mistake.


Striking- You get most of the boxing instruction on the very first day, and you will have to actively use it, at a level you can handle, the very first day. Because we did not have the shin protectors we have not been able to spare much with kicks. Some members have their own and do use them when the other man agrees. We practice the standard thai kick, but mostly we believe that you need to be good with your hands and have the beginners start with them. Once again so that they are solid in one area and feel comfortable striking before they have to deal with the whole spectrum of strikes. We spar almost every class, and members are critiqued as we see things to fix. No one at the club is a pro boxer, but there is some talent. The meat and potatoes come from the lead instructor and he made his system up of teachings from three different boxing coaches, and the experience he had in other martial arts. Yes he wants you to be a knock out artist, but swinging for the head every time gets to be a habit. And habits can get you in trouble if the opponent sees them.


Grappling- We practice all levels of grappling. Mostly Greco, with some Judo mixed in for the stand up. And an array of systems from 10th Planet to Gracie jui jitsu and everything in between for the ground work. Once again we don’t have a black belt. The lead instructor teaches most standing moves and take downs, and I have started to teach some of the ground fighting. Most clinch work, which also including clinch striking, and take downs are done from books and dvds owned by the lead instructor. The ground work is mostly from these dvds and from the internet. Again we concentrat on the basic, positions, throws, and submissions.

In closing if you want to train for the UFC title you might want to go some where else. This particular club is young, just over a year old, but maybe not. It depends a lot on what you want to get out of it and how driven you are. But if you are looking for a club that is affordable with no drama or baggage, this could very likely be for you. We love critical thinkers and guys that are both driven and want to grow, not only as a martial artist but as a person.

I have been apart of this club for 5-6 months now, I started with nothing more than a desire to get in better shape and learn some self defense and that is exactly what has happen.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that we are a club not a school. We are a Straight Blast Gym affiliated group and train with that idea in mind so its not random guys playing MMA games. We learn from each other from our instructor, vids and guest instructors from our sister gyms in the SBG system. You get a lot of bang for you buck and it is only getting better.

I could go on but Tyler2112 really hit the nail on the head with his post. Come on down and check us out its not for every one but then again not every gym fits every person, you get out of life what you put into it plain and simple.

See you in the ring!

Hello. I am Dwayne Rhoden, head Guru, webmaster, treasurer, owner, and emotional leader of St. Louis Training Circle. I would like to thank you guys(wink wink) for coming to the defense of the club. Like I always say, if someone wants to criticize what we do, I'll do everything in my power on a messageboard to convince people that what we do is great. Hey Nolan, how you doing buddy? You barely answer e-mails or phone calls because of your busy college schedule, but you have time to post on a message board huh? Just kidding buddy.

And just to correct you guys we are currently NOT sponsored by American Standup or Cytosport, WE have wholesale deals with them. I can get any of their products for 50% off and then pass the savings on to you. Isn't that sweet? Well you guys don't see the total 50% discount; it's more like a 15% discount once it gets to you as I have to tax a little to make money for the club, but you have to admit it's still a pretty good deal right?

Now I know as the head Guru of this club it wouldn't be fair for me review MY own club, but after reading Stl Freestyle's review I felt I needed to get my guys on here(wink wink) to even the numbers out. So I wont actually review the club, but rather give you a better idea of how we do things at St. Louis Training Circle.


Aliveness:
I gave the club a ten in this category because I believe what we do to be very ALIVE. Are most of our drills stiff and repetitive? Yes, but we always throw on the good old Twins gloves and brawl until we gas out. Nothing more alive than wild brawling.


Equipment:
We have four pair of fairly used Twins gloves that you can feel knuckle through. We just recently purchased a few pair of American Standup 16 oz boxing glove which I have to say are very high quality, if you want to purchase some you can get them for me at Stlouistrainingcircle.com. We have a pair of Muay Thai kick pads that we really don't use because I can't teach a kick to save my life. But we break them out now and then to play around when I cant figure out what we should be doing next. That's it for our equipment, but what else do you need? I spend the majority of club dues on Straight Blast Gym DVD's so gym equipment has to wait for now.


Gym Size:
Dude the gym is huge. I just wish I didnt have to rent from those stupid, dirty pro wrestlers.
But it is cool that we get to spar and ground fight in two bouncy ass rings.

Instructor/student ratio:
Yeah its only me instructing, and I have to admit it would be easier to have someone else. I'm just so insecure I always think if I let someone else instruct they will try to steal MY club.



Atmospere/Attitude:
Yeah the only thing STL Freestyle got right was that we are a bunch of very nice guys. Sometimes I even bring my homemade gatorade in to share with the guys who don't bring an electrolye enhanced drink.

Striking Instruction:

Ok first and foremost, I believe we have top notch striking instruction. I myself have studied three months of Taekwondo. A month of Kung fu and a few weeks of boxing. Does that matter? No, because I have all the Straight Blast gym Striking DVD's. I've got Rodney Kings Street Boxing vol 1-3 that displays OUR crazy monkey techniques that we teach to beginners in their first half hour in the gym. Then after they quickly learn crazy monkey defense, I'll throw them in the ring with me to spar. I think it's best to mostly work against beginners, because your ego gets bruised too much by working with guys on or above your level. Working mostly with beginners gives you that feeling of invincibility you need to keep going in martial arts.

Grappling Instruction:

Now as for my grappling experience. I've had one month of Judo. And one week of Brazillian Ju Jitsu. And I went to one SBGI seminar. That along with my Functional JKD 1-3 DVD's is what I base our ground game on. I never competed in any combat sport for fear of losing, but I do chat with Matt Thonton all the time on message boards and that is the difference between me and most Instructors. I don't need to have a working knowledge of submission fighting, as long I accept whats told to me by others who live it, then I will never have to think for myself. Pop in a DVD and instant greatness.

That people is the REAL St. Louis Training Circle. We jump rope, then we brawl. We do wing chun trapping drills, then we brawl. I give alot of speeches then we brawl some more. What else do you want in a MMA Academy?

Mr " Guru " , these scores are not arbitrary .

please read the forum stickies before you continue to make a complete ass out of yourself .

ratings (http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70153)

ratings and you (http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=69465)


it would do you and your students well to read and respect the rules .

"Equipment- There is some things that a bigger school would have that we do not. The gym does have several pairs of boxing gloves, some newer than others, but all in clean working order. We have mma gloves, thai pads, a body protector, four heavy bags, a double end bag, two speed bags, and have recently acquired a sponsorship with American Stand Up and have ordered shin protectors, new boxing gloves and mma gloves from them. These are all free for the members to use, but they are encouraged to purchase their own equipment as they progress. The members also receive the bigger part of the discount from American Stand Up. What does this mean? Good stuff for cheap."


Um sorry Tyler2112, that is a complete lie. None of that stuff was there when I was there. Now mind you about 2-3 weeks have passed since I was there, but thats a pretty big come up. I've talked to people who have been there recently and the only thing thats there are the crappy Twins gloves and the near mint muay thai pads.

Well freestyle not sure who you talked to but if they told you that stuff is not there they are lying to you. I guess I will have to post some pics to show you. Yes at first we only had the Twins gloves( I myself prefer to buy my own stuff less likely to get some sort of infection I feel) our American Stand up stuff was on back order and has indeed come in in the last few weeks. Yes things can change in a few weeks crazy isnt it? I am not looking to start a war on here just get some facts straight I edited my scores after reviewing the links that Christmas Spirit posted ( thanks I did not know they had a system to base it on). We are new we are growing and changing all the time, sorry it was not for you freestyle and I hope you have found a place that meets your needs. If you dont mind me asking what is your back ground and are you training in a new gym?

Ok freestyle your right. Two of the heavy bags are just sit in the gym waiting to be hung up and the two speed bags are still sitting at a closet, one at Dwayne’s and one at my place. And we have a wholesale deal with American Stand Up and Cytosport not a sponsorship. My bad, but other than that it’s the complete truth. Now, "wink wink," kind of weird Dwayne. And Mr. Spirit I really mean no disrespect, but I read everything and watched the videos on both those sites before I posted, then answered as honestly as I could. But I’m also pretty sure that most of Dwayne’s post was sarcasm. Hopefully we will have a video camera soon and we can show what we do and the equipment we have. Thanks for the opportunity, like Johnny5 said we don't want a war. Just the truth.

Well freestyle not sure who you talked to but if they told you that stuff is not there they are lying to you. I guess I will have to post some pics to show you. Yes at first we only had the Twins gloves( I myself prefer to buy my own stuff less likely to get some sort of infection I feel) our American Stand up stuff was on back order and has indeed come in in the last few weeks. Yes things can change in a few weeks crazy isnt it? I am not looking to start a war on here just get some facts straight I edited my scores after reviewing the links that Christmas Spirit posted ( thanks I did not know they had a system to base it on). We are new we are growing and changing all the time, sorry it was not for you freestyle and I hope you have found a place that meets your needs. If you dont mind me asking what is your back ground and are you training in a new gym?

Just documenting this stuff bear with me here for a moment please .


Ok freestyle your right. Two of the heavy bags are just sit in the gym waiting to be hung up and the two speed bags are still sitting at a closet, one at Dwayne’s and one at my place. And we have a wholesale deal with American Stand Up and Cytosport not a sponsorship. My bad, but other than that it’s the complete truth. Now, "wink wink," kind of weird Dwayne. And Mr. Spirit I really mean no disrespect, but I read everything and watched the videos on both those sites before I posted, then answered as honestly as I could. But I’m also pretty sure that most of Dwayne’s post was sarcasm. Hopefully we will have a video camera soon and we can show what we do and the equipment we have. Thanks for the opportunity, like Johnny5 said we don't want a war. Just the truth.





I like to make sure this stuff is saved for future reference . Sometimes the edited button gets hit by accident and stuff like this goes * poof * .

Are you guys going to actually use the rating system ? At first glance it looks like you might have but I doubt it deep down in my heart .


Happy Holidays !

Thanks for being an arbitrator of sorts Christmas Spirit. It seems this GUY, oops I meant these guys can't get their stories straight. What is it? A big gym filled with equipment from one end to the next or four pair of Twins gloves and some Thai pads. Don't give me this on backorder crap.

And what's with all the creepy "WE" talk? Have you gotten a hold of one of those Venom symbiotes? Tyler Durdin much? No sir, "WE" don't want a war at all.... I will personally contact present and past members of this gym so we can get some real unbiased reviews.

Thanks for being an arbitrator of sorts Christmas Spirit.
Look I just try and help out when and where I can . My resources are limited , but this site actually means something to me . I don't like seeing the rating system Bullshido as a whole came up being used to fluff up a Fight Club .


It seems this GUY, oops I meant these guys can't get their stories straight. What is it? A big gym filled with equipment from one end to the next or four pair of Twins gloves and some Thai pads. Don't give me this on backorder crap.


I have heard almost nothing about the instruction level , what is taught , what the qualification of the instructors are , how many students compete , how many instructors compete , what their records are ... you know the information that really matters .

As for the equipment , are you saying that intentions are not reality ? because honestly the equipment doesn't matter for **** when it comes down to it . I would rate my boxing club as a four or three in equipment if I gave them a review but they offer good instruction , and just about everyone but me fights or trains to fight in ammy comps of some sort .



And what's with all the creepy "WE" talk? Have you gotten a hold of one of those Venom symbiotes? Tyler Durdin much? No sir, "WE" don't want a war at all....
Take that kind of stuff to YMAS , Trollshido , or the Throwdown forums .

I will personally contact present and past members of this gym so we can get some real unbiased reviews.

Good I am too lazy and there are a number us in the area and directly in town .

Mr " Guru " , these scores are not arbitrary .

please read the forum stickies before you continue to make a complete ass out of yourself .

ratings (http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70153)

ratings and you (http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=69465)


it would do you and your students well to read and respect the rules .
Christmas Spirit - I am Dwayne Rhoden. That account, as well as that post above in my name is not mine at all. I don't much like when people disrespect the ratings either.

This is an example of what Brendon Moore (STL Freestyle) is willing to do.

The reason he does this sort of thing is because he is a liar. Not only is he dishonest in posting under my name (which should be an insult to anyone reading this - he thinks you are stupid an it is his place to dupe you) but he is dishonest in most of what he has to say about our club.

Some of what he has to say is true.

I have no desire to represent our club dishonestly, so I'll post in just a minute and say what is true and what is false. It will be a genuine post that admits to shortcomings at the club, as well as boasting of what we really have to offer.

Hopefully, since I am not creating weird false accounts and making weird, degrading posts under those false accounts, people will hear me out.

Also, to verify what I am saying, we fully intend to videotape several of our training sessions.

There you will see some of the problems that we have in our game, and you will also see that we are a dynamic, alive training group that has steadily built its skills for the past few months - some of us almost a year now.

I will post the video so that the reader can decide - because that is the only real opinion that matters. You guys can watch us fight, and decide for yourself.

We are what we are, and nothing else.

We have a great time, we workout hard, we leave sweaty and bruised.

Anyone who thinks that sounds like a good time is welcome - always.

Look I just try and help out when and where I can . My resources are limited , but this site actually means something to me . I don't like seeing the rating system Bullshido as a whole came up being used to fluff up a Fight Club .


I have heard almost nothing about the instruction level , what is taught , what the qualification of the instructors are , how many students compete , how many instructors compete , what their records are ... you know the information that really matters .

First off - you are probably another of Brendon (STL Freestyle's) false accounts, just as the account he made in my name is a false account.

Second of all, if you don't like the rating systems being screwed with because you like this site - you have only STL Freestyle to thank for that - he's the one who made the post to start with..

I'll post about what we do and don't do next.

First off - you are probably another of Brendon (STL Freestyle's) false accounts, just as the account he made in my name is a false account.

Second of all, if you don't like the rating systems being screwed with because you like this site - you have only STL Freestyle to thank for that - he's the one who made the post to start with..

I'll post about what we do and don't do next.
Okay, if you are the true Dwayne it is to bad that this guy is using your name. It will get researched and taken care of if true.

Second, the last thing you want to do is start attacking established posters. The rating system isn't broken. It is the posters that don't read the rules that try to ruin things for others.

Take a deep breath, calm down and post your refutations.

Ok, people. Enough of the childish bullshit.

These are the real weaknesses and strengths and St. Louis Training Circle.

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Aliveness:
None of those scores correctly qualifies us. I rank us an 8.

8-9: Hard contact with reasonable safety gear and/or limited to one range of fighting (standup/grappling).

The thing is, we mostly fight at medium contact, but we wear minimum safety gear. We are not limited to one range of fighting - we work

Standup striking - unattached

Clinch striking - Attached striking in Thai and greco control positions

Clinch Takedowns - Mostly greco and folk wrestling with some "judo"

Ground fighting - grappling and submission grappling for position, for submission and with striking included

It depends on the day, but we work all four of those ranges at all contact levels from very light and compliant (when a guy is learning a move, he is totally new, or he is injured) to pretty damned hard (black eyes and tweaked shoulders)

We DON'T wear headgear. Mouthpiece, cup, and gloves. That's it. Headgear make people lazy and sloppy.

We also don't spar at "knock out" levels, though people have been knocked down more than once.

We train at sane intelligent levels, mixed with levels of reality and pain - as recommended by Straight Blast Gym.

We have a lot of fun. We leave sweaty, exhausted, and smiling. We're all friends, and we train each other well.
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Location and space:

Our neighborhood is a little rough.

We work out in a warehouse space in the back of a facility that rents spaces to musicians. (utopiastl.com) The warehouse is isn't the cleanest space, and it's not very organized.

We have two large wrestling rings for sparring and groundfighting. The padding is thick but we sometimes have to move it around at the start of class. It works for us pretty well - you just gotta be careful not to toss anyone through the ropes during standup grappling.

The space is huge, but some of it is taken up with equipment belonging to our rent-mates.

----------

Equipment:

We are a workout group, not a class or school. Therefore, we mostly are a "bring your own gear" gym. Anyone truly interested in training should have his own gear, right?

HOWEVER we do provide gear for new members, and people who won't invest in their own gear (which is true of STL Freestyle, who in the 6 months he trained with us never bought the DISCOUNTED american standup gear we offer to our members)

Yes, you heard that right - we are sponsored by American Standup and offer their gear to our members at DISCOUNT prices. That is one benefit of our club. You can get pro level boxing gloves for $33. You can get pro level mma training gloves for $21 and Shins for $18.

STL Freestyle took advantage of NONE OF THAT and NEVER bought his own gear.

Our gear as of now:

1 pair thai pads

7 pairs 16 oz boxing gloves (3 pairs well worn, but very serviceable - 4 pairs new and shiny)

1 body shield for active focus mitts (we do these very, very rarely - we spar and drill primarily)

2 pairs MMA training gloves

DVD player and TV for reviewing DVD's in class

2 heavy bags currently hanging

3 heavy bags currently not yet hanging

1 double end bag

2 speed bags (not hanging - we don't hit bags much here - we spar and drill)

2 large padded fighting rings (square, not octagon)

That is the equipment we have. That is the equipment we need. I scored us a 5 because that is the honest answer.
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Instructor Student Ratio

We are a training group. It says so on our website. STL Freestyle is whining because he says the instruction sucked.

Why on earth would he go to a training group for instruction? Especially if the website says quite clearly we are a training group working mostly from DVDs and seminars with no instructor?

It says it right there on the site "Important Read: We are a Club Not a Class - Click here!"

It says it on EVERY SINGLE PAGE of the website.

Because we don't want to misrepresent what we do.

If you go to a workout group, or a training group, and they give you ANY instruction - that's a bonus.

We have NO instructors.

We self coach and share what we got.

Athletes from fighting and combat sport often come through our gym when they are in town, and we grow from those experiences. A prime example is Chris Wellstood, SBG Jits instructor from MAP in Canada. We have had San Shou fighters come through (and OWN us, baby..that guy was tough..) we have had Big 10 Greco competitors as well as sub wrestlers who work out at other local gyms. We grow from each experience and we take a little and give a little as we go.

And STL Freestyle KNOWS that, becuase he was actually training with us for SIX MONTHS, not the single month he is claiming (his posts are full of similar lies - I'm not going to expose all of them here..he's just not credible..)

Anyone looking for an instructor should go to Rodrigo Vaghi in Fenton, or Kirkwood Judo Club. We have no instructor - we are a training group, using the methods of Straight Blast Gym (mostly) through DVD's and Camps.

Speaking of Camps, the SBGi Fall Camp, in Boston, rocked this year. Good people, good training, and great fun outside of the training as well. Went to local bars and watched the fights.

As far as my contact with Matt Thornton - it is brief and friendly. We don't message each other constantly, nor have I made any similar claim. I do help him with some marketing stuff for his gym and his headquarters, and we share a friendly word on occasion in email. He does support what we are doing at our gym, and we will be an ATG in January (when I can afford to pay the monthly fee.) We are currently eligible to become an ATG - I just have to pay.

And that's hard to do when you only charge $50 a month membership. But we don't have a teacher - we are a club. So why would I charge more? It would be dishonest.

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Striking Instruction:

Even though we have no instructors, we do peer coach. We use the Crazy Monkey boxing started by Rodney King and available on DVD from Straight Blast Gym production here. (http://www.straightblastgym.com/store.htm)

After the fighter has learned to defend with this Mixed Martial Arts fortress fighter system, we have him open his guard and relax his shoulders and take more of a boxing style stance and method - only using the crazy monkey position when he is getting rocked with bombs.

We work the corner drill a lot - we warm up our boxing game with it every class.

We DO NOT WORK FOCUS MITTS - because focus mitts are lame.

We do all alive, partner drills. We do counterpunch drills, breaking through to clinch drills, double leg the puncher drills - and they are all against some level of PROGRESSIVE resistance.

We spar a lot. People get black eyes (once they have the skills to spar at that level) people get fat ears and swollen lips (we don't use headgear) and people have been TKO'd to the mat.

However, we are PROGRESSIVE - until someone has the skills, they don't spar hard - PERIOD.

This is also based on methods learned from Straight Blast Gym international.

We don't kick much - and that is a weakness in our game. We have mostly concentrated on Western Boxing focussed at street and cage usage.

We have just started adding kicking, after the SBGi Boston seminar. Steve Whittier is a Sityodong Muay Thai instructor, and I was really impressed by the slippery, intelligent Sityodong game.

I really had my ass handed to me by one of his fighters - and it was great. I was shaken up all night - totally changed my view on kicking. It was an awesome, positive experience and encouraged me to grow beyond my current limits.

We will be kickers now, too!

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Grappling Instruction:

In a lot of ways up until now our grappling instruction has been really rough.

I am, far and away, no instructor. I am definitely not a grappling instructor.

I never made any claim to be one.

We do, however, have GREAT TRAINING in the grappling range.

We train alive both in clinch grappling and in our groundfighting. We train fundamentals and high percentage moves mostly from SBGi training materials.

Now I have Cody (Tyler2112) teaching the grappling. He really isn't a grappling instructor either. He makes no claim to be one, and I make no claim for him.

But he DOES really really get the grappling game.

And our members, Johnny, Nowell, and the rest, are really getting the grappling game in their own right. And together, they all seem to figure it out pretty well.

My grappling game has only gotten slightly better. I don't get it as fast. No big deal. That's the benefit of a TRAINING GROUP - we help each other train - and the others are helping my grappling.

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Assorted benefits:
Sponsorships:
American Standup MMA Gear
Muscle Milk Supplements

We get a drastic discount from both of these companies, and we pass that discount directly on to our members. You can get Muscle Milk products at better than 50% off with our sponsorship. You can get MMA Gear at knockdown prices - we don't make a single cent off of your purchase.

Community:
We have community like no other gym. We are all friendly, genuine and sincerely interested in each other, and new members', training experience. Each one of us does our best for each one of us. We go out for beers twice monthly, and we help each other now and then when a piece of furniture needs moved.

Affordability:
We are dirt cheap. We don't have an instructor, and we have low overhead, so we can charge $50 per month for visiting 3 times per week (11 hours of total training time) or $40 per month if you want to visit 2 times per week (up to 8 hours total training time.)

That is dirt cheap. And it is honest. We are training from DVD's and seminars in a warehouse. No one makes a red cent off of our club's "profits." We haven't even had profits yet. All money has gone to the website, the marketing, the gear, the rental space we workout in..etc.

Informal:
We have no bowing, no rituals, no "respect" no bullshit period! And we have no instructors - and when we do have instructors - there will still be none of this.

This informal characteristic gives great flexibility to how we train and what we train.

Each person has the opportunity to give his input to the workout. STL FReestyle was asked ALMOST EVERY SINGLE CLASS if he wanted to do something different, or differently. He never gave his input, for six months.

All members can give their input to what they want to work on.. We have only this guideline: We work only on high percentage, fundamental fighting movements that are succesful when performed against aggressive, resisting, athletic opponents.

Outside of that limitation, it is really up to each club member where he wants the workouts to go. Everyone has an input.

Last weekend we worked on T-shirt chokes, for example - straight off the Chris Hauter Street Jits DVD Series - and only because the class wanted to do so.

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So, that is the truth about our gym. If you want to fight at contact levels that will cut your face open or break your clavicle, you might not want to come around. We aren't stupid, and we do train at hard contact levels - just not constantly, and not before a member has developed the skills necessary for it.

We have never competed, and won't be ready to do so anytime soon. We are not ready to train anyone who says "I want to make MMA my career" and when people call us on the phone, that is exactly what I say to them.

I then tell them to go to Rodrigo Vaghi. Because that is the best I can do for them.

But for the "average joe" who wants to train at athletic levels, can't afford to pay a lot and needs to be able to go to work tomorrow - we are a great deal.

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We will post the videos of our training sessions. Those will be the TRUE chance for the readers of this forum to see for themselves, outside of STL Freestyle's false words and false user accounts.

We are what we are, nothing else. We have fun, we train hard, and we leave sweaty and feeling better about life.

We claim to be nothing more, nothing less - not here, and not on our website.

All friendly primates are welcome to join in, play our athletic games, and share in our community.



Dwayne Rhoden
Director - St. Louis Training Circle