Howdy, y'all. Long time no see.

**TEA** · Posted On: 6/11/2011 8:33pm

I've been off the forum for a while, largely because I haven't been training. The MMA school I was training at closed down last September and I've been pretty much on my own since then. I feel like a poser posting when I'm not actively training, so I haven't been posting. I just started Judo two week ago, though, so am back on the forum.

The Judo school in question in run by Ruben Martin, and while I don't know much about Judo, from my experience in other MA he runs a really good school. This dojo was recommended to me by fellow Bullshidoka Muerteds and one of my students at Hill College via one of his friends.

Martin Sensei used to run his school out of a rented commercial space, but the landlord tripled his rent during the real estate bubble, so Martin Sensei set up shop at home. He got a couple of manufactured structures (i.e. trailer home/office shells) and turned them into a gym with weight room and dojo complex (two buildings linked together with the gym separate) in his back yard (nice thing about semi-rural Texas is that he has the land to do this).

Classes are M,T,Th,F for an hour and a half. Cost is $65 a month if you do a bank draft. No contracts, but if you do the bank draft, they need ten days notice to cancel the next payment. The students are very motivated and compete a lot. The overall atmosphere is fairly low key and everyone seems like one big happy family.

They are in a training cycle for a tournament right now, so I'm not sure how typical the classes I've been to are in terms of curriculum. So far: five minutes of running for warm-up; fifteen minutes of uchi komi; twenty minutes of grip fighting; thirty minutes of newaza; thirty minutes of tachi waza. Last night was the first time that there were more lower ranks than black belts. The previous classes I'd been to, there were around 8 - 10 black belts and only two or three other lower ranks. Last night, the ratio was reversed.

So far, I am very pleased with the school, but am not very excited about the 30 mile commute with gas prices on the rise.

**The Juggernoob** · Posted On: 6/11/2011 9:12pm

Hi, im new, but hi all the same. Are you enjoying the Judo? I recently started Judo also. If you dont mind me asking, how are you finding newaza? If you're style field is anything to go by, you're no way near a beginner on the ground. So are you finding it easy, difficult to adjust to, or just fine?

**syberia** · Posted On: 6/11/2011 9:15pm

Oh, you left? ;)

**Phrost** · Posted On: 6/11/2011 11:11pm

So I take it this thread could be called...

... a TEA Party?

(YEAAAAAAAAHHHHH)

**The Juggernoob** · Posted On: 6/11/2011 11:16pm

Originally Posted by Phrost

So I take it this thread could be called...

... a TEA Party?

(YEAAAAAAAAHHHHH)

I vote thread name change.

**Tenebrous** · Posted On: 6/11/2011 11:19pm

Who are you?

**The Juggernoob** · Posted On: 6/11/2011 11:21pm

Originally Posted by Tenebrous

Who are you?

Who, me?

**Tenebrous** · Posted On: 6/12/2011 12:47am

Originally Posted by bigmike_ebw

Who, me?

You ruined it.

**TEA** · Posted On: 6/12/2011 12:53am

Syberia, XXOO.

Big Mike, they have very good newaza at Ruben Martin's dojo, but I'm holding my own.

Phrost, LOLz.

Tenobrous, I'm the guy with the spotting scope range finding you in your apartment while your sister blows me. ;-) Missed you, too, brah.