Gym Contracts

**CheeksWWAC** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 1:04am

Thats crazy to me that in the UK ma instructors have day jobs and teach in public buildings. Pay by the day is crazy too. Is it because there isn't enough public interest in MA to make a career out of teaching or have private clubs? As far as paying for each class individually, does that end up being more expensive than a gym membership? for some reference, at Gracie Barra San Diego I pay the equivalent of 75 pounds a month and take around 20 classes, the average judo place in San Diego is about 40 pounds a month, and the three MMA gyms ive priced out are all at around 55 pounds a month.The Judo dojo's are the only gyms listed that offer month to month without a contract. Is it comparable to prices in the UK?

**ty5** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 1:21am

In this part of the UK (East Anglia), the average class cost is between £6 and £8, that goes for anything from Karate to BJJ, Judo is always cheaper, I pay £5 a class, which was £4 until recently but the university put the hall rental prices up.

Crappy Krotty full time dojo's and the occasional McDojo seem to be the most expensive and the only ones to use contracts, the full time MMA gyms are quite reasonable with the best quality one locally at £60 a month to attend all classes a week, no contract but pay per a month.

As for why there is MA instructers who have day jobs, it is a hobby basically, most are not looking to make any or little money at all but practise/teach their style. The Judo coaches where I am just enjoy fighting each other each week and throwing newbies like me around, not a bad way to spend an evening.

**CheeksWWAC** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 1:54am

Wow, so my BJJ gym would cost me between $192 and $256 a month so I could continue to train 20 times a month over seas. I understand that the UK has a better economy so doing some rough math to compensate for our exchange rate in the states I come up with $128-$170 if we paid per class in the U.S. for 20 classes. Seeing as how my gym offers 36 classes a month and I pay $130 monthly I think the contract is the better way to go rather than paying for the day.

**Cullion** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 4:38am

Originally Posted by CheeksWWAC

Thats crazy to me that in the UK ma instructors have day jobs and teach in public buildings.

Some of the ones using public buildings don't have seperate day jobs, but they tend to be the highly ranked ones who run gradings and have multiple clubs etc..

Pay by the day is crazy too. Is it because there isn't enough public interest in MA to make a career out of teaching or have private clubs?

I don't know how the figures for public participation compare. As a case study, I live in a small town of about 20,000 people and it has one dedicated small kickboxing gym and at least 2 other kickboxing clubs running in the evenings in public facilities like rented school buildings. There are also at least 2 karate and TKD clubs running in public facilities, and an aikido club.

That seems like a lot for a town of 20,000, but I would be surprised if any of the instructors make their primary income from martial arts except for the guy who founded the dedicated kickboxing gym.

(I don't train here, I train in the city near where I work).

As far as paying for each class individually, does that end up being more expensive than a gym membership?

Yes.

for some reference, at Gracie Barra San Diego I pay the equivalent of 75 pounds a month and take around 20 classes, the average judo place in San Diego is about 40 pounds a month, and the three MMA gyms ive priced out are all at around 55 pounds a month.The Judo dojo's are the only gyms listed that offer month to month without a contract. Is it comparable to prices in the UK?

BJJ is about the same, your Judo price is about twice what it costs an ordinary member of the public to train at the Oxford University Judo club. Your MMA gyms sound cheaper than here.

**Aikironin21** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 5:00am

Here in, my neck of the woods of, California, Kajukembo is still taught in a public building. The City's rec department offers sessions of three months, one or two classes a week. It's fitting since Kajukembo was founded in this way.

The Aikido school I train at allows for you drop in and pay by the day, however I don't think you can promote that way. To join the school it's pay by the month no contract. five classes a week including a weapons class,and Randori class. There is also an Ukemi class once a week before one of the intermediate classes. The monthly dues are $90. So if you take advantage of all the classes it's cheaper to pay monthly. If you can only go once a week I guess daily is for you unless you want to promote. I went daily for a while because my schedule was too erratic to pay monthly and maybe not be able to go.

The Place I started Muay Thai and MMA conditioning in, had a contract that was crazy hard to end and then they went all collections afterward. I think it was just miss-handled by the company that processed the payments though. After a few phone calls and faxes of letter copies and cashed checks, it all worked out. It was $120 a month, but if you had the time, you had a lot of training time available to you. You could literally train every morning and evening; except Sundays or fight days when everyone was out of the gym and at the fights. It's been two years since I was there, so I don't know if their schedule is the same, but I want to go back. Muay Thai training is fun! Since I've been just training Aikido for years, I haven't vomited during a class in a long time. I only trained there a few months, so that's why I don't count Muay Thai as one of my styles on my profile. I hate when people do something for a few months and then claim to have trained in it.

**CheeksWWAC** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 5:17am

Thanks Ty5 and Cullion for clearing that up. Just for some insight I live in SoCal, which is probably be the largest market for MMA in America, and arguably the 2nd biggest spot for BJJ in the world, So with at least four big MMa gyms within a 20 minute drive of each other you can imagine they have to lower some prices to be competitive. I imagine membership fee would have a tendency to be relatively higher for gyms that have fewer competitors.

**Cullion** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 5:31am

Originally Posted by CheeksWWAC

Thanks Ty5 and Cullion for clearing that up. Just for some insight I live in SoCal, which is probably be the largest market for MMA in America, and arguably the 2nd biggest spot for BJJ in the world, So with at least four big MMa gyms within a 20 minute drive of each other you can imagine they have to lower some prices to be competitive. I imagine membership fee would have a tendency to be relatively higher for gyms that have fewer competitors.

That would explain why MMA is more expensive here. Here it would be normal for a city with a couple of hundred thousand people to have just one MMA gym in the UK.

**ty5** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 11:43am

Originally Posted by CheeksWWAC

Wow, so my BJJ gym would cost me between $192 and $256 a month so I could continue to train 20 times a month over seas. I understand that the UK has a better economy so doing some rough math to compensate for our exchange rate in the states I come up with $128-$170 if we paid per class in the U.S. for 20 classes. Seeing as how my gym offers 36 classes a month and I pay $130 monthly I think the contract is the better way to go rather than paying for the day.

I see what you mean, but I think the equivalent contract here would be the local good quality MMA gym for £60 unlimited training, and you could train 6 days a week for that (BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing etc)

So just a case of shopping around to suit how much someone wants to train, personally I am happy just doing Judo 1 day a week and Muay Thai on another day and pay per a class, but if I wanted to train more intensely I would pay somewhere monthly for sure.

**Cullion** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 12:02pm

It costs £95 a month in Oxford for unlimited classes in any style offered by the only MMA gym in town. I think London prices might be similar (more competition but higher average incomes in the capital).

Edit: London Shootfighters 'all you can eat' membership is £90 per month.

**maofas** · Posted On: 6/13/2011 12:09pm

Originally Posted by Cullion

The only dedicated martial arts gym within 30 minutes drive of me is an MMA gym that uses contracts as an option, everything else from CMA to Judo or Kickboxing happens in public facilities. A proportion of the instructors using public facilities still make a living out of it, but this model might not be possible in the US.

Sorry, but that's socialism and thus we can't have nice stuff like that here in 'Murica.