Okay let's squash this now: Premier Martial Arts

[Don Gwinn]

Link to John Geyston's Premier Martial Arts:
http://www.jgpma.com/

Illuminati, I've been wondering about that. I teach school (not martial arts) in Springfield and remember "John Geyston Progressive Kenpo." I have a student who says he's a "black belt in martial arts" with Mr. Geyston's school, but says he has never studied Kenpo; his black belt, he says, is in "tae kwon do and martial arts." He's a basically good but mixed-up kid, and I don't want to take too much of what he says as gospel about the school. But I did notice that they say they offer BJJ with an instructor named Jared Degroot. That name sounds familiar to me . . . do you know if he ever taught at the old school out in Bradfordton before it moved to the west side of Springfield and became Gracie Barra? I'm trying in vain to remember the name of that school; I only took two or three classes there before it moved, but Mr. Degroot sounds familiar.

If he's the "Jared" I remember, I think he was a purple at the time and had already been instructing for awhile. That was around the time that the school took on a black belt from Brazil named Marcos Barros, and Jared was still filling in when Marcos took people to competitions or the like.

Anyway, if they've got the guy I'm thinking of, their grappling should be well above the level of anyone whose instructor learned from seminars. That would make three legitimate BJJ schools and at least two MMA gyms in Springfield, a town where you can't find a simple boxing gym or a judo class to save your life. Who knew? From no MMA presence a few years ago, Springfield now has Geyston's team, Warrior Concepts and Gracie Barra, and I don't know whether the new "Team Commean" school in Chatham will offer MMA, but maybe.


All that said, PMA's billboards and their cars driving around with Hermes Franca scowling over his gloves put me off, but I bet they work on the public, and if the training is good it's really none of my business how they advertise.

[illuminati44]

Link to John Geyston's Premier Martial Arts:
http://www.jgpma.com/

Illuminati, I've been wondering about that. I teach school (not martial arts) in Springfield and remember "John Geyston Progressive Kenpo." I have a student who says he's a "black belt in martial arts" with Mr. Geyston's school, but says he has never studied Kenpo; his black belt, he says, is in "tae kwon do and martial arts." He's a basically good but mixed-up kid, and I don't want to take too much of what he says as gospel about the school. But I did notice that they say they offer BJJ with an instructor named Jared Degroot. That name sounds familiar to me . . . do you know if he ever taught at the old school out in Bradfordton before it moved to the west side of Springfield and became Gracie Barra? I'm trying in vain to remember the name of that school; I only took two or three classes there before it moved, but Mr. Degroot sounds familiar.

If he's the "Jared" I remember, I think he was a purple at the time and had already been instructing for awhile. That was around the time that the school took on a black belt from Brazil named Marcos Barros, and Jared was still filling in when Marcos took people to competitions or the like.

Anyway, if they've got the guy I'm thinking of, their grappling should be well above the level of anyone whose instructor learned from seminars. That would make three legitimate BJJ schools and at least two MMA gyms in Springfield, a town where you can't find a simple boxing gym or a judo class to save your life. Who knew? From no MMA presence a few years ago, Springfield now has Geyston's team, Warrior Concepts and Gracie Barra, and I don't know whether the new "Team Commean" school in Chatham will offer MMA, but maybe.


All that said, PMA's billboards and their cars driving around with Hermes Franca scowling over his gloves put me off, but I bet they work on the public, and if the training is good it's really none of my business how they advertise.

Hey Don,
Jared had moved to Robbins a few months ago. He got into a dispute about how the belting was going in the BJJ classes, and the school decieded to move away from Robson Moura and fell in with the rest of PMA under Hermes Franca.

Since then, the've moved from directly next door to corner pub, to the other side of the mall, have double the space, a standard floor and a thicker "MMA" mat room, complete with a 10ft cage.

I've asked the question as to where my belt is going to come from under the PMA system, and so far the instructor has only told me "that's a question for Hanchi" The current BJJ instructor is Vince Eazelle a green belt. I believe he picked his belt up under Jared, who now I believe is a brown belt by the way.


-Rob

[illuminati44]

I mis-represented Vince. He's actually a Blue belt.

[TEA]

I think it really comes down to the instructors at the local level.

I think you're right. They seem to have a good concept, but it all comes down the quality/integrity of the instructors running the schools. I wonder about the resume of Steve Doss, the head instructor of the PMA school in Austin. It seems a bit too good to be true. Also, I wonder what happened to the PMA school in Waco. Did they get their affiliation yanked or just go out of business?

[Res Judicata]

Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro teaches BJJ there, right? I actually STFU on the thread I STARTED about them when I found that out.

Shaolin teaches in NYC in a school administered by them. But it's a BJJ school. Rates and contracts are reasonable for the NYC market (cheaper than Renzo's, for sure).

[sambosteve]

I think you're right. They seem to have a good concept, but it all comes down the quality/integrity of the instructors running the schools. I wonder about the resume of Steve Doss, the head instructor of the PMA school in Austin. It seems a bit too good to be true. Also, I wonder what happened to the PMA school in Waco. Did they get their affiliation yanked or just go out of business?

From Doss' bio...LOL.

Have you seen the movie Bloodsport? It was not fiction for Steve Doss. In 1990, he traveled to Pusan, Korea to compete in the Korean National Martial Arts Championships. Competing in the Heavyweight division, he KO'd the defending Korean National Champion with a head kick on his way to winning the title of Heavyweight Champion. In the final bouts, he was the Grand Champion runner-up, the first foreigner to ever win such a competition in Korea!

Not saying it is BS, but it sure is funny! Korean Frank Dux

[TEA]

Another marketing gimmik that raises the BS flag a bit:

http://www.4blackbelt.com/site/view/64944_PMAGear.pml

Most of their gear looks pretty much like Century stuff that has been rebranded.

[hungryjoe]

Another marketing gimmik that raises the BS flag a bit:

http://www.4blackbelt.com/site/view/64944_PMAGear.pml

Most of their gear looks pretty much like Century stuff that has been rebranded.

Agree

Century is located here in the greater OKC metro. Midwest City to be exact.

Most does seem to be Century re-branded and nothing new.

[Eric Mac]

Jared Degroot is a Robson Moura Nova Uniao black belt. He has his own school, Degroot's Midwest Jiu Jitsu. He also guest instructs at several area schools.