Why do BJJ schools charge so much?

[PHILBERT]

So I've been checking out some BJJ schools past few weeks, looking to do some more grappling in my training, when I could not help but cringe at the prices. I went to one school that was $140 a month, but students get 10% off (so I pay $136). Then I went to another school, I kid you not, $195 a month for two classes a week. And that was for the sport version of BJJ, not even the self defense. That would cost even more on top of it. As soon as they said it was sport BJJ, I pretty much got up and walked out.

So why do BJJ schools charge so freaking much, especially if they just teach the sport?

[Omega Supreme]

The drop out rate for most BJJ schools are high within the first month. Most schools don't have the dozens of kids to help keep the school open. It's just not appealing to most kids. Because of this most classes end up being private group sessions. By the time you move up to blue then purple you can start to exchange your skills to lead and teach and sometimes they drop there prices or don't charge at all.

Besides that, most people are stupid enough to pay it.

[drunkenj]

the instructors at bjj places tend to teach bjj as their primary occupation, as opposed to something like judo, where most coaches teach as a hobby

[deus ex machina]

Re: Why do BJJ schools charge so much?

Originally posted by PHILBERT
So I've been checking out some BJJ schools past few weeks, looking to do some more grappling in my training, when I could not help but cringe at the prices. I went to one school that was $140 a month, but students get 10% off (so I pay $136). Then I went to another school, I kid you not, $195 a month for two classes a week. And that was for the sport version of BJJ, not even the self defense. That would cost even more on top of it. As soon as they said it was sport BJJ, I pretty much got up and walked out.

So why do BJJ schools charge so freaking much, especially if they just teach the sport?

Because you touch yourself at night when you think God's not watching.

[Ronin]

When you take into account how much of the teaching is one-on-one, you will see that it is NOT that more expensive than a regular school that puts you doing kata with 30 other students, back and forth on the dojo floor, while the "sensei" scratches his "uchi-mata".

[milwaukee cop]

there are two fools in every market place., one asks for too much, one asks for too little.

[DJeter1234]

"$140 a month, but students get 10% off (so I pay $136). "

not a math major, i'm guessing?

[PHILBERT]

omega, the BJJ school that charged $195 a month had a kid's class of either Karate or Tae Kwon Do as well. Couldn't tell, and it had like 12 belts for TKD/Karate. The BJJ class had 8 belts. Yes I know that BJJ usually has only 5, and I asked and he said that they incorporated the extra belts because some students get discouraged with a white belt for so long. The blue belt though takes the same amount of time to acquire here as it would if you went from white to blue, and after blue is purple, brown, black. The main thing is that it has yellow, orange and green before it.

drunkenj, the BJJ school is only open in the evenings, so I am to assume he has a standard day job.

deus ex machina, I have a female friend with benefits to help me with that.

ronin69, it was no different than my Wing Chun school ($70 monthly) as far as teaching, when I tried the trial class out. The instructor showed the technique, then we performed it on each other, with him or senior students correcting us. Just like my Wing Chun class, which we don't do Kata with 30 classmates while the Sensei (or in this case Sifu) scratches his "uchi-mata".

milwaukee cop, no comment.

DJeter1234, :p, sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly. $126, sue me.

The only other choice is driving an extra 30 minutes both ways to take up Judo. I use to live in Bedford for 3 and a half years, and right around the block, walking distance, was a Judo school. I still kick myself for not training there.

[Dochter]

Originally posted by PHILBERT
omega, the BJJ school that charged $195 a month had a kid's class of either Karate or Tae Kwon Do as well. Couldn't tell, and it had like 12 belts for TKD/Karate. The BJJ class had 8 belts. Yes I know that BJJ usually has only 5, and I asked and he said that they incorporated the extra belts because some students get discouraged with a white belt for so long. The blue belt though takes the same amount of time to acquire here as it would if you went from white to blue, and after blue is purple, brown, black. The main thing is that it has yellow, orange and green before it.

Congratulations you may have found the elusive bjj mcdojo. Who is this instructor and from whom did he recieve his rank? Those extra ranks are bs, if they get discouraged they should quit and take up wc.

195 a month is pretty exorbitant, if you were learning from rickson maybe, otherwise you should be able to find somethings better. At my school it is 90 for 10.5 hours of class a week (if you can make it all). As a student I pay only 60.

[Prone]

Re: Re: Why do BJJ schools charge so much?

Originally posted by deus ex machina
Because you touch yourself at night when you think God's not watching.

WTF? You trolling or what?

Those prices are extremely high, I wouldn't take them. Dochter's prices are cool, 10.5 hours for 90 or 60$ seem totally okay

[The Wastrel]

First of all, many martial artists just don't make much. I would guess that the Gracie's came along, looked at other schools that were charging 40-60 dollars and figured they were worth X times more than those were.

Or, they just don't want to live like the knobs that run your typical American Exxxxtreme Karate school.

You can't compare to other martial arts because product differentiation between different schools is so high now with the advent of serious NHB competition, and BJJ schools are still so rare that there is little to no competition at all.

I think the Gracie's found a new business model for the martial arts. More power to them.

[Lo Blo Mo Fo]

Unbelievable prices! Philbert, when you went there were the classes busy? I mean are there really people who pay those prices?

[Gezere]

Screw that! Take up judo and join your schools wrestling team, if they have one. You will come out better with little strain on your wallet.:D (oh the flames!)

[Beneath Contempt]

Yep - Judo is the way forward. Use the money you save to buy a Gracie T-shirt and some patches. No one will ever know the difference.

[Gezere]

LOL

BC is right. The secret to BJJ is in the PATCHES!!!!