My middle son took jiu-jitsu classes here 2x a week for five months. My son still loves jiu-jitsu and is now deliriously happy at another school after we did a LOT of shopping around, but I wish someone had left a review like this so I would have known what to watch out for.
• His second class I watched as the instructor lined up the kids and gave each of them a swat on the behind, except for my son because he was still new.
• There were a couple times that my son came home saying the instructor had spanked him. This was not denied by the instructor. I asked him not to discipline my child, also asking he inform me of poor behavior, so I can dole out discipline on my own, to which his response was “Okay sure, you can play the role of punisher haha”.
• Cleanliness was a MAJOR issue during our time here. At first, I accepted this because of the nature of jiu-jitsu, but over these months, the instructor became increasingly demanding, even attempting to dictate that my son shower AFTER class (he would shower before class). Whether or not we CHOSE TO, I didn’t feel it was his place to speak to what we do after class is done. I am not a clean freak and encourage my kids to play in grass, dirt, etc. The instructor asked him to take a shower (the location provides this) and make sure his feet were clean, as well as his face and hands. We had no trouble obliging, though my son's not able to use soap, so we brought our own products. The instructor brought up his cleanliness several times, so for five weeks, I made sure we got there early to train him how to clean up properly. We even cut his hair to prevent the perception of "uncleanliness". I gave him a spray to use before class, so he would smell more pleasant.
• It was during our time here that my son developed anxiety/panic attacks. I brought it up to the instructor and was told that he needed to toughen up.
• 2nd to last class: My son came home crying because he had been told to sit on the side and not allowed to touch anyone, nor anyone him, because he was "dirty" and “had germs”. I smelled him and he had no smell. I checked his toes and fingers and they were clean. I was upset and went to confront him. The instructor explained that he didn't have his proper uniform on and would have done the same to any student, but cleanliness was brought up again and I snapped, telling the instructor that my son had done EVERYTHING he had asked, but it never seemed to be enough. I planned for my son to talk with the instructor the following class, trying to believe it was just a simple misunderstanding.
• Last class: We arrived early to talk. My son sat on the couch, feeling unsure about sharing his feelings. I tried to help him vocalize things he had said to me, but the instructor immediately shut me down, saying he needed to speak for himself. My son told me it was okay and tried his best to talk, but the instructor stood over him, slightly bent, so he towered my son, repeating "What do you want to tell me? Speak up!". It was very intimidating. I had to ask the instructor three times to please sit down with him to talk. After my son had given up trying to talk, the instructor started talking about cleanliness AGAIN, no more talk about improper clothing.
• I knew that would be our last class. It was during this 45-minute class that the instructor had the entire class (ages 5-10) stand at attention for 30 MINUTES of the class while he lectured them. This was not the only time he would take up an inordinate amount of time to lecture, but it was the longest I witnessed.
• The instructor would often mix in life lessons about character-building and manners and I liked that.
• WHEN he taught jiu-jitsu, he's a wonderful teacher, but so much of what he did went outside of those bounds: yelling, lecturing, humiliation, & using Christianity to give what he was doing credibility.
My son no longer has panic attacks and after almost 2 months at his new school, he still loves it, regularly saying “I never knew jiu-jitsu could be like this!”. If enrolling here, do not leave your child unattended.
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Posted 2 years ago
