Cross-Training vs. Academy Loyalty

Okay, I am sure everyone's familiar with sports team rivalries. Well with martial arts gyms it's not to different. Now I can't speak for areas that I don't frequent, so I'm not really generalizing here, just speaking from what I have seen. I'd also like to note that I have heard of where this does not apply.

There are two observations I would like to discuss in this post.

1. Healthy and unhealthy school rivalries
2. Instructor loyalty

Getting into martial arts for me was fairly unplanned and spontaneous. However, when I started it, it was with the attitude this is a positive thing and I couldn't imagine there being much negativity involved with it. Wasn't long before I encountered what turned into something of an unhealthy rival ideology.

Where you end up listening to a litany negative talk about people from other gyms or being boxed in to training with only certain people because it's consider something of a treason to cross-train elsewhere. Now if you're reading this and thinking "I don't know about training now," don't be hasty...

This is just my experience in Topeka in regard to the MMA community, I resorted to BJJ as a alternative to this. And with BJJ it is everyone is encouraged to visit other schools when travelling. You get that good competitive spirit but can shake hands and train with each other at the same time. That's what I call a healthy form of team rivalry with the option to cross-train.

Academy loyalty in my mind feels like something that shouldn't even need to be part of a discussion but, it is. In Brazil they have a term "Creonte," which refer's to a student who either is, or looked at as being disloyal to a particular school, particularly one with which the student had a long-standing relationship. This is different than cross-training just so we're clear.

I know of an individual who has received everyone of his belts up to his brown from a different instructor, and he didn't move around the country. This is just ridiculous in my opinion, see when you partake in an activity like jiu jitsu with others you develop an inevitable bond with these people and while there are exceptions, trading in instructors just isn't a good look.

Again, people travel, pay mat fees to train in affiliate or non-affiliate academies frequently, move away and have to train in new academies, and a few do the other not so respectable things. Just some food for thought, the good outweighs the bad and have a good day...

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