Question 1

Do I need prior experience before taking a class?

Accepted Answer

Anybody can start training at Danzig MMA, even with no prior experience. Our Level 1 - Intro Classes are Monday and Wednesday at 5:30 PM for Grappling and 6:30 PM for striking.
The Intro Membership is $159 per art (striking or grappling) or $189 for both.
Sign up here to book a free class.
Book a Free Class

Question 2

I have experience in Karate, TaeKwonDo, Kung-Fu and/or Military Combatives.  Does that count as prior experience?

Accepted Answer

No.
 
Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kung-Fu, Aikido, Hapkido, Jeet Kune Do, Krav-Maga, Military Combatives, High School Wrestling, etc do not translate into functional experience in any of the arts we teach.
 
If you have experience in anything other than the specific arts we teach,  introductory sessions are required before taking group classes.

Question 3

Can I learn self-defense at your gym.

Accepted Answer

In a word, Yes!   But please read more below:
 
Although there is no "self-defense" specific class on the schedule, all of the classes from the striking and grappling programs are excellent for self-defense.
 
We pride ourselves on only teaching functional techniques that translate seamlessly into real-world combat scanarios.
 
Many other gyms offering "self defense" rely on teaching techniques to address hypothetical scenarios.   Often times, the instructors themselves have an unverifiable background and have never used the techniques they teach.
 
Rather than teaching a "magic move" for a made-up scenario, we teach real skills that will help the student become as physically capable as possible.  These are skills that can work for competition, or for self-defense.  Our students gain real confidence as they progress.    Over time with us, every student will learn proper body mechanics, awareness, and build a library of physical skills that are all functional for combat.  
 
To put it bluntly:
Self-defense is a popular catch phrase for people trying to sell something.   There is no quick-fix to learning self-defense.   If you want to become capable of defending yourself, you can't learn it from a few moves that you hope will work in a bad situation.  Combat is a language that has many words and must be practiced and spoken often with enthusiasm, and with enough time spent with the right instructors, anyone can speak the language fluently.

Question 4

Do you have kids classes?

Accepted Answer

We host a Kids Program, run by Ian Lewis.  Please find out more here:
Kids Jiu Jitsu

Question 5

Can people under 16 years old sign up and train in the adult classes?

Accepted Answer

Most of the classes require members to partner with each other to practice techniques and drills.  If someone is extremely undersized in comparison to the average adult, it can be difficult for both people.
 
If you are under 16, but show the maturity, dedication and physicality required to attend the adult classes, we can definitely make an exception.
 
Please contact us so that we can schedule a class for them and see if it will work.

Question 6

What are private training sessions like?

Accepted Answer

A private (or semi-private) training session is when 1 to 3 students get together and are able to recieve direct, unrestricted instruction from their coach.   Sessions typically range between 60-90 minutes, and the curriculum is whatever techniques or aspects the student(s) would like to go over or ask about.
 
Private lessons are a great way to get full attention from a coach, ask questions and cover exactly what you'd like.   Private training is also available for people interested in conditioning as well.
 
Please keep in mind that these sessions are much more expensive than group classes.
 
Call, email or come in to schedule your private training with Mac, Angela or one of our other instructors.

Question 7

Do I have to be a fighter to join?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely not.
 
Although fighters and people interested in competing are more than welcome to join the gym, we run classes for people from all walks of life and experience levels, from first-day beginners to veteran martial artists and everyone in between.

Question 8

Do I need to spar or do "live training" at your gym?"

Accepted Answer

No.   Sparring is completely optional and is reserved for specific sessions and also the end of classes scheduled for 90 minutes.   Students wanting to participate in controlled sparring are encourged to do so, but all live training is monitored by the coaches so that we can assure that a healthy atmosphere is maintained.

Question 9

How clean is your gym?

Accepted Answer

Very clean!

The mats themselves are cleaned twice a day with both a dust mop and a liquid-based germ-killing solution, then allowed to air-dry.

We take hygiene and cleanliness very seriously and after many years of training at hundreds of different facilities around the world, and dealing with many different levels of gym hygiene, we are proud to say that our mats are consistently the cleanest we've know of.

Question 10

Do you teach "Gi" Jiu-Jitsu at your school?"

Accepted Answer

THE SHORT ANSWER:
 
Yes.
If you're looking for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with the Gi, we host a program that is outside of Danzig MMA.
The Program is ran by Ian Lewis and you can sign up with him directly.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu : Sign up here
If you like to do both, our No-Gi and the BJJ classes just come in and we get you set up.

Question 11

Do you rank Jiu-Jitsu students with belt rankings?

Accepted Answer

Yes.   However, unlike some traditional martial arts schools, less emphasis is placed on belt cermonies or student hierarchy, and no student is charged extra to be given a belt promotion.   
 
We rank Jiu-Jitsu students according to the same color system as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu (white, blue, purple, brown, black)
 
We believe belt ranks are a good system to let each student know where they are at in their progression.

Question 12

I see different levels listed on the schedule for Jiu-Jitsu class.  What does this mean and which ones can I take?

Accepted Answer

The "Fundamentals" Jiu-Jitsu class is for every single student, but geared for the beginner.  During these classes, we focus on the basic, fundamental movements and techniques that Jiu-Jitsu is based on.  These classes are necessary and extremely important for beginners to take.  That being said, the best and most experienced Jiu-Jitsu practicioners in the world practice the basics/fundamentals every single day, which is why they are the best.
 
The "Intermediate and Advanced" class is for only for students at blue belt level and above.  The techniques covered are often more advanced than most beginners can grasp.  However, all beginners are more than welcome to watch the class and observe.
 
The "All levels" class means exactly that: all experience levels are welcome.   These classes are catered towards everyone's understanding and are a good opportunity to bridge the gap between fundamental and technical.

Question 13

What is the difference between "Level 1" and "Level 2" striking classes, and which ones can I take."

Accepted Answer

Our striking program is divided into three main levels.
Level-1 , our intro classes , cover the basic fundamentals and are a great place for beginners to start learning,  You will learn the correct stance, basic punches and combos, how to kick and hold pads.

Level-2 classes are for everyone who just graduated the intro program. 
You will further learn to combine kicks and knees with combos and improve on your footwork. 
You will also learn how to block and defend punches and kicks.  Its also perfect place for more experienced members to fine tune their basics.

Level-3 classes require the knowledge of all the strikes and combos, how to hold pads for each other. 
You need to know how to defend basic combos and kicks. There will be a lot of live partner drills and optional sparring at the end of each class.

Question 14

What should I wear to class?

Accepted Answer

For striking classes (as well as all conditioning classes) any type of functional workout clothing that stays on your body during movement will do just fine.  If you are comfortable wearing something for running, yoga or weightlifting, chances are it's going to be fine for striking and conditioning classes.
 
For grappling classes, (Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling) the same guidelines apply, however you should refrain from wearing tank tops or sleeveless shirts, and anything that has zippers, buttons, buckles or pockets, as these items can cause minor injuries to training partners, as well as damage to the mats.
 
No street shoes are allowed in the main mat room.

Question 15

If a student is taking only No-Gi BJJ classes, why do you still rank them with belts?"

Accepted Answer

A real belt only serves one purpose: to keep your pants up.
Belts in Gi Jiu-Jitsu don't even do that, and generally come undone during training.
 
The entire point of a belt rank is to let the student know what level of expertise they've accomplished in the eyes of their instructor.  The fact that the object is a belt does not matter.  After a student is ranked with a belt from our school, they can do with the physical belt whatever they like.  It is no more than a souvenir of affirmation.   
 
We believe that what matters is the journey, and these color ranks are good milestones for a student's acheivements during this journey.

Question 16

Are you open on Sundays?

Accepted Answer

As of now, no.  We are closed on Sundays.   Everyone needs at least one day a week to rest!  :)

Question 17

What's the deal with parking?

Accepted Answer

Parking for Danzig MMA is available and unrestricted throughout the entire complex of buildings in the Deschutes Business Center.    If parking seems scarce near the front entrance to the gym, please check thoroughout the complex as there is ample parking available, including our back entrace and around the other buildings.

Question 18

Will I have to lift heavy weights during the conditioning class?

Accepted Answer

No.  
 Traditional weightlifting is not a part of the program for our Strength & Conditioning Classes.    Instead, we work through a variety of movements and bodyweight exercises that build real functional strength, agility and flexibility throughout the entire body.    These are the same kinds of movements that professional athletes of many sports (including MMA) build their strength and conditioning from.

Question 19

Is training at your gym safe?

Accepted Answer

There is always some risk involved when training in combat sports, however, when training in a controlled atmosphere and learning from experienced and qualified instructors like us, the risk of getting seriously injured is very low.

Question 20

How do you handle billing?

Accepted Answer

We can accept various forms of payment, including cash, credit card or debit card. 
When you sign up for a membership, you will sign a membership agreement trough Gymdesk.
You can log into your account, check into classes, book privates or seminars, see your membership status, due date, update your information, see Members only content and purchase merchandise in our online pro shop.
All recurring payments are scheduled to run month-to-month on an agreement.  We do not lock our members into long contacts.
You can cancel anytime with a five (5) days notice.

Question 21

I have a drinking buddy who did a couple low-level amateur MMA fights 8 years ago.  Can we show up to your gym, act like fools and beat eachother up as our "free trial class"?"

Accepted Answer

No.

Question 22

Who won the Jay-Z / Nas battle?

Accepted Answer

In our opionion, Nas definitely won.   However, keep in mind that we are much bigger fans of Nas' music in general, so we may be biased.

Question 23

Why is the sky blue?

Accepted Answer

Sunlight reaches Earth's atmosphere and is scattered in all directions by all the gases and particles in the air. Blue light is scattered in all directions by the tiny molecules of air in Earth's atmosphere. Blue is scattered more than other colors because it travels as shorter, smaller waves. This is why at Danzig MMA, we see a blue sky during most sunny days.

Question 24

Why is water wet?

Accepted Answer

Wetness is simply a discription of how we feel when we (or an object we observe) comes in contact with water.
 
So, by the definition of "wet" (which is the condition of being covered or soaked in liquid) water isn't wet, it just makes other things wet.

Frequently asked questions