Over the last few years I've noticed more and more people who have no commitment come to our gym. The first type drifts from gym to gym, the second type drifts in and out of training, some train wherever there is a class on irrespective of what it is or the credentials of the instructor, mixing up different arts and mastering non. Others pop in when they've got some spare cash and disappear shortly after - These ‘Martial Arts Drifters’ make my blood boil.
Anyone who has been at any gym for a period of time will have met a drifter. Type one is usually recognised by the different shorts, the know it all attitude, ability to turn any instruction into their own interpretation and lack of respect shown to other students whilst training. Everyone has one friend whose social networks are full of pictures / updates of 'it' in different gyms as if this is normal behaviour - it may have become normal but its not right. Type two is more difficult to spot, sporadically appearing usually around gradings or large scale activities.
This attitude to their club is in part is why many people tend to clash with my views of why I have a problem with Martial Arts Drifters, I hope this blog helps to educate you as to why I say "I can't stand them". Firstly I've been burnt too many times to feel anything other that loathing for these people, I've befriended and trained these people for years often correcting mistakes inherited from other drifting adventures and helping them with personal goals. I now find myself as an instructor reluctant to work with new students until I feel they are showing sufficient commitment to the club this is a failing on my behalf. Despite a higher guard from me I'm still periodically scalded and left annoyed when those I've spend a great deal of time working with drift away especially when they leave with no face to face communication.
I believe strongly that I have been taught well, not only in my art but also in the etiquette connected with Muay Thai. I wouldn’t for example even dream of wearing shorts to training from any other gym. I wouldn't turn up for training without wearing the correct club uniform and grade, I wouldn't talk over a senior student in the gym, and as a student I would always ensure that I communicate absence with my instructor - is this not basic manners? Perhaps that might seem a little over the top to some people, but to me, failing to follow these basic rules is simply disrespectful. I believe this statement 100% "My gym supports me by giving me knowledge, so I do the same for them by buying and wearing their gear, listening and respecting the instructor"
There are many forums where this topic is debated, most of these keyboard warriors miss the point, they are fighters that want to make a name for themselves and in their opinion they should be able to take what they can from as many people as possible in order to achieve their goals. I can understand their perspective but the point is they are missing one of the core values of Muay Thai - Loyalty. From these forums I get the impression that people don't like the idea of 'belonging' to a gym or instructor its apparently an ego thing.
As a gym owner I see it from a different point of view, I have a responsibility to you as my student to help you achieve your goal, I give you my time, finance your progression often personally! I pass on my knowledge and want you to achieve your goals as much as you. No two instructors are the same nor are two gyms, training at another gym will simply undo the hard work that I've put into you (The other gym doesn't know your strengths or weaknesses) when you return I will need to spend time correcting any changes that have happened.
It is difficult for me to see how a student can expect to grow and develop in their arts when they are unable to stay in one place. Instructors make huge investments of work, time and heart in order to build their students, and to walk away from that would be not only quite offensive, but a waste of time and down right disrespectful especially if this person has desires to become a fighter and has taken even more of his instructors time trying to achieve this ambition.
I have noticed a cycle of events leading to the beginning of the type one Martial Arts Drifter.. The student always starts being genuinely and whole-heartedly loyal to their gym, they help promote, fundraise and quickly become part of the furniture. This period can last for anything from a few months to a few years. However, I often see cases where the student becomes less active in training for one reason or another, excuses start to flow and they are often caught out for telling lies. One particular students family members were so sick he was unable to train on 10 separate occasions but analysis of attendance data showed they were sick only a Thurs - suspicious? The drifter is then distracted by delusions of grandeur, they’ll start spouting bull shit like 'their is no point doing interclubs, I wont learn anything', They’ll look for holes in the training offered by their own gym. Perhaps they’re not getting enough clinching even though they have never asked for it, or there aren’t enough sparring partners for them event though they don't attend fight training, or they’re simply bored with the routine despite being given the change to change. Once they’ve found those holes, they will then convince themselves that they would be better off not training, not paying training fees or worse still start training elsewhere, and make a move.
The type two drifter is also swimming in self importance and a great excuse maker, everything from lack of money to the dogs died have been offered as a reason for not training, one thing that's certain is that the type two drifter lacks the ability prioritise his life. He dreams of achieving his goal but doesn't see the gym or instructor as part of the path he must take. He will offer a lack of money excuse and brag of spending £100 on alcohol during a Saturday night, he may even ask for credit because training is what he wants.
Many of the Martial Arts Drifters go on to brag about how superior life has become since leaving the club or missing a few sessions, the bull shit they have spent months concocting is now being believed. This is a back-handed insult to the time and effort put in by the club and instructor. This cycle continues, they find another passion, before often moving on to another one shortly after. However, more often than not, those people want to return to their original gym at some point. The chances are that if you are one of these people, your gym would rather let you go. That’s not to say that there would be any animosity surrounding the issue, or that you would be kicked out, but as an instructor I'd be much less willing to invest my time into building you up again or correcting mistakes gathered on your drifting journey if I remember that your likely to do the same again. It’s not quite worth it.
If you do your homework before joining a club then you will know that the gym is the right place for you however if you made a mistake and its just not right for you by all means, seek training elsewhere. However, I’d urge you to think at great length before you do so. There may be genuine reasons for which you need to move on to another gym, but the chances are your suffering from an inflated ego, both type one and two suffer from this, you miss the point of training, you want something different in class but don't have the balls to speak to your instructor even on a friend to friend bases - this leads you to believe that you somehow don’t need your gym anymore and you either drift to another gym or drift in and out of training when you get a whiff of change.
Many of my students have been approached by people trying to convince them to train at other gyms, this usually starts on social networks, by the 'friend' telling them that their gym is much better for various reasons, the actual reason for this communication is jealously - your friends made a mistake in choosing the wrong gym and by buddying up with those who may question them in the future they are less likely to be found out. There have however been times where I’ve not felt passion for my own training, the simple solution is to decide what you want from training, fighting? Qualifications? Fitness? and work to achieve it. I would like to think that my students would never dream of training or fighting under anyone else or wouldn't get despondent with our club, to me, it’s simple. That’s just loyalty, a value that unfortunately, often seems to be overlooked.
One of the great things about our club is the family atmosphere that surrounds you when you’re in the gym, and even more so when your out socialising. It’s always nice to feel part of something, and the bonds that form amongst the people in and around the gym are hard to forget for those that experience them. I would like to think that it would feel wrong for my students to train with anyone else. I would like to think my students would want a trainer who understood them or to whom they were close to - I suspect I will be proven wrong time after time.
As a fighter, you can’t build success on your own, and it’s important to remember those who have helped you to get to where you are. It’s not about who seems to be offering the best deal at a certain time, it’s about who has built you, trained you and supported you, and will continue to do so. I find that most experiences are always what you make of them. If you put yourself into something with your whole heart, others will, too; that is when you start to achieve
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