So, here's the school website: http://www.shinobiwinds.com/about-us-1/ I understand Mr. Alvarez is a student of Zougari..and made a Bujinkan documentary, which has gotten mixed reviews here on MAP. Has anyone trained with him directly? Any thoughts on him? Thanks
He actively seeks instructions from people in Japan or linked closely to the Japanese teachers. You could do much worse.
Trust me. I have:bang: Thanks much. I'll give Sensei Alvarez a call tomorrow, and see if I can attend wednesday's class.
Hey all-just to "close the circle" on this thread, I met and trained with Alvarez-sensei the other night, and I liked what I saw. for one thing, he has an actual space.and it's fairly decent. My previous bujinkan training was always in a park somewhere. Not sure if one way is superior to the other, but it was nice not rolling around in the grass for once. He actually had handouts detailing what would be covered in that nights' class, and he had other handouts detailing the different kamae, in japanese and in english, as well as detailing the 9 ryuha. As "flavor", one of his handouts included a letter takamatsu-sensei wrote to hatsumi-sensei during Hatsumi's training with him. It was the story of takamatsu's fight with "Ren"..are you all familiar with that story? probably taken from one of Hatsumi-sensei's books. Hell, yesterday, he even followed up with an email, and a pdf of a student manual. If you go to his blog, you find that he's quite knowledgeable about Bujinkan, and the history of ninja generally(he did that documentary on it some years ago). He's a private student of Kacem Zoughari. He does go to Japan regularly. the class itself "felt" pretty good. we did a lot of sword/staff(6 ft)/hanbo work that night. he stresses efficiency of movement, correct kamae and so on. I could post a screenshot of the lesson plan..but I'm not sure if I should post up his stuff on the net like that, so won't. Personally, he's quite friendly, humble, and unconcerned about rank in general. "this is hard stuff, we're figuring it out together" was one of his comments. $150 a month for 2 classes a week, $100 for one class a week. that's about right, I'd say. I'd say he's a massive "upgrade" from my previous instructor..but, I've been fooled before, haven't I? I'll probably go forward with him. the only holdup is, I may be moving back to NYC in the next few months..so I need to decide whether to start, or just wait until I go back east. anyways, that's my take on him..
I actually train under who Brandon originally started under - Shihan Matt Woodard. I ran into Brandon this last trip in Japan. He was very nice, and from little I saw he appeared to move well. He is under Kacem, who I believe follows Ishizuka Sensei. Kacem is very fluent in the art, and seems to have a good relationship with Soke. When I asked my teacher about him, he spoke highly of him even though he was following another teacher. My initial impression is that he would be a good person to train under.
Putting aside the cost which seems high for the amount of classes, it sounds like you enjoyed the training and the instructor. So if you don't mind the expense then keep training and have fun.
Say what?! That's more than what I pay for membership of two different clubs (potentially 10 classes a week if I could be in 2 places at once) + membership of a gym. In fact, I could add a monthly physio appointment and still come in under $150.
Exactly and I pay less at my full time gym where it includes unlimited training and they offer classes several times a day. It really comes down to whether the OP feels it is worth it.
Thanks everyone. Yeah, kung-fu class was only $90 for 2 classes a week, so this is defintely a bit more. OTOH, since I can use these skills in the entertainment industry(and, I have), I can write if off as a business expense I'll train with him for a couple months, and see how I feel about it then. I decided to stay in L.A. until at least the end of the year.
There is something to consider here when everyone talks about rates which is that you can't compare pricing in LA, NY or SF to really anywhere else in the country. It's absolutely normal in LA for example that a drop in class at BJJ is in the $40-60 range.
We aren't talking drop in classes and you can train in a BJJ gym in LA with a world class competitor and instructors for approx $135/month. Keep in mind that's with the opportunity to train every day and with different times available too. Again if the OP feels he is getting his money's worth and sees value in the training then go for it.
If you wouldn't mind, could you PM me which school that would be? I live in SF, but any trip I have taken to LA the pricing has been around SF pricing ($175-200).
If you're in LA, I don't think you can find a better place than Mr. Alvarez's dojo. He and I have the same teacher, and from what I have been told Mr. Alvarez is a sincere practitioner who does his best to polish the teachings he has received. And ultimately, that is what matters.
Hello guys, I would say most prices will be a bit more expensive in larger cities but you will usually get what you pay for. Might be a good idea to ask if the instructor has another career or does the dojo as his/her full time job. This will also change the pricing a bit. I don't know the instructor and am not sure exactly what your goals are but 150 seems a bit steep if not unlimited training or at least more training. Comparatively, many world class, top of the chain grappling schools charge around the same amount and have classes 5-7 days per week. Some of these schools attract the worlds best talent as well so often you will see other world champions training there along with you. As an example, in New York, you can pay around 200 per month for Marcelo Garcia, multiple time world champion. This includes 41 classes per WEEK. lol I guess it is hard to beat this price. But, once you find something you like stick with it and you will get better. Best, Todd Schweinhart www.yoshindojo.com
Space has a cost associated with it, so some of that money is going directly or indirectly to the cost of space. Spending $20 for a good 2 hour class is reasonable, in light of getting indoor space, supporting materials, and high quality instruction.
