I had planned a work trip up to Seattle and I usually try to find a school nearby to counter all the sodium heavy company meals and drinks that I expect on work trips. Midnight Jiu-Jitsu was nowhere near the offices I needed to visit nor my hotel.
Honestly, what intrigued me was the non-profit model that Midnight had and they allow you a free week's trial, again a week is usually very generous by most school standards and usually for absolute newbs; it's sometimes a nice surprise not to pay for a drop-in or mat fee but you shouldn't expect it, it's a business, respect that.
The evening of class, I tried to get there early, evening fighting through rush hour traffic. What I didn't count on was how f'ing difficult it was to find parking. I grabbed my gear bag and ran into class about 15 minutes late. I knew from their website that they gave permission to come late or leave early. As background, depending on the school coming late is anywhere from a minor faux pas to an egregious trespass. Despite knowing this, I was expecting to just sit out and just watch or knock out burpees or push ups.
Instead, someone came over when there was a break in the class. I got briefed on what to do and was allowed to change in the back and join the class. Tom and Aaron were there but they just said to call them by their names, again depending on the school titles are a big thing. The class was fun, the rolls were challenging and I learned a couple things. Moreover, I stuck around until closing and got to just sit and chat with Aaron and apologize for my lateness which was totally brushed off as not a big deal.
If I'm ever visiting again, I'm going to head back up there-it was enjoyable physically, mentally and socially. read more