Why we don't have walk-in options

Back when we operated out of a dojo in Cheras, we had a "walk in" option where people could pay a nominal fee to train just for that one day.

We wanted to give people a cheaper option in case they were not able to train on a regular basis. This proved to be problematic, however, especially with beginners.

Back in Cheras, we had "walk in" players who would show up for training perhaps once a month or once in two or three months. Can you imagine that? How on earth can they hope to improve in judo if they only come so infrequently? It's impossible.

Not only do they not benefit from such infrequent training, their lack of progress is also disruptive to the players who are training regularly.

Our training program is not modular but progressive. We don't have standalone sessions but rather, each session is linked to another. For example if I want to teach a particular variation of juji-gatame, that lesson can spread over three weeks, with the first week focusing on the roll; the second week on straightening the arm and the third week on how to switch to a hold-down.

If someone drops in on the first week only, all they'd learn is how to roll the person over. They won't learn how to straighten the arm or switch to a hold. If they drop in on the second week only, they wouldn't know how to roll the person into the juji position in the first place. And if they drop in on the third week only, they would be totally lost.

So, you can see how disruptive this can be. What tended to happen is we'd end up spending considerable resources teaching them to catch up with the rest. It doesn't just eat up the instructor's time, it is also unfair to their training partners who are up to speed with the techniques and are ready to move on with the lesson.

But beyond the disruption to our flow of training, there is another downside to "walk-in" players. Their irregular presence doesn't allow them to build up camaraderie or bonding with the rest of the team. And what we are building up is a team, not a loose collection of trainees.

A natural question people may ask is aren't we missing out on potentially talented players if we don't have a "walk in" option? A person might have natural talent but if they are not prepared to train regularly with the rest of the team, they will go nowhere as a judo player.

Judo is not a sport that you can pick up by training once a month. It's impossible. And although judo is an individual sport, you need teammates to train with. They are also the ones to cheer you on in competitions and provide emotional support when you're feeling down.

This is why we have done away with the "walk in" option. If you want to train at KL Judo @Muayfit DP, you have to be a member.