Cross Training At Other Gyms

You’re part of the Cabra Kai team. By choosing to train here, you represent the gym and everything it stands for.

As the head coach, my job is to oversee your martial arts development while you’re at CK. That’s what you’re paying me for—not just to run a class, but to guide your growth as a martial artist.

Now, onto the main topic: training at other gyms while you’re still part of CK.

Yes, training elsewhere can offer new perspectives. Exposure to different styles and coaches can be a good thing—but it can also mess with your development, especially in the earlier stages. What people often miss is how this impacts my ability to coach effectively. If you’re bouncing between multiple systems, it creates more work on my end—work I may not have the bandwidth for. There’s only one of me, and only so much I can give.

Here’s where I’ll drop a classic truth: less is more. Just because you can do more, doesn’t mean you should. In fact, sometimes having too many ingredients ruins the recipe. Martial arts is a bit like making a good dish—you don’t rush it by cranking up the heat or throwing in every spice you find. The depth of flavor comes from letting it simmer. Some things just take time, and no amount of extra seasoning will speed up what only slow cooking can deliver.

So, when students jump between gyms or try to absorb too much too fast, they often end up with a confused mess instead of a well-developed game. Simplicity, consistency, and patience win in the long run.

That’s why I’ve always asked for one simple thing: transparency. Just give me a heads up if you’re training elsewhere. That way, I’m not blindsided when someone starts doing weird stuff they picked up from outside and unintentionally spreads it around. It’s even worse when they start teaching it to others—then we’ve got a coaching cleanup mission on our hands.

If I know someone is following multiple voices, I’ll naturally scale back the depth of coaching I offer them. I’m not going to spend hours trying to untangle habits they chose to pick up from elsewhere. My energy is better spent on those who are all-in with CK—no distractions, no confusion. That’s how I coach best, and that’s where I can give the most. And if it ever feels like what someone’s bringing in is too disruptive to the overall mission of the gym, then I’ll kindly suggest they just go train at the other place instead. No hard feelings—just alignment.

Trust me when I say that coaching someone who’s got multiple chefs in the kitchen is a much harder task. It’s not personal—it’s just reality. Knowing what each student needs helps me direct my time and energy where it’s most effective.

Like any good relationship, this comes down to communication. If you want to be coached, you need to be transparent. Every part of your training matters.

That said, some people just want to do classes, train casually, and that’s totally fine. Everyone’s welcome to learn. But not everyone is ready to be coached—and that’s where transparency makes all the difference.