Fighter Mills?

I recently had a fighter come to me and ask about doing some training. I honestly always get a little nervous when they mention the gym they come from, if its considered one of the "best". I'm always concerned about the name and reputation it carries. I don't doubt my skills as a trainer but my reputation isn't as grandiose as some of the trainers from these gyms. More and more however i'm noticing a trend in the fighters, they lack simple fundamentals. The fighters lack proper stance, balance, don't keep their hands high, not throwing punches properly...etc, etc, the list goes on and on. Within 30 minutes of training this fighter I pointed out at least 5 major flaws. The response from him was "damn I've been at ______ for months and they never mentioned those things". At least one of the things I pointed out was a direct cause of him taking damage in his last fight. Why didn't the big name gym and trainers notice it, you ask? The answer is very simple. The saturation of combat sports in the recent future has made way to greed and "fighter mills". When MMA was still considered "human cockfighting", the trainers and fighters had to work very hard to even get fights, let alone win. Now you can find a fight anywhere. Because of this, gyms are no longer making fighters work their way up skill wise before fighting. Now, if you know how to throw a 1-2, they're willing to let you get on a card to fight. Guys aren't sharpening their tools the way they should be in exchange for the possibility of stardom and fast money. It sort of reminds me of when Hip-Hop was just starting and guys were signing deals for cars and gear but no real investment in future income. I'm not knocking the hustle, but instead the quality of the product. If you, as a trainer, aren't making corrections in your fighters skill set, then you're not a very good coach. Also, if you're a fighter and you aren't being corrected on your stance, defense, or offense, then you're being taken for a ride. Keep an eye out for the snakes they'll throw you to the wolves. If you know he's a snake and you get a beat down after they've been feeding you the "you're unbeatable" line, well you knew he was a snake. Money from the promoter, the sponsors, the fighters, and the fans is blinding the gyms and coaches. Beware of the fighter mills and make sure you share a connection with your trainers. They should care about everything you do. I would.

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