Red Hawk Essentials #60
The Truths About Owning A Gym, Training Is Mandatory In My Family, 2024 Goals
The Truths About Owning A Gym
I’ve owned my gym now for 5 years. Started off in a mechanic’s garage, and I thought that was pretty fire.
Looking back now, kinda cringe. But I never thought we’d be in the space we’re in now.
Luckily, I have friends who own gyms. And they told me about some of the things to expect as a gym owner.
So if you’re looking to open up your own gym, here are some things you should know.
Gym memberships are the first to get cut
Whenever someone faces some financial issues, the gym membership is one of the first things to go.
Especially with jiu-jitsu, it’s a little more pricey than a typical gym membership. It’s not your Planet Fitness $10/month deal.
Memberships will be like a rollercoaster
It’s weird. Sometimes you’ll see 10 memberships in one month, and 7 cancellations the next.
Thankfully, we haven’t seen a lot of drop-offs so far. Usually, we get some sign-ups, then it plateaus, and then we get more.
We haven’t seen a lot of big dips, so that’s nice.
Holidays suck
I’ve said this before. One reason why I don’t like the holidays is because it causes a lot of family stress.
People go out of their way to get expensive presents. Opening up new credit cards, canceling things they need, or spending their entire paycheck.
It’s annoying to see people who are passionate about MMA or jiu-jitsu quit. Even though they know it’s good for their health physically and mentally.
But it is what it is. They gotta get their worthless presents.
Keys To Staying Consistent As A New Student
This is the time of year when people make resolutions, stop in a couple weeks, and wait till next year.
But there are always a handful of people who stay consistent enough to turn their resolution into a new habit.
So if you’re a new jiu-jitsu student or new to training, here are some ways to stay consistent.
First off, don’t expect to make every single class.
I know you’re excited to try out jiu-jitsu or train for the first time. You want to jump right in and do as much as you can.
That’s setting yourself up for failure.
Because eventually life is gonna get busy and start getting in the way. When that happens, you’re gonna feel bad because you can’t keep up with the schedule you made for yourself.
And more often than not, this leads to someone quitting.
Instead, just do the best you can with your schedule. Because every little thing is gonna pop up and stop you. And it’s so easy to brush it off until next time.
So here’s what I would do. Starting on Sundays, make a commitment to yourself.
Write down exactly what days you’re gonna train this week. It might be the same for each week or different depending on you.
But commit yourself to a set amount of days and pick the specific days.
Write it down. If you write it down, you’re committed.
Even if you’re hurt, make sure you still go to practice. You don’t have to train. You can learn by watching.
You can pick so much up by watching higher belts roll or by watching the coaches teach.
And actually focus. I see people who come in to watch, but end up chatting with others and scrolling on their phones.
The reason you’re here is to improve your jiu-jitsu. So at least dedicate your focus to the entire session. It’s only 1 hour of your time.
I can’t count how many times I was hurt during my journey from brown belt to black belt. But I still showed up.
I stayed focused. I watched how other black belts practiced. I watched how Tanquinho picked his rounds, and how he worked on top and bottom.
I learned so much during those years just by watching.
So no excuses. Stick to it and improve your life.
Training Is Mandatory In My Family
For my kid, training is gonna be required.
Not in a mean and strict way, but going to jiu-jitsu is mandatory. Of course, it’s gonna be a little bit tough. It’s supposed to be.
Wrestling and jiu-jitsu have changed my life for the better. And all those life lessons can last a kid a lifetime.
So I think it’s better to learn those lessons at a young age and build on them. There’s a quote I heard that I absolutely love. Forgot who said it, but it goes:
“Don’t prepare the road for your kid. Prepare your kid for the road.”
And that’s life. It’s gonna be fucking up and down.
Learning focus, discipline, and confidence early on is gonna prepare them for that.
Socializing with other kids is gonna be important too. And just learning how to be calm when things get tough.
Most adults can’t even control their own emotions, so learning how to do that early on is gonna turn into a superpower.
The kids get put in tough situations. They’re gonna get tired. They’re gonna want Mommy to bail them out.
But what happens when that kid starts facing tough things in life? Mom or Dad isn’t always gonna be there to fix everything.
I think a lot of parents make their kids’ lives so easy. So when those kids grow up, they expect life to be as easy.
But it’s not. That’s not how life is.
I know this is easier said than done. When I have kids, whether it’s a boy or girl, I know I’m gonna want to make them happy.
But I also have to remember to let them go through some tough things. If I don’t, I just think I’m setting them up for failure.
We’ll see when the time comes. I’ll have to revisit this topic again in the future.
But for the parents out there who are reading this, let me know your thoughts about this below!
Thorne
New year, new you? Get yourself some new supps.
A bunch of UFC fighters use Thorne as part of their daily health routine.
Thorne is third-party tested for the best quality ingredients so you know exactly what you’re putting into your body.
I personally use magnesium before sleep, fish oils, amino acids when I’m training hard, and their VeganPro complex protein.
If you’re in the market for some good supplements, Thorne is the brand I trust. You can feel safe and good about what you’re putting into your body with Thorne.
Use the link below and Throne will hook you up with an additional 15% discount on your order.
2024 Goals
I don’t have anything big that I’m aiming for this year.
My life's going good right now. So it’s more about maintaining my good habits. Making sure I stick with my morning routine.
If I hit my PEMF, redlight, cold plunge, meditate, and read good books - it’s hard not to have a good day.
Doing these things isn't hard. But it’s hard to stay consistent. It’s way too easy to be lazy nowadays.
But I know that continuing to be consistent will only lead to good things.
I am working on improving my diet. I know how to eat healthy, but it’s more like finding what’s best for me.
Ideally, I want to get something that helps me stay mentally sharp, gives me good energy, and keeps me fit.
I want to continue being a good leader and coach for my students. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m gonna continue to get better at that.
I have some social media goals too:
100K on YouTube
150K on Snapchat
850 members in the Patreon Brotherhood
But I think the most important thing for me this year is to remember to enjoy the climb. Just enjoy every moment.
I remember 5-6 years ago when I was always thinking of stuff I wanted. A PC, A Tesla, etc.
Now that I have those things, it’s so easy to think about other things I want. Always onto the next thing.
But I just want to enjoy the shit I have and be thankful for it.
Let’s crush it this year! Let me know what you’re working toward.
Quick Hits From This Week
Red Hawk Recap Ep. 121
In this episode, I sat down with Zavior, and went through his crazy story. Cover 2023 and more!
What Went Well This Year?
A lot went well this year. All my students who wanted to compete, did really well. The gym really took off this year too.
All my fighters did well, obviously Suga won the UFC title.
But it’s made me hungrier. So it’s important for me to keep learning and keep growing.
What Brought The Most Happiness
Honestly, it’s when I’m in the gym. When I’m there with my students having a good time and getting good training in - it’s a good fucking day.
People think vacations make them happy. Well, when I’m in the gym, it feels like a vacation.
And of course, if your loved ones and friends are healthy, it’s a good reminder to be thankful and happy.
Best Recovery Gadgets
I like my PEMF machine, Mito redlight, and my chili pad.
TimboSugarShow Ep. 266
Conor McGregor Returns Vs. Michael Chandler
Conor is set to return during International Fight Week. Finally fighting Michael Chandler at supposedly 185.
Let me know who you think is gonna win.
10 Weeks Out
We’re in champ camp with Sug. So far so good, we’re having phenomenal sparring and sessions. Miami here we come!
Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather in Rizin
It’s an exhibition, but neither of those guys want to lose. I don’t know if they have an agreement beforehand to not go hard and just get paid millions, but we’ll see how it goes.
Red Hawk Academy Patreon
Welcome to all the new Patreon members and shoutouts to all the OGs!
On Patreon, we’ve done a bunch of giveaways, podcasts, and vlogs.
We’ve been going 4 years strong with our Patreon. There are hundreds of videos on there, with new content going up all the time.
You can get exclusive access to technique videos, extra podcasts, and general healthy living videos.
I reply to everyone on Patreon, so if you have any questions, hit me up there!
That ends it for this week’s Red Hawk Essentials.
Hope you enjoyed this one. Give me a like/comment/subscribe below.
If you’re new here, welcome to the fam! We’re dropping gems like this each week.
Luv ya, talk next week.
Tim
Timbo great read as usual brother. Hoping to join the patreon brotherhood soon, just gotta get my bread right.
Great read as usual, my goals this year is to pay off the last bit of my credit card debt, pay off my Personal loan and get a good savings going, I worked minimal hours last year and fought 7 times in 9 months but now that I own a house I need to make as much money as I can but also keep my happiness, hard to do both