written by Fred George “The Detroit Diesel”
Originally published in Tapout Magazine – Fall 2007
Remember me telling you guys not to open a fight school without a passion for the sport? Yeah, well nothing has changed. In the beginning it is a thankless task that will cost you a ton of time and money. Give yourself six solid months to get your facility up to speed. After you come up with your business plan and basic design it is time to go shopping. Let me give you some great advice. Buy the best products made in each category before you open your doors or you will regret it. you will find yourself repurchasing or retrofitting your gym if you do not buy high quality products in the beginning. Cheap gloves flall apart, the velcro stops working, the stitching tears, and the internal foam fails. My cheap Muay Thai pads leaked out stuffing and the stitching material in the seams blew out.
Fortunately I work for TapouT Magazine and MMA Worldwide. So I contacted every vendor in the business and performed an unbiased review of each product, and chose the best in each category. If you are a gym owner, this is priceless information. The CSW Training Center is a showcase club that TapouT Magazine and Hollywood Productions are currently using as a shoot location. In fact, if you watch “The Human Weapon” on the History Channel, you will see the CSW Gym on September 28th. It features Erik Paulson teaching Combat Submission Wrestling. Here is the Vendor list that I came up with. Mention to the vendor that you got their contact info from Freddy George, for the TapouT Magazine discount.
We are building a custom cage for the spring floor that will be out of this world. If any of you fighters or gym owners would like to come by and train on the new flooring, feel free to call anytime. Again, if it weren’t for our fantastic sponsors this gym would have never happened. Erik and I want to thank TapouT Magazine and our vendors for all of their support.
Wrestling Mat – Dollamur
2 inch Rollout Smooth Mat with Matching Vinyl Seamless Tape (New Product)
Contact: Mike Swain (408) 591-6704 | Gary McDowell (817) 360-9391
Spring Floor (24 x 28 feet)
Wood Frame 2 x 8 Studs
21 Sheets of 4 x 8 foot pieces of 1/2″ plywood
Mats on Spring Floor
1/2 in. rollout padding (white)
Black & Blue Zebra matt
Smooth Cage Matt (New Product)
Contact: Chuck Blanski (763) 370-6897
Jimmy Pedro
Bags
Fairtex Fight Gear
Wall Bags
Knee Bags (red, white, blue)
Banana Bags
300 lb Heavy Bag (Every gym should have one of these)
(Pole Mounted)
Contact: Michael Bruno (415) 777-0702
Bag Rack
Fabricated and welded by
Mike Tetzloff and Freddy George (702) 604-0829
Artistic Grinding / Clear Coating: Tavo (562) 445-7177
Tavo is also a World Class Car and Motorcycle Painter.
Cage Options
Combat Sports
Contact: Joe Taylor (877) 426-9864
Throwdown Cages
Contact: Aaron Maddox (619) 204-4019
Gloves and Shin Pads
Combat Sports
Contact: Joe Taylor (877) 426-9864 | Revgear (818) 847-1111
Shorts
Sprawl
Warrior Wear
Sinister
Gym Sponsors
HD Net
TapouT Magazine
MMA Worldwide, Inc.
Zildijan Cymbals (I play the drums)
Affliction Clothing
Team Doctors
Eric Dotson (562) 458-8080
Doctor Steve Eledge A.R.T. – Specialist (714) 636-2060
Nutrition Sponsors
Americell (ACL Labs) “Buy these products! They Work!”
CNP – Propeptide Protein
Protein Slam (Beta Alanine)
Core Training Sponsors
TRX System “Fitness Anywhere”
Power Wheel
Power Bands
Lous Private Training (714) 322-8432 “Brutal – Not for the Faint of Heart”
Contacts
Fred George: (714) 675-4666
Erik Paulson: (818) 919-4785
CSW Training Center
4080 Palm St. Ste. 801
Fullerton, CA 92835
Visiting your Blog today. Thanks for this information. Pleased to meet you.