FAQ
- Jiu-Jitsu
- Muay Thai
Atos is a prestigious international competitive Jiu-Jitsu team formed in 2008 by Andre Galvao and Ramon Lemos. Atos has since its inception been at the forefront of what is known as “Modern Jiu-Jitsu.” Jiu-Jitsu is a constantly evolving art form, and Atos as a team is famously recognized as innovators. This is what drew us to join Atos in 2017, the only member of Atos in Alabama and one of the few in the entire Southeast. It’s very important to stay up to date with your technique in Jiu-Jitsu, and while many gyms unfortunately still train outdated techniques and methodologies, we at Maverick as members of Atos put a large emphasis on staying current with our Jiu-Jitsu. That is why the Jiu-Jitsu you learn here at Maverick will be the same you see used in modern competition.
We start teaching Children at age 4. We have two age groups for Youth Classes: 4-7 and 8-12. At age 13+ we move them to our Adult Classes. In some cases, we have moved advanced 11–12-year old’s up to the Adult Classes as well but we do this on a case-by-case basis dependent on the student’s skill level and maturity.
Yes, wear your gym’s equipment and be proud of where you train! We have lots of visitors year-round being located in Downtown Huntsville and love meeting new people who share our love for Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. For a drop-in fee, if you’re here for just 1 day there is none. If you are here for more than a day, we charge $50 and that lets you train all you want for the entire week. Every class, all amenities, and even competition classes all week for a one-time $50.
Believe it or not, we have no strict uniform requirements at Maverick other than it must be clean! All we ask is if you are a member here you put a team patch somewhere on your Gi. Less attention on wearing the “right” uniform means you get to save money and focus on important things, like Jiu-Jitsu.
At Maverick we have almost no uniform requirements. For the Gi, all we ask is that it is clean, fits properly, and has a Maverick team patch somewhere on it. That’s it! We do not care what color or brand your Gi is. For No Gi, we require you to wear a rash guard (compression top) with sleeves (short or long) and shorts with no zippers or pockets. If you wear leggings/spats, wear shorts on top. Again, that’s it! No forced school-branded clothing and no forced ranked tops or bottoms. While we do carry Rash Guards, Shorts, and Gi’s in our Maverick store, you are not required to purchase anything from us to train here. Almost all our uniform requirements are about safety and hygiene, not money.
Yes! We have equal amounts of Gi and No Gi classes. Most students here train both, but if you prefer only Gi or only No Gi you will find a home here at Maverick. We rank based on overall knowledge and skill in Jiu Jitsu, not if you like to train Gi or No Gi.
No! We take a radical approach to training here at Maverick which is this: We are all equal on the mat. Call our instructors by their names! We don’t bow to portraits on walls, there is no avoiding eye contact with higher belts or being afraid to ask them to train here at Maverick. We’re all here to get better at Jiu-Jitsu. All we ask is you respect your peers while on the mats by being a good training partner. We reject the hierarchy and hero worship you see enforced at many other gyms that unfortunately result in cult-like behavior and beginners feeling ostracized. At Maverick we focus on quality Jiu-Jitsu and fun.
No! You earned that rank. While every gym has its own standards for promotion, no one can take the hard work that went into a promotion away from you. At Maverick we do not stripe Adult belts beyond White Belt but please feel free to keep any stripes you may have earned on your belt.
Never! At Maverick we are very strongly against belt testing, scheduled promotions, attendance-based promotions, and charging for promotions. At Maverick all rank is earned by the students’ level in Jiu-Jitsu, nothing else. When rank is earned we hand you a new belt, simple as that.
Any member is allowed to come to our open sparring! There is no requirement beforehand; the coach will take care of the newer members. Our sparring class is very friendly and welcoming, and your first several times attending will be geared toward getting used to the defense and doing live DRILLS as opposed to getting thrown out into regular sparring.
Our competition sparring class requires approval from the coach. Competition sparring is faster-paced and geared toward people who have an interest in fighting/competing in the future. You do NOT have to compete to attend this class, but the sparring is a bit more competitive.
There is no ranking in Muay Thai! There are some gyms around that will give you a Mongkhon (headgear) or Pra Jiad (arm bands) as a form of ranking. This is entirely made up. In traditional Muay Thai, both the Mongkhon and the Pra Jiad are sacred and carry deep meaning to the fighter and gym
Muay Thai is referred to as the Art of 8 Limbs as you use both shins, both fists, both knees, and both elbows to strike. In Kickboxing, elbow strikes are not allowed. Another thing that separates Muay Thai is the clinch! The Muay Thai clinch utilizes leverage and different angles to both land strikes (generally elbows and knees) and to sweep your opponent. In Kickboxing, there is a small amount of clinching that lasts 3 seconds and there are no sweeps allowed. In Muay Thai, the clinch exchanges will continue until there is no more action or a stalling position is reached.
There is no required uniform for Muay Thai. Several students enjoy purchasing Muay Thai shorts, which are slightly short and baggy to make kicking more comfortable. Students can wear any form of comfortable workout attire.