Roufusport Jiu Jitsu 321 North 76th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53213

"It sound like Roufusport has greatly improved over the years. I'm genuinely glad for that. My experience with Roufusports, and Mr. Pat Roufus, many years ago, was discouraging, to say the least. To show my age, I went when Rick Roufus was in his prime. He actually trained and sparred with some of our guys (which he nearly knocked out) at a small Kenpo dojo I attended as a teenager. Rick's prowess as a fighter was undeniable. I don't recall why, but I didn't stay at that Kenpo dojo, but left on good terms. Later, as a young teenager, maybe 13 or 14, my father took me to Roufusport. Then it was located near the Red Carpet bowling alley off of 76th. I took part in one class. Afterwards Mr. Pat Roufus was kind enough to give me his critique of my ability. He did this in front of both myself and my father. He plainly stated that there were three tiers of ability and talent. Of course as an aspiring martial artist, I was holding my breath hoping he'd say I was on the first tier! Nope. "Blair's not part of that level..." I earnestly hoped that I was on the second tier. Nope. "Blair's not part of that level either." Mr. Pat Roufus then described the lowest level. Those having no natural talent and without expectation of achieving any real martial ability. "That is where your son is at." Shortly after Pat's assessment of my ability, I quit martial arts as a teenager. What was the point if I was talentless? Why waste any more time? I think Pat's choice to say this, not only to my father, but to me as an impressionable kid, speaks to the Roufus' martial legacy. As for Roufusports, I hope they've stopped stomping on kids' aspirations. Words have power, especially on the young kids you coach. RESPONSE to Roufusports: So the father of Rick Roufus, Pat, has no connection to Rofusports? That's not true, but I'll let the reader decide. Read on. You claim that my "experience as a child has absolutely no connection to Roufusport." Not only does this disingenuous statement justify my review, it reinforces my characterization of the Roufus name. Look at your own history. You state, "Rofusports was created in 2007...Simply put, you are confusing Duke Roufus with Rick Roufus, and are assuming Duke's father Pat has some role or influence at Roufusport..." I'm not confusing the brothers. I never claimed Rick had anything to do with your school. You just piggybacked on his name and his modicum of fame in the States. I quote from your own history, "In 1993 he [Duke] founded Roufusport in his dad's [Pat's] Milwaukee based martial arts school's basement." I'll let the reader decide if there is a connection. Glad to hear Duke decided not to follow in his father's footsteps in "coaching" youth."

"My 10 year old son has trained here for just under a year. He started out new to it all and has quickly gained more confidence and made friends with a ton of kids on the fight team. The coaches are amazing, they truly care about their fighters/students. My 16 year old daughter and I started training with the adults the staff and coaches treat everyone as equals, they expect you to work hard and encourage you to be the best you can be. We are there so much that it is basically our second home and the coaches and staff feel like extended family. It is a great place to help teach kids and adults self discipline, respect and self defense. I would recommend this gym to anyone."

"I have trained at Roufusport for over 14 years with the purpose of achieving consistency, discipline, direction and the overall acquisition of knowledge/value. I’ve quietly observed and seen many come and go, and some misrepresent what Roufusport stands for. When you have been in operation as long as they have, opposition is inevitable. Not everyone will be with you in the end. One thing I can say for sure though is, as far as my experience, Duke has remained consistent in his principles, work ethic and his efforts in regard to achieving excellence, as he should. He definitely stands for what he believes in, no matter what. This is after all, his livelihood. Because of this, he expects the same from his students. He puts the ball in your court and will give you the tools you need to succeed, so it’s always your choice how you use them. The main instructors are all old school, gritty, perfect (to me). Don’t expect a father, although they can give fatherly guidance. Don’t expect a movie-like coach experience, although I’ve seen them help people live a movie. It’s really up to you what you make the experience. The fight business ain’t pretty but they prepare you for it. Depending on what you want to achieve, they will provide value in the appropriate manner. But they WILL hold you accountable. Duke is in many ways a principled man, a man’s man, and none of us are perfect but because he strives for excellence, he will demand it from you too. If you are a casual visitor looking to be active and get in shape or learn to defend yourself, this will be a great experience for you. If you are an aspiring fighter, expect to WORK. If you take it easy, things will become hard, but if you go hard, things will become easy. When you choose to become a fighter, you are making a decision to become a stand-alone business, the stakes change. Nothing was ever achieved without adversity, so he will forge you through the fire, don’t expect to know how and don’t expect to be coddled. Just expect to EARN your keep, expect value in elite fight knowledge, character building and wisdom as a cherry on top. If you want to be a master of your mind, a master of your body and a champion, Duke will draw the calculated savage out of you."

"This place only cares about the money and not their fighters whatsoever. They will not show up for your fights and if they do…they’ll keep you in the ring even if you are on the verge of death. (May sound familiar to Coach Koshman) At the end of the day they only care about the paycheck they make off of you. It might seem sweet but turns bitter fast. They’ll snitch on you to other coaches so you loose and go behind your back. Please take my advice never NEVER go to this gym if you want to look like a joke at the end of the day."