The Top 7 Things to Consider When Selecting a Martial Arts School
April 19, 2008
Congratulations on choosing to enroll yourself or your child in a martial arts program! As a 10 year practitioner of martial arts, I enrolled in 4 schools in different parts of the country before launching my own school in upstate
Below, I’ve outlined what I believe to be the key questions to ask yourself and your prospective school instructor. I often tell people that choosing a martial arts school is like choosing a college. You need to do your research on the curriculum being taught, the quality of the schools graduates, the cost, and then you need to visit the school to see if it “feels” right.
Traditional or Modern
Some schools are very traditional while others take a modern approach. Traditional schools often emphasize the discipline and uniformity that people associate with the martial arts. Modern schools may blend a variety of styles and have looser standards of behavior.
Children, Adults, or Both
Are you looking for a school for a child or for yourself or both of you? What does the school offer? If the school is solely focused on teaching children and you are seeking aggressive full-contact martial arts training, this might not be the school for you. The class schedule should reflect dedicated classes for adults and children.
Contact – light, medium, full
How hard do you want to hit or be hit? Most martial arts involve contact sparring after a certain period of training. Some schools believe pain and contact are to begin on the first class while others permit no contact until black belt level. It is important to match your expectations and ask the instructor what type of contact the school permits and at what level.
Style – Taekwon-do, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Kenpo, Wing-chun, Aikido…
The differences in martial arts styles are too varied to describe in a single article. Do your own research on this website or YouTube to get a sense for the different martial arts styles and their philosophies.
Instructor
Ultimately, the quality of the school rests upon the decision making of the instructor. When you meet him or her in person, you should be able to get a sense of the character traits and physical ability. Some schools are run by an instructor who owns several schools. The classes in other schools are only taught by the head instructor. Before enrolling yourself or your child, you should know who the instructors are and their teaching philosophy.
The students
Look around – are the students like you or your child? Are they your age and ability level? Are the exercises they perform in your range of ability? Do they greet you with a smile and encourage you to join? Try to talk to a few of them and find out why they chose the school and see if their answers are in alignment with your goals.
Pricing and commitment
Most martial arts schools ask for a 6-12 month commitment up f
As an instructor, I know that the first 3 months with a new student requires a lot of additional time and effort on my part that needs to be taken into consideration. I have to alter my classes to permit time for the new student to learn basic skills and routines. I also have to dedicate time to review the new student’s progress, physical wellness, and emotional contentedness with the school. This is my commitment to new students.
Phone calls and private conversations are part of the curriculum to keep the student coming to class. New uniforms, student journals, certificates, belts, federation dues and training equipment are all costs to the school and may or may not be included in your tuition.
To summarize, making a commitment to a martial arts school is something to take seriously. Only by researching the style, the level of contact, the age and ability of the students and by meeting the instructor can you really predict how well you will adapt to the training.
If you think of it like choosing a college, you will surely know that you have chosen the right school for you or your child. It should just “feel” right. Congratulations on taking the first step. You may have heard that interviews with senior citizens reveal a simple fact time and time again: as we age, we regret the things we failed to try more than the things we have tried and failed.
So, start your research on the internet right now and make appointments to visit the schools in your area as soon as possible!
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3 Responses to “The Top 7 Things to Consider When Selecting a Martial Arts School”
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GREAT article. It is so important to make sure you select the correct school for you BEFORE you start to ensure you or your child sticks with it. GREAT list of things to consider.
Excellent article, I used a lot of these principles before choosing a school, and it has paid off. I am very happy with the school that I choose. I am excelling at my level with my martial art, and having chosen the right school made excellent progress possible. One thing that I would add is to choose a school that is not too far from your home or work. To make strong consistent progress in a martial art you need to attend classes 3 - 4 times a week consistently.
John B - that’s an excellent point. Thanks for your comments!