How to Choose a Martial Arts School: 7 Essential Tips
Choosing a martial arts school can be quite difficult.
It is important to realise that the martial arts industry is an unregulated industry and there are plenty of frauds out their looking to take your money.
Most people who are searching for a martial arts school simply turn up at a the martial arts school nearest to them.
They do this by typing into google key searches such as karate near me, martial arts near me, kick boxing near me, bjj near me, kids karate near me etc etc.
This is why there are so many dodgy schools out there, because most people looking for a martial arts school don’t do their homework.
Today I am going to give you my top 7 tip’s on what to look for when choosing a martial arts school.
- Location – location is important, you need to be able to travel to and from the dojo in a reasonable time. But don’t fall into the trap of just turning up at your nearest dojo. You could be making a very costly mistake.
- Facility – has the school owner invested in their dojo, is the equipment adequate, is it new or is it old.
- History – how long has the school been around? Fact, martial arts schools are opening and closing all of the time. Especially in the Macarthur, Camden and Campbelltown areas. Most that open will fail and leave their members out of pocket. I see this happening year after year.
- Legitimate style – Does the martial arts school offer training in a legitimate style or is it a made up style? Bujutsu offers internationally recognised grades in several systems, this means you can take your grades to other schools. But made up styles of martial arts grades are useless. They are only accepted in the made up style you are training in. This is a real trap for new students, some spend thousands of dollars over many years only to discover their black belt is worthless. Fact, in the Camden and Campbelltown area, approximately 95% of karate schools are made us styles.
- Instructors – you want instructors of the highest quality, remember if you are looking for kids karate, kids muay thai kick boxing or kids bjj, the instructors are going to be role models for your children. Take the time to research who the instructor is and how long they have been training for and again, are they qualified in a legitimate style or a made up style.
- Pricing – you get what you pay for. If a school is considerably cheaper than other martial arts schools, it isn’t because they provide a good service and are doing well. It’s because they are struggling to stay open. By the same token, if you are going to select the school that has the highest fees in the area, you should satisfy yourself that they have the ability to justify and deliver on their pricing.
- Atmosphere/Culture – Bujutsu prides itself on being a safe family environment where the whole family can train. It is a large part of our success. Visit the school and get a feel for the atmosphere and culture of the school.
Always remember the saying, show me your friends and I will show you your future. So choose carefully.
I hope these 7 tips help you to select a martial arts school that you and your family will enjoy training at for many years.
Regards,
Sensei Mark Szalajko
Director/Chief Instructor
