3 Things to Do When Looking for a Martial Arts School

Recently, I was helping manage an event at my workplace, and during a lull in the work I started practicing some kicking techniques (like we all do). A coworker at the event notices and it reminds them that they were looking to find a different martial arts instructor for their child. Apparently the instructor was engaging in some shady business practices, and their child was reporting that they were intimidated by the instructors and their teaching methods. It's making the child hate going to class, even though the child loves the exercise. The coworker wasn't sure what to do.

This is a story that, unfortunately, is all too common when discussing martial arts classes. As a parent it can be difficult to know where the line is between an instructor who uses "tough love" and an instructor who is borderline abusive. This is especially difficult when discussing martial arts instructors, since the whole foundation of the class is built on applying combat principles. What does good teaching even look like?

While a comprehensive examination of good teaching is beyond a blog post, I wanted to list some of the more important things to consider when you are searching for a martial arts school.

1. Know what you want out of the school.

The first step in finding a good martial arts school is deciding for yourself what "good" even means for your situation. Are you looking for a school for yourself, for your child, or for both? Now ask yourself what you want to get out of it. Do you want to toughen up? Do you want a fun, unique way to exercise? Are you looking for an environment to train your mental discipline? These are all very different goals

Just like how different brands of the same product can specialize in specific aspects of that product, so too do martial arts styles, and even different instructors within the same style, differ in what learning environment they create. Before searching, know exactly what you are searching for. It might even hep to make a checklist of "needs" and "wants".

2. Visit more than one school in-person

Too often I hear about parents and students looking up whatever school was closest to their house that taught whatever martial art style they had heard of before and just enrolling right away. That's like doing an Amazon search for a new exercise bike and hitting "Buy Now" on the first product that shows up. Using the checklist you made above, make a short-list of schools that are in your area and seem to meet your needs from their website, if available.

An important note: Not all good martial arts schools are tech-savvy. Many have the head instructor as sole-proprietor and sometimes sole-employee, and while they may be the best instructor on the planet, that doesn't mean they know how to make a website. It also means that if the instructor is teaching, they may not be able to answer the phone during class. Take these points into consideration during your search, you may need to just "show up".

Once you have your short-list, take the time to visit all of the schools to observe a class, talk with the instructors, and get a general feel for what the school is like in-person. Compare what you see and hear with your list of needs and wants. Then leave and visit another school. You may be surprised to find how different one school can be from another just based on the specific teacher and martial arts style. This sort of comparison shopping will make it more likely that you will find the right school for your needs.

3. Know the costs up-front

Sometimes, one of the trickiest subjects to discuss with martial arts teachers is money. While many instructors have only the best of intentions, a martial arts school is a business and must make money to stay open. This is where it is important to find out, with complete clarity, what the costs are for you as a parent or student.

Many schools will have monthly dues per student. Some may offer family discount rates or refer-a-friend programs, while others may require 6 or 12 month commitments upfront. In addition, many schools require certain equipment to be purchased such as sparring gear or uniforms, while others will be require a fee each time a student wants to advance to the next rank. Costs can vary wildly by the school, style, and location you are looking at.

Sometimes these costs are legitimate business practices, sometimes they are the signs of a "McDojo": a place where you ascend the ranks through money instead of earned effort. This makes it all the more important to find out in writing what the regular costs are for this school and compare that to your budget. Make a quick sketch of a budget for what this school will cost you if you and/or your child end up staying enrolled for the long haul. A good school will be open and honest about their fees, and you should not settle for less.

These are just a few of the key considerations when searching for a good martial arts school, and there are plenty more depending on what you need/want list ends up looking like. But if you figure out what you want out of training, shop-around like you would for any other service, and lock-down the fee schedule for the school you have your eye on, you'll avoid a lot of common pitfalls in this search.