Looking for the Right Martial Arts School

Thinking of enrolling in a Martial arts school? Good for you! I can remember my first lesson (he said mournfully, realizing just how long ago that was!), and I’ll never regret the decision.  Since then, martial arts training has changed a lot in the commercial world.  It’s more confusing than just looking for a place that teaches “Karate” or “Judo."

By the way, I’m assuming you already know what style you want to learn. There are more than a few to choose from so depending on your goal as to why you want to train, that can be a big factor in your choice of schools. 

What is your reason for training, by the way? Fitness or Weight Loss? Self Defense? A new hobby? Curiosity after watching all those movies? Maybe you are looking for an activity for your kids. Whatever your reason, there are several factors you need to consider before choosing a school. Here are a few.

Some schools pride themselves in preparing students for competition. They encourage students to enter tournaments and train them to that end.  This is great if its what you are looking for. You will definitely get the exercise you are looking for.  If you are only interested in self defense, the techniques you will learn in this kind of school will take some time to learn and are not the best for this purpose.

Conversely, if you are looking for something that will enhance or serve as your exercise routine, a school that specializes in self defense may not be your best choice. Good self defense should be easy to learn and remember and be ready to use without being in the best of shape or having to warm up before using it. If you are in good shape and don't need a training class that spends half the time doing pushups and situps, then consider this in your search.

If you are looking for a form of moving meditation without the dynamic training requiring heavy impact with the ground or another student, then I suggest Tai Chi, which, while having its roots in Combat, is today a peaceful form of no impact moves designed to promote health and coordination at a minimum. 

In today’s economy, it can be hard to come up with the funds to spare for anything over what is needed day to day.  If you want to add martial arts training to your budget, then you should ask what you get for your monthly payment. Will you have to sign a contract? Can you pay month to month? How many classes can you attend for your monthly payment? Some schools offer a free month or several weeks of free training to see if its what you really want to do before committing to it. Some offer a free uniform with signing up. Evaluate what is best for you and ask plenty of questions. The instructors should be glad to answer all your questions and tell you what to expect from their school. 

If you are looking for your kids, then I caution you, most martial arts schools are geared to teach a form of combat either for sport or practical use. The instructors are qualified to do just that. They do not run a day care.  If a school offers “after school care” then observe what they do and see what activities are done.  Also check the ages of the children involved. Again, it all depends on what you are looking for.      

I mentioned styles earlier and if you are not familiar with the myriad of styles of martial arts that are out there then I encourage you to do some studying. This is why God created the Internet. There are too many to cover in this entry but suffice to say that they are as many and versatile as you can imagine. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, European (yes ... the Greeks and Russians among others have their own unique styles), Israeli and American. They are hard, soft, and a mixture of both.  Some emphasize striking, some throwing, some both. Some are easy to get the hang of in a relatively short time with the right effort. Some take a longer time to be able to use and execute correctly. At the core they have more similarities than differences but they all have their own way of teaching and each has its own approach to attaining mastery. 

So you have your work cut out. As you have probably figured, you will need to visit as many schools as you can and like everything else, make a careful evaluation of what you learn before making your decision.

Good luck and much success in your training! Don’t be discouraged. Anything worth learning will have its moments of difficulty but with perseverance you will endure and be better for it. Just make sure you select the art and the school that is right for you.