How to pick a karate studio

How to pick a karate studio.

I have been around martial arts and martial arts schools for over 30 years. When I first started, karate schools were few and far between and mainly catered to adults. Today there is a karate school on every corner and their mainly focus is on children. Not all schools are the same and parents need to really do their research before enrolling their children. There are many choices in styles of martial arts. School can range from traditional, old style martial arts and weapons, to sports karate schools which incorporate gymnastic moves including tricking and flipping along with flashy weapons. You need to ask yourself why are you enrolling your child and why do they want to start karate.

The benefits are obvious, self defense, self control, exercise, better grades and self confidence. But not all karate schools are the same nor do they have the same abilities as teachers. No one should sign their children up before observing a class and having their children actually take a class. Sit and talk to the other parents and closely watch the interaction between the instructors and the children. Do the instructors care more about your child and their needs or more about getting your money?

Things you would want to consider are the ages of the children on the mat. Are 5 year olds being taught with 18 year olds? How many instructors are on the mat with the children and are the instructors watching and working with the students individually or is the instructor just teaching the class from the front of the room and no one helping struggling students. Do the instructors know each student by name and do the instructors know each student’s individual needs.

Financial considerations should also be made carefully. Today martial arts schools are a business and many are run that way. Right now the trend in the business is to be the “most” expensive school in the area and to convince parents the reason for this is that you are the best. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Karate is a long term commitment. It takes years for your child to achieve their black belt and you want to make sure the school has the ability to keep your child motivated and to make sure you can continue to support your child’s efforts financially. Get all costs upfront. Make sure you understand all the upgrades in membership that you will need to make in order for your child to continue karate. Most schools will quote you a price for 2 classes a week. What if your child wants to come 3 or 4 times? What is the change in price if your child wants to start sparring or wants to be trained in the use of weapons? Most schools require students to spar and or use weapons in order to test for their black belt. You do not want to find out a year or two down the road that you MUST upgrade your membership for your child to continue. A $39 a month introductory membership can quickly become a $259 a month membership or more. Are there discounts for a second child or if a parent wants to start taking classes. Are there any additional costs for belt testing? Once you sign up and you are hit with all these price increases are you still going to be able to afford it? All too often I hear from parent how their child started in karate but their tuition kept going up and they were no longer able to afford it.

Also ask what other benefits the school offers for your child. Do they conduct tournaments which will allow your child to compete? Do they do any outside events or fund raisers? This all goes along with developing a well rounded martial artist and person.

Do not sign any long term contract. If the karate school is a good one, you and your child will want to keep going, you do not need a contract to keep you there.

Your choice of a karate school for your child is an extremely important one. Style, student instructor relationship, and cost are all very important. Visit several schools if necessary before making a choice. If you join a school that does not meet you and your child’s expectations, look for a new school. Do not give up on martial arts and what it has to offer. Children are different and karate schools are different. It is important to get the right school. If you look at shopping for a karate studio like shopping for a new car, you should have no problems. Just beware of the car salesmen.