Martial Arts: How to Pick a Martial Arts School for Yourself

I have made this blog more of a total fitness blog rather than a simple running weight loss blog. I will be posting on subjects more varied than running. I will post warnings on each post so if you don't care, I won't waste your time. Jason has a question the other day about picking a martial arts school. I think the martial arts appeal to many different people for a wide range of people. In fact, I saw a National Geographic show the other night on that referenced an American Sumo organization. There are lots of reasons for adults to be drawn the short list might include: fitness/ health benefits, cultural interest, and self defense. I am sure that there is a laundry list of others please excuse my cursory treatment.

Personally, I have trained in a number of different martial arts, my main background is in Kenpo and Kung Fu but I have trained in some grappling arts and some Korean kicking oriented styles. Kenpo simply works for me I do not find it superior to any other; most people who train for any time will come to the same conclusion that there are no superior martial arts only superior martial artists. With this said here are some considerations to consider:



McDojo - This is a strange looking word. It is a hybrid term combining the word 'dojo' a Japanese word referring to training hall and 'Mc' the prefix for McDonald's as in the fast food chain. In short McDojo references a training hall that is more interested in being financially profitable than in putting out a quality product. I won't dismiss all McDojos as they do have function for some people. Some people may not be interested in a serious school and a more laid back approach might work. A lot of McDojos will be short on discipline and technique. I would caution that if you feel you are training at a McDojo that you should not feel too comfortable with you ability to defend yourself.

Here are a couple of things to look for: 1) does the school push you to sign a long term deal very shortly after beginning classes, 2) does the school attempt to push other merchandise on you (training tapes, books, etc.) on a frequent basis, 3) are there fees for tests? If so are they excessive? This is a subjective analysis but if the tests for lower ranks exceed 30 or 40 dollars you may be in a McDojo. I think that if your school feels more like a used car lot than a place where you can comfortably train you may want to look elsewhere. You may not, if you are more interested in sport than self defense this may be fine. We all want different things from our training.

Injuries - As in any sport there are injuries in the martial arts. You should consider the types of injuries that you might receive and weigh that in your decision to train. Kicking arts, like Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do, as obvious as it may sound have a lot of leg work. This can lead to pulls in the hamstrings and groin, especially for beginners. You will stretch a lot but you will pull something sooner or later just a fact from what I have seen. Grappling arts are more prone to other types of injuries, I did not study Jiu Jitsu for long but I have seen shoulder separations and sprained knees. If you want to train in these types of styles you may want to consult a person who does train in this area. I train in Kenpo and there is contact and that means some bruised ribs, a stinger here and there and a few bruises. In short, Kenpo is not sanitary. You may want to ask about common injuries when looking at a school to know what you are in for.

Sparring - I am not sure if I would recommend sparring for all. Some might I won't. The founder of Judo said that the best training for Judo is Judo. But sparring is not Karate per se. It is only part of it. There is a lot more to your training than sparring and a school that puts a lot of emphasis on sparring might be leaving a lot out, unless it is in fact a kick boxing school. You should look to see what protection they wear. You might not want to go hot and heavy if you are just looking for a hobby or you might. But you should think about how much you want to mix it up when looking for a school. Most sparring doesn't hurt due to the padding but some people take it too seriously and you should look for this. You may not want to be in a school that allows this to get out of hand.

Physical Plant - I think the cleanliness of a school says a lot about those that operate it. If a school is going to charge for lessons they should make sure that the place where you will train will be clean and safe. A dirty and ill kept training area is reason enough to look somewhere else. However, if you are lucky enough to find an instructor who is not going to charge you or who only charges a nominal amount then you can give up a little here.

Schedule - Do the classes fit in your schedule? There are really two types of schools out there, part time and full time. Some schools are only open in the evenings and then again on Saturday mornings. These are usually less established schools or schools that are run by folks that have full time jobs. There are pros and cons to this. The pros being that they usually don't need your money and run the school for other reasons. The classes might be smaller and the fees might be smaller as well. The cons being that there will be fewer classes and there might be less instructor availability. This might not be true but it is a possibility. In a full time school, there will generally be classes on weekday mornings, open time for private lessons and multiple classes in the evenings. There may also be a chance for special classes or programs as the instructor's job is to be a martial arts instructor so there is less competition for his/ her time. I personally prefer this format as I like to be able to have greater access to the instructor.

The Instructor - this is bar none the most important part of the equation. Can your instructor teach? Here is where the rubber meets the road. When you watch a class is the instructor giving information that helps students refine their understanding are they correcting and polishing their students? Do they know? You can't really make all these decisions when entering a school for the first time. But during your introductory period you can make these evaluations. You should look not just at how your instructor interacts with you but with other students as well. Here is the hard part of looking for an instructor, it doesn't matter how many stripes they have on their belt. Should your instructor be an 8th degree black belt or a 2nd? I would answer the better teacher.

High skill and respect are great but it does not convey the ability to teach. A great martial artist like Bruce Lee might not be equally gifted teacher. If the 2nd degree black belt can convey information in a way that is easily processed by his/ her students than I would choose the 2nd degree as The other reason I say this is that there is no regulation for the most part over degrees conveyed. Some folks have just claimed they were a 10th degree black belt or given themselves such lofty titles as Grandmaster. With no regulation there is nothing to stop them from doing so. My advice, stick with those that can convey information and those that you are comfortable with. You may make a mistake for two early on in picking a school; as long as you don't get yourself into a long term deal it is ok.

Contracts - I have mixed feelings about this. For beginners there should be some sort of introduction program. If there isn't one find another school. You can't know if a school is right for you after taking one class. There needs to be a one month or 3 month program that lets you get your feet wet. This enables you to see if you are right for the school and the school to determine if you will be a good fit. Some schools will want to lock you in for a year right away; I would shy away from this type of arrangement early on. A lot of school use long term contracts of 6 months or a year. This commits you to the school like a gym membership and commits the school to you. It is really more against you though so keep that in mind. Just be sure to identify the exit clauses and if the contract can be placed on hold during injury or vacation time. I think this is an excellent insight into the school. If they will place your program on hold during these periods then they are trying to work with you, if not it may be a McDojo - see above.

Technology - Today there is more of a demand for things to use the technology resources of the day. Websites are inexpensive and a well appointed website can give you not only information about the school, but some schools are posting videos for students to reference when outside of class on techniques. Schools that embrace technology will make your training more enjoyable in my opinion. I don't think this should be used to discount a school but it can be a bonus. Being able to e-mail an instructor a question is valuable access.

I know a lot of this might seem needlessly complicated, but I do hope it can help a bit.