Selecting a Martial Arts School

Selecting a Martial Arts School:

What You Should Know

At the surface, martial arts training is very attractive for many different reasons. With so much time and money being spent on this training, one would hope there is discernable long-term benefit to this training. As in all things in life, reality does not always bear the fruit of the ideal sold to you at the door of the martial arts school. In this article, I am liberally generalizing the overall landscape of martial arts instruction. While I do believe that most martial arts schools and programs are utterly ineffective to the point of being a waste of time and money, there are many schools that are fabulous and add value to the lives of all involved. This article should help you know what to look for and what to avoid. Ultimately, it should help you make your own mind up when you seek instruction. Each of us have different physical attributes, goals and moral baselines to judge what is right for ourselves.

Know What You Want

For everyone who thinks about taking up martial arts, there is a different reason:

Physical fitness
Self defense
Meeting new people
Discipline
Spiritual development/enlightenment
Because your friends are doing it
Because your parents beat you and you never want that to happen again.

What Schools Want

Most martial arts schools are doing what is obvious at face value: they are trying to extend their membership and increase revenue. This is painfully obvious in some schools where, regardless of the student's abilities, there is a scheduled handing out of colored belts and tournaments every month. Each is designed to dole out a carrot and put a smile your face long enough for you to write another check for the next month.

There are a handful of schools out there that have much higher values than this. I have personally met the instructors from these schools and can say there is hope out there! These schools have higher goals such as bringing together people from all walks of life throughout the community with a shared passion, sharing and expanding knowledge in a given art, and bringing family and friends together.

Realities of Martial Arts Instruction

Focus on Fighting rather than Not Fighting - Given a situation of conflict, many people trained in martial arts find it easier to fight than not to fight. This is clearly an inappropriate reflexive reaction that indicates a lack of proper focus in the training curriculum. While it is very useful (in fact, crucial) to know how to defend yourself, it is unfortunate that most martial arts do not attempt to prevent these situations. In most situations, one can simply walk away from a conflict without fighting. Without training how to do this, this is very difficult. People need to be taught that words should never be the cause of a fight. It should be allowed only situations where harm is imminent to yourself or to a loved one. There practically no schools that teach the legal and moral ramifications of fighting and harming another person in any but situations of utmost necessity. In 17 years of martial arts training, I have only had an opportunity to go to one such seminar. I found it refreshing and extremely useful.

Ineffective - The sad reality of martial arts is that most martial arts are largely ineffective systems which teach people how to move in a very specific way geared toward defending a very limited set or type of situations. Martial arts schools generally do not teach you to defend yourself in realistic situations or, more importantly, how to avoid solving conflict with physical aggression.

Attrition - Regardless of the activity you get involved in (horseback riding, piano, swimming, soccer), your greatest hurdle is finding something you have an affinity for. Nowhere is this more true than in martial arts training. Even doing all your research, it is difficult to predict what you will truly enjoy. One in 10 will last six months in martial arts. One in 20 will last long enough to get lasting value from it. As a result, don't set your expectations too high. At the same time, you should be prepared for a significant physical and emotional commitment. Learning any new system of movement (be it Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or ballet) can be extremely frustrating. Set tiny goals at first. Showing up to class at all is one such goal. Most folks aren't suited to martial arts training. Make sure you give it a good try before making your mind up (at least 2 months), but don't be surprised if you become a statistic of attrition.

The Hollywood Challenge - The flashiest martial arts are almost universally the most useless. You'll see a "flying side kick" or hear about something called an "iron butterfly kick" on a martial arts movie or documentary and will be thrilled to imagine yourself flying around like that. We are all attracted to the fantastic. Keep in mind the root of "fantastic" is the same as "fantasy." Relying on techniques that require defying gravity is a fantasy. As are most things in Hollywood, these techniques are merely a facade and do not represent any substance worth your time or money. In fact, in realistic self-defense and combat situations, these techniques are never even taught. Find a training program that can defend against and readily neutralize these absurd attacks. After all, if 75% of people who train in martial arts are studying Taekwon Do (one martial art that will teach you these inefficient or ineffective techniques), you will need to be able to spot and defend against these attacks. Luckily, this is quite easy given the right instruction!

Research: Looking for The Right Stuff

Finding a School that is Right for You

Decide on a set of goals.
Decide on your criteria for the right school. What is most important? Strike a balance.
Shop around! Do your research. Talk to a number of experts, but make your own decision. By expert, I mean someone who has trained in multiple systems over a number of years, not someone who has been studying the same martial art without personal experience in other systems. You are not likely to get balanced answers from people who only see one side of a multi-faceted choice. Ask questions of your prospective schools.

Strike a Balance

As in most things in life, the best things are rarely free and are rarely conveniently located. This does not mean you need to drive 20 miles and spend a ton of money on martial arts classes. In fact, if you believe the statistics of attrition, it would be a waste of your time to over-commit yourself before you know if you have an affinity for martial arts. Do your research, but know when to strike a balance between the various factors in your life (time, money, commitment).

Questions to Ask A Prospective School

What is your core focus?
What does your curriculum consist of? In many schools, historical information, etiquette, and terminology are just as important as physical training. Be wary of board breaking training. This is where students are expected to strike boards and break them in order to advance. Many traditional and contemporary Asian striking systems rely on demonstration of power through breaking wooden boards. This is a trick and has very little to do with a good punch. Ask professional boxers how much board breaking has helped them get where they are. Board breaking is irrelevant. I was breaking boards as a yellow belt in Karate in 1985. Trust me, I didn't know a thing about self defense and those boards were falling apart. It proved nothing. Focus mitts, shadowboxing, and heavy bag work will develop a good punch.
What is the basis for your self defense system? The answer you are looking for is some historical breakdown of what systems of self defense have lead to this one. Many martial arts are derived from one or more foundation systems. If you don't understand what they are, ask follow-up questions. Simply knowing the school teaches a derivative of Okinawan Karate and Japanese Judo is meaningless if you don't understand more. How did the system in its current form come to be? If the instructor doesn't know the answer, find another school.
Are weapons involved? If so, are you learning to defend against weapons (an attacker has a weapon) or in offensive situations? I make no judgment here, but you should know ahead of time what they are, their intended use, and the practicality or legality of carrying those around with you to defend yourself.
Do you have contracts? The same way a health club or cellular phone service provider will get you to think that you are saving money by signing up for a long term commitment, so too will many martial arts schools. This is geared toward earning them more money, not saving you money. Again, the concept of attrition applies here, and in this case it can lead to a stressful situation for you. Most people will not last long in martial arts class. An investment in a contractual obligation often blinds you to your needs.
What are the fees? Inquire about equipment costs, examination fees, private lesson costs, tournament expenses, and late fees.
Who does the teaching? Often times you will meet with a high ranking instructor only to find that you are being instructed by a student teacher. Student teachers are fine, but you should not be tricked by a bait and switch tactic.
Can I watch your classes and examinations? If you are not allowed to, walk away. If you are allowed to, you should watch at least 2 classes before deciding to join. When you watch a class, here are things you should look for.
What are your rules on sparring? When do you let you start sparring? Sparring is a controlled fighting situation that happens in training and competition. A very common mistake made by schools is letting students spar before they have the fundamentals required to control themselves so they don't hurt themselves or their opponent. Another mistake is letting students spar unsupervised. Only those with intermediate to advanced skill level should spar unsupervised.
What is the mix of classes? Does the school cater to children only, or are there men's and women's classes? What is the enrollment? If there are hundreds of children and only a handful of adults, you are probably dealing with a glorified daycare center, not a martial arts school. If there are only men's classes, the school does not focus enough on the specific needs of women.

Watching a Class: What to look for, and what to not worry about

Most martial arts are systems of body movement designed for self defense. Do the students practicing this art move in a way you would like to move? Do they move in a way you think it is possible for you to move knowing your limitations?
Are the intermediate and advanced students generally in the kind of physical shape you'd like to be in?
Is there a good balance between advanced, intermediate, and beginner students? Having an imbalance of any of these groups usually points to underlying problems at the school. For example, lots of beginners and few advanced students indicates there is a big attrition problem. Why aren't the students sticking around? On the other hand, there may be an advanced class where they train. If so, go watch it as well. Having too many advanced students and few beginners indicates a school that has stopped growing. This creates a stale atmosphere where new ideas or tough questions may not be welcome.
What does the spirit of the school feel like? Are the students helpful and friendly with each other? Is there a balance between nurturing and competitive spirits? Do any students or instructors approach you automatically? Do they look forward to helping you? Many schools have a boot camp atmosphere. This is fine for people who seek strong disciplinary improvement, but is clearly not for everyone. There was I time where it was right for me, but not any longer. Again, it depends on many personal issues regarding where you are now in your life and where you want to be.
Don't judge a book by its cover. While I have been to many great schools that focus on cleanliness and order, I have also been to many great schools that thrive in dust. If it bothers you, that's fine, but don't think it has anything to do with the quality of instruction. The Japanese are excruciatingly concerned with order and cleanliness, so you can use this as a benchmark of a traditional Japanese dojo, but not for any other schools.
Trophies and other chestpuffery. School pride in the form of pictures and trophies are fine, but if you are shopping schools, don't make the mistake of picking the place with the most trophies, unless:

You are interested in competition

The trophies are relatively current (within the past 18 months)

The winners and instructors of the winners are still at the school

The trophies were not simply won at closed school events (as are many large system tournaments such as those held in Taekwon Do dojang).

Preparing for Training

Once you have decided it's time to start training, setting expectations will go a long way in avoiding disappointment and a knee-jerk desire to give up. Prepare yourself with some common sense tips:

Patience and commitment. Martial arts are at their core systems of movement. Like a person who has never swam before, you may not be prepared for the learning curve of a new system of movement. It could be a couple of months before they start to learn how to tread water in this new system.
It's harder than it looks. A shark makes swimming look easy. If you have seen movies and watched demonstrations of highly skilled people, you may be disappointed to learn how tough it is to get even basic moves right. This is clearly a valuable life lesson for you. Getting good takes hard work and practice.
Get in shape! Most martial arts schools don't really consider what kind of physical condition you are in and will throw you into the fray with other students who may be in much better shape than you. Going from zero to 90 mile per hour in your training schedule is a sure-fire way to get an injury. Start slow. If you can, do some cross training to help build your endurance and strength.