You have finally made the decision to start learning Martial Arts. The next decision is where do you train. Choosing a Martial Arts school/instructor is similar to choosing a music teacher. First you want to find a teacher that teaches your instrument (Taekwondo for example). You want a teacher who plays the instrument well but who also has the ability to teach others to play. You want a teacher you can relate to, who understands your limitations, and who can coax you into being the best you can be. You also want the instruction to take place in a suitable place that is conducive to learning. Since you initially probably know nothing about the instrument and than what you have seen or heard other do with it, you will probably not know where to start looking for an instructor.

All schools are not created equal. Martial Arts instructors generally are not licensed by a state regulatory commission or government agency, and there is no consumer group to act as a watchdog to ensure the quality of instruction. Anyone may acquire a business license, purchase a black belt, rent school space and starting teaching Martial Arts.

Unfortunately, when people starting looking for a Martial Arts School to join, they tend to first consider the price of instruction and the convenience of the location. This are important factors, but they should not be primary considerations.

As a beginner, you are unqualified to judge the skill of MArtial Arts instructors. If you know someone who is a student, you could ask them to come with you, but how well can you trust the judgment of the person. There is no one way for you to judge the skill of an instructor, since that ability only comes with years of experience in Martial Arts. The only way you may choose a school/instructor that is right for you is to read all you can about the Martial Art you are interested in, visit many schools, ask a lot of questions, and make a educated, rational choice.

To learn more about Martial Arts, visit bookstores, the library, surf the web, and of course, consult MartialArts-101.com. The more information you have, the better questions you can ask, and the easier it will be to choose a school/instructor.

Where do you look to find a school in your area? Telephone yellow pages list commercial schools but they are not the only school in town. Like other types of businesses, what the advertising says about a school may or may not be correct. Quality instruction may be found for a reasonable price, high cost does not always mean high quality. Some places to look for a school are:

• Word of mouth from friends, or acquaintances
• Bulletin boards in martial-arts supply stores, Asian bookstores, Oriental restaurants, or local colleges
• College courses
• Community or civic center programs
• YMCA/YWCA
• Classified ads in newspapers or local free papers found in racks outside food stores
• Road or store front signs

First, make a list of schools within your acceptable travel distance. Then make an appointment to watch both beginning and advanced classes at each one. If a school offers a free introductory class, take it.

How to Visit

• When visiting for the first time, call ahead to make sure visitors are welcome and to make an appointment.
• Wear normal street clothes.
• Observe proper school protocol. If you are unfamiliar with the protocol, ask about it when you call for a visit or watch behavior of others closely when you enter the school.
• Be polite and courteous.
• If you're offered a hand, shake hands. If someone bows to you, bow back.
• Be quiet during class, do not do anything to draw attention to yourself while the class is in session.
• Get there early and stay afterwards so you can ask questions.
• Do not discuss other schools, if possible. If you cannot avoid the subject, do not say anything derogatory about another school.
• Do not try to impress the instructor with your limited knowledge of Martial Arts or other styles.
• Do not try to use Korean words unless you are sure of the meaning and pronunciation.
• Visit m any s chools, m any times.
• Beware of high-pressure sales pitches at some schools. If you feel pressured, leave.
• You must visit numerous schools to develop a short list of the ones you like. Then you must visit each of those schools many times to form a valid opinion. Classes vary from one to another: instructors have good days and bad days, the head instructor may be on vacation., and different classes may have emphasis on different subject, such as weapons training, advanced kicks, or self-defense techniques. If you only visit one class, you will not know what a typical class is like.
• Many schools do not have continuous enrollment, you may have to wait until next week, next month, or even next semester (if the school meets at a college) for the next beginner's class to start. Use the waiting time to do more visiting.

Factors to Consider

Types of Martial Arts Training

Some schools stress "traditional" training foucing on forms, some stress "point" sparring training, and Taekwondo schools can stress "Olympic" semi-contact Taekwondo training, and other Martial Arts schools stress "full-contact" training. Full-contact training is tough on the body and it takes a tough personality. Point training is similar to flag football. You get to play the game and get an ego boost without having, or ever having had, the desire or ability to play real football. Semi-contact and traditional Martial Arts allow you realistically test your skills on a daily training basis with little chance of serious injury. You should choose a school that uses the type of training that fits your personality and goals.

Yellow Page Ad

Yellow page ads are not free. Just a quarter page ad may cost hundreds of dollars per month . This mean the school must have enough students to pay for the ad. Therefore, the size of the ad will give you some idea or the number of students in the school and/or the cost of classes.

Class Schedule

Look at the class schedule. Make sure classes are offered at times you are able to attend. Depending on the size of the school, there may be separate classes for beginner, intermediate, and advanced, so consider that your class schedule may change as you advance.

Class Age Groups

See if classes are separated by age and/or belt level. Adult students may not appreciate training with children, some of whom may be able to execute the techniques better than they can. You may find yourself as the only adult in a class full of much younger students, and the different maturity levels could prove distracting to both you and them.

Who Teaches

Who teaches the classes? Does the head instructor teach most of the classes or does he or she only teach the advanced classes. If assistants teach beginner classes, what are their qualifications and experience. Ensure you watch classes taught by the person who will be teaching your class. And who will you be spending most of your class time with?

Size of School

Martial Arts schools come in all sizes. Some are part of a large chain, others are small operations run by a single instructor. The quality of instruction you will receive at a school is not necessarily related to its size. You can receive both poor or excellent instruction both at a small school and at a large school. Although large schools may have better equipment and a nicer facilities, smaller schools offer students more personal attention.

Location

A school's proximity to your home or work should be taken into consideration prior to signing up. Although an hour commute to class might not seem too bad at first, keep in mind that you will be making that drive two-to-three times a week for the next several years. Find a school that fits your needs, but is also within an acceptable driving distance.

Weapons

If weapons are displayed, do they look frequently used or just for display. If you are interested in learning weapons and you see shiny nunchaku with gold colored chains or brightly painted shuriken, it probably means real weapons are not taught at the school.

Atmosphere

Take notice of the school atmosphere, the attitudes of the students and instructors. Are they friendly and respectful toward one another? Do they appear to be having fun while free-sparring or do they show irritation and anger? Does the instructor appear to enjoy teaching? Are there an unreasonable number of injuries in class caused by a lack of control? Overall, does it seem like a place you would like to spend 3 to 4 nights a week for the next several years?

If you see students engaging in sparring and smiling and laughing at the same time, there is too much sport involved and and not enough serious training. If they never smile, then they are too serious and probably not having fun. If everyone laughs and talks all the time, the school is most a social gathering, not a serious Martial Arts School. When anyone does something dumb such as falling while trying to kick too high, the students and instructors should laugh with and not at the person.

Observe how injuries are handled by instructors and students. They should be ignored if minor, endured if minor and painful, and immediately treated if major.

Instructor Affiliation

Instructors are usually affiliated with a national or regional Martial Arts organization.

Facilities

Schools vary in the type of equipment and amenities they offer. Some are large and modern, and provide weight-training equipment, showers and lockers, while others do not. Remember, students are paying for these extras It is up to you to decide what is most important and necessary for your training. All schools should offer basic comforts, adequate equipment and learning essentials. Depending on your location, air conditioning may be a must. A pretty school is not necessarily a highly functional school, and vice versa.

School Business Procedures

Personally, I feel the best Martial Arts school is one with a good instructor who is affiliated with a "traditional" organization and operates a non-commercial school that is affiliated with a college, YMCA/YWCA, or other community organization. A commercial Martial Arts school is a business and must make money to stay in business. At a minimum, commercial school owners must pay the lease, energy costs, insurance, etc. If they are full time owners, they also must make a decent salary. If they are part-time owners, they must make enough salary for the effort to be worth their time. There is nothing wrong with a commercial school, but, if the owner is to cover the expenses of business, the monthly student payments must be much higher than for a non-commercial school. Most of the expenses of a non-commercial school are covered by the organization under which it operates, such as a college. A good instructor does not necessarily need a commercial school to train quality students. If you do not mind paying for the "extras" of a commercial school, then by all means do so. However, do not feel you are getting less than the best if the instructor does not operate a commercial school.

Instructor Teaching Style

If an instructor's name is on the door, then he or she should do most of the teaching.

During a class, observe the differences between exercise, practice, and instruction. Poor instructors are similar to drill sergeants, emphasizing heavy repetition of techniques that seldom vary. Average instructors conduct a brief warm-up, vary types of drills and repetitions according to class needs, and teach techniques. Senior instructors expect their students to warm up before class, frequently surprise students with variations on the basics, and teach concepts.

When looking for a Martial Arts instructor, observe the teaching style of several instructors. Look for an instructor that:

• Starts and ends class with a formal salutation and demands formal courtesies during class.
• Always uses warm-up exercises before beginning stretching and strength exercises, and uses cool-down exercises at the end of class.
• Only uses medically correct exercises. Good instructors do not just blindly use old fashioned exercises they learned from their instructors; they investigate the purpose and effect of each exercise and discard any that are useless or potentially harmful. Overexertion or injury will slow a student's progress.
• Encourages students to do warm up, stretching, and conditioning exercises before class and at home, so that more class time can be spent teaching actual techniques. Good instructors stress to students that it is their responsibility maintain themselves in top physical condition.
• Maintains order, encourages team spirit, and ensures all students move together during exercises.
• Maintains strict, but not overbearing, discipline during class.
• Explains proper techniques and why they must be performed in the manner they are taught. Good instructors explain the physics behind each movement and explain each movement's component parts. If students correctly understand the physics of techniques, it makes it easier for them to understand why they must perform the techniques in the prescribed manner.
• Encourages students to ask questions and always answers questions to the best of his/her knowledge. If a good instructor does not know an answer, he/she will tell the student he/she will find the answer and get back with them, and then he/she ensures he/she does get back with the student.
• Teaches the best techniques that they know. Good instructors tell students when they are teaching modified techniques or techniques that are replacing older techniques. They try to teach each student something new every class; but not more than the students can absorb and remember. Good instructors allow adequate class time for students to practice new techniques.
• Makes step-sparring, self-defense, forms, and free-sparring a part of every class.
• Attempts to make each class a fun experience for students. Good instructors appreciate the emotional thrill that students experience when they do things that they had previously thought they were incapable of doing.
• Encourages students to help each other learn. Good instructors pair senior belts with junior belts to reinforce proper techniques and behavior.
• Always uses positive reinforcement-the most productive teaching method. Good instructors praise good performance by students when they notice it. When students perform a technique incorrectly, good instructors avoid criticism and explain to the students how to improve the technique. If students must be criticized, good instructors do it in private. They explain to students that undesirable behavior will not be tolerated because it is discourteous, wastes other students' time, makes it difficult for others to learn, and may result in injuries to others as well as to themselves. Never ridicules or embarrasses students under any circumstances; it can destroy their self-confidence. Good instructors try to build self-confidence and self-esteem in each student since it is essential to producing excellent Martial Arts students. They repeatedly compliment students for some attribute, action, or accomplishment, so the students feel good about themselves. After a promotion test, good instructors acknowledge and congratulate each student in front of the entire class. After a tournament, good instructors compliment each student for every award and, for those who did not win an award, acknowledges their courage and initiative for participating.
• Treats students with respect and ensures student dignity is maintained. Students refer to the instructor and each other as sir or ma'am. This helps all students, especially children, learn to be respectful of others. Good instructors never use punishment as a teaching tool because it is degrading and counter productive. Good instructors attribute student misbehavior to their own failure to motivate the student to be a good student. When students exhibit undesirable behavior, it usually indicates insecurity, especially among children. Good instructors make an effort to praise something positive that students do, even if it is difficult to find something, to encourage positive behaviors. If students obviously do not want to participate, instructors may eventually have to ask them to leave. Instructors may then have to explain to the parents that the student really does not want to learn Martial Arts and should try another activity.

Quality of Instructor

A yellow belt walked up to the Gates of Heaven and asked to be let in. "Tell me one good thing you did in your life," St. Peter said to him. "Well," replied the yellow belt, "One time I saw my instructor yelling at a white belt so I stepped up and told him that he should not do that." "When did this happen" asked St. Peter? "Oh, about 30 seconds ago!" said the yellow belt.

Instructors are similar to coaches. They do not have to be able to perform what they teach, but they must have the ability to get students to perform what they teach, and perform it well. Some instructors may be tournament champions, which is great for them, but it does not necessarily mean they are good instructors. Students hire instructors for what the instructors can teach them to do, not for what the instructor can do. Many times a good instructor may also be a great technician, but this is not necessarily make him or her a good instructor.

A good instructor loves teaching Martial Arts and can motivate students to love it also. Good instructors are able to point out specific things each student may do to improve his/her techniques. They are able to see the small things that may make a good technique a great technique. Good instructors motivate students to do more than they felt possible.

When looking for a good Martial Arts instructor, look for instructors that:

• Never tire of teaching.
• Never abdicate the role of instructor, even outside the school. Students, and the public in general, watch everything instructors do, both inside and outside the school. Good instructors always present themselves as the epitome of Martial Arts values.
• Teach to the best of their ability and continually strive to improve their knowledge and skills. Good instructors constantly seek the latest teaching methods and Martial Arts techniques and then incorporate them into their instruction.
• Are eager for their students to surpass then; this is the ultimate compliment. Good instructors never hold students back just because they are advancing too quickly. A good instructor will send his/her students to a higher instructor or a different school if the students develop beyond the instructor's teaching capabilities or when a student's particular aptitude, attitude, or ambition is not consistent with the teaching philosophies of the instructor.
• Encourage students to visit other schools, or even other martial art styles, where they may observe techniques more suited to them and may compare their own techniques to those of the other styles.
• Feel responsible for the welfare of their students. Good instructors encourage students to associate with their classmates and help students develop good contacts outside the school, such as professional services or business opportunities that may be beneficial to them. Good instructors place student development ahead of commercialism. Instructors who are too concerned with materialism will lose the respect of their students.
• Maintain a formal relationship with their students and avoid social or personal familiarity. Instructors who have personal affairs with students lose student respect and may create uncontrollable situations or develop a dishonorable reputation.
• Never take advantage of their students by way of positional authority. Good instructors are not "power hungry." They exercise their authority to maintain control of their classes but they do not abuse their authority.
• Never betray a trust given in confidence. Good instructors always set a good example. They continuously work to earn the respect of their students and never take the respect for granted.
• Have the highest level of personal integrity. Good instructors are always honest and never attempt to defraud students. They always make decisions based on what is best for their students and the school.
• Treat all students equally and show no favoritism. Good instructors ensure individual attention is distributed evenly amongst all students during a training session. They never strike or abuse students under any circumstances.
• Display a quiet and calm demeanor. Good instructors never appear frustrated or temperamental, even when under duress or in pain.
• An instructor is merely a student of his or her students. A good instructor is guided by his or her students and is only as good as his other students.

Quality of Students

The quality of instruction in a school may be judged by the quality of the students. Observe classes held for students of different belt levels. Do the students appear to:

• Enjoy their training at all belt levels.
• Act friends with each other during and after class.
• Show respect for each other, the instructors, visitors, and the art of Martial Arts.
• Show the level of expertise expected of a student of that rank. If you saw the students training while not wearing any rank identification, could you accurately guess the belt level of each student, or would you be surprised to learn that a poorly performing student was actually a high ranked student.

Student respect and discipline may be forced or natural; watch how the students react when the instructor is not within sight. If they step languidly through the motions or chat with one another, their previous show of respect and discipline was a facade.

Talk to several students. Ask them how long they have studied at the school, what they like about it, who teaches most of the classes, etc. Do not ask them what is wrong with the school, that puts them on the spot to criticize their school and instructor. It will make you look bad if you attend the school. Just ask what they like about the school and read between the lines the best you can.

At tournaments, how does the proficiency of the students rate against students of other schools? When sparring, how do the students react with they lose? What loyalties do the students feel toward the instructor and the school?

Questions to Ask

Here are some questions to ask when evaluating a school.

• School
  • Is the head instructor a full-time or part-time instructor/owner?
  • How long has the school been open?
  • Do you use no-contact, light-contact, or full contact sparring?
  • Do you teach Olympic style Taekwondo?
  • Do you teach practical self-defense techniques?
  • Do you teach ground fighting/grappling? What type?
  • Is the school matted for use in throws or falls?
  • Is board breaking required in training? For testing?
  • Is free-sparring required? If yes:
  • What is total cost of all required sparring equipment?
  • Must all equipment be bought through the studio?
  • Is contact allowed in sparring?
  • Is kicking to the head allowed, if so, is it mandatory?
  • Is kicking to the head in tournaments allowed, if so, is it mandatory?
  • What training equipment is required to be purchased, other than for sparring, such as target pads, re-breakable boards, etc.
• Belts
  • Do you charge belt testing fees? What are they?
  • Do you have written requirements for each belt/stripe test?
  • How often are tests conducted?
  • Is free-sparring required for tests?
  • Is board breaking required tests?
  • Is tournament attendance required?
  • Do you award black belts to youths? If yes:
  • Starting at what age?
  • What is the average time for a youth to get a black belt?
• Contracts
  • Must I sign a contract? (Beware of hidden costs, get full disclosure before you sign any contract)
  • May I have a copy to review before I sign it?
  • How long is the contract for?
  • How much is the contract for?
  • What do I get for the money?
  • Are payments made to a third party?
  • What/who may cancel the contract?
  • What if I am sick or on vacation?
  • What if I am injured?
• Classes
  • What are the class hours?
  • Are instructors nationally certified thru a recognized organization? What is the organization and its history?
  • Is the instruction by group or private?
  • Is private instruction available at an extra cost?
  • How many classes may I attend each week?
  • Do you use youth instructors?

What not to Consider

The following are some things you should not consider when choosing a school/instructor:

• Nationality or Gender . The race or gender of the instructor is completely unimportant. Do not assume an Asian Martial Arts instructor is better than any other instructor. Do not assume a male instructor is better than a female or vice versa. What matters is whether the instructor can instruct and inspire your to be the best you can be at Martial Arts
• Aesthetics of school . You do not want to train in a dump but otherwise the appearance of the school is not that important. Many excellent instructors are just starting their businesses and cannot afford the best location. Many times, being a part of a growing school and helping it expand is as rewarding as the training itself.
• Superfluous Stuf f. A good school needs a clean, safe training area, punch/kick targets, punch/kick bags, maybe some mirrors, and maybe some mats. Do not be overly influenced by unrelated stuff, such exercise machines, weight room, hot tubs, tanning beds, etc. If you want to pay for all these extras, that is okay, but they are unnecessary.
• Uniforms . Do not be influenced by flashy uniforms. Be suspicious of schools that use uniforms that are too different from the norm.
• Appearance of Instructor . A skilled Martial Arts fighter will probably be in excellent physical condition. A skilled Martial Arts instructor may be a physical wreck. When you are in need of medical attention, you do not care whether the doctor helping you is fat or not, you only care whether he or she can help you. Similar to good coaches in other sports, good Martial Arts instructors come in all sizes, shapes, and levels of fitness.
• Trophy Collection . Trophies are nice for the people who earn them, but do not be too impressed by a large collection of trophies in a school. Anyone who goes to a lot of tournaments will a trophy, sometimes you many be the only person there in a belt/weight/age class so you get the first place trophy. If you are interested in the trophy collection, read what is on each trophy to see is it is an important one. Also consider the ratio of trophies for sparring and patterns. This will give you some indication of the which the school gives the most emphasis, sparring or patterns.
• Rank . There is no universal Martial Arts ranking system. There is no international governing body that assigns ranks. Unless you are familiar with the way Martial Arts rank is awarded in the United States and with the ranking system within the organization with which the instructor is certified, then do not place much emphasis on the rank of the instructor. Without any training at all, you can buy a black belt, declare that you have just created a new martial art style, and promote yourself to 10th degree black belt without breaking any laws. Be suspicious of those claiming unusually high ranks. Each major Martial Arts organization has it own rank structure and is usually in a power struggle with the other organizations, so it is difficult to compare ranks between them. So do not base your decision on which school to attend on the rank of the instructor.