How
To Find A Karate School Or Martial Arts Club
Some
schools are very much
into competition with active encouragement of students to participate
in tournaments.
In fact, some schools even make this a requirement in
order to advance through the different levels. Other schools have been
known to restrict competition only within a particular circuit. For
example, many tae kwon do
clubs only participate in tournaments that
are strictly Olympic style tae kwon do and never go to events that are
open to all martial arts styles.
There are schools in the complete opposite end where they do not
believe in competition at all and pretty well keep to themselves
without any interaction with other martial arts clubs. Many Chinese
kung fu clubs do not
compete and some styles of martial arts such as
aikido do not offer any
competitive outlet. Many martial arts schools
choose to have a relaxed position towards competition where they leave
it up to individual students to choose whether they want to participate
in tournaments or not.
Some
schools have
special competition teams where additional training is available for
those students who wish to compete. So as a prospective student, you
should consider what involvement you would like in competition if any.
If you know that you never want to compete, you should not get locked
into a school that requires tournament competition. If you have a
desire for competition, don’t join a studio that shuns competition.
Some
martial arts
schools teach in community centers, school gyms and even church
basements. Some have bare bones studios with outdated equipment. Some
schools have the latest martial arts and fitness equipment with
sparkling clean change rooms and facilities. All of these will factor
into the membership fee of each school. You have to determine what you
are willing to pay for and what type of environment you will feel
comfortable training in.
Many
schools require
annual contracts while some are on a month to month basis. There could
be initiation fees. There could also be testing or grading fees for
advancement. All of these extra costs will add up. Ask what happens if
you have to freeze your membership due to extended illness or injury.
If
one doesn’t really
know whether martial arts is an activity for them in the long run, the
option of taking short term courses such as those offered by community
centers may be a viable alternative to making a full commitment to a
dedicated martial arts club with its own studio space. But do be aware
that although martial arts can be very enjoyable from the first day you
put on a karate uniform, it is a long term activity and one must have
patience in order to benefit the most from martial arts. Fortunately,
there are many options in the form of different martial art styles and
schools to choose from in the market today. Just make sure that you do
some preliminary research before committing to any particular club.
For
additional considerations on martial arts and children, see How to Find the Right
Martial Arts School For Your Children article.
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