Congratulations!! But finding a good school is not as easy as it looks. There are a lot of pretenders out there, and if you want to be sure you're getting quality training, these simple steps will insure that you don't get scammed.
1.You have to ask yourself what you are looking for. What do you want to learn? Do you want to train to do stunts or be in movies? Do you really want to get in some great shape? Do you want to learn or improve your fighting capabilities or become a professional fighter? These are all questions you should ask yourself before looking for a school. Think about everything you want to learn from a school and write it down in a notebook so you don't forget.
2. Make a list of questions: After you have made a list of things you want your soon to be Martial Arts school to be able to effectively teach you, then you need to formulate a list of questions to ask each school. For example, if I want to learn how to fight on the street a question you might ask is, "Do you offer fighting or sparring training?" or, "Is it full-contact?" This will help you to narrow down your options once you begin contacting schools.
3.Hit the phones: Now grasshopper, it's time to hit the phones. The best places to start are the yellow pages and the internet. Call every school that looks like it might be in your area that you feel you may be interested in. Make sure that you ask them the questions on your list. If they answer "no" to any of your questions, it's time to move on.
Additional questions to ask:
- Do you teach the class: Ask if the master of the school teaches the class. If they do, this is a good sign, but don't count them out if the students teach. Just ask this next question.
- How many years have the instructor and master trained in martial arts: If the instructors teaching the class have trained for more than 5 years and they are still studying with the master, it may still be worthwhile to check out the school if they have answered the rest of your questions to your liking.
Things to watch out for: A lot of schools word things in a way that may fool you. Don't fall into these traps
- Our style is too deadly to use in an efficient sparring session: 9.9999 times out of 10, this is BS. If you cannot effectively practice a style in an unpredictable setting, there's a good chance it's not going to work for you in a tight situation.
- You cannot visit our super secret school without first paying a fee: hmm... sounds like you have something to hide, a scam or cult perhaps? Who knows. Don't get caught up in the hype.
- You don't need to be in shape to be a good fighter: Again, 9.9999 times out of 10 this is pure BS. Visit a school like this at your own risk.
4. Visit the schools: Once you have spoken with the schools and found the ones that answer all of your questions to your liking. It is now time to visit the school. Remember not to get caught up in the hype. Anyone can claim to be a mega martial arts expert. All they have to do is go to office max and get a certificate made up. Take a few pictures in a cool gee, make up some fantastic tale about your lineage, and buy a really high level black belt of some online store. Very few are the real deal, and even some of those guys have got caught up in the money making game. Don't be impressed by big schools, tons of students, and cool outfits. Right now, you're only purpose is to ask more questions, observe a class, and look out for red flags.
Red flags to watch out for:
- Out of shape students: If there are tons of students that are out of shape and fat, and they are wearing high level belts. I can almost guarantee you the school is NO GOOD.
- The teacher lets the students do their own thing: If there is no instructor actively working with the students. I can almost guarantee you the school is no good.
- Teachers that do not want to answer your questions: At a good school, you should be able to ask any question you want related to martial arts and get it answered. Remember to be respectful, but make sure to ask every question that pops into your head. If the instructor is not trying to listen to you or answers in a round about BS way. Don't waste your time.
- Forcing you into a contract: If they want you to sign a contract on your first visit. DO NOT DO IT!! This may be the biggest red flag. Things come up in our life, and a school that usually does this is after your money. If they have a month by month option, even if it is more expensive. I recommend doing this for at least a month, and do not pay for anyhing before a trial run. Places like this want to "hard sell" you and force you into a contract. If they do, you will be forced to pay, or get sued. Don't do that to yourself.
- Extremely high costs: Does the school charge $300 a month and you cannot afford this. Move to the next school. There are plenty of very good beginner schools that do not charge and arm and a leg.
5. Ask to do a trial run: By now, you have probably looked past all the flashy scammy lights, bad students, and fake instructors. You have probably narrowed it down to 2-3 schools. Now it's time for the final test, take the school for trial run to see if it is right for you. Many very good schools will recommend that you try out the school for a couple of weeks to a month to see if it is the right fit. Usually, this trial period is free or cost a few dollars. If they don't offer it, request it. Most good teachers are more concerned with having good students than they are with money. By taking you on as a student, their reputation is on the line. These are usually more "old school" instructors. Once you get in the trial run, do it. Once you complete the trial, all you simply have to do is pick which one is best for you. Here are some additional "red flags" to watch out for.
Red flags:
- Class is very short with very low impact work out: Again, if you are looking for a good school, you want to go for around and hour and a half to two hours. An hour can be okay if it is highly targeted, and/ or high impact.
- Students cannot fight: If you are trying to learn to fight and you can beat all of the students in the class, what are you there for? What can a school like that honestly teach you about fighting? Get out of there. The same can be said if you are looking to learn flashy moves only (note: please understand 9 times out of 10 flashy moves will get you beat up on the street.) If the high level students cannot do backflips or butterfly kicks and that's what you are there to learn. What can the school teach you? Get out of there.
After this, you have, hopefully found 1 school. If you have followed my steps correctly, there is a very good chance that the school will be able to show you a thing or two about martial arts. Now all you have to do is stick to it. Good luck!
Find A Good School
As you think of the online course to pick, it is good to know that basic to your success is finding the right online institution. This is very essential considering that your courses will either equip you with the knowledge you require or may not be good enough to impart in you the knowledge you are questing for into.
To be able to find a quality online school answers to the following questions are essential :
1. What degree program interests me most? This is the first question you must ask yourself and find answer to before you begin your search for an appropriate online university. This is to enable you narrow your search to the school that best represents your choice of course of study online.
2 The next thing to do is search for online schools that offer your chosen course of study. Online colleges or universities that offer your chosen course will shop up in search results if you search for "Your Chosen Course" + Online colleges" in Google. List the first ten results, open and read their prospectuses - catalog listing the courses that is that by a school or University.
3. Look into all the different claims put forward by each of the schools by either searching for past and present students of the college to learn from their experiences. Find out how long each school has been online and whether the school has an off line brick and mortar parent college. What is the cost of tuition fees for each of the schools? Which of them offers courses in modules so that you can pay as you study? Is there any provision for financial aid? All these will help you compare the schools and enroll with that school the best meets all your needs.
If you find that none of the schools is offering your chosen course in modules nor do they offer any financial aids to students, you can get an online financial aid if you search well enough to help you out with your online degree course.
To conclude this article note that the best online school is usually accredited by a relevant authority. Bear in mind that an online college that is accredited is obviously not recognized by both the authorities and employers. Get your online degree from an online school that is accredited.
Both Nerode Abraham & Anthonymaxwellpapp are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Nerode Abraham has sinced written about articles on various topics from Soccer, Martial Arts and Recreation Vehicle RV. Nerode Abraham writes articles and gives tips and tricks on how to survive violent and dangerous conflicts. You can view is self defense products website at. Nerode Abraham's top article generates over 2900 views. Bookmark Nerode Abraham to your Favourites.
Anthonymaxwellpapp has sinced written about articles on various topics from Online College, Education Toys and Sleep Apnea. Get more information on obtaining online degrees at Online Business Administration Programs Helpful Link Or. Anthonymaxwellpapp's top article generates over 22200 views. Bookmark Anthonymaxwellpapp to your Favourites.
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