Choosing a school



One of the biggest mistakes people make in choosing a martial arts program for their children is falling for the "guaranteed belt" program, (that is aside from signing a contract.) The fact is that no one knows if their child is going to stick with the program or not, therefore, how can anyone guarantee belts??? Unfortunately, these instructors are willing to promote those who keep coming, (since there is a belt test fee), but it is so that they will keep coming. Parents are fooled into thinking their kid is learning since they are being sold a belt every month, but the fact is, these kids could not fight their way out of a paper bag!

 Second, there are the self-proclaimed Grand Masters that supposedly "created their own art". That is an even bigger joke, but sadly, people fall for that nonsense. These guys take an art that they partially learned, add some wierd philosophy that they convinced themselves sounds good, and presto! they are founders of a "new" method! 10 out of 10 times, these instructors will have left their instructors from the art they are actually teaching, and it is extremely likely to be due to THEM WANTING RANK and their instructor requiring them to train for it.

Then there is hop-along-Sam who is in his early 20's but has trained in more arts than an 800 year old Shaolin monk. The Fact is, it doesn't take a seasoned martial artist to see this guy coming..

These type of instructors can be easily identified. If you see a bunch of kids running around with black belts, leave! There is now way on earth that all these kids could even understand the discipline it takes to earn a black belt. Their instructors don't even know.....

Don't get me wrong, there are some true teachers out there that have highly skilled kids, but these kids will have neatly tied belts and you will never see them with one end of the belt way higher than the other. A true black belt will know how to neatly tie his belt!


Do your homework..... and when in doubt, ask questions! Always be aware of what you or your loved one is learning.