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How To Select The Best Martial Art For You

What do you want from Martial Arts training?  Are you primarily looking for an exercise to get in shape? Are you wanting to learn how to defend yourself? Are you wanting to compete in Martial Arts competitions? Do you want to train standing up or laying on the ground? You decide what you want to get from Martial Arts Training.

Visit All The Schools In Your Area To Observe Classes

By visiting all the schools in your area you will see which schools offer the Martial Art that best fits your wants and needs for training.  If a Martial Arts school won't let you observe classes that's not the school in which you will want to train. Pay attention to the teacher. Is this a person you would want to teach you? Does the teacher interact well with students? Is the teacher knowledgeable in the Martial Art he/she teaches? Does the teacher give clear instructions to the students?

Observe The Students in The Schools You Visit

Observe how the students perform in class. Get a sense of whether they enjoy their training. Observe the higher rank students who have been training the longest as well as the newest students. Talk with the students about how they like training at this school and how they view their teacher. From observing the class, can you see yourself being a student here?

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Sign Up For Try Out Classes

After doing your research on the various schools you visited then select the 2 or 3 that look most promising in fulfilling the type of training you want. Sign up for their Trial Offer so you can actually experience a limited amount of training to see if it is really a good fit.

Are The Financial Terms Acceptable?

Be wary of 2 or 3 FREE classes! Some schools offer 2 or 3 FREE classes and a FREE uniform. While this sounds like a deal, the problem is 2 or 3 classes aren't enough classes to really make a sound decision whether to train at the facility or not.

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These schools use the "magic of the moment" to register you for a long term contract of 1, 2, or 3 years.  How can someone make a reasonable decision after only 2 or 3 classes?

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If you like a school and want to train there then no contract is necessary for you since you will train there with or without a contract.  

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People train in martial arts long term for only one reason and it isn't the reason they signed up. They train long term because they enjoy the training, they enjoy interacting with fellow students, they like the instructor, etc. 

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What if something happened to prevent you from training at your school?  What if you had to move to another area? What if you simply lose interest in training? What if the school is sold? What if the instructor you like is replaced with one you don't like? What if the school moves to a less convenient location? What if the monthly tuition gets too much for you to afford?

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There is no advantage to you signing a long term contract you cannot escape from.  The only advantages of a long term contract are for the school owners.

Avoid Hidden and Junk Fees
  • ​Avoid Long Term Contracts because these never benefit you. Try to find schools with "Month To month" plans.
  • Avoid "Registration Fees" or "Enrollment Fees" because these fees provide no benefit to you.
  • Avoid being required to purchase equipment from the school.
  • Avoid having to pay "Federation Fees" or other outside organization fees and renewals.

If You Want To Get The Most Out Of Your Martial Arts Training

Then Do The Most Important Thing: PRACTICE

To advance your skill in Martial Arts you need to practice in class and outside of class. Every one hits peaks, where they are really getting it, and plateaus, where they feel they aren't advancing. This is normal and the way people learn Martial Arts.  To get better at your Martial Arts you need to practice.

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