What To Look For In A Kung Fu School
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What factors should you look at when selecting a Kung Fu school for yourself or your child? The main factors you need to consider are the school’s location, its price, the matter in which it conducts business, how qualified is the instructor, and how well it fits in with what you are looking for in a kung fu experience.
Location is probably the first thing anyone looks for in a school – is it close by your home, school, or workplace? Location is, in fact, quite important - in a discipline such as kung fu where you need to be really committed to attending classes on a regular basis, it is a lot easier for you to be motivated to do so if your classes are easy to get to. If you can, though, you should try to find several different schools within an acceptable commute distance so you can then proceed to the other selection factors to narrow down your choices.
Next, of course, you will need to consider price. Can you afford the classes? Are they priced in accordance with other local kung fu schools? If the classes are much cheaper, or much more expensive, you will want to ask why. Is a payment plan offered? Do you need to sign a long-term contract, and, if so, what will the penalty be if you need to terminate the contract early? You also need to consider how the school conducts their business matters, especially in regard to price disclosure. You will need to ask up front about additional costs over and above the cost of the classes – what are the belt test fees? Is association membership required, and, if so, what are the dues? Are additional programs (such as Black Belt or Master’s) required, and, if so, what will the cost be? And how much additional time will these programs require? Another important factor is the instructor. How many instructors does the school have? If there are several, does the head teacher teach most of the classes, or delegate them to less-experienced teachers? How experienced is the head teacher himself? Ideally the head instructor will have achieved at least a 4th Dan Black Belt. (An absolute must is an instructor who will know what you are talking about when you ask whether he is a 3rd or 4th or 5th Dan, etc.!)
There are 9 different degrees, or “dans”, of black belt training, with a 1st Dan having trained in martial arts for maybe 3 years’ time, a 5th Dan for 17 years, and a 9th Dan having trained for some 47 years! Needless to say, very few 9th Dans exist, as it is hard to perform at peak physical levels for nearly 50 years. If you run across an instructor in his 20s or 30s who claims to be a 9th Dan Black Belt, chances are he is lying, so be very skeptical.
Finally, you should look at the school itself and consider a few factors. Has the school been established for a long time? If the school is a new one, just starting out, this increases the chance that they may suffer business difficulties and be forced to close down before you have advanced as far as you would like in your training. An established school is more likely to give you a secure foundation from which to start your martial arts experience. But how does the school feel to you? Are the students friendly and helpful, or does it seem like a “closed club”? How do they students feel about the instructors and the style of instruction? And just what is that style of instruction? Some schools use a more competitive style that is focused on tournament competition, others favor a style more grounded in Asian philosophy (and thus non-competitive), and still others may find a middle ground between these two extremes.
If you do find a school within easy commuting range, not too expensive, and with a well-qualified instructor, and if the school seems like a good fit and a comfortable place for you to be, then congratulations! You’re well on your way to entering the exciting world of kung-fu.
Author: Maria Scinto
About Author: Maria Scinto enjoys watching Bruce Lee movies.