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So, you've never really had any
martial arts training, but you'd like to start. Where do you go? Which
school is the best? This guide will help you find your answers if you're
willing to invest some effort.
HOW TO LOOK
You probably already know that there
are many different styles of martial arts. Because variety abounds, it's
only natural to ask which style is "best". Unfortunately, it's just not
that simple. The question itself is not even complete, but even if there
were a one- word answer, chances are that answer wouldn't help you
anyway. Not unless you're also willing to pick up and move to a school
where the "best" style is taught. And even then, it's very important to
realize that two schools that teach the same style, that have the same
name on their signs, are often different, many times drastically
different. So the name on the sign can tell you absolutely nothing about
the quality of the school. So, it's natural thing to want to ask which
style is best and then go look that up in the phone book. But it is also
possibly the worst way to go about becoming a martial arts student.
The more pragmatic approach is to
first make a survey of the schools in your area. There are probably more
schools near you than you realize, because many schools advertise very
little or not at all. This guide will give you tips on finding them.
Then, you should visit several of the schools, many times, before
deciding where you want to train. This guide will help you by giving you
some hints on what to look for and what to ignore.
This guide is here to help you find a
place to train, but to gain the benefits, you must be willing to put in
some hard work. Choosing a school is an important decision you shouldn't
take lightly. Commit yourself to spending the time and effort it takes
to choose wisely. If it takes you 2 or 3 months of searching and
visiting to decide, that is certainly time very well spent, and it will
be well worth it to have found a good school that suits you well.
WHERE TO LOOK
There is little correlation between
the cost and the quality of martial arts training. So why not look for
quality first among the cheaper prices?! Here are some places to look to
find M.A. schools:
1. Friends, or friends of friends 2.
Bulletin boards at martial-arts supply stores 3. Bulletin boards at
Asian bookstores 4. Local colleges (also check "continuing education"
courses) 5. Community/Civic Center Programs 6. YMCA/YWCA/Jewish
Community Centers (Programs at these places do not typically require
that you be of any particular religious affiliation in order to
participate.) 7. Classified ads from newspapers and local free papers
(these can often be found on your way out of the grocery store). 8.
Cultural heritage festivals 9. Bulletin boards at Oriental restaurants.
(Hint: if you decide to ask someone who works there, don't assume that
they know anything about martial arts. Also, don't assume that they are,
say, Chinese just because they work at or own a Chinese restaurant.
Beware of stereotypes, especially where someone may take offense.) 10.
Road signs 11. Yellow Pages under "Karate..." or "Martial Arts"
Numbers 1-10 aren't intended to be in
any particular order, but personally, I would only consider #11 after
exhausting the other 10 options. But when it comes down to that, I would
first consider the ones that are near the route I take between home and
work. You can usually find a list of many, but certainly not all,
schools by looking in the Yellow Pages under "Karate..." (even if most
styles there aren't Karate), or sometimes under "Martial Arts". Remember
that there is little that can appear in the Yellow Pages to recommend
one place over another. Consulting the Yellow Pages for a martial arts
school should be considered a last resort. You will have to visit a
school to make any comparison at all. If you live in a small town, you
might just visit all of them. If you live in a big city, that might not
be feasible. If you have a really large number of choices, be of good
cheer -- you don't have to find the absolute "best" school, just a very
good school where you can learn and be happy. But do try to visit more
than just a few schools. Also, you must visit a school more than once to
form a valid opinion.
HOW MUCH
Cost is neither the most nor the
least important factor in your decision. You must weigh it according to
your own priorities. Prices vary widely. I've paid as little as
US$35/quarter (3 mos.) at a college, which is considered extremely low.
I've paid as much as US$75/mo at a commercial school, which is
considered higher than average. Some schools give you a price break if
you pay lump sum for several months. Some schools require you to sign a
long-term contract to join. To discuss all of the different ways to pay
and the associated legalities is beyond the scope of this humble
document.
Many schools charge an additional fee
for each belt test. The fee may be different depending on rank. They
might charge US$15 for your first test, and US$1000 for your black belt
test. Be sure to ask. Some schools require that you belong (and
therefore pay dues to) a world-wide organization. When inquiring about
costs, be sure to ask about costs that senior students pay, as well as
what beginners pay.
You will probably have to spend some
bucks on an appropriate uniform or two. Uniforms vary with the school,
but don't be surprised if you have to pay US$60 or more for what looks
like a pair of white pajamas. You may also need other equipment, such as
sparring gear/pads, training weapons, etc. Most schools will let
beginners get by without a uniform for a while at first; be sure to ask
to get details. If you do this, the clothes you wear in the interim
should be comfortable, secure, and modest. It's prudent to avoid wearing
your favorite florescent orange aerobic/dance skins or your
prize-winning swimwear. Plain old sloppy sweats are a good bet.
Some arts just inherently have a
higher equipment cost associated with them. Kendo may be the most
expensive in this regard because of all the armour needed to practice
safely (though this may be offset by the higher availability of
nonprofit instructors). You may think that Sumo is the cheapest since
they don't wear very much, but don't forget the cost of all that food.
There's nothing mystical about the
martial arts that automatically keeps a school from trying to rip you
off. It's not the norm, but it's not all that uncommon, either. If you
get a high-pressure sales pitch and you feel like you're being hustled,
just walk out. If you're being treated like they're trying to sell you a
used car, then respond in kind -- you don't have to finish the
conversation, just walk out. As with any business deal, the rule is
caveat emptor -- let the buyer beware!
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Perhaps the first thing to look at is
the schedule. You can't learn if you can't attend the classes. Depending
on the style and school (and size of the school), there may be separate
classes for beginner/intermediate/ advanced, so be aware that the
schedule may change on you as you advance.
Find out who teaches most of the
classes. In many cases it isn't the head instructor. If the classes are
split beginner/intermediate/advanced, chances are good that the head
instructor doesn't teach the beginner classes. But does he teach most of
the advanced classes? And who will you be spending most of your class
time with?
Talk to several students. Ask them
how long they've studied there, what they like about it, who teaches
most of the classes, etc. Remember that they aren't likely to say
anything critical there in the school; just ask what they like about it
and read between the lines the best you can.
Take special notice of the
atmosphere. I mean the attitudes, not the decor. Are they
friendly/respectful toward one another? After a sparring match, do they
smile at each other or grit their teeth and show disdain? Does the
instructor seem to be interested in growing a student along and pruning
them carefully, or does he mow them down and use them to prove that he
truly is a god? Are there an unreasonable number of injuries in class
caused by a lack of control? Look for healthy and unhealthy attitudes.
Ideally, the student is encouraged to compete with himself/herself, not
with other students.
You MUST visit a school more than
once in order to form a valid opinion. That is, unless you get the
high-pressure sales pitch and walk out the first time. But aside from
that, if you only visit one class, you'll still have no idea what a
typical class is like. Classes vary from one to another. There are good
days and bad days for everyone, even instructors. The usual instructor
may be on vacation. There might even be different types of classes on
different days of the week (on one day we do weapons training, on
another we do punches and kicks, on another we do throws and pins, etc.)
So when narrowing down your choices, visit more often so you can get a
good idea of what it would be like to train there.
Be aware that many schools do not
have continuous enrollment. You may have to wait until next week, next
month, or even next semester (if the school meets at a college) for the
next beginner's class to start. This is pretty much par, so don't let
this offend or discourage you. Use the waiting time to do more visiting!
The choice of who will be your first
teacher is an extremely important one. Unfortunately, as a beginner, you
are completely unqualified to judge the skill of instructors. You should
realize that this is a basic fundamental dilemma. If you have a friend
who is a skilled martial artist, you could ask them to come with you --
but how will you judge the skill of your friend? This is the beginner's
dilemma. It's like getting lost in an unfamiliar town, and everyone you
ask gives you different directions. Most of them are probably wrong,
some lie to you on purpose, and more than one of them may have given you
correct instructions (though one route may be longer than another).
There is no way that a guide like this can tell you how to judge the
skill of an instructor. That only comes with years of experience. So you
must make your decision based on whether you like the school itself, and
the attitudes there, and other non-technical things. There really is no
way out of this dilemma. I'm not saying this to discourage, but because
it's important for you to recognize your own limitations and to be
honest with yourself about them.
WHAT NOT TO LOOK FOR
Some things you should NOT base your
decision on:
1. The RACE or GENDER of the
instructor is completely unimportant. Don't automatically assume that an
instructor is good merely because he's an Asian male. Likewise, don't
assume one is not good because she's a non-Asian female.
2. It's not important whether the
building is real nice and fancy. Many people are getting excellent
training in their instructor's garage or back yard!
3. Do not allow your decision to be
swayed by unrelated features, such as the availability of exercise
machines, hot tubs, and tanning beds.
4. Don't make your decision based on
the garmets worn during practice. Students in one school may wear
something that looks like a skirt, while those in another school may
wear something that looks like star-spangled pajamas. Pay attention to
the techniques and attitudes rather than the garmets. (But personally,
I'd be suspicious of the star-spangled pajamas...)
5. In some arts like Sumo, the size
of the instructor is important, but this is an unusual exception. For
the vast majority of styles, the size and strength of the instructor are
not important. You should not generally be concerned with whether you
are built the same way as the instructor.
6. If you are not interested in
martial arts as a sport, then don't be impressed by a large collection
of huge, shiny trophies. If you are interested in it as a sport, you
should still curb your enthusiasm of trophies somewhat. In many
tournaments, the trophies are plentiful, and nearly everyone takes one
home for something or other. Some get one just for being the only one
present in their particular category. So at least read what's written on
the trophies. If you still find yourself overly impressed by them, visit
your local trophy shop.
RANK
In most (but not all) styles, there
is a ranking system. There is no universal ranking system. Without any
training at all, you can buy a black belt for US$7.50, tie it on your
pajamas, declare that you have just created a new martial art style, and
promote yourself to 10th degree black belt without breaking any laws (at
least not in the U.S.) As a newbie, you must be aware that this is not
only possible, but that it has been done many times.
A typical Japanese ranking system
would be to rank non-black belts from 10th kyu (low) up to 1st kyu
(high), and black belts from 1st dan (low) to 10th dan (high). Depending
on the style, there might be only 5 kyu ranks, or only 5 dan ranks, etc.
Typically, 9th dan is the highest, and there is only one (usually in
Japan). Korean ranking systems are typically very similar, but the word
"gup" is used instead of "kyu" (hence the slang term "guppies" for
beginners). The ranking system of Chinese styles differ considerably;
some use sashes instead of belts, but many don't have much of a ranking
system at all. There are martial arts from other countries than these,
and their ranking systems may be drastically different.
Don't be overly concerned with the
rank of the instructor. You won't be able to even tell the difference
between a 3rd degree black belt and a 9th degree black belt for a long,
long time. You should, however, be a little suspicious of those claiming
unusually high ranks. Most of the 9th dans out there are those who have
quit some other school and started a school of their own, and then
promoted themselves to 9th dan. There is no universal governing body
that assigns ranks to everyone. Each style assigns their own ranks as
they please. You CANNOT compare ranks between different schools! A
certain colored belt in one school doesn't mean the same as the same
color belt in another school. Some schools don't even have belts. Some
don't even have ranks. Don't let the rank game distract you from what is
really important.
Some schools belong to world-wide
organizations. These have the advantage that you can transfer your rank
to another member school. They usually have the disadvantage of dues
that each student must pay to the organization. Often there are two or
more rival organizations for a given style. The politics involved in
such things are extremely involved. In deciding on a school, I would
tend to place little significance on their organization, and much more
significance on the quality of training at that particular school.
WHEN YOU VISIT
1. When visiting for the first time,
call ahead to make sure visitors are welcome. It wouldn't be a bad idea
to ask about proper protocol while you're at it. Some schools have shoe
racks on the way in the door where you should leave your shoes; most ask
that you bow in the doorway when you enter; some ask that you stand
during opening/closing ceremonies; etc.
2. When visiting for the first time,
wear normal street clothes; whatever you wear to work is usually
appropriate (depending on what you do for a living...)
3. Be very polite.
4. If you're offered a hand, shake
hands. If someone bows to you, bow back -- about the same height, in the
same manner that they bow, and don't look at them while you are bowing,
unless they look at you.
5. Be quiet during class; don't do
anything to draw attention to yourself while the class is in progress.
6. Get there early, and stay
afterwards so you can ask questions.
7. Don't discuss other schools at
all, if possible. If you cannot avoid the subject altogether, then at
least don't say anything derogatory about another school.
8. Don't try to impress them with
your (limited) knowledge of different styles and your (equally limited)
vocabulary of foreign words (especially if they're from the wrong
foreign language).
Acknowledgements
I'd like to thank the following
people for contributing their wisdom, suggestions, and encouragement to
this guide. (The appearance of their names here does not signify
agreement with everything written here, of course.)
Stephen Chan,
Peter Hahn,
Bill Rankin,
Terry Chan,
Michael Lawrie,
Michael Robinson,
Joe Chew,
Mary Malmros,
Andy Vida-Szucs,
Doug Cohen,
Joe Pfeiffer,
Diane Winters,
Bud Glunt,
David Poore,
Tom Yurkiw,
Steve Gombosi,
Lauren Radner.
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(C) Copyright 1993-5, Jeff D. Pipkins. All rights
reserved.
The Newbie Guide amounts to nothing
more than my personal opinions, which at your own risk, you are free to
use, ignore, or disagree with. You must not change the Newbie Guide in
any way, but you are free to make copies of it as long as the copy is
verbatim and complete, including this message and my ".sig" quote at the
bottom. You may distribute such copies as long as you do not charge any
fees for that.
Good luck!
--Jeff Pipkins |
