We have had many inquiries asking us what people should look for when choosing a martial arts school for themselves or their child. This information will help you find the right school for you. The first question you should ask is, what do I want? Are you looking for fitness? Self defense? More confidence? A little bit of everything? If you are looking for a specific style in mind I recommend that you visit a few schools and observe their classes. Any school that will not allow you to observe their classes is not the kind of school you want to join. Here are some ideas and questions you may want to ask when potentially enrolling in a martial arts school. We hope this information helps you choose the right path for you.

Safety: Safety should be a big concern for you and your family. Classes should be taught in a safe, concise way to prevent injury. The training floor should be fully matted if the school engages in ground defense or throwing techniques. The the class should be taught by a qualified Black Belt not an inexperienced under belt. If the students engage in sparring, equipment should be mandatory. The students should be closely supervised the entire time they are in class.

Some schools engage in the practice of board breaking claiming that it improves confidence, focus and power. At The EDGE we do not allow our students to break boards or bricks. Our students understand that martial artists do not deliberately disable their weapons (hands or feet). I have yet to find an orthropedic physician who will advocate the practice of smashing hands or feet into unforgiving surfaces. Breaking damages the very parts of the body you may need to use for self or family defense. You would never see a police officer smashing his gun on the side of a building and then expect it to function properly. The bottom line is that board and brick breaking do not improve focus or power but merely promote a false sense of confidence because boards don't move or hit back. I have trained extensively with two living martial arts legends, Joe Lewis and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace for over 16 years. They were both world champions. Neither of them breaks boards or bricks. It is important that an instructor has the foresight and common sense to see what possible long term affects may arise in the future due to their training practices today.

Teaching Style: The instructors should teach in a style that is stimulating, exciting, fun, but most of all "realistic". Who will be actually teaching the classes? Are the classes separated by age or by rank? What is the overall emphasis being placed on? Being fit? Discipline? Traditional training? Self defense? Sport? Again, depending on what you are looking for specifically this can be determined by meeting with the instructor and observing the class. Keep an open mind. Some schools have broken with traditional martial arts training in favor of a more modernized and contemporary approach. That does not mean it's not a legitimate form of training with something of value for you or your child. Ask the instructor if you can meet one of the more recently enrolled students to ask them how they like the program.

Rank: Politics can be found in almost every aspect of our lives and martial arts training is no different. In this day and age there are countless styles or hybrid's of styles each claiming to be the best. Each association has different requirements for advancement or rank. Some schools claim that the association they are affiliated with requires them to charge a test fee for each belt and or belt stripe. I have seen test fees vary from $25.00 to $75.00 for student ranks below black belt to over $2,500.00 for a black belt.

FACT: The World Tae Kwon Do Federation does not require instructor's to charge for belt tests for ranks below Black Belt. If an instructor is charging test fees for ranks below Black Belt and is stating that the fees go to the World Tae Kwon Do Federation or Kukkiwon they are misleading you and the fees are going in their pocket. The present cost to your instructor for a 1ST Degree Black Belt Certificate from The Kukkiwon in South Korea is $70.00. Also be aware that the date you actually test and are awarded your Black Belt will probably not be reflected on the beautiful computer printed, tear off the side perforations yourself, and stamped;not signed certificate you worked so hard for. I have heard of certificates taking as long as two years to recieve with the date on the certificate reflecting the date that they got around to printing it, not when you actually tested.

Ask about testing fees before you enroll. They could wind up costing you thousands of extra dollars which you may not have budgeted for. Not disclosing a test fee policy upon enrollment yet claiming to teach honesty and integrity is a sign that you are in the wrong school. Do you want to buy your child's belt or do you want them to earn it?

Tuition and other fees: Most schools require you to sign a long-term contract or enrollment agreement after only one or two private lessons of flattery while telling you how talented you or your child are. You should look for an honest evaluation as to your or your child's abilities and potential. Before you enroll on a long-term contract you should at least try a few actual group classes to experience what the training is really like and who you will be training with.

A Short Story by Senior Instructor Richard Raciti
When my daughter Ashley was about 12 years old her mother enrolled her in a gymnastics school. She loved the training and became quite good at floor exercises. I enjoyed watching her gracefully performing her walk-overs, flips, and cartwheels which of course I attributed to her martial arts training under her dad. One day she called me and said that she had been invited to be on the Traveling Gymnastics Team. I could hear her excitement through the telephone. I asked for all the information and as she told me the cost and schedule it became obvious that with both parents working it would be impossible. I was fuming! I felt that the school had acted very irresponsibly by personally approaching my daughter and getting her hopes up by dangling this wonderful opportunity without consulting her parents to see if it was feasible. After explaining to her why she could not participate on the state team and seeing the disappointment on her face I decided that I would never run my school in this fashion. Marketing directly to children places parents in a difficult position and should not be taken lightly. We have many single parents who are raising their children on their own and struggle daily with schedules and activity costs to give their kids every opportunity.

We do everything possible to work with parents so that their child's experience is a positive and memorable one. There may be disappointing moments when your child may not be able to participate in an extra program being offered due to scheduling or budget. We do not glorify our extra programs. We merely post them on the bulletin board or on the counter and tell the kids to have a parent call us to discuss if the program is right for them.