Class Prices

[oscar2010]

Hi all,

 

I am in the process of looking at various styles and schools and I was wondering what is reasonable to pay per month for classes? I am very interested in Aikido and the one school that list pricing charges over $100 per month which seems quite excessive. Is it unrealistic to pay between $50 and $60 per month to attend class a few times per week?

 

Thanks

[gcav]

I have found that Aikido is usually higher priced than other MAs. My school is only $60.00 month.

[foreveryoung001]

Just make sure you know what you are getting when you sign up for any school. Sit in on, or observe a few classes to make sure that this would be a good program for you. You might very well be able to find some less expensive schools, but the same advice holds true. Investigate, and know what you are paying for.

 

In my school, (we teach TKD Chung Do Kwan), we charge $40 per month for classes twice a week, and then we have an open sparring session on Saturday evenings. These open sessions are free to any martial art student that would like to come and spar. If they are not my students, then we ask for a $10 yearly fee to get them on our insurance. I don't charge a fee for testing, they only pay for the cost of their belt (if they are moving up in color) and their certificate that we purchase from the association. At most it costs a student $9 or $10 bucks. This is how my instructor did it, so I am simply following his lead. Black belt tests are a little more pricey, because we give them an embroidered belt and a much nicer certificate, and that might run $65. Watch out for any MA school that will test you every few weeks and get you for $25 or $30 a pop. Just because they do that, doesn't mean it is not a quality school, but it might be something to watch out for.

[oscar2010]

Thanks for the responses so far. That is strange that Aikido class prices tend to be higher. I have found a class at a local community center for $35 per month or $75 for three months but they only meet twice per week and I was hoping to attend at three days. Maybe this is a good way to start. And not that I am trying to be a cheap skate hear but I already pay $70 a month for a normal gym membership so I can't really afford another $100 per month for an MA class.

[Shane]

Prices are going to vary, a lot depends on location. The most expensive class at my school is $65.00 a month, but you go down to the city and you will have a hard time finding one under $90.00

[47MartialMan]

I have found that Aikido is usually higher priced than other MAs. My school is only $60.00 month.

 

How many days out of the week?

[47MartialMan]

I was shown a school in a couple of towns away that charges $120.00/mo.

[nfl2k2]

I have to say that I am extremely lucky for the price I am getting at my dojo. I pay approximately $8/month, which includes this training schedule:

 

Monday: 5:00 - 6:30

 

Wednesday: 5:00 - 6:30

 

Saturday: 4:00 - 6:00

 

We study goju ryu under a 4th dan -- very knowledgeable sensei. Not only is he a 4th dan with over 30 years of experience, but he also has a PhD in EE and teaches at my university. Three of the brownbelts obtained their blackbelts this past summer, and they do a great job teaching the class when our sensei is absent. I am pretty sure that back home the only MA school in town charges $50 and up per month.

[doubletwist]

Keep in mind, that space costs $$, especially in large cities. Then again, even in those areas, there are people who teach out of their garage.

 

I'm in the DFW area, and we pay $89/month for 3 classes a week [although as long as the room isn't full, you can really go as many times as you want].

 

Even in California, with super-high space-rent, my school was $95/month for unlimited classes [including a BJJ class 4 times a week].

 

If you ask me, anyone charging more than that had better have a darn good reason

 

DT

[TangSooGuy]

Don' t worry about price... worry about what you are getting.

 

Price is going to vary wildly depending on location, frequency of training, the association to which the school belongs, the instructor's financial status, the surrounding area's median income, and too many other factors to list.

 

You are far better off just watching classes, decidingwhat you want, and deciding how much you are willing to pay for it.

 

Frankly, if I was offered a billion dollars, but the condition was that i would forget all my martial arts knowledge and related experience, I doubt seriously that I would take it...it is worth more to me than money.

 

Do many schools overcharge?

 

Absolutely!

 

However, it never ceases to maze me that the same people who will pay $2.00 for a gallon of gas, $10.00 for a movie, $40-50 to get into an amusement park, $25.00 for dinner out, etc...will cry price gouging as soon as martial arts training begins to approach a level that will allow the instructor to actually put food on his table, pay his bills, and continue to offer the training....

 

$100/ month may be unreasonable, but it may be a value. It all depends on what you will get out of it.