Just Starting In MA And Have Some Questions

[Berserker]

Well for months now I've been interested in taking a MA, I'm a weight lifter and I really wanted it for cardio. But hey learning to defend yourself is a bonus right? I'm a 22 year old male living in O'Fallon Missiouri, its about 30miles west of St. Louis MO. My main goal is to find something near my gym so I can make sure I don't slack on my lifting. There really isn't much around me most schools either don't have websites or they are designed for children and I think I could honestly destory the instuctors.

However there is one school I'm pretty interested in, it teaches Hapkido. Here is a link to the site....

http://www.hapkido-usa.com/

I went in for the free class and really had a lot of fun. The joint locks are flipping awesome The instructor spent a good amount of time going to each pair of students while we were practicing making sure we had the moves right and would even give us some alternate ways of doing it or even another combination. All in all I felt like I walked away with something.

Now here is where my problem begins. Once it was over I spoke with him and his wife, I knew a sales pitch was coming. Basically it boils down to this, 6mo contract for $109, 12mo $99, 24mo $89. Plus the cost of the uniform/sparring gear. The 24mo plan I attend 5 days a week, and they the instructor said he won't stop anyone from training and that I can stay for both classes each night, begininer and then the advanced if we want to. Which appeals to me, as I love working out.

So if you guys can either calm me down about a contract, or tell me to keep looking I'd be very grateful, better yet if someone from the St. Louis can help me find a good school that would be awesome, but probably to much to ask

[G95champ]

I am not a fan of contracts only because you can't get out of them. Say you get in wreck and can't train. Say he closes down. Your out money.

With that said 5 days a week 2 classes a day is a good deal. However I would look to pay only a month or two at a time.

There are a lot of McDojos arround that are after money and dont do a good job teaching. The schools you went to before may be that. However they may also be good schools and you came across a kids class with a asst. sensei teaching. I would check all options.

90 bucks a month for what would be 25 classes is a good deal. However its still a lot. I teach in WV and only charge 30 a month if that because our people have less money. Just depends on the areas economic status. Remember he has to keep the dojo open so sometimes the price is not his dowing as much as it a fact he must go by.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I agree with G95champ...I'm not a fan of contracts either. There must be a lot of martial arts schools in St. Louis that arent' big commercial schools. Check out health clubs, dance studios, gymnastics schools, adult education classes...go to a tournament if you can and ask questions. There could be hundreds of backyard dojo's in that large of a city. Don't discount them because they don't have a fancy place to train. some of the beswt training in the world might be in somebody's garage, basement or back yard.

Also...

....or they are designed for children and I think I could honestly destory the instuctors.

Possibly, but don't bet on it. Just because an instructor is teaching children does not mean he can't handle adults easily enough also. If you were inferring that because you're a weight lifter perhaps, I'd suggest you think again. The martial arts is a pretty good equalizer against bigger, and stronger people.

[Berserker]

I'm in St. Louis per say, I work there but my home is about 30 miles away, I'm just concerned about joining a school so far away that would interfere with my hitting the gym which is near my house. I'm going to ask around at my gym tomorrow and look at around for the adult education.

The contract is my biggest concern by far! Any other styles I should look out for? I'm really interested in competing, and I want something physical and not flashy, something I could use in self defense etc.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

Any other styles I should look out for?

Of course I'm going to be biased, but I always try to recommend Okinawan systems. they arent' as flashy as many others, are VERY effective in a street fight, and you just can't beat the origional!

I'm really interested in competing, and I want something physical and not flashy, something I could use in self defense etc.

Now here you may have a problem. Many (not all) systems that are heavy into tournaments are VERY flashy and ineffective for self-defense. Think a Corvette with a lawn mower engien under the hood. Looks good, but doesn't work.

[G95champ]

Finding a style

1. Find a teacher not a style any style will work if you are taught the how and they why behind it.

2. With that said look for traditional styles. Shotokan, Kempo, Gojo Ruy, Judo, Tand Soo Doo, etc. With these styles there is a lot of text and stuff you can cross check and train yourself. When you learn JIM BOB's Karate you can't refere to anything for the truth. Traditional styles are still taught because they work.

3. Bang for you buck. As many classes as you can get for the least amount of money. However the classes have to be quality. Chuck Norris may be teaching but you can't pay 1000 bucks a month ya know. But you dont want 10 bucks for one class either. So find the best combo for you.

4. Always look at the high belts. Brown and Blacks. If they looks sharp your ok. If you think you can take them go elsewhere lol. Don't judge this by the bench press either. You will know if they look like they know whats going on or not.

[taiji fajin]

Well, I can recommed many different martial arts, but looking at what you sid you want out of it, and that you like hapkido, I can actually feel pretty confident in recommending Kuk Sool in St. Louis. There is a good school located there, run by a 5th degree and 4th degree husband and wife (respectively). I've worked with the instructors on several occasions at camps and seminars they've either held or taught at, and they are good people.

Kuk Sool is related to hapkido, so you'll find a lot of the stuff you enjoyed from it, but it is even more diverse. The St. Louis instructor himself has taught me knife throwing and long staff form (among other things). All in all, I think this martial art will give you what you are looking for.

edit: here's the web address for it:

http://www.kswstlouis.com/

[chiflow]

Many Dojos these days are going with contracts for several reasons

The main one is they dont have to worry about getting there money every month. Contracts are not so bad, depending on who u are dealing with

Many contracts i have seen are set up with direct deposit and you may be able to work a deal with him where as long as you tell him in advance (a week) he would be willing to let you out of your contract free of charge

The art you mentioned is a good one, you will have a variety of training and skills to learn for sure (true of almost any art)

I like what Champ had to say about find a teacher not a style

most gyms these days have Martial Arts, your gym does not have anything you could get into cheap?

[DKizzle]

I don't think contracts are inherently bad. I have a contract at my school. Like chiflow said, it just ensures the school is getting its money every month. I took a 1 year contract at my school because I looked into it, and it's been there a long time, so I doubt it's going to shut down on me. Also, the master is very experienced and well known (Jim Clapp, 8th Degree).

After the 1 year I just took a 2 year one, and I'll probably extend past that one.

But yeah, look into the instructors and check out the higher ranking belts. Some of the brown belts at my school are really frightening with their speed and power. Same thing with a couple of the green belts.

[PrideampPoise]

One good thing about a contract is that it gets the student to commit to a certain time period. They are less likely to give up in the early days if they are paying for it anyway.

Of course that's not the kind of committment we would really expect out of a martial artist, but it takes some people time to fully realize what they are getting and really make that true committment. If they never do, then they are going to quit anyway, contract or not.

I wouldn't let the contract itself scare you, but I would ask what happens if you move, or if you were injured and couldn't train for a month or more. Would you get a refund? If you were injured, would he add extra time to the backend of the contract? Ideally, those things are actually written into the contract, but just because they aren't, it doesn't mean the instructor won't live up to his word.