Belt Testing Fees

[Master Jim Bonesho SR.]

J.A.B. Karate & Taekwondo Center is a school , open 1997 about 75 members,I.K.S.A. SCHOOL OF THE YEAR 2000 & 2004 FAMILY RATES. I have the school for fun. I love the art that is why I keep the fees low, bills are paid & class are full

[TSharkey]

Our school charges a flat fee. We pay 25$ at the end of every year so we buy supplies for the following year. We have no testing fees.

[Jay]

free we are graded in the lesson every month some people get a nice little suprise

[kivikala]

For probably 30 years we only charged $10 for a "test fee" to offset the costs of the off-day we used to conduct testing and for misc supplies including the cost of belts. When we joined a national organization (big mistake), they charged a $35 "certificate fee" which I got quite perturbed about (that and other reasons). I dropped them like a hot potato and decided from then on not to charge anything.

I come to understand the rank is a milestone marking progress. The student is already there by their own effort. No need to charge to "recognize" something that is already there and can not be taken away. I feel it is my priviledge to have such a fine student to award a rank. I gave up a couple of bucks and gained many years of student loyalty. (Karate Belt $10 at most MA stores, smile on students face, priceless.)

[JusticeZero]

We get belts at the end of yearly week-long intensives. They run from $80-250 for the week depending on the situation, facilities, etc.. and I think generally closest to $150. Much of this cost is because it includes covering international airfare and expenses for the master. The rest is devoured by space rental, food, and so on.

As I recall, historically we have often lost money on them. There's a big rant there that I will spare you, but will say that it is important under some circumstances to plan for a lot of people to no-show or try to get out of paying.

I will note also that it isn't as scary as a $150 belt test would be to an Asian MA because we have less belts. What might be thought of as a 'black belt' is our second or third belt. We have 7 belts, but the lion's share of those are in the realm of various dan rankings.

[kschilke]

We charge $20 a month for our kids class and $25 a month for out adult class. We have a 12 kyu system. The testing fee starts at 15$ and increments by $5 for each rank. So, by the time you are ready to test for black belt, the fee is $70. The fee covers the cost of the belt and any breaking materials. We do alot of breaking and wood, brick, etc. can be pretty expensive.