Choosing An Instructor / Form / Organization?

[saharvey2]

I am new to martial arts, or more accurately my wife and daughter are. We chose the instructor they are with because she had a BA in Child and Adolescent Development. Now that my girls have been taking classes for four months, I am wondering how one should choose a martial art form to follow. A lot of time is being invested, so it think it is important to choose wisely.

At a most basic level it seems the instructor is key. A poor instructor teaching a great form will still get poor results. But beyond that, which form to choose: hard form or soft; TKD or Jujitsu. There seems to be a plethora of different forms offered. And the same form is offered with different affiliations. What suggestions do you have?

BTW, my wife and daughter are taking Tang Soo Do in a Do Jang affiliated with the Tang Soo Do Martial Way Association. They are both having a ball.

[ninjanurse]

You are correct about instructors-good technique does not make a good teacher. As far as selecting a style goes, that depends on your needs, preferences, and goals. Making an educated decision by visiting other schools and trying other styles certainly helps in the decision making process. If your family is enjoying themselves go with it! There is plenty of lifetime left to explore other arts-the journey may make many turns along the way.

[ps1]

It sounds like you already know the answer to your own question. Afterall, you based your decision based on the background of the instructor, the fact they are affiliated with someone, and I would assume you liked the personality of the classes. That's really all there is. The style or form of MA isn't as important as many people would have you believe. It's all about what your goals are.

For example: If your goal was to train for the Ultimate fighting championships, you're not in the right place.

As I highly doubt that is the case, you're probably ok. If your daughter is young the most important thing is she is learning to set goals, stay fit, learn some general self defense, and has a great activity to share with mom! It keeps her off the streets while giving her something to build confidence and foster good morals.

I guess my point is, you already know how to find a good instructor. If they're having a ball, then stay the course.

[bushido_man96]

I can't really comment much more than what has already been stated. ps1 and ninjanurse have it down.

There is plenty of research that you can do on the internet and such to find out the general information and background of different arts, but if you really want to research, you need to visit the dojangs around you, watch the classes, and see which instructors you like and dislike.

It appears that you already have found a good instructor, and that makes all the difference.

Welcome to the Forums, and best of luck on your journey!

[saharvey2]

Thank you for your replies. I appreciate the common thread recommending that the quality of instruction is more important than form or organization.

My wife and daughter are happy with their instructor; I am happy that they are learning and enjoying the activity. Studying Tang Soo Do has provided my daughter a physical activity requiring training, concentration, and practice. My wife (a full-time mom) has a regular activity that challenges her physically and mentally, and gets her out of the house to interact with adults on a regular basis. Together, they share a special activity, my daughter observes an active adult life being modeled, and they share goals as they train. Oh yeah, and it keeps my wife off the streets and out of the malls.

[bushido_man96]

That all sounds great! Everyone gets into the arts for varying reasons, and it sounds like your wife and daughter are doing well. Since they are goal-setting, that will help them as well, I think.

[ps1]

Oh yeah, and it keeps my wife off the streets and out of the malls.