How much do you pay?

[sensei8]

Yep, you pay the full sum at the start of each year (August), then you're good to go for the lessons, gradings, etc. Sometimes when an external teacher is coming, they might ask for a few bucks, but that's it.

You can also get a small sum of it back via your insurance - a kind of incentive for people to join a sports club.

Very interesting; I like the idea. Might work in the USA, maybe, but it would probably work regionally instead of nationwide, maybe.

Thanks for the info, Wasp!!

[JR 137]

$55 per month for adults, $45 for kids. Test fees depend on the rank I'm testing for. Colored belt tests range from $45 - $55. $25 national dues annually. Not sure about Dan grade costs as I haven't gotten there yet. My CI does color belt testing in-house, Dan testing is done at the honbu in NYC due to relatively close proximity. Dojo is open 4 evenings and Saturday morning. No limits on classes attended.

In my area, this is dirt cheap. Our dojo is small and run by a gentleman who's recently retired and his wife who's about to retire. Tuition pays the bills and maybe a little more; it's not their livelihood. The other dojos I looked into average around $120 a month for adults. One place quoted me $350 per month combined for me, my wife, and my 4 year old. Didn't include other fees.

My dojo is unique in that it's not the full-time job/primary source of income for the owner. I guess you could call it his hobby. Or maybe passion.

Rates everywhere depend on overhead and what the market dictates.

Btw, I didn't choose my dojo based solely on price; it was the right fit for me due to a ton of factors.

[P.A.L]

In all my years of training I have only stayed with a commercial dojo for 2 months anybody else I train with has a day time job.

[JR 137]

In all my years of training I have only stayed with a commercial dojo for 2 months anybody else I train with has a day time job.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a commercial dojo, so long as the quality of instruction is acceptable. There's something wrong with subpar instruction, whether it's a commercial dojo, a dojo run by a guy with a day job, or a back alley.

There are many great commercial dojos out there. Most honbu dojos are commercial dojos. Is the Kyokushin honbu dojo in Tokyo subpar because it's not run by guys with day jobs? What about dojos run by the legends of martial arts like Fumio Demura, "Judo" Gene LaBell, the various Gracies, etc.? I'll leave Tadashi Nakamura's Seido Honbu dojo out of it due to studying in his system. I'm pretty sure those guys aren't 9-5 office cubicle guys or manual laborers during the day and open up their dojos after work.

Yes, McDojos are far more common in commercial dojos, but they're not all McDojos. This coming from a guy who trains at a dojo run by a husband and wife who just retired from day jobs, as in my previous post. It's all about the quality of instruction. It's all about finding the best fit.

[neoravencroft]

I have two schools that I go to.

The school that teaches Wing Chun charges by a portion of the year as well as how many styles you will learn. In this case, I paid $670 for the whole year. I would get 3 classes a week at one hour a piece.

The school that teaches Uechi-Ryu charges by the month, which in this case is only $105 a month for six classes a week at one hour a piece.

[Kanku65]

About $1000 a year.

That includes monthly dues, insurance fees, grading fees, belt costs and seminars.

Plus, we train year round aside from holidays, and 2 weeks for Christmas/New Years.