Escalating cost of martial art training

[Kajukenbopr]

Thanks for the great discussion, it is good to have experienced opinions. I definitely want to pick a school where I will get good value for my money and be confident training with them for the long term.

The school I am looking at charges $100/mo, then after you get your green belt it goes up to $135/mo, then a little higher after black belt. This is for about 2-3 1h classes per week.

I am also looking at things like whether or not they have weight equipment and so forth. This is important because I won't be able to afford my gym membership once I start.

I totally understand they need to make money to stay in business, but from my perspective it's a pretty hefty cost for most people, right up there with a car payment. There are other places in the area that charge about $80/mo for much more class time, however I don't like their syllabus as much. I guess I will just have to weigh my options.

Like I said though, the one thing that really has me hesitating is the fact that the cost increases as you go up in rank. This seems like a scheme to get people in the door then basically give them the option of quitting or paying the higher price after they invest their time.

Honestly, it sounds like a scam to me...

Go check out the other schools and compare what you see in practices not what they say they might be able to offer.

[bushido_man96]

Exactly, to make money, you worry about money.

If your school needs an average of 40 students but you only have 20, you have to tell them the school is closing, you cant teach them because you dont have the physical school? or you make them pay twice to cover the place's cost and your salary.

Teaching in a school as your main income is not a bad plan, however, it doesnt really work to the students advantage, some can afford it, others cant- doesnt mean the ones that cant wouldnt be as good as the ones that can pay. However, if you are good, and you want to make a living out of it, instead of taking money off of your students, you could just get sponsors and maybe even programs from the city or the state to keep the school running without your student having to pay so much for what, 2- 3 , two-hour classes a week?

This would be a nice solution, but not everyone can teach out of their homes. Aside from that, not everyone wants to teach out of thier homes. So, the only other option is to have a seperate place. It is all a part of the cost of living, and the cost of doing business.

I am not so sure that you can get state funds to keep an MA business going. I don't know how the not-for-profit stuff works, or if you could get an MA club to fall under that category.

In the end, there are a lot of things we could complain about when it comes to the prices we pay for them. To state that it is unfair for an instructor to charge such-and-such a price, and to condemn them for it is not the proper solution. That is one thing that is nice about capitalism; if you don't like something, you can go to another source and usually get it. I know that some things are harder to find in some areas than in others, but that is the nature of the beast. The cost of training could be lumped into one more of the sacrifices that has to be made in order to make the Martial Arts a part of our lives.

As I said before, however, I do not condone the watering down of materials for the purpose of making money. The main idea is to instill your ideas and philosophies into your students when they begin asking questions about starting, and let them know how you work. Hard work, preparation, and being prepared for testings are important to you; and tell them that. If that is how they start out, and they see the standards, then they expect it in the future. If they don't, then they won't stick around anyway.

[DWx]

if the student doesn't know the material then he shouldnt test. that is one thing i dont like about having a set test schedule where you test everyone in the dojo every 8 weeks or what ever.

you watch your students. when you have enough to test, say about 10, you INVITE those 10 (or how ever many) to test. testing is a privelege earned NOT a right. too many people in todays society want things handed to them.

if the student is lazy and doesnt wanna work for it then they dont test its that simple. if they want to go some where else where they will be tested then thats fine, BUT they are the ones that will know whether or not they EARNED that belt around their waist.

I can see what you are saying and agree with it to a certain extent, but I think that if the examiner is prepared to fail students that want to and do test but are not up to the quality then it is fine for those students to pay to take the exam even if has been recommended that they don't. If however you have examiners that just pass anybody because the intructors say they can move up in rank, that is wrong IMO.

[BudoTiger]

at my previous school no one tested until their instructor thought they were ready ( we had multiople instructors and all students got private lessons). i think thats how it should be. even with schools that only have group classes. just because a person can do the requirements for the next rank doesn't mean they are ready for that rank.

when we had a test you were invited. it wasn't for the entire dojo and usually was on a separate night from classes.

even then there were students that were invited that didn't always perform up to standards and were failed. those were then retested on the next test, but didn't have to pay the test fee.

like i said before my opinion is testing is an earned privelage not a given right just because you are taking the classes. when i go into a school and they have a set test date every moth where everyone in the dojo tests that right there is a turn off for me. sorry but thats how i feel about it. if that works for others thats fine. but doesn't for me.

[bushido_man96]

I have mentioned this before, but this is one arguement that styles like Muay Thai, Boxing, and Wrestling don't have to worry about.

[gamedweeb]

Where I go it's about 90$ a month for the basic program, which takes you through as far as you want to study, that's at twice a week. There are some extra classes you can pay for to learn weapons and there's also an instructors program. The classes are tiered.

You join the Black Belt Club (don't ask me, but that's what it's called) it's 11$ more a month but you get three extra 45 minute classes, and learn to use Nunchucks, Bo, and Eskrima sticks.

Then there's Master's Club (yet again don't ask me) it's 22$ dollars extra a month. You get three extra 60 minute classes per month. You learn all the weapons from the Black Belt Club as well as Sai, Kama, and Katana.

Then you have Instructor Training, which is 33$ more per month, but you learn everything form both BBC and MC. You get an instructor training class once a week, as well as attend the weapons classes. Then you are also expected to help out in so many classes per week. That depends on what phase in the program you're in. Phase 1, 2 classes per week. Phase 2, 3 classes per week. Phase 3, 4 classes per week, at this level you are expected to teach whole classes but can be paid for you time.

As far as private lessons go, I work one on one or in small groups nightly. It's usually only about 5 minutes at a time though.

With instructor training we're allowed to come as often as we like.

As for training with Master Lawrence, he said he charges 200$/hour. But that's for one on one. At that price it's tempting to just move to Orem and take regular classes from him that are only 10-15% more

[YoungMan]

Martial arts training really shouldn't be that expensive. Unless you are teaching in a storefront gym or your class is in an expensive part of town, you really don't need to charge $100+ a month per student.

What do you need?

Enclosed open area away from the elements and temperature controlled (heat/AC), sandbag, striking board, spare room to conduct business, chairs for spectators, bathrooms to change.

What would you like to have?

Showers, sauna, lockerrooms etc.

Ultimately, you really don't need much to hold classes. Is my time worth $100 an hour? I'd like to think so, but probably not.

I would probably charge more if I drove further to cover the cost of gas. otherwise, $30-$45/month seems sufficient, especially if I'm not teaching for a living. I don't believe in that anyway.

[SBN Doug]

Perhaps not in Michigan, but some places in California will.

But even then, jumping from $100 to $130 a month at green belt does seem a bit drastic.

[BudoTiger]

exactly. you have to take many things into concideration to determine price. even around here some of the schools that teach in business complexes charge as much as $100 or more a month because of rent. and we are an hour from los angeles. its even more out there.

[bushido_man96]

Martial arts training really shouldn't be that expensive. Unless you are teaching in a storefront gym or your class is in an expensive part of town, you really don't need to charge $100+ a month per student.

There are a lot of things that you could say this about. The thing is, though, if someone wants to charge that much, then it is there business. Believe me, I know what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck, so I don't like having to pay for MA lessons. However, it enjoy it, so I make sure I can afford to do it.

If someone wants to spend years of their life devoted to learning a Martial Art, and doing it well, then I leave it up to them to decide how much they think their time and energy is worth when it comes to them teaching what they know.