What to look for in a Karate school?

[brickshooter]

Mooresville, Indiana. The school is associated with George Dillman. I haven't seen anything odd yet.

You will.

[Ueshirokarate]

Hello and welcome! :}

Month to month is pretty standard, avoid schools that "guarantee" a black belt in a set amount of time, or rank in a set amount of time, I'd say. I tend to avoid long contracts too!

Go watch and then take a free class at whichever school you're looking into. Are you thinking of a stand-up (no grappling) style then? What's the most important aspect of martial arts to you?

OSU!

Solid post!

I don't get contracts. I can see a discount for paying for a year, but only as an option along side of month to month (I especially like the option to pay for class). Contracts are a huge red flag to me. I am not against people making money off teaching, but do not like entrapment.

Secondly, rank should be earned and not bought. I think this is why it is important to view classes. You need to be able to see what is taught, how it is taught and if the various belts people are wearing reflect varying levels of skill in the style.

Good points all around evergrey. I am going to bite my tongue on George Dillman and his chi balls.

[DoctorQui]

I'd never heard of George Dillman so I googled him, all I can say is, oh...not for me!

[ArtGood]

I'd never heard of George Dillman so I googled him, all I can say is, oh...not for me!

Like I said, I've not seen anything goofy yet. Seems pretty solid. I'll keep my eyes open though.

[SimonAsh86]

A good instructor and also preferably one who isnt just in it for the money.

[barryives]

The first thing that you really need to do is to decide what it is that you want out of your training. This could be things like....

- weight loss

- Improved fitness and flexibility

- trying something new

- socialise/meet new friends

- Train for competitions

- Self Defense

When you know 'what' you want it makes the decision much easier. I've trained all kinds over the years, but now my primary goals are fitness and having fun. Therefore thing like potential 'effectiveness' and 'quality of higher grades' are less important to me

[FangPwnsAll7]

You seem to be satisfied with your son's karate dojo. I think you should take up adult classes though. It's never too late to start karate training. Good luck.

[DoctorQui]

I'd never heard of George Dillman so I googled him, all I can say is, oh...not for me!

Like I said, I've not seen anything goofy yet. Seems pretty solid. I'll keep my eyes open though.

I was referring mainly to George Dillman the person and martial artist. In terms of an affiliated Dojo...its only as good as the chief instructor who in your case maybe top notch!

[ps1]

I'd never heard of George Dillman so I googled him, all I can say is, oh...not for me!

Like I said, I've not seen anything goofy yet. Seems pretty solid. I'll keep my eyes open though.

Hi Art,

The most important thing, especially for someone like yourself, is that you have fun and do something you believe in. You should feel like it's something you would like to do for a very long time. That's really all you should look for in a school.

That said, is this something you could believe in and do for a long time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSzSflkns8

[vantheman]

The Instructor is one of the most important things in my mind. Of course, things like pricing and schedule matter too, but I believe that an experienced instructor that teaches well is more important than things like ranking or style.

Good Luck!