27 Questions To Ask Before Joining Martial Arts School

Unsure about selecting the right martial arts school? Begin by asking these critical questions, grouped into three categories:

First, focus on the EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE of the instructors who will be guiding your child. This is the paramount factor to contemplate before enrolling your child anywhere.

Ensure that the school boasts highly qualified personnel and well-trained staff. It’s essential that they know how to effectively engage with your youngster. Let’s kick off with these inquiries:

Do you employ a person with expertise in education and do you have a child developmental specialist on staff?

Make sure there aren’t any adults obliged to educate youngsters who are accustomed to instructing adults or who don’t even like kids. Make sure they have some knowledge in the finest teaching methods for kids and experience.

How to handle kids who are just being kids and don’t want to attend to class or are having problems. A stern yet kind disciplinary approach is what you want; it’s crucial for youngsters.

A teacher must be able to work with students of various ages. From babies through toddlers, kids aged four, five, and six, and all the way up to teens and adults. They ought to be taught collectively, but not in the same manner.
It’s crucial that the teachers be aware of the differences and are prepared to instruct your child in a way that is suitable for their age.

Do you have a person who specializes in resolving disputes and bullying?

That is not accompanied by a black belt. Even someone with a black belt might not know how to defuse a situation. How frequently kids must attend school. You must deal with children who are bullying and acting aggressively.
Therefore, it’s crucial that kids have some experience with dispute resolution other than striking and kicking.

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Do you possess the knowledge and expertise necessary to work with children who have ADHD and other special needs?

Some teachers don’t even understand what Asperger’s is, let alone how to deal with ADHD students beyond telling them to concentrate. Particularly with ADHD, it’s not just a matter of willpower.

Children can learn certain techniques and attitudes that will aid them in that. That is a really significant matter. Again, knowing how to block a punch does not teach you that.
Other than the technical martial arts talents that should be, they are various abilities…
Any school you attend should have such abilities on staff. When enrolling in a martial arts school, that should be a given.

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Are they trained in CPR and first aid?

To be clear, injuries are quite uncommon in martial arts schools. However, you want to ensure that your child would be looked after if something unfortunate happened in class. Since it involves touch, something appears to be happening.

Make sure the teachers are aware of this and are ready for it. Safety comes first. They have a greater grasp of how to look after their students if they have first aid certification. The class will generally not involve students in activities that are too risky.
That’s why it’s so crucial.

When did you start teaching and training?

You should ask the teacher that. Are you qualified to teach? Have you received training in teaching martial arts as well as doing them? Because doing and teaching are two distinct abilities, I’ll say it again.
A key question is how long someone has been doing this.
That matters because an experienced instructor will be aware of the best ways to handle particular circumstances.

Is the personnel obligated to maintain their education?

Martial artists should have strong educational backgrounds so they can better understand the origins of their life experiences. I know some folks who only do martial arts because they lack any other skills. Other than working hard and mastering martial arts techniques, they haven’t had any formal schooling.

Other things other only martial arts. The length of time and the variety of experiences are crucial. Not that newcomers shouldn’t be given an opportunity; but, this is something to watch out for.

Has every member of your team had their criminal histories checked?

Anywhere you take your kids, you should be aware of that. Given that they are a martial arts and self-defense school, they should undoubtedly encourage it.

Is your team sufficiently trained to work with kids?

It’s crucial that there are no secret passages or other features. Without a parent present, they shouldn’t take private courses. Additionally, they must guarantee that there are many adults present in the classroom.

Do you have a thorough understanding of healthy body mechanics?

There is clearly a lot of movement in martial arts, so teachers need to be aware of how the body functions and how it doesn’t in order to avoid assigning pupils to exercises that would harm them while they are practising.

Since the goal is self-defense rather than self-destruction, you don’t want the training itself to go against accepted exercise physiology. It’s crucial to note this since the development of sports science has led to the exportation of martial arts concepts and techniques.

There are several excellent schools that have set aside that information to guarantee that pupils are moving in a biomechanically sound manner. It’s crucial that they make sure their bodies are moving correctly and with good posture, especially now that there are so many more kids participating in sports.
So that they can workout without being injured.

Is there a member of the staff who will assist me and answer my questions?

Can you contact somebody at the school to help you with your needs? The employees must be accessible. You want to ensure that the staff treats you respectfully and that they are available before and after class.

TEACHING and CURRICULUM make up the next category.

This is all about what will happen and how it will be arranged while your child is on the mat so that you can understand what your child will experience and what they will need to learn in order to advance.

Is the method of discipline nourishing and kind?

Martial arts are typically quite disciplined and military-like, with very little smiling or laughing and a very serious expression. Children were instructed in that way. In our opinion, there are better ways to teach kids than this one.

You want someone who can motivate youngsters in a more loving way while still ensuring that respect is shown for the teachers and that the pupils are aware of proper classroom behaviour. That’s a difficult line to walk since it’s simple for adults to shout at kids and scare them into listening. Because of this, the kids are unable to grasp the value of discipline and appropriate behaviour. It goes beyond just being terrified. When someone is taught to be fearful, the youngster will behave differently as soon as the frightened person departs. With a child, that is not the best recipe for long-term success.

Is the student-to-teacher ratio appropriate?

I used to advise everyone to search for that teacher-to-student ratio. It’s not so much that the class must be small as there must be enough adults there to supervise the pupils. Adults experience the same thing.

Are there any age-specific classes?

If a student from a martial arts school arrives from work and enrolls in a class with a six-year-old, it is not beneficial for either of them since their learning styles are different. Adults do not like to be required to stand and sit like toddlers. Adults cannot be physically attacked by minors, for instance. It can be quite challenging to train against a youngster in a self-defense situation or at school. It’s best if you can separate the ages.
Preschoolers, older kids, teens, twins, and finally, all of the adults together. Students will be educated in the appropriate manner in this method.

Is there any Little League Syndrome in terms of cooperation?

It’s not that competition is terrible per se; rather, pupils understand that everything is a competition everywhere, especially in American society. At any age, a child can participate in any sport or activity and be subjected to this intense competition.

They need an alternative, and at a martial arts school, each student should be able to grow at his or her own pace and be able to do things without always losing fights. It’s not like everyone wins and receives a ribbon for taking part. But everyone is capable of doing it. Everyone in a graduating class, for instance, has the option of finishing high school or earning a bachelor’s degree. There isn’t just one degree, that you’d have to get it before everyone else.

In a martial arts school, there is a different emphasis placed on that, and the students support one another in their academic endeavors, as well as in learning about their bodies and social interactions. They are learning how to bring forth their best qualities.
Therefore, when they go compete, they not only have the physical capacity to compete, but also the psychological and cerebral abilities to deal with winning and losing and comprehend it from an emotional standpoint. It’s crucial to have a substitute for it.

Is the programme well-structured, with expectations and incentives made clear?

In certain martial arts schools, the teachers will notify you when it’s time for your test even though you don’t know when it’s due and you have no idea what will be covered.
Or perhaps there aren’t even tests. They claim that you have attended the school long enough and are now prepared for the next level. When you don’t know what is expected of you or what you will be assessed on, learning something is really difficult.
Knowing what your child needs to learn and having the support of that knowledge is crucial.

Are teachers employed on a full-time basis?

You should be on the lookout for this as they have the entire day to spend to being the greatest instructors they can be. The presence of full-time lecturers is crucial.

Do you provide special occasions, additional training opportunities, and workshops?

There are many distinct areas of study in the martial arts that you might concentrate on. If there is a full-time school and instructor, then there will often be several events.
Tournaments, various courses, and seminars sometimes. Make sure you have the ability to increase your training opportunities. Make sure you train as much as you can if you’re genuinely interested in learning martial arts.

What about time management and studying?

Because the belt system is truly fantastic and unparalleled. People utilise it elsewhere after taking it. People in music schools have used the belt system and several other methods since it is so effective, as I have seen.
Because you are fully aware of what you will be learning and are able to commit the necessary time and effort to achieving your objectives. Therefore, you should ensure that your instructor can demonstrate at least one strategy for setting and attaining objectives as well as for creating effective daily action plans.

Do they host events that foster community?

This is crucial because the children who attend your martial arts school want to fit in, be a part of a supportive environment, and make friends.
Thus, one may pick the companions they want to go to class with and go even if they are not motivated thanks to the social side of martial arts that I have discovered over the years and which is incredibly effective, especially for training.

Do you instruct pupils on how to deal with bullies nonviolently and physically, if necessary?

In order to curb bullies, physical martial arts will act in a compassionate approach that doesn’t permanently harm the victim.
And after a verbal de-escalation. Otherwise, you risk having youngsters who want to engage in combat when the goal of martial arts is self-defense rather than combat.

You’ll have pupils without morality if you employ it at a school that encourages fighting.
Even if they are physically capable, they risk hurting others if they lack psychological maturity. You need to make sure that your child attends a school that actually supports it because some individuals have all the physical talent but lack the maturity to manage it.
The remaining questions thus focus on the FACILITIES that you will train in.

Can parents observe class?

There are certain establishments that for some strange reason won’t let parents watch.
I want to be able to watch my kids at all times. I need to be able to watch what people are saying to my child, how they are engaging with my child, and how they are touching my child, whether it be from the other side of the classroom or from a sitting area.

That is very crucial for safety reasons as well as for learning. You shouldn’t let your children to do something if someone tells you that you can’t watch what they are doing with them for an hour. Ensure that you can observe a class there. You don’t need to be enrolled in a class.
You can remain silent and avoid disturbing the class.

Does your gear adhere to safety standards?

This is another crucial point for safety since if everyone is utilizing each other’s worn-out, outdated equipment, it might result in an accident. Make certain that they have enough equipment and that you can utilize it securely.

Is the space where you train matted?

The fact that adults prefer hardwood flooring and that some people practice on carpet that is over concrete or on really hard surfaces is beneficial for adults is a source of disagreement among martial arts schools.

While it’s true that a firm surface will help you learn how to roll and fall safely more quickly, children are likely to run, jump, and tumble a lot while learning, so they need some form of injury protection. This is especially important for children and certain other individuals.
Well-matted flooring in the gym are the finest practice and industry standard for martial arts.
The answer to the last query encapsulates everything.

Is this institution committed to both character development and martial arts instruction? Do you distribute it?

If you take your child to a location where other activities are happening, like a dance class, a recreation center, or a gym, they may become easily distracted. Therefore, for optimal results in martial arts training, it’s best to choose a school dedicated solely to teaching all aspects of martial arts.