Consumer Education Message
Getting Ready to Pick a Martial Art School
by Dr. Joe Schaefer
Ph.D in Neurophysiology from University of Texas
6th Degree Black Belt in the martial art of Shaolin-Do

In 20 years of teaching I have found that martial art training is one of the most transformative pursuits for adults and kids; for Men and Women. In the right environment, weak characters are made strong, integrity and honor are cherished and people of all ability and backgrounds rise to their highest potential. This happens in martial art schools teaching every type of style or system. It can occur under a 1^st degree black belt teacher as surely as it can under a 10^th degree black belt. This consumer guide will not tell you which style is best or what schools to avoid. In general, you need to just trust your instinct when talking with the instructor and keep your radar going as you look around their school and talk with their students. If you feel that the school's main purpose is to get your signature on a contract as soon as possible, you should start worrying.

Don't Worry! There are still lots of great schools and teachers out there!
Whether or not you ever choose to become a student of my martial art school, I feel compelled to give you the valuable information in this Consumer Guide. In the search to find the perfect school, I'm afraid you might fall prey to an ugly scam, walk away from martial arts in general and miss out on a potentially life changing experience. As a parent and a consumer, I never want to get into a situation where I feel duped or tricked, and I love martial arts so much that I especially don't want you get on the wrong side of a bad experience. If you were me, and you knew that a large percentage of all full-time schools operated like used-car dealerships, wouldn't you want to shout out to the world, BE CAREFUL! These schools exist primarily for the purpose of separating people from their money. I always believed martial arts were supposed to be different than that. I bet you thought so too. The good news is that with the right information you will easily be able spot these schools a mile away. Then can you get on to the task of picking a great school (of which there are many) and reaching your personal best.

The biggest misconception about picking a martial art school is that you can price shop over the phone, or at all.

There's nothing wrong with price shopping but it only works if schools actually quote you the real price. Most people enroll in martial arts with the goal of reaching black belt or its equivalent in that style (whether they realize it or not). The problem with price shopping is that most modern, full-time schools will not let you reach those levels for the prices they quote you in the beginning. In fact, they will usually have several more costly programs with longer term contracts that you will be forced into before you can actually get what you came for, a black belt. These programs might have value, but you should be told up front that the starting price will not get you to your goal (not even close in most cases). It's time to insist on ONE PRICE, ONE PROGRAM, and ALL THE MATERIAL YOU NEED!