Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio Blog

Martial Arts Training Tips, Ideas, and Random Thoughts

About the Author: Ryan Wheaton has been teaching American Kenpo since 1991 and is the chief instructor at Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is an internationally certified 6th degree black belt and personal student of 10th degree black belt Paul Mills. Ryan sits on the Board of Directors for the American Kenpo Karate International (AKKI) and is also a regular seminar presenter at AKKI National & International events.

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10/6/2006

How To Avoid Choosing the Wrong Martial Arts Studio

Filed under: How To Choose A Studio — Ryan Wheaton

WELCOME TO MY MARTIAL ARTS BLOG! Keep up to date on all the latest news, tips and ideas from Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio by subscribing to my RSS feed or you can receive email updates right to your inbox. Thanks for visiting! -- Ryan Wheaton

NOTE: These are experts from my free guide “How to Avoid Choosing the Wrong Martial Arts Studio. Get the inside scoop so you don’t make the wrong choice.” The full unabridged martial arts guide is available upon request.

Making the decision to start taking martial arts is easy.However, finding the best place for you isn’t always as easy.

Following are some recommended questions I have compiled over the years you can use to help choose the best martial arts studio for you.

Simply highlight the questions most important to you as you evaluate each studio. This will help you make sure you’re matching your needs to what the studios have to offer.

Head Instructor
DO THEY SPECIALIZE IN TEACHING ADULTS OR CHILDREN? Does the head instructor teach in all classes? What is their background? How long have they taught martial arts? How do they treat their students? How do they answer student questions? Are they approachable?

Assistant Instructors
HOW ARE ASSISTANT INSTRUCTORS USED? Do any junior instructors or kids teach in the adult classes? Do they teach in place of the head instructor? How long have they taught martial arts? How do they treat the students?

Monthly Fees
ARE THERE ANY CONTRACTS? What happens if you have to stop taking lessons? Are there cancellation costs? Can you pay month to month? Are there any membership fees or association fees? Do they charge for belt tests? Do they use electronic funds transfer (EFT) for monthly lesson payments?

Classes
WHAT IS THE INSTRUCTOR TO STUDENT RATIO? Do they limit class sizes? Are kids and adults taught in the same class? Are private lessons available? Do they seem organized? What safety precautions are in place? What is their policy for heavy-handed students? How much contact is involved? Can your friends or family come by and watch a class?

Training
WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF THE STUDIO: SELF-DEFENSE? Fitness? Tradition? Sport? Is it a progressive or traditional martial art? Do they teach linear or circular moves? What ranges do they teach: Kicking? Punching? Trapping? Grappling? Is it considered a hard or a soft style? Are there clearly defined requirements? Where did the curriculum originate? Do they train with partners? On a bag? In the air? What is their contact scale? None? Light? Medium? Full contact?

Use these tips to find the perfect martial arts studio for you in Salt Lake City so that you never make the wrong the choice in where you train.

The full unabridged martial arts guide is available upon request.

7/15/2006

Eight Tips For Selecting a Martial Arts Studio

Filed under: How To Choose A Studio — Ryan Wheaton

The main reason most people drop out of the martial arts — besides life taking them in different directions — is because they didn’t take the time to do any research and found out later the studio they joined wasn’t what they expected.

The time you invest researching studios will pay you back a thousand fold. It will also help you find the right studio for you. You’ll be more enthusiastic about your training and you’ll get more out of it.

Here are eight consumer tips to help you make a more informed decision before starting at any martial arts studio:


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