Taking a trial class

tonymcclellan

tonymcclellan

2
Well I just called a local karate school and was offered a trial class this Wednesday. The owner and teacher actually trained my brother in law many moons ago and is a legit practitioner. Im gonna check it out, but its gonna come down to price. Im hoping his rates are somewhat less than what I expect for this area ($150 a month). The school offers karate, brazillian ju jitsu, and muay thai which are all included in the price.

I have a second school that I can probably get a discount from since my brother in law knows the guy.
 
Awesome, keep us in the loop
 
Well I moved it to two Wednesdays from now. I have a final tomorrow that I need all my time for. They are closed next Wed, so that puts me at 2 Wednesdays from now.
 
I know they are gonna say "the rates are competitive with the area" to which I will reply "yes but my salary is not competitive with the area" lol.
 
I took a trial class tonight. I enjoyed it however it was "fitness" emphasized so we just basically did some conditioning. I feel that I outperformed most of the others in the class, though they kept telling me I could take a break if needed.

We did some punching and kicking, which I did what I have been previously been taught. However some of the higher belts form seemed so sloppy to me. I figure if you're a green or higher at least your punch and kick form should be good??

Im going back next week for a grappling focused class.
 
aevans410 said:
LOL they should be... but a lot of higher belt ranks feel they don't need to practice... :p
Click to expand...

I think that would deter new members from joining. If you see the higher belts performing sloppy, what does that say about the instructors? Im not taking away from the instructors at this school, they come with high regard. There are three instructors of adults, the owner (a fifth degree bb in tkd), the other instructor (third degree bb in tkd) and another guy (dont know). Im gonna check out the ground defense centered class next week as well.

At $125/mo its actually a little less than I expected. There is two schools that I can cross train at, so I think I might be able to get in three classes per week. Karate, kickboxing, and bjj I think.
 
I'd be a little concerned about the school if their black belts look sloppy and especially if it seems like they have lower belts outperforming them. This could be a sign of a black belt factory. We have something like that around here, known for "accelerating" students into black belts. They get students from diferent schools who want a fast belt and it seems to contribute to their haphazard form. Might want to check with them and see about how long it takes their students to get a black belt. If they have a definitive answer or they give you generally short times (less than a year, not more than 18 months etc etc) then I'd worry a little about the quality of instruction. Skilled martial artists are not necessarily good instructors.

I was a little confused about the two main instructors being black belts in tae kwon do, do they hold belts in karate as well? What style are they teaching?

It wouldn't be a total loss if you just had to do more bjj or muay thai every week. Do they have different instructors for these arts? If not, what are their qualifications?

I'm nobody, but I have been around martial arts and artists for quite a while and even managed to get the wool pulled over my eyes once by a school, so hopefully this is helpful.
 
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Thanks for the info. While I was speaking with the guy he mentioned the length of time it takes to achieve black belt. He said for the kids after about 5 years they give them a Junior black belt (because a 10-12 yr old cant be a black belt) and then when they reach 15-18 they can receive their real black belt. The school is called karate but what they teach is a mix I believe. The guy I spoke with said he was TKD, but the owner is karate.

There is another guy who teaches Muay Thai, apparently an ex world competitor. Ive heard his name before on other schools websites, so I think he is probably good. Hes somewhere in his late 50's I believe.

The owner of the school is a 5th Degree Blackbelt Korean Karate, 2nd Degree Blackbelt in Hom-Do, Black Belt in Mauy Thai Kickboxing, Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Also when speaking with the guy he made a very good point. People in my area dont want the come in and get banged up stuff. Kids is where the money is, but he enjoys teaching adults.
 
Sounds like they got a lot of good talent and it sounds like you've checked them out. Let us know how your experience with them turns out!
 
I hope so. I know the owner is one of those lives the art kinda guys. Ill see how it goes next week after a ground defense class.
 
I liked the ground defense class. It wasnt anything crazy, just standing up from the ground, front and roundhouse kicks from the ground.

I then took a Muay Thai class Thursday which was pretty cool actually. I was the only one who showed up, so I got a private lesson pretty much. The instructor also said the BJJ class from the night before had two kids and one adult. That would also be similar to 1 on 1 instruction.

Im thinking that this would be good in the beginning, however I would need some spar partners. Its gonna be 109 a month. Thats a good price amazingly for my area, considering I can do unlimited classes. I can only do three per week however.
 
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I know a place that's free.

I live here in Australia, & i know a guy who trains in a place "Known as THE SHED", mate it sounds unusual, he reckons it's free, doesn't cost a nickel. He's been training there for 3yrs, reckons they cover all kinds of stuff, but no particuliar style. he wont tell me all the details, because it's like a closed shop. I thaught i'd waltz up 1 night & check it out & maybe get a free lesson or at least, sit & watch.
He said that I'm not aloud, & he has to run it past their leader & the other members, I must admit that at this point, I was thinking cult.?
but he's a good christian, & says there's nothing dodgey about it.
I asked if I could train? He said that it's up to the group & the teacher, he reckons that cause they don't take any money they can refuse to train you, or if you don't suite them ,your out. It's their choice.
Mate it sounds like the french underground, to me.
Have any of you guys heard of it? what do you reckon,should I ask again?
If I get in the door, should I play dumb, or tell them I train?

He told me a little of some of their stuff, & gave me a demo, asked me to come at him with any attack, the ***** nailed me with a tap to the wind pipe & dropped me, in less then a second. I was pretty embarassed.
Still can't workout why it's free. & so secretive tho? mate you nee d a place like that, there, no dollars.
 
In A Jam

Just making it US friendly, he was there again last night,rang me up & said that I've got the ok to go but theres some rules I've got to follow.
1 I can't show anyone what i learn 2 I cant teach what i learn 3 what happens in "THE SHED STAYS IN THE SHED".
I'm curious, but i'm not sure about all these rules B/S.
In theory he never should of done that techniqueon me. because he's broken 3 rules straight up.
What should i do ? Go & say nothing? It's great to go , but what's the use if I cant share it with others.?
Or maybe get the infomation off him, with out going & then i can talk about it? ANY IDEAS?
 
Sounds like a fantasy...
 
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