How do I choose the best place for me?

[TravellerTerrace]

I'm finally able to afford a martial arts class in my area, but now I don't know which place to learn from me is reputable or worth the time. I don't want to screw this up by choosing a wrong place to learn, so I gotta ask, how do I avoid a McDojo?

[RisenPhoenix]

Go visit them and watch.

 

McDojo's are going to be overly sales pitchy, try to get you to commit to some crazy pay plan/scheme, and probably talk about how fast you can test for belts and guarentee you make it to black belt in X amount of time..

 

That said, there are definitely some places that'll be sales pitchy because, well, they need money to survive, too.  My dojo is a non-profit and can come across sales pitchy because we really need students to pay for our recently increased rent...

 

So go, watch a class.  See how the instructor teaches.  See how the students interact with them and each other.  See the environment.  Expect to put at least 3-5 hours a week on the mat and think about how comfortable you'd be while there.

[RisenPhoenix]

Oh, and I'd do a bit of research to see how long it takes to get to black belt/insert arbitrary rank in whatever art you're looking at.  So if they do try the "you'll get your belt in X time" thing you can gauge how weird that is.  It's not uncommon to be able to get to black belt in 3ish years for TKD, but 5-8 years is usually required for aikido.  If I went to a place and they told me I could be a black belt in aikido in 2 years?  I'd run far, far away. (Though, interestingly enough, it's easier to get a black belt in aikido in Japan than in the US.  I once looked at where I would be, based on hours, in Japan if I had trained there instead of the US.  In Japan I'd almost be a 3rd degree black belt, while I have another year and a half or so until I can get my first degree black belt here in the States.)

[60Whiskey]

I second the post above. Research some styles that might interest you and sincerely look into the philosophy behind the styles. When I started out as a kid I just wanted to do karate. I had no clue and I quit after two years. Fast forward to high school. I started researching, Aikido (Ki Aikido in particular) peaked my interest. I am now 10.5 years in, and with some time off for my first year of college and a couple months for a different reason, I finally made black belt in 2015. Again, very common to be in Aikido 5-8 years depending on how often you train, how often the class is offered, your own abilities, etc. Don't let that deter you though. Honestly, in my opinion, it's more about the journey not the instant satisfaction of a new color around my waist. As a shodan in aikido, my training has only just begun.

[RisenPhoenix]

18 hours ago, 60Whiskey said:

I second the post above. Research some styles that might interest you and sincerely look into the philosophy behind the styles. When I started out as a kid I just wanted to do karate. I had no clue and I quit after two years. Fast forward to high school. I started researching, Aikido (Ki Aikido in particular) peaked my interest. I am now 10.5 years in, and with some time off for my first year of college and a couple months for a different reason, I finally made black belt in 2015. Again, very common to be in Aikido 5-8 years depending on how often you train, how often the class is offered, your own abilities, etc. Don't let that deter you though. Honestly, in my opinion, it's more about the journey not the instant satisfaction of a new color around my waist. As a shodan in aikido, my training has only just begun.

 

 

Ooooo!  Another addition to my aikidoka army!  Yessss...

 

I've been collecting aikidoka for years now on NF.  Don't mind me.  We used to be really rare, actually, and now we seem to pop up all the time.

[60Whiskey]

On 1/12/2017 at 10:52 AM, RisenPhoenix said:

 

 

Ooooo!  Another addition to my aikidoka army!  Yessss...

 

I've been collecting aikidoka for years now on NF.  Don't mind me.  We used to be really rare, actually, and now we seem to pop up all the time.

Lol too funny! Sorry it took me a while to read this - I was at a 3 day Aikido seminar in Fairfax, VA!  

[TheAccountant]

1 take some intro to self defense courses. You will find many of them will give you opposing advice. But they will all get you thinking.

2. Ground grappeling, kickboxing, and wrestling/takedown arts are three different experiences physical and emotionaly. If probably should train to some degree in all three at some point. The stronger you are at one, the more you need to get the basics of the others.

3 this is the most important. Take the one you want to go to. If you don't enjoy it you will quit

4. Never buy your marital arts hype.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[chemgeek]

I would also second the above about going  and watching. Specific things to look for: 

• Is the atmosphere one of respect? 
  • Not only should student respect teacher, but teacher should respect student and student should respect fellow student. Respect is the foundation on which trust is built, and trust is key to learning in the martial arts. If you're training with those who aren't worth your trust, someone will get hurt eventually. If people are insulting each other or picking on each other, hitting each other outside of sparring, etc, consider whether or not that's an environment where you feel you could trust someone with the power to break one of your bones if they so choose - because you will be giving your training mates that power eventually. 
• Do they make impossible promises?
  • There is no reputable school that can take you from 0-black belt in six months or a year. It doesn't exist. 
  • Likewise, there is no reputable school that can take you form never-fought-before into a kick-ass-take-names badass in a few months. Doesn't happen. 
• Is the head of the dojo really big into macho posturing?
  • Generally speaking, the more badass the dojo head wants you to think they are, the less badass they actually are. Avoid the places that are all like the Cobra Kai in their posturing. 
• Is the gym/dojo a place of learning or a place of fighting? 
  • This goes back to the first one, but by this I mean: do they take time to explain new concepts to students, or is it a situation of being thrown into the deep end and told to swim? If they don't take the time to explain or show you a new concept, don't pay to get beat up. Any place where the senior students feel they want to show how tough they are by beating up the juniors is not worth your money or your time. 
• Do you enjoy your trial class?
  • Reputable dojos will generally let you try a class. Did you have fun? If the answer is 'no', it's not the club for you. You want a gym you genuinely enjoy attending. It shouldn't be a chore.

[ManchurianBee]

On 1/18/2017 at 10:47 AM, MiddleAgeMutantNinjaPanda said:

1 take some intro to self defense courses. You will find many of them will give you opposing advice. But they will all get you thinking.

2. Ground grappeling, kickboxing, and wrestling/takedown arts are three different experiences physical and emotionaly. If probably should train to some degree in all three at some point. The stronger you are at one, the more you need to get the basics of the others.

3 this is the most important. Take the one you want to go to. If you don't enjoy it you will quit

4. Never buy your marital arts hype.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

For ground grappling, kickboxing, and wrestling/takedown, I would recommend checking out a MMA gym.  They would most likely have all of those in house.  I would kind of be wary of some schools that are just adding a BJJ or MMA curriculum to say their Kung Fu school simply because of the popularity of MMA and they want to cash in.

 

 

On 3/18/2017 at 8:47 AM, chemgeek said:

• Is the head of the dojo really big into macho posturing?
  • Generally speaking, the more badass the dojo head wants you to think they are, the less badass they actually are. Avoid the places that are all like the Cobra Kai in their posturing. 

 

Funny enough, there's a legit BJJ gym in Vegas called Cobra Kai Jiu Jitsu.  http://www.ckjj.com/

 

Anyways, OP. Check out free trials in your area.  See if what they're selling seems legit.  Also look into their pricing options, a lot of McDojos will charge an arm and a leg.  That being said, there are legit schools that are pretty pricey. I think Art of Jiu Jitsu that's ran my the Mendes brothers is like $200/Month.  Really though, if you like it. Who cares what others think?  You can wear a camo belt. You can wear a Ryu from Street Fighter gi.  You can do CrossFit self-defense. If you enjoy doing it, you should do it.

 

[chemgeek]

Yeah, I was more talking about the rah-rah-I-am-tough-and-scary style posturing since IME that correlates stongly with nose-breaker schools.

[Wolfling]

What is best for you?  That depends on what you are interested in learning and why :-)

 

Find a place where you fit in, where you have fun, where you want to go.  Don't worry about how effective it is, worry about what kind of people it turns out.  Look at the people who have been going for a long time, are they the kind of people you want to be with and be like?  If you like the group, and are having fun, you will keep going.  Chances are, you will never get into a violent situation, so training should always be focused on the day to day benefits it provides.   The best style is the one you train...often :-)

[Torch]

Agree with the above advice to go and watch  a class, and try free ones (most places will offer one). Also two key things to consider:

 

1) What are your training goals and does the training at a particular school fit those goals? You can do martial arts for a whole range of valid reasons, just make sure your personal goals match up with what's being offered. Do some research beforehand, talk to the instructor and to a certain extent go with your gut feeling. One good indicator of quality - usually - is if the instructor is honest and upfront about what the training is NOT suitable for.

 

2) Pick a place you are likely to go to regularly. Consider atmosphere, location, fun etc.. If you're not going to enjoy it there, times don't work well for you or it's such a pain to get to that you're not going to go, it's pointless. Far better to train at a decent school you go to than be signed up at the "perfect" school but never attend.