Picking the right club/style

                So, you are looking for a new club, or you are a first time student, parent of a student and you want to get your kid, yourself or your kid and yourself into a “Kratty” program but you have NO idea what you are looking at, for or anything like that. Well, who does the first time! Most people fall into the trap of joining a club because it’s at the local YMCA or its close and they don’t use the most present resource they have…the internet…to much more than find the address. They also don’t know the difference between Kuk Sul Kwan and Savate!  Don’t feel bad…no first timer knows what they are looking at when it comes to this stuff.

                Well, not all martial arts and not all programs are created equally! You also may be looking for something that the club just can not help you with, and let’s face it some martial arts are just not for some people.  This guide should help sort out some of the confusion. However, it is also very important to note that this blog comes with some personal bias as well as a lot of common sense.  Read on!

Stand alone club vs Community center clubs

                First thing right off the hop that you need to know is that some clubs are “Stand alone” or “Brick and mortar” meaning the club is dedicated to that art and you will only train in that art at that location. Some may be in dance studios or aerobics joints, but the majority of clubs are in Community centers, schools and universities. You need to know that they are different and the level of training you will get will vary but sometimes not the way you think.

                Brick and mortar clubs suffer from two things; they have a high rent and they rely on the flow of students through the door. This means two things…. higher fees and the instructors are always looking for funds (new students and a focus on marketing over quality instruction).

Avoid contracts and realize you don’t always get what you pay for!

                The first thing that I tell my friends when they are looking for an instructor to teach their kids, other than telling them out our group and dojos in their area is….dont sign a contract….EVER! you can sign a waiver, that’s normal, but agreeing to pay for classes for a given time regardless of your kids intersts in training is a no-no! Meaning little johnny wants to do “Kratty” today but if you decides that he no longer wants to….you don’t want to be stuck paying for a year of Martial arts training when your kid or yourself are no longer training.

                The other thing you want, but not as a contract is an outline of what you owe, but I will get to that later.

Feel out the instructors

                You should have a sense of respect for your instructor, but you should not be scared of them. You and your kid should get a good and healthy feeling from them but not a “friend” feel from them. In the martial arts there is an important distance between the instructor and the student that helps teach respect and other aspects of training.

                Some instructors also come across as creepy or weird, they want to be mystical or they are just weirdo’s.  You get a big number of these in the non-traditional “ancient” systems…yes you read that correctly. The instructors that come across as strange, weird, creepy or shady are exactly that..and you should hit the ground running.

                When you register for a course you should take 4-10 weeks to train with the instructor before you mentally (and financially) commit to that club. You will probably find a few clubs you attend that you simply do not like. I have trained at clubs run like the army with the instructor SHOUTING at me and I have also gone to clubs where the level of hygiene was not something that they took seriously. I left both clubs because I had high standards under my instructor.

Feel out the program ($ and time dedication)

                So, what do you want to pay to have a great experience and learn martial arts, what are your goals, how much do you feel you can spend before it starts to become to expensive? Some plans will be much more expensive than others, some will only have 1-2 classes a week and others will be open 7 days a week!  You need to know what your cost maximum is and know what that gets you for your money. AND SHOP AROUND.

                Studies done in the late 90’s show that Martial arts training should be cheaper than most sport training like Hockey when you look at what you are paying for the year and what you are getting. For instance a child in Hockey will pay around $5000 for the year on average (according to the report) and only play 4 months of the year with a total time on the ice at 5 months max. so, it costs around $1K a month to participate and you are only really getting 5 months of exercise and activities. If you save and pay each month on a payment program you are still paying $416 a month for your kid to take up hockey. And if they get good…it can go up to 8K or more…and by the way that does not include the cost of gear.

                Soccer is one of the cheaper ones…but it can run you $50-200 a season for a child and again. If they get good it can be up to 6K for a season with a higher-level team. A good martial arts program should cost you around you around 1K for the whole year, including testing’s and seminars for the normal club. You may spend about $50-150 on uniforms depending on the quality of the uniform. All in if you are spending more than $1500 for a martial art program you are probably paying to much.

Titles

                I often find myself very uncomfortable when people use different titles when referring to the martial arts instructors. I have trained under my Sensei for decades and decades, and he ONLY let me refer to him as Sensei. Well, not only. He would let me introduce him as Mr. Dingman on occasion but mostly it was Sensei. My instructor was very careful to let everyone know that “Sensei” means one that came before and it’s a title that they use for teachers in any academics in Japan and other situations.

                I have also trained under Chinese Sifu (Teacher) and people that had me call them Goru or Goro in a Pilipino art/Jeet Kun Do for a class or two. I have also met and trained under other Sensei and people that just wanted me to use their last name.  When you enter a Dojo or club the first thing you will want to ask is “how should I refer to you”….the instructor will let you know…but there is when it gets scary!

                I have had instructors insist that I call them Master, that is not going to happen. While I am not the demographic that would have had this title historically held over them, I find the use of this title sickening. You are not my master, you are my teacher, the difference is HUGE. Also I don’t like when people ignore tradition and have the students call them Coach!  The Martial arts should use titles appropriate to the art, and Coach is a title used for sports, which Martial arts are not.

Finding a club

                So, you are looking at joining a club to train or you are looking to put your kid into an art and you have no idea where to start, or perhaps you have trained in the past but you are not sure the club you are training at is for you and you are looking to make a change.  I have some simple and easy steps to follow before you make the leap and dedicate yourself to a club. Remember picking a club is often a life time, or should be, of dedication. Treat it like buying a car, you should not just pick one and go buy it, research and investigate it.  Also, don’t go with what a friend is doing or what they set up for their kid, people make mistakes and often you pay for those mistakes when you just do what they do. So…..

                First, go down the blog and read my notes on the styles of martial arts and select the ones that meet your goals and seem interesting to you….then go to the internet and review a few videos on them in YouTube to cut it down to about 2-3 arts that you want to go watch and meet the instructor. Now that you have the few arts you want to investigate (making sure they are available in your areas by the way) find at least two clubs for each. If you, for instance, select Judo, you should find 2-3 clubs and go and watch a class then take a class. You should be feeling out the instructor and the club members as well.

Your first visit to a club.

                When you visit a club watch a class first and pay attention to the students and the instructor, the facility and the feel of the place. Remember you may want a laid-back club or a super traditional club and if you find the opposite it will not make for a good match.

                Next, assuming it feels right, you will start asking questions of the instructor or the administrator about cost for the classes, equipment and any other expense. The reason for this is to get a better picture. If you find the clubs is fantastic, the instructor is great…but Holy smokes is it expensive, may still not be something for you.

                Feel out the club too, watch the students and try to see how they react to the instructors, how do the seniors ask, do they push a different ideal than you are trying for. For instance, if you are looking for a traditional Judo club and you wander into a sport club you may not want to stay. Also, if you notice that the students are all acting up and or playing around…how do the instructors react?  Trust me you will know more about the feel of a kids class watching the instructor and chaos and how they react to it than you would expect.

How often should I train?

                In martial arts you get out of them what you put into them.  Now I am not talking about home training, which I recommend doing your homework, I am talking about the actual time in the club on the dojo floor as it were. My suggestion for most people is 2-3 days a week is good, average and about as much time as you will need to dedicate to benefit and progress.  Once a week is mostly a waste of time and more does not really mean you will benefit more.

                Some clubs are super serious and have 7 days a week or 6 days a week for training. That’s fine, I have noticed that if the club is worth a damn and you are working hard your body normally will only be able to handle 2-3 days a week with out breaking down and damaging yourself. This is for the new students mind you. Seniors can and should train smarter and more often. If the students are youth, teens or kids you should avoid any club that has them working out 5-6 times a week at high levels of training because it will damage their growing bodies. Like anything there is such a think as to much of a good thing.

What is a McDojo? Or belt mill

                Not all Dojos are created equally, and not all of them have the same scruples that you would expect of a club. Standards and traditional focus on hard training should be a focus of the student when looking for a club to train at. However, there is a different kind of club that you should be focused on avoiding! The McDojo!

                The McDojo is a belt factory that teaches very little or little I would recognize as a martial art. They also give out belts, the instructor is normally a very young person with a super high rank or some guy wearing a different color uniform (think sparkly) and has a weird rank belt…like a 12^th degree gold belt! And the art they teach…is normally less than 20 years old (often their OWN art).  The only thing I can say about McDojos….is avoid them.

Different styles outline.

                Now as promised I will give you a very brief run down of the different styles you may run into. This is purely my opinion on the styles and a very brief overview of the art. I have included pretty much every martial art you can run into in a big city. I am going to present the most un-bias account of each that I can and include at least one good point for each style when I can, as well as my thoughts on who should and should not be training in these arts or why.

Amateur Wrestling- Amateur Wrestling or any kind of collegiate wrestling are grappling based arts. They obviously are all about wrestling. I recommend this art for teens to young adults as a starting art or as an art that you can start at that age, I don’t think it’s a great art for you to train in if you are 30 and looking to drop a few pounds because the art is all about the grind and it will grind on you! It has some very possible danger points and anyone doing it can get hurt so beware it’s a hard sport but you get in great shape and you have to condition the hell out of yourself to participate...probably not the art for newbies, and its normally only offered to students of school age.

BJJ- BJJ or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is perhaps in the top two to three biggest martial arts craze to see the light of day!  BJJ is also a grappling art that came from ground fighting in Judo and was created by the Gracie family. The art has become very different than the early days as it transitioned from a pure form of martial art to a challenge fight art and now its focus is on sport.  BJJ, like most of the arts, will have great clubs and not so great clubs. The biggest hurdles you will find in BJJ is the potential damage that you can have done to your body while training in BJJ, it for this reason that I say you should view BJJ the way you view Wrestling in that its not for children or youth but maybe older teens and young adults. As you age you also will find that the rigors of training may lead more injuries as well.

Judo/ Sambo- Sambo is often called Russian Judo. Judo and sambo are very similar in that they are a throwing/grappling art. Judo traditionally has been taught to kids and if its done properly it can be a great art for kids to start out in. However, because of the amount of grappling and throwing it also can  be dangerous for the person starting out. It takes a while for a person to get used to the art of break falls. Also, a lot of Judo clubs focus a great deal on sport practice and participation, its actually part of some club rank requirements. Both arts are also good for defense but focus for this is less in Judo than sambo.

Aikido- Unlike Judo/Sambo’s hard focus grappling Aikido focuses more on flow and lighter contact, however its also relies on the participation of the student’s partner. This is much lighter on the body than Judo would be but still involves falling an joint manipulation so it can be damaging to a student. Aikido is not a practical art form for defense because you would need to be a high-level practitioner to use this art with a non-compliant attacker. It is still a good work out but don’t fool yourself, an attacker is not going to assist with falling ext!

Capoeira- Part dance, part martial art, part gymnastics and part insanity! The art of Capoeira normally teaches youth and young adults who have great agility and rhythm. I have seen a few kids but this is a very intense art that will help build speed, agility and flexibility. It’s a very technical and difficult activity and you should be able to get in great shape doing this art, however the difficulty and athleticism of the art makes it hard to learn and near impossible for an average student to use to defend themselves, its not very practical as well for that purpose.  But again, depending on your goal, this could be perfect.

Karate Traditional- my personal bias is going to show here. A good Dojo should cater to all ages and all skill levels. You will find a variety of skilled instructors and systems in this category. The focus of Karate is personal character development, but the training should get you in shape as well. I always suggest Karate to any family member and if you are looking for an art that is not hard on the body in general then you don’t have to look any further. Traditional Karate should be for everyone and benefit everyone.

Karate Moden- Kempo /- by modern Karate styles I refer to those that have been created in the last 40-60 years. Arts like Kempo, WKF style sport Karate and others are all systems created in the last hundred years and often they are an amalgam of systems and styles. A mish mash of systems, some more effective than others.  I don’t really suggest that you focus your training on Sport Karate nor do I advocate those systems that don’t have a solid root in traditional Karate. The danger of some of the systems to provide false ideas when teaching can cause danger to the students. Sport Karate itself is geared towards athletes and the goal of winning in tournaments, this could be your goal but then you have to view the art as the same as a basketball team, you train, compete then end your career at some point. Traditional arts you can continue for a lifetime.

Kung fu/ Wu Shu- Kung fu or Wushu are terms used for most of the Chinese art, but there are literally hundreds of different arts.  From wild and agile arts to focused and rooted arts the systems are varied and focus to a various degree of effectiveness. Most of the traditional kung fu clubs will give you a good work out and a great amount of training in traditional arts. My suggestion for the arts would vary based on the style of kung fu you select. Thing like Wing Chun are harder and include more contact while some styles are very soft and very little partner work is done at all. The focus of the training will vary so the participation ages and focus would change depending on the person, the art and the goals and objectives.

Tai Chi / Chi Kung- Tai Chi is perhaps one of the most well-known arts out there! You can see older people doing this in the parks and school, but its not just for older people.  Tai Chi has many benefits, especially for those with high stress jobs ext. or stress issues. The physical and mental components that Tai Chi teaches are beneficial in helping people with their stress levels, it helps getting and keeping the body healthy and mobile and it creates a lot of good benefits for people, however it may not have the punch, pardon the pun, to attract children and youth. This fact is kind of sad as it can be very beneficial to people as a form of moving medication.

Iado/ Kendo- Depending on your goals, Iado and Kendo are probably up their in two of the hardest and most expensive arts you can find to train in. In Japan all ages of people train in these sword arts. The focus of the training is on Kata in Iado or forms and in Kendo its sparring with bamboo swords. What makes it expensive?  How about armor that costs between $600-6000 dollars and for Iado the swords can range from a few hundred to a few thousands’ dollars. The arts are about movement and mindfulness. Kendo is a great work out physically and will get you in great shape while the Iado benefit are about detail observation, technical precision and relaxation and explosiveness. I would say that Iado would be more for older adults and Kendo for younger to older. I have a lot of respect for experts in these arts, but I don’t have the patience for Kendo or Iado training, that’s on me!

Ninjutsu- First things first, Ninjitsu died off, its original systems are DEAD, there are a few clubs that teach a weird modernized version of what someone thinks Ninjitsu was but it died off and the name was brought back in the 80’s because the idea of  Ninjitsu was interesting to some. Now, having said that, this is one of those “tin foil hat clan” groups you want to avoid. Any actual useable martial skills you may get from training in this are stolen from other real arts like Kobudo and Karate or Jujitsu. Any argument from the “tin foil hat clan” that say different is sort of like talking to the flat earthers…..just don’t.

Tae Kwon Do/ Hapkido/Kuksul kwan- Tae Kwon do is probably the second or first most recognizable name on this list. I mean that if you say Karate, Kung Fu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do…I would say 99% of people know what you are talking about…if you said Kuk Sul Kwan…probably not.  Well Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, Kuk Sul Kwan, Tang So do and a bunch of other systems came out of Korea and are very popular in North America and the world. One reason is that Tae Kwon Do got into the Olympics in 1988 at the Soul Olympics, and against the odds Olympic TKD stuck around. Tae Kwon do runs the same gambit as other systems…from useless play time for kids to Olympic Level competitors to traditional art. The thing that is interesting about TKD is how it markets itself, by that I mean TKD focuses so much on marketing that it blows other arts away…but some clubs often lack in MEAT when you see all the flash. Of the Korean arts TKD is the most “modern” and the largest. Other arts like Hapkido, Tang Soo Do, Moo Duk Kwan, Choi Kwang do, Hwrang Do and others tend to lean towards being much more traditional. If you are choosing a Korean art, Shop around because there is a Gross amount of clubs and with that there are really a lot of junk, Child care and belt factories. Having said that I have met, competed against and know of some very solid TKD fighters in the past and if you find a good club you will get solid training.

Kick boxing- American Kick boxing or just Kick boxing grew out of the Point fighting Karate phase of the ‘70’s and became very popular. A mix of boxing, Tae Kwon Do, Karate and French Savat the art or sport focuses a lot on training to compete and conditioning. It’s a great way to get into shape and work out, but its harder on the body and much like my next few arts, it comes with some dangers. Kick boxing is a great way to destress, get in shape and have fun (if you have good coach).  Good kick boxing schools don’t worry about things like Rank or belts, they don’t have them traditionally but some schools will put them into the curriculum to attract students, especially younger ones. Also, getting hit in the head is not good for you, which makes me think its probably not going to be the first art you pick. I have never really seen older kick boxers in the gym or competing, there is a shelf life for practicing impact sports, however for youth (not kids) and young adults it is a great art to train in to stay or get in shape. The art uses a lot of auxiliary training like jump rope and road running as well, so that adds to the conditioning and the benefits of being involved in the art.

Boxing- Most people don’t see Boxing as being a martial art, but by definition it is. The focus of boxing after all is fighting.  Boxing again has a lot of benefits, it gets you in great shape, teaches you how to move, use distance and it teaches you to work hard…however it also focuses a lot not just on hitting…but you get hit a lot too. Also, the “blocking” and movements they use are not often realistic in a real fight, you need to do more than cover up to protect yourself. Your main focus when defending yourself is coving up and a fist being thrown at you is much smaller than a gloved fist in boxing. That aside getting hit a lot as a rule is a bad thing. Not just in the head, but it has been shown that people getting hit to the body can cause permanent damage as well. As of late you see a lot of boxing themed fitness programs roll out, these are NOT boxing! They are the same as Tae Bo but with boxing skills only. You won’t see a member of those groups getting boxing belts any time soon, I am talking about the real boxers. Boxing is “appropriate” For young adults and maybe youth. Again, not a whole lot of boxer who train past their 30’s. 

Muay Thai- Muay Thai is a term used, mostly for traditional Muay Thai boxing, but also for other south east Asian kick boxing systems. These styles pre-date the Point Karate based Kick boxing we were talking about previously. The Muay Thai systems are a martial art but also a sport. The practitioners get in GREAT shape and they learn the same things that boxing and kick boxing offers, however much like those combat sports they are very hard on the body. Bumps, bruises and brain damage are all part of the game. For young adults and perhaps youth this practice is excellent if you want to find a way to get in shape and compete in a very challenging combat sport, but again the down side is its short-term training not life time and its incredibly hard on the body. Muay Thai is also much more dangerous and deadly than kick boxing as they allow elbows and knees as well as leg kicks, all of which are very dangerous tools in a fight.

Arnis/Eskirama/Kali- There is one thing I can say about the Pilipino arts and if you know anything about them you will agree with me….they are some scary stuff man!  Kali, Arnis, Escrima, Mano Mano, Suntukan, Sikaran, Dumog, Buno, Bultong, Yaw Yan and others are all designed for one purpose, to harm the other guy as fast as you can and to destroy them. I have met a few Goru or instructors who were super fun guys, lots of laughs, till you start talking fighting or go to train with them….they become not just serious…they became as serous as a heart attack!  The art is designed to use minimum time to shut you down and take you out. Even Sikaran, which is a Filipino version of Shotokan is more focused on the application of kicking and punching to rip you apart, take you down and take you out. The arts are not for kids, I know kids train in it, but it’s a serious adult training system that is more akin to a real-world self-defense program than an art form. Yes, its an art form and it has its share of pageantry and stylish moves, but behind each of those is the ideals of things like “use the knife to shred the tendon at the back of the knee/ankle/neck” or things like that. Its insanely practice but its also very hard on the practitioners. I have seen a lot of older practitioners, and one of the more famous ones is Dan Insantos who is a very dangerous man even at his current age. The other thing you can expect is that they will take from any place and train in anything that works. It the ultimate defensive program, but again…not for kids. You don’t give kids those tools and expect them to have the maturity to use it properly.

MMA/Lute Livre/ Vale Tudo- Along with BJJ the most recent addition to the martial arts areana for clubs is MMA or Mixed Martial arts. The original name of which was No Holds Barred or Lute Livre/Vale Tudo. The original arts were created in Brazil as traditional clubs challenged and met for fights (professionally and armature challenges). Then the UFC came to the airwaves and the idea of BJJ as a dominating combat sport took off….then wrestlers and strikers began learning BJJ and how to counter it…then they merge the striking, wrestling and submissions together and it took off as MMA…shortly their after a whole crowd of marketing savvy McDojos turned to “Teaching” MMA, some even began giving out belts and teaching kids. Much like TKD you now have a group of really bad BS clubs mixed with real MMA gyms that will train you in MMA properly. Three things…First MMA is a combat sport that is all about fighting that will cause damage to someone….and secondly MMA is NOT for Kids our youth and it not only scares me to see this but it sickens me! Lastly MMA is a combat sport, it will demand that you be in the best shape of your life, but it will also break you down.  Add the impact damage from striking arts and the danger of being choked out or joints snapped of grappling….this is a dangerous sport and should NOT be seen as a great option for kids or as a fitness program!!!!!

Self-defense programs- Defendo/ Wen-Do/Krav Maga / Systema- There are a plethora of self-defense programs, and there is a plethora of actual effective arts in that group. A system of Krav Maga would be much more effective as a continuous practice over a woman week end of Wen-Do for example. The key to a good self-protection program is the applicability of the systems techniques and the continuous practice of the drills and training. These kinds of programs are great for adults and young adults and if it’s a program of continuous training they can focus on fitness and conditioning as well. One of the biggest things to keep in mind when taking or looking to join a club that does self defense is if its applicable and believable. Anyone teaching someone how to take a gun away in the first week should be avoided. Along with a string of BS ideas some programs teach you how to take a punch, how to break bones (note they never actually apply this in the class) and other bone head things. Use of weapons are also a no no. the class should start with legal warnings ext as well.

 

Some final thoughts

                So now that I have spouted a bit about the different arts I have to say, as you can see, that not all of the arts mentioned are good for everyone….as you can see.  So, I am going to give you my suggestions for each age category and a bit of information you may want to know when you are looking for a style for you, your kid…or your parents!

My thoughts for Kids (4-9)- Kids need special kinds of training! They have smaller attention spans and they are growing physically and emotionally. You need an instructor that can handle them, inspire and entertain them. The second thing is, with growing joints and muscles that are fragile, they need an art that is energetic but safe. For this reason, I suggest Karate and TKD style training. The training should not be baby sitting programs however that are just a play structure, they need to learn a bit of structure and discipline (Self not enforced) and push them to understand that effort in is results out.

My thoughts for Youth (10-14)- Youth are still developing and growing up they are less fragile than kids. They are still emotionally developing and Combat sports appear to be attractive to them, but they are not ready for this really.  I still recommend Karate and TKD style training for them but they can physically take a bit more bumps so Judo/Sambo are okay too. I still say avoid boxing and kick boxing because of the damage to the body but less impact training and safe impact (judo throws to matts) are acceptable.

My thoughts for Young Adults (15-18)- Young adults are much more durable then younger and older categories and because of this I would suggest that this is the age category that combat sports can be used and enjoyed, but keep in mind that you probably wont continue past into Older adult age.  This would be the most open age category that I see. Almost any system can be used.

My thoughts for adults (19-40)-  Adults should focus on stress reduction and health/fitness. Again and obviously I suggest things like Karate and TKD but as you get older you will need to find a TKD group that knows or expects realistic levels of flexibility ext. Some of the combat sports are also a good idea. At this age self defense style work outs should also be seen as acceptable depending on the clubs.

My thoughts for older adults (41-50)- As we get older we lose flexibility and muscle mass, for this reason I suggest that you avoid any overly dynamic systems and stick to more practical systems. Again Karate and TKD are good choices.  

My thoughts for Elders (51 plus)- The older you get the more traditional I recommend for new practitioners.  There are the odd stories about BJJ 70 year olds but they are rare.  Tai Chi and less aggressive Karate styles are the ones I suggest the most.

Conclusion

                So, now you have my ideas on martial arts system and training. The most important thing first off, I to try the different systems in your area and take them seriously based on your goals. Don’t get talked into anything and go in with your eyes wide open and one foot out the door till you decide which one you will dedicate your time to.

                I notice Karate and Tae Kwon Do a lot, but Kung fu and others can be interchanged with those. The main thing that you should take from the styles is the training systems and the ideology of each system.

                And most importantly, once you find the one you like, the one that meets your goals and expectations…and you have dedicated your time and money to it…enjoy!