5 Things to Look for When Choosing a Martial Arts School for Your Child

At some point, most parents have an interest in finding a Karate, Tae Kwon Do, or martial arts class for their child. You should ALWAYS make a point to visit several schools in your area to watch the class, see how the students interact, and just try and get an overall vibe of the school and evaluate if it matches your own. Here are five specific things you should look for when comparing the martial arts schools in your area.

1. The instructor teaches to the age of the child.

Everyone knows each child is unique but are you aware that there are several developmental stepping stones children go through, and the learning styles and motivations change through each? Does your karate school break classes down by age level as well as rank? A smart, well-rounded instructor will have age breaks for classes – 3-5-year-olds, 6-9-year-olds, 10-12, etc. Each age group will have a lesson tailored to their needs and motivating factors, and the results should be smiles among the students and a feeling of making progress.

2. The instructor focuses on the learning, rather than their ego.

An experienced martial arts instructor is likely sitting on tons of knowledge, and the drive to share way too much and show off their expertise is hard to resist. However, doing so is feeding their ego-driven needs, rather than the needs of the child. So, does the instructor’s class resemble a demonstration of “ooh” and “aww” techniques? Or…does the instructor focus on what the child can reasonably learn during the class time, and then focus on demonstrating and teaching that?

3. The instructor employs the use of multiple learning styles in his/her teaching.

A teacher doesn’t have to have an education degree to understand that kids, or people in general for that matter, learn in different ways. So, does your karate instructor use different ways to show a concept to the kids? Do they ever use music, tempo,

and beats to teach a technique? Do they allow or encourage appropriate social interaction (partnered activity) during the lesson? Do they ask children to repeat instructions or concepts back to them to engage the verbal learner?

4. Boundaries are easily identifiable and enforced firmly but calmly.

Do parents or younger siblings randomly wander onto the training floor? Does your Dojo have clear expectations for etiquette – and more importantly, does the instructor respond appropriately but firmly to issues when they arise? We’ve all seen a class where a child clearly needs to have their behavior addressed, but it goes on without any redirection or consequence. A strong martial arts instructor will make sure to maintain a level of order and focus so that the class can continue the learning process. An instructor that knows children will also know how to appropriately handle it in a way that is appropriate for the child’s age.

5. The martial arts studio is CLEAN.

This is an obvious but often overlooked area among martial arts studios, and prospective clients should look carefully for signs of frequent cleaning. How does the facility smell when you walk in the door? Does it smell like that pair of dirty socks that got left in the bottom of your son’s bookbag for 2 months? Can you smell the slight scent of cleaning products? The bathrooms should be bright, the fixtures shiny, and things like the wall switch plates and doorknob area should not have dirty hand smudges all over them. A professionally run martial arts school will have DAILY cleaning procedures in place that make sure your child is in a safe, germ-free environment.

Martial art training is an excellent choice of activity for your child. This type of training encourages self-discipline, confidence, perseverance, and respect, in addition to learning moves that can help your child fend off the schoolyard bully. Just be sure to look around and research your area’s instructors while using the points made above and you will find a rewarding experience for your child and a mentor to help them achieve their goals.