How To Choose A Martial Arts School

To reap the best benefits from martial arts, they should be taken as long-term activities rather than short-term. Given this suggestion, one should not just simply walk into the closest martial arts studio and sign up right away without doing some research. Not all martial arts are alike and not all schools or studios are alike either. Therefore, it is important to think about what your own needs are concerning martial arts training.

The discussion of which martial art style to take is too extensive for this article. So what I will say here is that there are differences in the various styles of martial arts which may result in some being more suitable for certain individuals compared to others. Do some research on the different styles and do visit the classes of different studios that teach different martial arts if possible. But more important is each school’s approach to teaching their martial arts. Many martial arts schools teach only techniques and forms (set routines) that are specific to a traditional style. These schools follow the ways that the founders of each martial art style developed, and they have continued with minimal variance over the years.

Other studios like to borrow techniques from a variety of martial art disciplines and integrate a mix into their programs. Some schools are non-traditional and adopt a more open freestyle system that incorporates traditional martial art techniques with gymnastics and open choreography of forms. Many clubs do both traditional and open styles. Each school will claim that its martial art style and method of teaching are superior to others. Prospective students must not take these claims too seriously and choose an approach that would be best suited for them on an individual basis.

Many advertisements for martial arts schools push the backgrounds of their higher-ranking instructors as a way to attract students. It is important to realize that the more degrees (or dans) a particular black belt has do not always mean that the individual is a better instructor.

This is the same with instructors who have very successful competition records.  There is no correlation between the number of world championship titles won with how good an instructor is. The term ’master’ should also be taken with caution. A master does not always make an excellent instructor.  The teaching style of different instructors can vary. Some use the old Asian masters’ approach where discipline is strictly enforced much like in the military. While general discipline is a good attribute to learn from martial arts training, some of the old ways of teaching, particularly reprimanding students vocally or physically for incorrect techniques may be considered a bit harsh for today’s society. This is why it is important to watch classes of prospective martial arts schools in which you are interested. You want to see the teaching style of an instructor to determine if it is a style that would be compatible with you or not. Ask questions after instructors have finished teaching. If you have the gut feeling that certain instructors will not be right for you, move on to find another club. Most legitimate schools will allow prospective students to witness or even try out a class for free before joining.

Related to teaching styles, some instructors emphasize safety more than others. The use of protective equipment and certain rules while sparring are factors. In addition to asking instructors, also ask other students about injury rates and their general feedback about the classes (ideally when they are outside of their schools). Another point on the students is that some schools attract a certain type of student profile. Observe the other students and decide whether these are people you would like to train with.

Some schools are very much into competition with the active encouragement of students to participate in tournaments. Some schools even make this a requirement to advance through the different levels. Other schools have been known to restrict competition only within a particular circuit.

For example, many tae know do clubs only participate in tournaments that are strictly Olympic style tae kwon do and never go to events that are open to all martial arts styles. There are schools on the complete opposite end where they do not believe in competition at all and pretty well keep to themselves without any interaction with other martial arts clubs. Many Chinese kung fu clubs do not compete and some styles of martial arts such as aikido do not offer any competitive outlet. Many martial arts schools choose to have a relaxed position toward competition where they leave it up to individual students to choose whether they want to participate in tournaments or not. Some schools have special competition teams where additional training is available for those students who wish to compete.

So as a prospective student, you should consider what involvement you would like in the competition if any. If you know that you never want to compete, you should not get locked into a school that requires tournament competition. If you have a desire for competition, do not join a studio that shuns competition.

Some martial arts schools teach in community centers, school gyms, and even church basements. Some have bare-bones studios with outdated equipment.

Some schools have the latest martial arts and fitness equipment with sparkling clean change rooms and facilities.

All of these will factor into the membership fee of each school. You have to determine what you are willing to pay for and what type of environment you will feel comfortable training in.

Many schools require annual contracts while some are on a month-to-month basis. There could be initiation fees. There could also be testing or grading fees for advancement.

All of these extra costs will add up.

Ask what happens if you have to freeze your membership due to extended illness or injury.

If one does not know whether martial arts is an activity for them in the long run, the option of taking short-term courses such as those offered by community centers may be a viable alternative to making a full commitment to a dedicated martial arts club with its own studio space.  But do be aware that although martial arts can be very enjoyable from the first day you put on a karate uniform, it is a long-term activity, and one must have the patience to benefit the most from martial arts.

Fortunately, there are many options in the form of different martial art styles and schools to choose from in the market today. Just make sure that you do some preliminary research before committing to any particular club.

Stress Relief with Martial Arts

Are you a busy executive or mom trying to do everything?  Are you getting so stressed out that it seems like you’re not accomplishing anything? If so, you can use martial arts to combat that stress!  Many of the skills and techniques used in martial arts training are the same skills and techniques you can use to rid your body of stress.

So, you might be wondering how a skill that is commonly depicted as a fighting tool can reduce stress…  Some of these common images of martial arts aren’t completely accurate.  The cartoons, video games, and movies showing martial arts as a fighting tool are only showing you one small facet of the art. The skills necessary for training martial arts can teach you how to balance your mind and body and give you the confidence you need to face stressful events in your life. 

How do you do it?

One of the techniques used to create this balance is using breathing and meditation techniques to help you connect and control your mind and body.  There are different types of meditation: sitting, standing, kneeling, and moving.  Find the position that works best for you.  Here’s how to start.

1. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.

2. Breathe deeply.  To make sure you’re breathing deeply enough, put your hand on your stomach. If your stomach isn’t pushing out as you breathe in, you’re not breathing deeply enough. Try to pull the air to your navel before you let it out.

3. When you breathe out, keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth.  This keeps helps minimize your saliva and swallowing. 

In the Chinese way of thinking, breathing like this is completing a path:  The mouth is a gate and the tongue on the roof of the mouth allows your vital energy called “Qi” or “Chi” (both pronounced “chee”) to circulate throughout your body.  Chi is what helps your mind and body connect. 

After you’ve gotten the physical aspects of breathing down, you can start counting your breaths – this is a form of meditation that many experts teach during stress management courses. Start short and work your way up.

• Begin with a count of 4 as you breathe in and a count of 6 as you breathe out.

• As you go along, extend the in and out until you can get a count of 6 as you breathe in and up to 24-30 as you breathe out.  Just remember that you want a short, deep breath in and a slow, long breath out.

Why does it work?

This mind and body connection through breathing works because stress is a mental state that manifests itself as a physical symptom in your body.  This physical symptom then acts as a trigger to tell you to do something about it.  As you become more aware of your body, you’ll be able to notice the “trigger” before it becomes something unbearable such as a severe neck problem or a migraine headache.

Once you notice your trigger, you can stop and do something about it such as practicing a breathing technique. For example, I used to get stress-induced migraines that would leave me out of commission for a whole day.  Now, I’ve come to realize that it starts in my lower back as a small thing.  If I let it go, it works its way up to my head.  Now, when I noticed this trigger in my back, I stop and do my breathing. It allows the issue to surface so I can deal with it and I don’t have to deal with a migraine.

We all have those moments from time to time when we experience stress (some more frequently than others).  The overall benefits of training martial arts for the mind and body (including self-awareness, self-confidence, focus, concentration, and physical conditioning) all lead to reducing that stress.  You owe it to yourself to start relieving the stress in your life with the skills taught through martial arts.  The best place to find these skills is at a fine martial arts school.  Why not give it a try?  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

A Quitter Never Wins and a Winner Never Quits

The bottom line that the difference in the mindset between a champion and just another fighter. The difference between winning and losing. This is the attitude you must have to overcome all the obstacles in your training and matches. Focus, hard work, and commitment are some of the key factors in the making of a champion. Knowing the right way to train/condition your mind and body will increase your odds of becoming a champion. So how do you go about it? First, it starts with your most powerful asset or weapon you have, your thoughts. We are all in control of our destiny because we control our thoughts.

WHAT THE MIND CAN BELIEVE, THE MIND CAN ACHIEVE.

A lot of people do not like to hear this because it makes them responsible for where they are at in life, it takes away excuses for failing, not trying, or giving up. It’s all about the attitude that sets you apart from everyone else. DO OR DIE, that is the attitude you need to defeat your opponents in the ring or outside of it in the real world. When you don’t feel like training because you are too sore, too tired from a long day at work or your hand hurts or there are other things you need to get done these are excuses that you put in the way, so you don’t achieve your goal. You have to train and condition your mind to focus on your goal, so you have a burning desire to obtain it.

If two opponents of equal strength and fighting ability step into the ring the man with the stronger mind will be victorious. Here are some ways to train your mind to have the edge over your opponent. Take time to visualize your match or techniques in your mind with a clear, detailed, and realistic picture for 10-30 minutes twice a day once in the morning when you awake and before going to sleep. This will feed positive messages to your subconscious mind.

•         Find a quiet place in your home to sit or lay down whatever makes you comfortable and begin to visualize.

•         Always visualize what YOU are going to do, not what your opponent is going to do because you can only control yourself.

•         Visualize yourself always moving quickly, effortlessly, and being victorious, standing over your opponent holding your arms high up in the air with the championship belt around your waist.

•         Visualize as if you have already obtained your goal, SMELL the scents of the arena. TASTE the salt from your sweat on your lips. HEAR the crowd chanting your name. FEEL and TOUCH the championship belt around your waist and the crowd energy as you put up your hands in victory.

•         Surround yourself with positive people who push you to be your very best, believe in you and your goal, and will help you achieve it. Having supportive people around will help deflect negative thinking and will rub off on you. We become who we hang out with.

•         Read biographies of your idols on the obstacles they overcame to get to where they are today.

The key to visualization is to have 100% belief and faith that you WILL ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL, and this is YOUR PURPOSE AND DESTINY. Push away any doubt you have when it comes into your mind, or the negative thoughts will cancel out the positive message. After a little while, it well becomes easier to believe what you are telling yourself. The mind cannot tell what is real or imagined when you keep telling it something. You will subconsciously begin believing those messages. attracting people in your life that will help you reach your goal, and you will begin ACTING, TRAINING, and FIGHTING like a champion.