How do we start, where do we go from here?

by Jason Ruiter in martial arts lessons Posted on 09/13/2023 01:26 PM

Myself or someone I love is interested in starting their martial arts journey - how do we start and what things do we need to consider? We get these same questions all the time so it only makes sense to put it in a blog post.

1. We're interested, where do we go from here?

- Typically the best move is to schedule a "free trial", we have a copy of our class schedule on our website but you can find it here too. https://metrotkdstudios.com/schedule

We will book you first class and send you an email appointment of your upcoming class.

2. What happens after the free trial class? 

- We wouldn't expect you to make any decisions after a single class although it does happen. We offer a shorter term two week trial for Taekwondo classes and a 1 month trial for BJJ classes. Both of these trials will cover the cost of your first uniform or Gi and give the user a slightly longer experience to get a better sense for the culture and protocols of martial arts lessons. 

3. What are the other costs involved outside of monthly fees?

- No registration fees. With Taekwondo it would be occasional equipment if wanted/needed and promotion testing fees which come around roughly every three months depending on whether the user has achieved certain goals/achievements in order to successfully be promoted. With BJJ, there are the costs associated with competing and hosting seminars. All of these added costs are low as they not regular expenses. 

4. How long do membership terms last?

- There are no "end dates" for open ended memberships. Tuition fees are billed on an on-going basis. They can be cancelled, paused of frozen with 60 days written notice at any time. Please note that memberships on a pause/hold, start up automatically after the pause/hold is complete. We make it fairly easy to manage your membership, we are always an email away and we encourage two way communication.

 5. Do you offer family discounts?

- We certainly do and we will be happy to discuss this with you after your free trial if this applies to your situation.

6. I know little about martial arts other than what I see/hear/read about, what is the best one to get into?

- The best martial art to do is the one that gets you off the device, off the couch and gets you sweating, smiling and learning. A bit of laughter helps too. Nobody starts as Bruce Lee, Jet Li or any other Lee for that matter. We all start out a little out of shape, a little fat, super anxious and basically on life support. We end up "rope-a-doped" into all of sudden noticing we are in better shape which all of sudden makes us act on that notion of also eating a little better because we notice we are starting to look good. Thing is, if you are worried about all the little things, you will always overlook the big things. That being said, we teach both BJJ and TKD, Taekwondo is a far better starting point for kids and BJJ might be a better starting point for adults but certainly both are great. Taekwondo for kids is simply better because it is highly technical and there are very few children that can grasp the concepts being taught without prior training in "other" martial arts. We teach both so we don't really have a "dog in the fight". Taekwondo's path to blackbelt is by far more structured, standardized and approximately 5 years in length versus 15 years in length. Both are effective methods of self-defence. As someone who practices both, focus on TKD first - achieve blackbelt then transition to Jiu Jitsu assuming your path in martial arts makes you a life long practitioner.

Final thoughts?

Know what you are buying. Some parents/adult students make the mistake of thinking that they are simply doing another recreational activity or trying something new and it certainly starts that way.

After about a year of practice, what  you've really bought or are buying is the kind of confidence that is alert to what is going on around you without fear. You are buying the ability to get out of a "sticky situation". You are buying your ability to talk your way out of a fight, to be respectful enough to not get into conflict and the subtle understanding that "if you had to - you could". You are buying an exercise regime that is fun enough and interesting enough to stick to. You are paying for your daughter to learn how to speak up and young boys to be quiet. You are buying the ability of young girls to defend against domestic and sexual abuse, boys to have an outlet for aggression and stand up for the ones they love when needed.

For far too many people, personal safety and overall general fitness is an after thought until it's far too late. Achieving your blackbelt at any age is highly unlikely to be something you will ever regret regardless of cost or effort.