Kids love martial arts and martial arts schools love kids but many schools just love your money! Overhead in many martial art schools is enormous. They need a lot of space to fit a lot of students. Sort of a catch 22. In order to be able to afford such a space, the owner will need to guarantee that he will make the rent each month. To do this, he will ask you the parent of the potential student to sign the dreaded contract.
Many contracts will lock you into payments for up to 3 years. Chances are your child will loose interest after a couple of months. What then? Who wants to make payments for another 2 1/2 years for nothing? When looking for a school for you child, never sign a contract longer than 6 months. State that you will be willing to sign another 6 month contract when the first one runs out. If the school says no, just get up and leave. There is no reason they shouldn't honor a 6 month contract.
After negotiating the contract, find out how much the equipment will cost. Some schools ask the parents to pay hundreds of dollars for uniforms, weapons, protective equipment etc. Also find out about "hidden" costs such as belt exam testing fees. I know of one school that charged $800 dollars for the black belt test. Find out if these exams are mandatory or can the child test when he feels ready.
It would be best to leave little Timmy or Terry home when you go to sign them up. This way if you decide not to, you will not have to contend with the whining that will ensue. Martial arts can be an important part of your child's development. Just remember that there are those that are out only for your money and not your child's well-being.
John Honner is an avid practitioner of the Japanese martial arts and loves to write articles that promote the truth about self defense and sport in martial arts.
Source: www.isnare.com
