Class Sizes

[Koga-Shinobi]

I have a question for you: Does the size of a class reflect at all the quality of the MA been tought there??

Stupid question maybe, but to a beginner I ask it because of this. I've been looking to start a MA for a while now, and been doing some scouting around. Some of the classes I've seen have only 8-14 people training whereas others have 20-30. Is it fair to be suspect of a place that only has a handful of students (even thought they do have positive affiliation to both national and international federations?)

Personally, I'm wary of a small class in that the number of opponents is limited to train against, and Im concerned that a small class may indicate a poor teacher...being a beginner, I wouldnt know.

Any insights would be appreciated )

 

[Zoran]

Quality does not equal quantity. The number of students does not reflect the quality of instruction. A small student base could be because; bad business sense, instructor could be picky on who he excepts as a student, doesn't care about the money, and etc.

Look to the instructor and watch the students. The latter could tell a lot about the instructor.

 

[Damian Mavis]

Ya size of class doesn't mean doodoo. Some of my classes have 30 people in them and some only 6. As for whats better for you.. it can go either way, the large class could have lots of great training partners that really encourage and help you and the small class could give the instructor more time to really focus on your learning.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[c2kenpo]

Yeah class size has meaning just hard to say what it really means.
Some of our classes depending on times can be from 5-10 students to we clocked a whopping 46 yellowbelt kids. Of course we had 4 instructors on the floor at the time.

I think when you go around talk to the instructors and ask about trail programs most good schools or instructors offer a trial lesson or two to see if it is the right fit for both you and the school. Then make a decision based upon where you feel YOU will get the best instruction.

As far as I see it I like both large and small class sizes.
Small I can focus on certian aspects of my training ususally finer points of contact manipulation, stances, targets, etc...slower motion and also get in lessons of the How, why, and What if.

Larger classes allow me to train with various body types that force me to constantly adjust my footwork and my targets and the flow becuase not everyone will react the way you want them to. (Feet standing together and throwing a right punch but the feet dont move).

Benefits to both, the biggest benefit will come as time goes on and you have training partners of the same rank as you continue in the art then you really start to get into some really fun stuff.
Welcome to the MA Community and good luck in your choices and training.

Dave "C2"

 

[Bod]

Class size is often an indicator of how intense the training is. There are no long queues for boxing gyms.

It is also an indicator of hype and marketing strategy.

Conversely, people do flock to a good teacher. Mind you, I once had a tough SOB teacher, with lots of skill but no teaching ability. He had 1 whole student (guess who) even though his class was reasonably well advertised. I learned a lot from him because I put the effort in, but that was my choice.

 

[lvwhitebir]

Originally posted by Koga-Shinobi

Personally, I'm wary of a small class in that the number of opponents is limited to train against, and Im concerned that a small class may indicate a poor teacher...being a beginner, I wouldnt know.

It's funny, I think exactly the opposite. A small class means a better student/teacher ration and can result in more personalized training. A large class means the instructor has to spread his/her attention around giving you less.

I like classes that vary in size the most. Small classes to work on what I need and large classes to get the energy going and let you see what others are doing in comparison. Variety is the spice of life.

WhiteBirch

 

[fissure]

When your kids start elementary school would you rather there where 10 kids and one teacher, or 30 kids and still only one teacher?

 

[Eraser]

I must agree.. that big\small classes can have its pro's and con's.... when I first started in my adult classes.. there were like 5 of us.. and I was the only white belt at the time.. and now...on any given night..we can have up to like 15... our instructors like to keep the class sizes smaller.. so they can help us out better.. but it is fun to have a big class too... especially when having fun with sparring.. lots of people to play with!!!

 

[Shinzu]

i would say the quality of instruction will dictate the training. if the teacher is hardcore and means business, they may only have a specific amount of students that are willing to train there. i wouldn't determine the quality by the quantity. take a class and see for yourself. sometimes bigger is not always better.