is this school (Jeet Kune Do) charging too much??

[Brother John]

I wouldn't even consider joining a martial arts school that doesn't allow me to watch one class. I would never give any money to someone who doesn't want me to know if I would like the ambiance, the way they teach, etc. prior to joining them. Would just sound shady to me.

I TOTALLY agree!!
As to the ammount of money and contracts....etc. A school charges what they must and what they think their training/instruction is worth. Either you can and will or can't and won't afford it. Pretty much it.


Your Brother
John

 

[arnisador]

The cost is a little high, but not unreasonably so. Many schools charge around $100/month these days. It depends on the art/area/instructor, etc. A famous instructor can charge more!

 

[138]

Not for nothing, but if he has GLEN DANZIG in his lineage, I would pay alot more to study with him. Glen has been my idol since I was 11. If you are in the capital district, (as I am) then there are tons of oppotunities for you to train in some very cool arts. Dig a bit and you fill find some very talented instructors. If you have already started training, good lick and I hope you love it!

 

[Navarre]

Hey, 138! You finally posted something!

I guess it took a month to find something you wanted to say. I find it easier to babble endlessly; takes less thought.

Glad you posted. Hope you stop in more often.

 

[138]

Thanks!
I am almost always here, but since I have only a couple of years experience in the martial arts, I find it's best to sit back and absorb it all. But since someone mentioned GLEN, i felt I had to chime in. I may not know tons about kempo, but I have a phd in Danzigology:supcool:

 

[hongkongfooey]

deleted

 

[Clint Strickland]

hi guys...

i'm a complete noob to MA and recently i've been looking at different schools to learn self defense and to get into shape...

there is a new Jeet Kune Do school that opened up nearby so i decided to give them a call to see what they had to offer... it's a small dojo so i'm assuming that they don't have that many students yet... so this is what they said:

1. introductory workshop to see what the school had to offer... cost: $25 for three hour class. this money can be put towards the tuition if you decide to join.

2. monthly tuition: $135

3. 6 month contract minimum.

4. teaches technique only... they don't do jumping jacks or pushups (this is a good thing though, right??)

do you guys think i'm getting robbed?? the instructor i talked to seemed very nice and interested in meeting me... but do you guys think this is too much... especially for a beginner??

i'd expect this type of tuition from a school out in california or for private lessons, but not from a small school in upstate ny... err, maybe it's because it's the only JKD school in the area?? i don't know, what do y'all think??

thanks for reading

HAHAHAHA youre lucky the place here charges $250 a month, Count youre blessings my friend.

 

[Faye]

I honestly have never seen a school that doesn't allow you to try out a class. I don't quite understand the theory behind that... we have people trying out in our class (more so in the beginners class, but some people who have ranks at other schools or dicipline may check out the open classes...), and it's not really a distraction... why would having a stranger here be a distraction?

You really need to try it out to see if you like the teachers and the environment. The intro class that he gives privately might not give you the feel of it, and then you have to sign up for 6 months without testing it...
i would seriously re-consider.

 

[fireman00]

I would be hesitant to sign up at a school that wouldn't allow you to watch a class. I have belonged to two dojangs and looked at 3 others, all of them allowed me to watch the class. What you see in an introductory class may differ greatly when compared to an actual class. I'd want to know how the students interacted with each other, how did higher ranks/ more knowledgable students treat lower rank/ less knowledgable students.

As for cost - I pay 80 bucks a month for unlimited classes, but I live in a rural area so 135 might not be out of the ordinary.

 

[jdinca]

For only two classes a week, the price is a little high but not that much. Does it involve any private lessons, or is it all in a group setting?

 

[beau_safken]

Supply and demand my friend. If that instructor can charge that much and still have good students and business...thats what the market will bear. Quality of instruction has little to do with price anyway, sometimes....

 

[AceHBK]

It does seem a little high. Maybe I have gotten lucky I guess.
I take TKD and my Master is starting his school and I got lucky and only pay $65/month for 3 days a week for an hour each time and alot of the itme we go over and he is happy to work on things before and after class. I had it good b/c for about 9 months I had private lessons until more adults started to join.

Now I also take up Kung Fu and I pay $80/month for private lessons which are 2 hours and about 2-3 days a week.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

135 isn't outrageous. a lot of the professional, full-time school are charging $100 - $150 a month. of course, so are a lot of idjits out there faking it.

i agree with most of the others on this thread. can you afford it, and if so is it worth it to you? if what you get is worth $135/month, nothing else is relevant.

 

[Hand Sword]

Considering today's market, I would say it seems to fall into it, but, I think the market is getting ridiculous! In my opinion, that is a high price. I live in Boston, where everything is expensive, and none of the prices are that high!

 

[frank raud]

wow... lotsa information guys... and i appreciate all of your input...



the only reason why i picked JKD first was because of its proximity to me
and because it's the least "commercialized" school so to speak... i didn't
want to join a "McDojo" or a school that pumps out Black Belts with classes
of 25 people or more and that flashes trophies everywhere...
not that this is bad... it's admirable... but it's not what i'm looking for...

i wanted to join a school that's about quality not quantity and can teach
me the most... stressing on techniques rather than "rank" or belts or
winning competitions... i honestly don't care about what rank or belt i am
or will become, because i plan on doing this for a long time... and i don't
plan on competing... i just want to find the best place to start... and
instructor that can teach me the most...

my main concern about this JKD school was that i have NO martial art
background whatsover and i felt that maybe $135/month was too much for
such a novice to be paying... maybe if i were a seasoned veteran looking
for a school that could make me even better, then yes... i wouldn't ask any
questions... but if this school thinks it can build me into a great martial
artist "from the ground up" for example, teaching me the basic mechanics
of a front kick, punch, block etc... then i'll commit... but then again, can't
i learn basic, solid fundamentals from any reputable school??

from everyone's input, i will definitely be looking around at other schools...
part of me just wants to join any school just to get started out so i can
actually start learning and practicing...

again, thanks for everybody's help

if you don't want to be in a class or more people(nothing wrong with that), how do you expect the teacher to cover his expenses and maybe make a buck at the end of the day? if what the instructor is looking for is 8-10 serious students, and doesn't want to be an after school daycare program, those students will need to pay a higher price to keep the place going. I'm not saying the price isn't high, but you can't have it both ways, unless you are being taught in someone's backyard.

There is a school in my city that puts right on their website that they can have a max of 20, preferably 16 students(it is a Kali school). They are upfront with what they are, and what they do.

 

[stickarts]

The pricing sounds a bit high to me but you need to compare it to pricing in your area and evaluate whether you are getting your money's worth, and only you can decide that!
I have seen equally qualified people charge drastically different fees, depending upon perception of what their instruction is worth.