Monthly Costs

[Mark Lynn]

Being at a rec. center is different than being at a stand alone school, just like being taught privately one on one is different than being taught in group classes, being taught in a well run organized commercial school is different than being taught out in the back of a watch shop in the Philippines next to the hog pens. It doesn't mean the instruction is any less in quality, however you can and probably should expect a cleaner higher end training space and school in a commercial dojo than out behind the clock shop.

Now that martial arts training has moved out from the just hanging a sign on the door or window saying karate lessons and making it, now a days it takes a lot more to run a successful school. All of which costs money, one school I taught at had over $30,000 in mat costs alone, schools are being run now on different business models, with the help of professionally run business consultants etc. etc. Granted some business practices are bad and so on, but not all.

However up grade programs, or different ways to have intro lessons etc. etc. for the non business owner might seem unnecessary, or even unethical, but it doesn't mean they are, although some owners and schools might abuse them.

Just like fees, some schools charge what I might think are way to high fees but..... if the customer feels they are OK and they feel good about the school who am I to judge the school. I had a co worker who put his daughters in dance classes, he spent close to $400 a month for lessons for both of them on top of close to $1,000 a year for costumes. What about gymnastics lessons have you priced them? Seriously my friend thought dance was the greatest thing in the world for his young daughters and was going to put them in gymnastics later and not blink an eye at the fees.

I saw one school who was charging close to $300+ a month for their top tier program and those students far exceeded those paying $200+ a month for the BBC and the ones paying $150 a month for the basic program. (I watched the class.) It is really about the customer getting value for their dollar.

 

[JowGaWolf]

however you can and probably should expect a cleaner higher end training space and school in a commercial dojo than out behind the clock shop.

I actually look for the opposite. I actually try to avoid the schools that look like higher end training schools. The more fancy a school gets the more I become concern about the quality and the price of what I'm looking for.

But you are right it does take a lot more to run a martial art school these days and theirs a lot of competition.

 

[GiYu - Todd]

I also disagree with contracts, especially for young kids. Make a 5 year old commit to something for a year? Or even more than that? Absurd. And why make an adult commit to a contract? Shouldn't the quality of teaching be enough to make them want to stay? What if their hours at work unexpectedly change and they can't come to class anymore? Relocated? Have a child and their priorities change?

From the school's standpoint, having contracts helps to better plan your budget. This is especially important if you have a larger overhead and need to ensure you can cover the bills. Ideally, the contract will encourage them to come more often to get their money's worth... and progress more smoothly.
Often, we'll have something come up with a student moving or otherwise wanting out. Depending on circumstances, they'll usually are allowed out of the contract.
From the student's standpoint, the contract does lock them in and may scare some away. But it helps keep the price more reasonable. Paying a $15-20/class fee might give them more control of their spending, but becomes an easy choice to drop out when money gets tight.
I can see both sides. My favorite option would be per-class fee model, with an optional contract at a (hopefully) reduced cost for those interested in that route.

 

[kuniggety]

Jow Ga is made out 3 different fighting systems with all 3 of those having weapons so there's going to be some variety in terms of weapons being used. So in that light I don't expect there to be any distinct Jow Ga weapon form, just a lot of them, with blended techniques. I'm not familiar with Jing Woo. Can you post a video of one of the Jing Woo weapon forms..

I'm surprised you're not familiar with Jing Woo. Here's the Wikipedia link: Chin Woo Athletic Association - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[JowGaWolf]

I'm surprised you're not familiar with Jing Woo. Here's the Wikipedia link: Chin Woo Athletic Association - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks. I took a look at some of their stuff. I learned something new today.

 

[WaterGal]

Honestly, that is just not scalable, nor does it make any sense. Someone that only attends twice a week should not pay as much as someone that is there 6 days a week. I doubt you could find a single dance school or University or really any private training place that operates on that model at any sort of larger scale. Students that are there more cost more to service, and having the less committed members subsidize the ones that are using the most resources is not really fair.

We actually do this, and it works ok for us. We charge about as much per month for however many classes you want (in the same program) as other places in the area do for a 2-3x a week membership. Most people still only come 2-3x per week. The ones that come to class more than that tend to be very dedicated and stick around for a long time, and/or they're doing two different programs and paying us extra for that. So it works out.

But we also have a large space with two classrooms, and a lot of class times, so students that come to class more don't really use more resources (at least to any problematic degree). If we had a small facility that could only accomodate a dozen people training at a time, spots in class would be at a premium and it would make a lot more sense to charge more to attend more classes,. So I think a lot of it depends on your facility and schedule.