Rationale for charging students more for a yellow belt grading than a white belt grading?

[myusername]

Hi folks, I am currently looking around my city for a kickboxing class on Fridays to replace my current boxing class and came across this school that is charging their students £10 for a compulsory pre-grading and then increasing the grading charges each belt so it goes:

White belt £20
Yellow £22.50
Orange £25
Green £27.50
Blue £30
Purple £35
Brown 1 £40
Brown 2 £45
Brown 3 £50
Black Price on application

http://www.kickboxingbristol.co.uk/gradings.htm

I must admit to being a bit confused about this pricing structure as I struggle to see the need to charge more for a yellow belt grading than a white one. I understand why Black belt gradings cost more because quite often it is a day long affair and involves paying outside assessors to make up the panel. I admit my first cynical response to this is that it is just a scheme to make extra money out of the students but I know that not being a school owner I may be ignorant to another valid reason. With this in mind I thought I would throw the question out here in case anybody has a more wholesome rationale for this type of pricing structure. Does anybody run a school that does something similar?

Oh and happy new year to all

 

[jarrod]

it's pretty standard practise to charge progressively more with each promotion, unfortunately.

what's not so standard is to issue belt ranks in kickboxing. check out the school, but i would have fresh batteries in my b.s. detector.

:BSmeter:

if you tell most folks you have a black belt in kickboxing, they are going to think you are full of it.

jf

 

[terryl965]

Yea I did not know there was belts in kickboxing, learn something new everyday.

 

[jarrod]

Yea I did not know there was belts in kickboxing, learn something new everyday.

there are, but usually you have to win them in the ring.

 

[terryl965]

there are, but usually you have to win them in the ring.

Yes I knew about traditional ring fighters but not though the dojaang.

 

[Tez3]

Terry your not the only one who didn't know they had gradings, I knew Muay Thai had different grades, i think they're denoted by the armbands ( sorry i dont know the correct name for them) but not 'ordinary' kickboxing.

 

[Grenadier]

I've seen a good number of JKA-affiliated dojos charge you progressively, depending on the dan ranking you are trying to obtain, for both the registration fees, as well as the actual exam fees.

It doesn't seem unusual that someone would apply the same principles to kyu grade exams with his organization. After all, it's someone's organization, and how he chooses to grade people is his choice.

 

[jarrod]

terry, i figured you knew, i was being cute.

 

[RevIV]

longer tests more $?

 

[myusername]

it's pretty standard practise to charge progressively more with each promotion, unfortunately.

This really surprises me because when I was child I attended a few schools in karate, judo, kung fu etc and never came across this type of pricing structure. Also as an adult I have sampled a fair few schools (5-6) before settling on my current jujutsu class and never came across this before. Like I said I always expect the dan grades to be priced differently as they have extra costs but I've never seen it done with kyu grades. Maybe I have just been lucky with the schools I encountered.

what's not so standard is to issue belt ranks in kickboxing. check out the school, but i would have fresh batteries in my b.s. detector.

:BSmeter:

if you tell most folks you have a black belt in kickboxing, they are going to think you are full of it.

jf

Again I am surprised as all the schools in my city that I've looked at seem to have a belt system! My older brother did kickboxing where I grew up and he had earned belts as well. I'm not doubting you Jarrod especially as everyone else seems to be surprised that kickboxing has a belt system on this thread as well. I'm just feeling a little confused though! From peoples responses I am feeling that I should be more concerned about the fact there is a belt system and the pricing is nothing out of the ordinary?

 

[Tez3]

Myusername, try Trojans with Charlie Joseph.He's highly recommended. my instructors son is now training with him though he's thinking of also sending him across to Kevin as well. I'll get contact details and pm you asap.

 

[myusername]

Myusername, try Trojans with Charlie Joseph.He's highly recommended. my instructors son is now training with him though he's thinking of also sending him across to Kevin as well. I'll get contact details and pm you asap.

Thanks Tez, I am ideally looking for some stand up striking (kickboxing or mauy thai) for Friday nights or possibly Sat/Sun as I will still be attending Kevin's jujutsu Mondays and Wednesdays. I hadn't thought of looking at MMA clubs but that is a good idea. Cheers

 

[Tez3]

Thanks Tez, I am ideally looking for some stand up striking (kickboxing or mauy thai) for Friday nights or possibly Sat/Sun as I will still be attending Kevin's jujutsu Mondays and Wednesdays. I hadn't thought of looking at MMA clubs but that is a good idea. Cheers

Charlies stand up is very good, they often have fighters on the 'Night of Combat' on Ch4 if you are ever up late at night. They have quite a few K1 fighters as well as MMA ones.

 

[myusername]

All of these kickboxing clubs in my area have a belt rank/grading syllabus and I have seen a few more in my search that I couldn't find again. I've ruled them all out anyway due to uncompatable training times and/or mixed adult children classes but as you can see this is why I am surprised that everybody else was surprised about kickboxing having a grading system! I am hard pushed to find a school in my area that doesn't have a grading system!

http://www.bristol-kickboxing.co.uk/Student Info/Rules/time_limits.htm

http://www.bristolkickboxingacademy.co.uk/

http://www.bdbkickboxing.co.uk/

http://www.fskbc.com/syllabus.html

http://www.pantherskickboxing.com/faqs.html#uniform-or-gradings

http://udfreestyle.com/kick.html

 

[arnisador]

Charging more for higher ranks is done principally because they can. That's true of many businesses, of course. I have usually seen it only for the black belt ranks. It's partially a sign of dedication there.

It also gives the instructor something of perceived value for dedicated students as a giveaway--"Thanks for helping cover those classes last week for me; I'll waive your next belt test fee!"--which isn't bad business either.

Ranks like this for kickboxing are indeed uncommon. It isn't a red flag, but it's not the usual thing!

 

[Twin Fist]

i charge my students a sliding scale for testing based on the belt level

the reason:
higher level tests take longer, and my time is valuable
and
at advanced levels, there is breaking involved, and i am not paying for the boards out of my own pocket, i shouldnt have to

 

[Tez3]

i charge my students a sliding scale for testing based on the belt level

the reason:
higher level tests take longer, and my time is valuable
and
at advanced levels, there is breaking involved, and i am not paying for the boards out of my own pocket, i shouldnt have to

Sounds fair but not for kickboxing though?

 

[Twin Fist]

kickboxing has belt tests?

 

[myusername]

i charge my students a sliding scale for testing based on the belt level

the reason:
higher level tests take longer, and my time is valuable
and
at advanced levels, there is breaking involved, and i am not paying for the boards out of my own pocket, i shouldnt have to

I wonder if this is perhaps the thinking behind this particular school owners grading fees, however I doubt that breaking will be included in a kickboxing syllabus. I admit to being surprised that this happens but it appears from what everybody has been saying it's not that out of the ordinary so perhaps I have judged too harshly and should give them a look.

As for there being a belt system? Pretty much every kickboxing school I have looked at in Bristol, England appears to have one so I am not that concerned about this. It didn't even ring alarm bells for me. I guess though that if someone said I had a black belt in western boxing I would have to laugh so the same should apply to kickboxing!

Don't really know what to think any more! LOL

 

[myusername]

I have started a spin off thread on whether kickboxing has a grading syllabus at all.....................

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71463