Wendi Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 My ds went to a friend's party today at a Tae Kwon Do studio. I've been hoping for ds to find another sport/physical activity, since soccer didn't work out, and it's too hot to skateboard in the summer. He really enjoyed the party; they did a demo and taught the kids a few things. We each received a gift certificate for two free weeks of lessons, and a free uniform. The place is very close by, and I was impressed by what I saw. However, the classes are three times a week. Is this going to be ridiculously expensive? I will ask my friend (the party hostess) tomorrow at church. But I was wondering if anyone here can give me an idea how expensive TKD is. Thanks, Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Around here it's about $80/mo. per kid. It is a great activity--my kids have taken it at co-op and I'd love to get them into lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 In addition to regular class fees, you will have need for belt tests, possibly sparring equipment and if your child enjoys the sport and your Master offers, tournaments and competitions may come your way. When fully involved, yes, very expensive. When just taking classes and testing to move up in ranks, expensive becomes subjective. Our old do jang was $100/month (tons of classes) and lower level belt tests began at $40 and went up with difficulty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomofAJ Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 My son started Tae Kwon Do last month. We pay 140.00 a month for unlimited lessons plus tumbling. I really was not all that sure about it but he loves it. I am impressed with the lessons they are teaching the kids about safety, respect and hard work. I feel with the exercise and lessons he is learning it is worth the cost. He goes 3 days a week. 1 tumbling class and 2 Tae Kwon Do classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 My son and I took our classes at a local rec center that hired trainers from a studio. By taking the classes this way, we paid a fraction of the studio rates but still got the same (possibly better) quality instruction. We took all the testing at the studio and it was just as serious. We paid $34 per month for classes we could attend 6x a week! We loved TKD and earned our Black Belts in a couple of years. I'd recommend it to anyone. You might check out rec centers around you to see what they offer. Another possibility is the YMCA. My daughters took their instruction at the Y and we weren't as impressed as the rec center classes but each Y is different. Whatever you find, make sure that they consider safety as paramount. That means the kids have AND wear all the protective equipment and that there are enough instructors and helpers around at all times to monitor. Also observe the classes to make sure that the instructors spend ample time going over the proper techniques (postures, stances, kicks etc.) I have seen serious injuries in a class where technique was not stressed and enforced. Also watch to see if the instructor has control of the class and that the class is respectful and the atmosphere is quiet and focused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 When my oldest was taking TKD, it cost $90/month for the class (2x/week), $40/quarter for belt tests, and $90/year for annual registration. That added up to $110/month. The cost has gone up since she quit. Now lessons at the same place cost $119/mo if you pay monthly, $109/mo if you pay quarterly, $99/mo if you pay biannually, or $83/mo if you pay yearly. At the time that we did it, there was only a monthly rate. Now she takes kickboxing at 24 hour fitness. Classes are free with membership, so it costs $40/mo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 My dd's lessons are $79/mo for 4 nights a week. The belt testing and equipment cost was $70 althought next testing we won't need new equipment. After the first person there is a family discount until people are free (if your family is big enough). Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 (edited) I have two kids in Tae Kwon Do (my 18yo just earned her Black belt today; my 9yo is a Red belt). We pay $60 per month for lessons per child. Classes are held 3 nights a week. The first week is free, to see if your child would like it. The uniforms are free with sign-up. Once they reach Red belt, then they can wear black pants with their white tops...but they're inexpensive. As they reach Black belt, they'll require an entirely new uniform....but that's a few years away yet! They promote every month in the beginning....but promotions are further apart, the higher in rank you go. As you get higher, promotions are held every 3 months or so. Each promotion is $25. Some schools have more color belts than others. Our school is white, yellow, green, blue, red, and black. With three "tips" for each belt level. So it's 20 promotions from their first one to their first black belt. Black belt promotions are $300. It usually takes 3 years to earn a Black belt...but that's just a ballpark estimate. My 9yo is 2 promotions away from his Black and he's been taking lessons for 2 years as of next month. My oldest daughter, who earned her Black today, has been taking lessons for 3 1/2 years. The only other expenses would be sparring equipment (pads, helmet, mouth guards, etc.) for "fighting". Our school doesn't require them of students until they reach Yellow belt, in which case your child is at least 3 months into Tae Kwon Do, and more likely to stick with it. The equipment runs around $100. Edited August 8, 2009 by hsmamainva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 We utilize our community school. Our TKD program is an actual school but uses PS middle school's gym or cafeteria. We pay $50 for 2 classes a week for 6 weeks. Friday nights are free sparring. Private schools are very spendy around here requiring a contract and upwards of $150 a month with a minimum 2 year commitment. No thanks. We love our little school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 We pay $75/month for ds for unlimited classes (he could go every weekday if we were willing to take him). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I think it depends. We keep costs down a variety of ways. We pay $79 a month for unlimited classes. My son typically attends 10 one-hour classes a week. He'd do more if we allowed it but we limit it so we can still have family dinners. Basic uniforms are $40 each. The school offers "high quality" uniforms (different material...supposedly more breathable) for $70 and $120, I think. We buy just the basic uniform. They also offer t-shirts for $15 that the kids can wear to class. We broke down about bought our son one when the weather got way too hot for the thick, heavy cotton, long-sleeve uniform top. Sparring gear cost us $200 for the entire set, though you can spend more for specific upgrades. We weren't required to buy it as they provide head gear and chest guards for practice. Having your own gear is necessary for sparring in tournaments. We bought it for his birthday present last year. Belt testing runs $20, though I think higher belts cost more. The first half of the belts must wait 6 weeks minimum between tests. My son is at a level where he's not allowed to test until he's had his current belt for 3 months. That spreads the cost out a bit. We limit our tournament participation to 2 per year. They run $65 -$85 each, depending on the tournament and which competitions he's in (ie. sparring, forms, breaking, weapons). Our virtual academy provides a student fund. We use my son's to pay for the class fees and belt testing. The rest we pay out of pocket. If it weren't for the academy, we wouldn't be able to afford taekwondo. The instructor is always pushing for our son to do more tournaments. It's annoying that he doesn't respect our limit but we stand our ground. They've also been asking our son to be in their new demo team. We've opted out of that as well. That would require us to purchase an additional uniform and give up too much family time (12pm - 3pm every Saturday for practice plus extra days for demos). We hope we're never in a position where we have to make him quit. He's very dedicated to it. It's done wonders for his self-esteem, discipline, attentiveness, focus, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 We pay about £7 a week for three hours. Thats USD 11.68. It's been great for Calvin. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Pay the money, and get in with a decent professional school. When it comes to martial arts lessons for kids, you get what you pay for. Consider this: http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/kidkarate.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I looked into private studios and the one through our rec. center. The private school costs 3x's as much. Since doing the rec center one, I have come to like several things about it, more than a private studio. The biggest one is that rather than having one or two guys teaching, they have about 20, about 7 are the main instructors. The kids get lots of variety and 1/2 of the teachers are women. Once people become black belts they have to serve by training the new people. We pay $20 a month for our kids under 8 for 2 sessions of 1.5 hours a week. We pay $50 a month for kids 8-adult and they can take up to 4 1.5 hour sessions a week. There are no testing or belt fees. I can't speak highly enough of our tae-kwon-do experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Have you checked to see if they have a website, sometimes pricing is available on line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 We pay $165/mo for ATA Karate for Kids. ATA is all over the US. So yes it's expensive. That's twice a week, but you can go more if you wish. Doesn't include gi, or sparring gear or tournaments, tournaments are optional. But I think you get what you pay for. If you're going to go to the Y for karate, then you won't get much for your buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 We paid $115, could go to as many classes as we wanted weekly, with six days a week offerings. Uniforms and testing was included, and no registration fee. It was a black belt school, and as part of becoming black belts, students had to do community service, write an essay, and lead younger students in classes. I love it, but alas, DS6 has decided he doesn't want to do Karate right now....he changes his mind every day....we are taking a break for now. I did call around before we signed up here, and most charge for testing, and uniforms, and it all starts to add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Some questions for those of you who have achieved the black belt level or who have children who have. Is it really what people imagine it to be? Are black belt people actually able to repel all aggressors? More to the point, could you fight off a mugger or purse snatcher or could your child fight off a bully or an abductor? (I realize these are probably incredibly dumb questions, though hopefully not offensive--I just know very little about martial arts). Also, from this thread I read about many of your children attending multiple lessons per week. Is this essential for success or required by most instructors? I would love for dd and I to take some type of martial arts/self defense courses but we live so far out in the country that I can only justify one trip to town per week. Is it possible for us to actually be successful with only one class a week? Also, would you consider classes with a private individual who just teaches out of their home or is a formal gym or studio setting the only way to go? TIA for your help. I'd love to start this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Some questions for those of you who have achieved the black belt level or who have children who have. Is it really what people imagine it to be? Are black belt people actually able to repel all aggressors? More to the point, could you fight off a mugger or purse snatcher or could your child fight off a bully or an abductor? (I realize these are probably incredibly dumb questions, though hopefully not offensive--I just know very little about martial arts). My son has not achieved black belt yet but is well on his way there. From what I've seen of the black belt kids, most of whom are teens, I'd answer no to your questions. Martial arts is different from self-defense and requires a whole different set of skills. If you think about it, in taekwondo your opponent stands opposite, bows, and comes at you with certain techniques that you can be prepared for. In street fighting, your opponent isn't going to stand opposite of you and follow the rules. You may be attacked and held from behind by your opponent's friends. They fight dirty and don't follow the rules. Our studio does teach some self-defense skills, though. The most important thing is to not get involved in a fight. Run. Find help. If you can't, your goal is to keep from getting hit/stabbed/whatever and get away. If you are grabbed, there are ways to get out of different kinds of holds. This is what our studio teaches for "self-defense". You will do better than the average person though. What you are describing as "able to repel all aggressors" is more like someone who has been studying martial arts for years and years. As in, an adult who's been in it for 15+ years and who has trained in other defenses as well. Our master and instructor also use hapkido, which is more useful for self-defense in my opinion. Much of the self-defense techniques they teach come from hapkido. Also, from this thread I read about many of your children attending multiple lessons per week. Is this essential for success or required by most instructors? I would love for dd and I to take some type of martial arts/self defense courses but we live so far out in the country that I can only justify one trip to town per week. Is it possible for us to actually be successful with only one class a week? Yes, you can be succesfful with only one class a week. It would take longer to advance because you would have less instruction and less practice with an instructor correcting your mistakes. You would increase your success by taking class with your child (you can help your child remember what they learned) and by practicing more at home. My son takes 10 hours of classes a week because he is dedicated and wants to go that often. He actually wants to go more. He also tends to practice a lot at home, or walking down the grocery aisle, or waiting for his sister's art class to be done (last year), etc. Because of that, he is their youngest high red belt. Also, would you consider classes with a private individual who just teaches out of their home or is a formal gym or studio setting the only way to go? Read that article that someone (I don't remember who) posted. It will give you ideas on how to find a good instructor. Many of the larger, and more expensive, schools are "belt factories". They get you locked into a contract and promote quickly, based on time since last promotion rather than on actual skill. BTW, tournaments, which a lot of these commercial schools push, are HUGE money makers for the school that is putting it on...that's part of the reason we limit our son's tournament participation. Our school is somewhere in the middle...not quite a belt factory but not quite the quality that we'd like. It has been a pretty decent middle ground though. Some of the things we like are that we didn't have to sign a contract; we are on month to month. The master is Korean and has studied taekwondo nearly all of his life. There are time requirements for testing; you have to have your last belt for a certain period of time before you can test again, even if you "know" all your requirements. Those time periods grow longer at the higher belts. I've seen kids fail belt tests. My husband has seen kids lose stripes (each belt has 4 stripes you earn to show you've learned certain techniques for that belt) for poor performance. We like that you can get in trouble for goofing off, doing a poor job, having a bad attitude, lack of discipline, etc. On the other hand, classes have some light-hearted fun in them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 We pay $234 per month for our two boys plus every couple of months there are testing fees. They go four days a week for a total of about 7 hours of training per week. They could go more but as someone else stated, we want to have other things in our life as well! Schools vary greatly in prices but also as someone said you get what you pay for. It depends on what you want. Our sons' instructor is a grandmaster, 7th degree black belt. He also holds an 8th degree black belt in hapkido (the Korean grappling martial art) which we also want the boys to learn later on. He is a certified international referee for tae kwon do. He is a fantastic teacher. Our boys are currently training for the Junior Olympics for next year. They couldn't do that at most schools around here. Our oldest has a 1st degree black belt that is certified by the Kukkiwon in Korea. (That was a big chunk of change too!) Not many schools here in the US do that. Our son's black belt is recognized in all countries around the world that have WTF chapters. The WTF is the governing body for Junior Olympics as well as the Olympics. A student has to have a Kukkiwon-issued belt in order to participate in any WTF-sanctioned tournament. Our boys are serious about tae kwon do and want to go to national tournaments and they say, at least now, that they would like to be grandmasters themselves one day. That is why we pay more than most for the school they attend. We don't want them to be unable to compete at Junior Olympics or the US Open tournament because they don't have the right kind of black belt. With all that said, our boys started at a mixed martial arts school in Oregon. They showed great potential and loved it. It wasn't until after a couple of years that we started learning more about the "politics" of tae kwon do and found the master who they are with now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Some questions for those of you who have achieved the black belt level or who have children who have. Is it really what people imagine it to be? Are black belt people actually able to repel all aggressors? More to the point, could you fight off a mugger or purse snatcher or could your child fight off a bully or an abductor? I have my kids in it for self confidence, balance, and some self defense. Our instructors have been showing the kids how to get thier hand loose when someone grabs them. I thought that was a nice skill. It works well. Our instructors require at least 2 nights a week unless the child is sick or has a vacation or other activity planned. Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Some questions for those of you who have achieved the black belt level or who have children who have. Is it really what people imagine it to be? Are black belt people actually able to repel all aggressors? More to the point, could you fight off a mugger or purse snatcher or could your child fight off a bully or an abductor? My daughter and I have black belts. My son reached brown belt level. The most important aspect of self defense is prevention. Good habits, situational awareness and de-escalation techniques are key. The techniques a smaller person needs to fight off a significantly larger person are extremely vicious, and are certainly not the kind of thing you want your kids practicing on each other. I wouldn't teach them to anyone under the age of 11, and then only if the child had very good judgment. While we enjoy martial arts, there are aspects of the martial arts culture that aren't compatible with our values. There are a lot of people who earn their black belts, then leave the dojo shortly thereafter. This is a shame, because black belt is really only the beginning of a martial arts education, not an end state. If you and your kid really enjoy martial arts, I suggest you pay careful attention to the social interactions between the Sensei and his senior students. Would you enjoy the same type of relationship, or would you consider them dysfunctional? If you think things at the top of your school are a bit daffy, you should find a new school before you hit green belt. The sooner you get in with the right group, the happier you'll be as you progress in rank. Right now you don't have to worry about this. You're just looking for a good place for your child to take a few lessons. I suggest you find a place with a good student to teacher ratio, and a positive, encouraging attitude. Stay away from bellowing Sensei's and rows of nervous looking kids. Stay away from Sensei's who swagger up and down pontificating about their pet theories while their students crouch painfully on their shins trying not to squirm. Neither of those scenarios get better over time. You need a sensei with the qualities of a good teacher. You've found good teachers for your children before, and finding a good sensei is really no different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Also, from this thread I read about many of your children attending multiple lessons per week. Is this essential for success or required by most instructors? I would love for dd and I to take some type of martial arts/self defense courses but we live so far out in the country that I can only justify one trip to town per week. Is it possible for us to actually be successful with only one class a week? Also, would you consider classes with a private individual who just teaches out of their home or is a formal gym or studio setting the only way to go? TIA for your help. I'd love to start this fall. I do not believe a person could achieve understanding of martial arts via 1day/week. Little changes in position really makes the difference behind the power and strength and as a person progresses, *I* would think they need more practice than that. Kinda like math. How long would it take to master, and how much would one retain on one day per week? KWIM? The benefit of gym type lessons would be knowing in advance the behavior of the Master. After that, a private instructor with gym access for sparring and practicing many of the 2-step movements would be great. Either way, I saw the tae kwon do came down to dedication of the individual. There were many takers who were just there for the afterschool program who didn't work hard or really care, then there were those who were focused and attentive. There was a HUGE difference in their capabilities. I have to second that a black belt is really the beginning -- Middle school, if you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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