If you have a child in martial arts

[Greta]

I would like to know if your child's school has a policy of advancing students through the belts faster if they take private lessons.

 

The school that my daughter attends has gone through THREE owners/managers in the two years we have been there. This third one has started something that none of the others ever did. You can buy a "package" of 8 private lessons to skip a belt.

 

Now, in theory I have no issue with that. If you're taking extra lessons and learning the material faster, it makes sense that you would advance faster, right?

 

But in reality, I do have a concern. We took one private lesson with this instructor to kind of check it out. The private lessons that she had taken with previous instructors were amazing. They really focused on her technique, and I could see dramatic improvements, from just one lesson! As an example, in one private lesson, the teacher spent the entire hour teaching my daughter advanced techniques for side kick, and she now has the best side kick in her class, if I do say so myself.

 

But this instructor does not focus on technique like that. He simply teaches the same material that you would learn in class: forms, kicking sequences, "12 punches", that sort of thing. It's more like a practice session and less like a lesson. I felt that the lesson was a waste of our time and our money, because there was nothing beyond what she gets in class, nothing that we aren't already paying tuition for!

 

So, I'm kind of feeling that this is just a way of extracting more money out of people. But I'm also afraid that I'm being overly cynical, and this kind of thing is more "standard" than I realize. Obviously there's nothing I can do about it, but I am just curious if other schools do something similar. Is anyone familiar with this?

[DarcyB]

Our school does not do that, but it does give more chances for advancement through extra classes - such as camps during the summer.

 

They aren't private lessons, but they are week-long camps where they have 2 lessons per day plus playtime, and during that week they get more stripes and may get an opportunity to test for their next belt that kids not taking the camp don't get.

 

But it would stink not getting a little something extra out of private lessons that you weren't already getting in class. And nothing that he did gave her tips on making her basics even better?

[Paige]

We have no private lesson option at our school. I think a private lesson package that guarantees you can "skip a belt" is a red flag. How can you skip a belt when it is as much about the character trait as the form and kicks? Can you skip courtesy or loyalty? That seems bizarre. Also, maybe one kid can learn fast enough from private lessons that they will advance faster but maybe another won't. Every child is different. I've seen plenty of kids in our school get stuck on one level or another because of something that is tricky for them. Not everyone should be testing every time even if they go to the exact same classes. I have considered asking some of our younger black belts if they would do private lessons to help my kids refine their skills but it would not be related to any belt advancing. My son is a deputy black belt now, so we have been in it for a while.

[Sarah CB]

At our school you need to have a certain amount of classes in order to be eligible to test (although that doesn't automatically mean you will be ready to test). Private classes count for something like 5 regular classes - so, theoretically you could take some private classes and be eligible to test earlier than you would have been if you were just going to your regular classes. At our school, they don't allow you to test if they don't feel you are well prepared for it. And the private lessons we've attended have been totally tailored to what our kids have needed at the time. Dd did a few private lessons as part of her preparation for her Black belt and she did a couple to get ready for a tournament. Ds sometimes needs extra reinforcement so he did three private lessons before his last test.

[smrtmama]

Honestly, a lot of arts push the belt progression because they charge for ever belt test. Find an art less focused on belts and you'll find one that is more focused on actual training. Budo Taijutsu is a nice art for that, only three belt levels, no "stripes" on the belt.

[coffeegal]

No, advancement only happens twice a year and everyone (under brown belt) who's made the minimum number of classes promotes. If a student is making the classes and yet still struggling, one of the black belts will take the student under the black belt's wing to ensure the student is up for promotion.

[dm379]

No but anybody who wants extra help is more than welcome to come in 30 minutes early or stay 30 minutes late for free. We try not to take advantage but ds made drastic improvements when he started one-on-one.

[Caitilin]

At our school, testing is done quarterly, and the instructor tell us if we are eligible for testing, or if we're better off waiting for the next time. For us there is an addition financial constraint, as 5 of my kiddos are taking, and I am too. The cost of testing 6 people at once is too great. :)

[Greta]

And nothing that he did gave her tips on making her basics even better?

 

Not really - I remember him giving her one very minor correction on the angle of her wrist when she did a certain block during her form. Other than that, it was just like regular class except she was the only student.

[Greta]

We have no private lesson option at our school. I think a private lesson package that guarantees you can "skip a belt" is a red flag. How can you skip a belt when it is as much about the character trait as the form and kicks? Can you skip courtesy or loyalty? That seems bizarre.

 

That's a good point. To me, it seems like these private lessons are designed to teach the forms, kicks, and breaking that you would learn in regular class anyway, but I guess at an accelerated rate if you take a series of them (we only did the one). But they are definitely NOT focused on technique or skill. It's kind of like "teaching to the test" I suppose. Those are the three things that the students are tested on: their forms, kicks, and breaking. So it's really, now that I'm thinking it through more, JUST designed to help them past the test. It is not designed to help them be better martial artists.

[Greta]

Honestly, a lot of arts push the belt progression because they charge for ever belt test.

 

Yeah. $65 per belt, times 50 students, equals a whole bunch of money.

 

Find an art less focused on belts and you'll find one that is more focused on actual training. Budo Taijutsu is a nice art for that, only three belt levels, no "stripes" on the belt.

 

Wow, thanks for mentioning this! I've never even heard of that martial art before but I will look into it. Not that my dd will want to give up TKD. But the money that we could put into those private lessons could instead go into learning an additional style. She has mentioned that she would like to do that. She's talked about Kung Fu and Wushu, but I will look into this. Thanks!

[Greta]

Sorry I have not responded to each individual reply. But I have read them all and appreciate them very much! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[Greta]

Find an art less focused on belts and you'll find one that is more focused on actual training. Budo Taijutsu is a nice art for that, only three belt levels, no "stripes" on the belt.

 

If Google can be trusted, this martial art is not taught in my city. Do you know of others that are less belt focused?

[lulubelle]

the studio we attend does not allow a student to skip belts. They do test every quarter and kids can get private sessions at an extra cost. I have found that one of my kids naturally picks it up and the other does not, so the one that does not has been taking private lessons out of need to catch up to his peer group. I think once the juniors get to brown belt they need to be invited to test for black, which is a 4 hour test.

[Sarah CB]

Sorry I have not responded to each individual reply. But I have read them all and appreciate them very much! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

If she likes Taekwon-do and has already invested a considerable amount of time in it, then I'd encourage you to look at different schools. There may be other schools that are more concerned with the student and their individual progress. At our school, they encourage students to attend as many classes as they can - but they don't pay anything extra. My boys could attend six hours of TKD per week - my dd (a Black belt) is often at the Dojang for over 10 hours each week (sometimes much more than that, depending on what is happening). The focus is definitely on helping the kids to develop their skills - not on collecting fees.

[Paige]

If she likes Taekwon-do and has already invested a considerable amount of time in it, then I'd encourage you to look at different schools. There may be other schools that are more concerned with the student and their individual progress. At our school, they encourage students to attend as many classes as they can - but they don't pay anything extra. My boys could attend six hours of TKD per week - my dd (a Black belt) is often at the Dojang for over 10 hours each week (sometimes much more than that, depending on what is happening). The focus is definitely on helping the kids to develop their skills - not on collecting fees.

 

I agree that a different school may be what she'd want but when you switch schools, you may not be able to enter at the same belt so that is a consideration. Our school is run by a Korean man who was born, raised, and studied in Korea before moving here as a young adult and he runs a very traditional school. The kids are tested on their knowledge of their character traits and what their forms mean as much as on their board breaks and forms. We can also come to as many classes as we want for the same fee. We will be moving and we will look for a school with an owner with a very high degree black belt (at least 7th degree) and hopefully one who had the bulk of his or her training in Korea. We have about 9months before we leave and I am just hoping my son will make black belt before then so he doesn't have to start over!

[DarlaS]

This sounds like any belt eventually achieved will be next to meaningless. I'd look for another school--not another martial art. None of them are supposed to be like that.

[Greta]

If she likes Taekwon-do and has already invested a considerable amount of time in it, then I'd encourage you to look at different schools. There may be other schools that are more concerned with the student and their individual progress. At our school, they encourage students to attend as many classes as they can - but they don't pay anything extra. My boys could attend six hours of TKD per week - my dd (a Black belt) is often at the Dojang for over 10 hours each week (sometimes much more than that, depending on what is happening). The focus is definitely on helping the kids to develop their skills - not on collecting fees.

 

This sounds like any belt eventually achieved will be next to meaningless. I'd look for another school--not another martial art. None of them are supposed to be like that.

 

Hmm, is this an issue worth leaving over? This is my only real complaint with the school. I'm not sure if it's a deal breaker, but I will consider it. Like I said, we've gone through three different owners, which basically means three different schools even if they all were in the same building. I hesitate to throw yet another change at her unless it's justified. So, thinking out loud here . . .

 

Pros. For one fee she can come as often as she likes, which in her case is five days, six or seven classes per week. So I really feel that we get our money's worth in terms of the basic instruction. The owner and head instructor seems very concerned with the happiness and satisfaction of the parents and students. I have not talked to him about this issue, but when I raised a concern before, he addressed it immediately, and better than I would have imagined. My daughter enjoys her teachers and her classmates and has formed some good friendships. I feel the quality of instruction is very good. She gets to take a weapons class once a week which she really enjoys (is this common? I have no idea.) and she's on the Demo Team.

 

Cons. While the quality of instruction is very good, it's not the best she's had. The second owner/instructor was the best, absolutely phenomenal***. (He's moving to Korea to learn from a Grandmaster and teach at his school!). But I've seen that it has been getting better. Character issues are talked about, but not heavily emphasized.

 

I know this is a decision that only my family can make, but I am curious. Would you (general you, anyone and everyone please weigh in!) leave? We initially only looked at one other school, and it was no contest. The other school was basically a gym class with people wearing TKD uniforms, but very little TKD was actually happening. I wouldn't go there. And I'm just not sure I would find something better.

 

 

*** ETA: And I know that he was one of the best if not the best teacher in the entire city, because the kids from our school took home all the first and second place medals at a local tournament. I mean, these kids were just amazing, and it was because of this teacher. I don't expect that there are too many like him out there. So I don't want to leave a good school hoping for a great school but ending up with a mediocre school, you know?

Edited September 20, 2010 by GretaLynne

[Rosy]

At DD's karate school, students *earn* their belts. There are kids who have been in a year and are still white belts, and may never promote. DD will be promoting to blue next weekend (she's been in just under a year, this is her 2nd promotion)--though they don't guarantee that a student will pass the promotion just by participating. I think at the lower levels it's basically guaranteed, and they wouldn't recommend someone for promotion who wasn't ready at the orange and blue levels. They would rather have someone drop out than be given a belt that wasn't based on skill and character.

 

I know than in many schools, belts are awarded based on # of classes attended or being able to pay the required $$. After being part of the school we attend, I would have a very hard time with that. I think brown belt should mean "I am an accomplished karate student", not "I've been in for 4 years" or "my parents have money to invest in my activity".

 

For the record, our upper belts are rock stars at regional, national and international competitions. The level of instruction we get is amazing, according to many of the parents who have looked all over the area at different dojos. If you're happy with your school and it's benefiting your DD, stick with it. But a school that is truly focused on skill, performance and character will produce superior results to a school that is focused on $$, IMHO.

[Greta]

At DD's karate school, students *earn* their belts. There are kids who have been in a year and are still white belts, and may never promote. DD will be promoting to blue next weekend (she's been in just under a year, this is her 2nd promotion)--though they don't guarantee that a student will pass the promotion just by participating. I think at the lower levels it's basically guaranteed, and they wouldn't recommend someone for promotion who wasn't ready at the orange and blue levels. They would rather have someone drop out than be given a belt that wasn't based on skill and character.

 

Wow. If I could find a school like that, I would switch her in a heartbeat. But how do you know? It's not the kind of thing you can easily determine with that one free introductory class - is it?

 

I think brown belt should mean "I am an accomplished karate student", not "I've been in for 4 years" or "my parents have money to invest in my activity".

 

This is one of the concerns I have with it. It kind of feels like the privilege of wealth is that you get to your black belt faster. It isn't supposed to be that way. You're supposed to earn it, not buy it.

 

If you're happy with your school and it's benefiting your DD, stick with it. But a school that is truly focused on skill, performance and character will produce superior results to a school that is focused on $$, IMHO.

 

I have to say that I was surprised and very impressed with my dd. At one point I was thinking about trying to get some of these private lessons for her, and she said no. She said she wanted to earn her belt the right way, by developing her skills, not by "cheating". I think the character lessons of the previous owner/teacher really stuck with her! And I will consider looking for a school that embodies that. I just wish I knew how to find one!

[Ray]

"Do you know of others that are less belt focused"?

 

 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kids can only advance so far (belts), and then they must wait until they are around 16yrs of age to enter adult classes, there are no child Bjj black belts.

Some gyms have started to copy the belt factory business model, but most still hold to tradition and belts are free and given to the student when they are ready by the instructor.

[LG Gone Wild]

"Do you know of others that are less belt focused"?

 

 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kids can only advance so far (belts), and then they must wait until they are around 16yrs of age to enter adult classes, there are no child Bjj black belts.

Some gyms have started to copy the belt factory business model, but most still hold to tradition and belts are free and given to the student when they are ready by the instructor.

 

Yeah but that's not a smooth transition from TKD or Karate.

 

ETA: to the OP...that studio is picking your pocket, move on to another

 

Finding a good school takes a while. You will have to observe a number of classes in a single studio. So many things to consider. Personally, I never go for character building. I just like to see a class well run with children under control. How hard are the kids working? How hard are the instructors working? How good are the black belts? How comfortable is the establishment talking about their fees?

Edited September 20, 2010 by LG Gone Wild

[Rosy]

Wow. If I could find a school like that, I would switch her in a heartbeat. But how do you know? It's not the kind of thing you can easily determine with that one free introductory class - is it?

 

 

I guess the only way (in addition to the class) I could think of is to ask the instructors how they determine a student is ready for belt testing. You wouldn't get the subtleties necessarily, but you'd get their basic policy. At our school, the handbook states 8 criteria that they use, the most important being skill, but they also look at academic performance, punctuality, willingness to help teach and train lower belts, presence at tournaments, etc. They also state that a student should not ask if he/she is ready to promote, it is determined solely by the Sensei. The Senseis are open (I think) to students asking what they can do to be ready to promote. They also run an intense program, which tends to weed out the non-serious student.

 

So besides finding out their policy, I would maybe ask the higher belt students (if you get the opportunity) what they did to get their belt? They would probably have a sense of whether it was earned or bought.

 

Our school is in WA, OR and Montana...I'm assuming you're not local, but if you are, let me know and I'll PM details.

 

Good luck!

[Forget-Me-Not]

The more threads I read about martial arts, the more impressed and happy I am with my son's studio :D

 

My 7 yo has been in Kenpo Karate for 2 1/2 yrs. The instructor is a 6th degree black belt who has been teaching for years. He offers belt tests monthly and stripe tests 2x a month. They get 2 stripes of a color before advancing to the full color belt (so, when my son was a yellow belt, he earned 1 orange stripe, then a second, then a full orange belt). The teacher only charges for full belt tests and it's just $20 and includes the new belt. He doesn't charge for stripe tests.

 

This instructor definitely does NOT promise advancements through private lessons, but he does offer private lessons at $20/half hour. I usually take my son in for a private lesson or two before a stripe or a belt test. It's a nice way to sort of polish and tighten up his techniques. For his recent orange belt test, he had several private lessons because he was really struggling with Long Form I.

 

What you're describing would definitely concern me.

[Sarah CB]

At DD's karate school, students *earn* their belts. There are kids who have been in a year and are still white belts, and may never promote. DD will be promoting to blue next weekend (she's been in just under a year, this is her 2nd promotion)--though they don't guarantee that a student will pass the promotion just by participating. I think at the lower levels it's basically guaranteed, and they wouldn't recommend someone for promotion who wasn't ready at the orange and blue levels. They would rather have someone drop out than be given a belt that wasn't based on skill and character.

 

I know than in many schools, belts are awarded based on # of classes attended or being able to pay the required $$. After being part of the school we attend, I would have a very hard time with that. I think brown belt should mean "I am an accomplished karate student", not "I've been in for 4 years" or "my parents have money to invest in my activity".

 

For the record, our upper belts are rock stars at regional, national and international competitions. The level of instruction we get is amazing, according to many of the parents who have looked all over the area at different dojos. If you're happy with your school and it's benefiting your DD, stick with it. But a school that is truly focused on skill, performance and character will produce superior results to a school that is focused on $$, IMHO.

 

And this is the way it should be. I can't imagine being in a school that just promoted everyone based on how long they've been in. At our school there is a minimum amount of classes that are required for each belt level, but honestly you'd be hard pressed to pass your test if you didn't attend that minimum anyway. And they won't give a student permission to test unless they feel they will actually pass.

[vettechmomof2]

Our classes are held Monday evenings through Sat.

You can attend one class or all. If you attended every class then you will have been able to make 14 classes total per week so for the same price. You can also attend cardio kickboxing for free 4 nights a week. All "extra" trainnig is done for free, you just ask for the help if you want it or want to work on something specific. Our sensei also offers family/group discounts. We also do demonstrations in the area and parades and school talks and so forth that we volunteer for and we break boards there and that is always free as well.

 

You do have to pay for a Gi, you have to pay for the belts but not the testing of. They range in price from $10.00-$50.00. Everyone single person advances at their own pace. Some families advance at similar times and others do not.

 

We have 2 advance/weapons class per week and the dojo offers school weapons and then you can buy your own training weapons as well. The range from $10.00-$400.00 if you want very nice stuff. My training Bokken I have had for 4 years now and it is still in good usable shape (I paid $20.00 for it). He does not mark anything up, just charges what price it is from the catalog.

 

If you are happy there then I guess that is your answer but to prepay for a belt advancement seems to take a lot out of the integrity of the whole idea of martial arts.

[DarcyB]

If she likes Taekwon-do and has already invested a considerable amount of time in it, then I'd encourage you to look at different schools. There may be other schools that are more concerned with the student and their individual progress. At our school, they encourage students to attend as many classes as they can - but they don't pay anything extra. My boys could attend six hours of TKD per week - my dd (a Black belt) is often at the Dojang for over 10 hours each week (sometimes much more than that, depending on what is happening). The focus is definitely on helping the kids to develop their skills - not on collecting fees.

 

This is how ours is, too..a flat fee for as many classes as you want to attend. But students don't advance based on the hours, but based on their abilities. If you don't know it, you don't advance, period.

 

$65 for a low-level belt test is high, too..well, at least our tests are only $40, but DH just told me $100 is more a norm on below brown belt tests.

 

I'd definitely look around at other TKD schools in your area. They aren't all fee for belt schools. Ours definitely focuses on training, less on tests and tournaments.

[JFSinIL]

I would be very wary that the newest owner is trying to just make money by not only selling these private lessons but also moving kids through the program faster to make way for a fresh paying crop of students.

 

No point moving super-fast through the belts if you do not LEARN the material and have enough PRACTICE time to make the moves and techniques automatic.

 

I mean, the goal is to BE a Black Belt, not just get a scrap of black fabric to tie around the waist.

 

BTW - my youngest dd has been working 4 - 6 lessons a week for over three years and is testing for Black Belt (three exams over the summer, she has to write a paper, and the final test is early November) in Kyuki-Do. The studio, in place over 60 years!!!! recently started automatically "testing" to promote everyone every three months - before you got tested only when the instructors thought you were ready to move up a bit. I look at it as a financial move on the studio's part - they offer unlimited classes for a flat fee, but have only so many spots in the studio, so need to move older students out to make way for new ones (with that hefty initial sign-up fee to get the outfit, weapons, etc.). I do not like it. I am seeing some kids move up in belt ranks who would NOT have done so two years ago!!!!

Edited September 20, 2010 by JFSinIL

[Haiku]

My dad has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and also teaches pentjak silat, which is Philippine stick fighting.

 

He calls places like that "belt factories" and says they are just after your money. He says no one should be able to skip ahead in getting a belt just because they pay money or attend more classes. He says that belts should always be based on ability and merit and NOTHING else.

 

Tara

[mom2agang]

My husband is a 2 time United States champion in Muay Thia kickboxing. He is now a trainer 6 days a week. He teaches Muay Thai KB, MMA and Brazilian Ju-jitsu and kids Ju-jitsu. Our gym membership is $60 a month for all classes or one class. Earning belts is extra $45 but we have set calendar dates to test. If you want to test that day you pay if not then You don't move up. You are not required to test. We see a lot of trainers using the personal training classes as an advertising special. Being a trainer is a lot of time and there isn't money unless belt advancement. If you keep a kid advancing they will keep coming and keep paying. Personally I would find another gym. They seem more happy in advancing for income instead of skill.

[Greta]

I want to thank you guys for giving me this little reality check. :001_smile: I've talked it over with my daughter, and we are going to look into some other schools. I'm not ready to burn any bridges at this point - we're not telling the current school that we're leaving or anything like that. But we're going to just find out if there is something better out there. No harm could come from that, and we might discover our dream school. Who knows. But it's worth finding out.

 

Thank you all for posting. I appreciate the help!

[Alyce]

Our federation has rules. Before a student can be considered for his next belt not only does he have to know the material but he also has to have a certain amount of hours of instruction. If you went 5 days a week yes you could get your belt faster but if you went 2 days a week it would be slower. There's no way we could do "private" lessons like you're describing. Oh and each level requires more and more hours before testing for the next belt. Our school is very traditional as our teacher also spent some time training in Korea. We do not spend time on doing fancy jumps or breaking boards. They look great but they aren't that practical in real life. If you are looking at a new school look at what they spend most of their time on. Do they emphasize the basics, forms, self defenses etc. Make sure the instuctor is at least a master level instructor. They have much more experience. Also find out the history of where the teacher learned his martial arts. I personally don't think martial arts should be for the show. While those are nice and make you feel good, martial arts are about learning respect, balance, concentration and self defense. It is a beautiful art form that is slowly and some think very rapidly being americanized. Americans want things bigger and faster and better than others. They tend to throw away tradition. If you were to go overseas and actually see how traditional martial arts are taught you would be amazed at the differences.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Alyce

[Greta]

Our school is in WA, OR and Montana...I'm assuming you're not local, but if you are, let me know and I'll PM details.

 

 

Thanks, but I'm in NM. If anyone out there knows of a really great taekwondo or other martial arts school in Albuquerque, please let me know!

[kiana]

Advancement for private lessons, guaranteed, really makes it seem like a belt mill. Of course more hours should make you learn more faster, but it shouldn't be guaranteed.

 

Some martial arts are more belt and advancement-oriented than others. One of the reasons I chose Aikido is because it's *not* purely advancement-oriented -- I wanted to learn without paying constant belt fees, and I also wanted to know that when I had a rank, I'd earned it.

 

I'd really look for a school without this atmosphere -- it just seems wrong to pay for advancement.

[Greta]

Advancement for private lessons, guaranteed, really makes it seem like a belt mill. Of course more hours should make you learn more faster, but it shouldn't be guaranteed.

 

Yes, and it bothers me that it is specifically "advertised" this way. 8 private lessons, = skip one belt. 50 private lessons = black belt. They have this written on the class schedule.

 

:confused: They might as well be honest and say $560 = skip one belt. $3500 = black belt.

 

Some martial arts are more belt and advancement-oriented than others. One of the reasons I chose Aikido is because it's *not* purely advancement-oriented -- I wanted to learn without paying constant belt fees, and I also wanted to know that when I had a rank, I'd earned it.

 

I don't know a lot about Aikido, but what I do know really appeals to me. It's purely defense-oriented, correct? I like the sound of it. I'd even take that with my dd, which she would love. She really does want a black belt in Taekwondo, however, and I want to help her reach that goal. She is interested in other martial arts as well, because one of her favorite instructors had black belts in Karate, Wu Ying Tao, and Taekwondo.

[Guest carlashton09]

Hi everybody, my name is Carl Ashton and I have been a professional martial instructor for 6 years. I noticed that a lot of parents have many concerns before bringing their kids to a martial art/karate class. I am trying very hard to put together a report to address any issues or questions that parents have about getting there kids involved in martial arts. If you would like to help me, please fill out this one question survey http://tinyurl.com/karate4kids . I would be very grateful for your help. Thank you!!

[Laurie4b]

Our karate school only offers advancement when you pass the test to the satisfaction of the sensai who has very high standards, so extra lessons would only advance a student more quickly if they actually advanced the student's performance.

[joannqn]

I would like to know if your child's school has a policy of advancing students through the belts faster if they take private lessons.

 

Not only does our school not do this but we would not attend a school that did. A child should progress to the new belt only when he knows the required material for testing well. In addition to this, the schools we have attended requires that students have their belts for a specific amount of time before they are eligible to test again, even if they know the material well before hand.

Edited October 6, 2010 by joannqn

[Sputterduck]

Find a different school. Skipping belts is not at all okay.

[Ann@thebeach]

It's not the 'art' that is focused on the belts, rather it's the philosophy of the instructor/owner. It's too bad so many see the advancement as a "money maker" instead of a "character maker"!

 

We've been in 2 different karate studios-one was Japanese style, current one is Korean style. Neither has been focused on belts. Advancement is only 4x per year by invitation only. And not all kids automatically pass either.

 

I visited 2 different schools (tai kwon do -sp?) before choosing the one I did and they were both a lot more focused on belts/stripes/charms/etc and I did not like it all. Many of the kids with higher belts did not know many of the techniques my son knew even though his belt was technically much lower than theirs.

 

Our first instructor gave me good advice when we moved and needed a new studio. He said "don't focus on the specific martial art, but rather on the instructor. They are the key to your child's learning and the martial art is secondary."

 

Looks like you need a new instructor.