Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Choosing a Martial arts club

I understand how difficult it must be to decide on a club or style for yourself or a child. There are so many out there, all proclaiming to be the best.

The first thing that is important to understand is that all martial arts clubs or organisations and even styles are certainly not equal. Even, with different styles within or under the banner of a particular system can differ greatly in quality and authenticity.

In the world today many styles even of the same name have popped up to ride on the coat tails of the original or authentic versions. Unfortunately, back in the day trademarking names was not wide spread, so unfortunately it is common for big name styles to have many photo copies each getting further and further from the source and the core of what that art is.

This is highly prevalent in all styles but very much so with Taekwon-Do becuase of its popularity. Many have moved further from the source that the self defence aspects and pure scientific techniques have become un-recognisable.

This can also be seen throughout the martial arts and combat sports world. In Taekwon-Do it is especially damaging as it is  highly technical, purely for the purpose of making each technique as powerful and effective as possible with current knowledge and safer on ones own body and joints. The tiniest details are where it counts. The tiniest details are what tends to get lost. The moral culture of the art is also vitally important and this aspect being watered down is also a significant loss.

One should see the heritage of the club/instructor. How close to the original source it is. We pride ourselves on being directly connected and mentored by the Vice president of ITF under GM President Choi Jung Hwa the son of the original founder of Taekwon-Do.

A club should also have a focus on real world self defence as was originally the purpose of all martial arts. The self defence aspects are lost more and more in martial arts nowadays. This is another aspect to see about when beginning.

Please also be aware of clubs marketing and boasting about many, many world champions etc. This would only be the case most of the time in much smaller usually less authentic organisations with open championships, that technically wouldn't constitute world champions. As I said not all organisations are equal. In the most authentic organisations it is a huge accomplishment to get through  few rounds or reach the medal rounds in the competition aspect.The only reason I point this out is to emphasise the varying levels of quality and what constitutes a world title holder.

Another aspect to look out for is use of the word Master. Many styles vary at which level a person can be called master. In ITF Teakwon-Do it is at 7th Degree/Dan.

Please also make sure the instructor/club is correctly certified and registered to the correct authorities internationally and in SA, also in possession of a valid 1st aid certificate and the soon to be compulsory NQF3 coaching certificate for SA.

It does also help if the club has a long track record of running in as many fly by nights pop up all the time with big promises and specials which often in the long run are unsustainable.

In conclusion I would suggest after doing a bit of research, trying out the classes you are interested in. Martial arts are broad and it is impossible to see all they have to offer in two classes, but you can also get an idea of the teaching quality and culture of the club.

I hope this helps you get started on your martial arts journey.

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