Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

When choosing a taekwondo school, there are many different factors to consider. Unfortunately, there are many schools out there that are more interested in making money than teaching martial arts.

How to identify red flags and avoid schools that teach diluted fake martial arts? How to find a school where the belt is given out according to the fighting ability of the students, and not the paying ability of the parents? Our article will pay special attention to the details that are specific to taekwondo.

Steps

1. 1 Pay attention to the contradictions between the art form and the school. Taekwondo teaching involves: philosophy, meditation, basics, forms, self-defense, offensive, fighting, stretching, leadership skills and fitness. A school that does not adhere to such a curriculum or Korean standards in general may still be a good school, but the further it strays from tradition, the more closely you should check it out to form an opinion of it. At the very least, you should definitely ask what caused such contradictions and expect an exhaustive answer.
   • Taekwondo is a Korean martial art. In taekwondo, weapons are used: sticks, nunchucks, and so on. Many schools include training in fighting with such weapons in the curriculum.
   • In traditional taekwondo, a white uniform is worn. The white uniform symbolizes the purity and ideal character that students aspire to. In many schools where the history and philosophy of taekwondo is misunderstood, the uniform is colored, with patches and stripes.
   • Taekwondo teaches self-defense. Physical fitness is only a means of self-defense. Fighting with limited contact is also a necessary step in self-defense training. Avoid schools where combat is not practiced or where contactless combat is exclusively practiced, where there is no competition at all. Competition, not isolation, leads to excellence.
   • Taekwondo belongs only to the Korean tradition and is proud of it. In Korean, the Taekwondo school is called "dojang", sometimes "kwan", and teachers are called "sabonim" or "kwan jang". Avoid schools that use Japanese or Chinese terms such as dojo, professor, shifu, or sensei.
   • Taekwondo is a martial art, not a sport. Taekwondo fighting is included in the Olympic Games, but fighting is only part of the taekwondo program. A school that only teaches combat is just as inferior as a school that does not teach combat at all. The complete training program should consist of combat, training, stretching and educational games.
2. 2 Collect information about the teacher.
   • World Taekwondo Federation: The South Korean government recognizes Kukkiwon in Seoul as a member of the World Taekwondo Federation.Kukkiwon can issue an international certificate to black belt holders and teachers, it publishes the Kukkiwon textbook, sets standards for techniques and uniforms, and hosts an annual international competition called Hanmadang. Many lay teachers from the World Federation of Kukkiwon are completely unfamiliar, while a teacher does not need to be certified by Kukkiwon, but should definitely know about it. The qualifications of a teacher can be judged by the attributes listed below.
   • Federation of Taekwon-Do I.T.F: A teacher can claim that he works according to the rules of this federation, but does not have its certificate. The Federation has split into three factions, but anyone who claims to be teaching according to its rules must have at least one certificate. The Federation sets technical standards and certifies qualifications.
   • How many years has the teacher been working? What is its level? For the World Taekwondo Federation, Kukkiwon has established that a teacher requires at least a fourth level black belt. Obtaining it usually requires 12 years of study.
   • Find your teacher certificate and gather information about the organization that issued it. Call there and make sure the document is authentic.
   • Get professional recommendations and check them out. To begin with, teachers with a good reputation who recommend this instructor are suitable, then you can check the professional associations.
   • Make sure that the teacher has no criminal record, this is important! A lot of martial arts enthusiasts who are not able to legally work in business start teaching martial arts because the government does not regulate this area of ​​activity. The uninformed public can easily be fooled by fake certificates. Are you ready to trust such a person with your child, wife or husband? Some teachers take advantage of their position and the trust of their students to treat children or women inappropriately. Remember that teaching is not regulated by law, so you decide for yourself whether you are ready to entrust your loved ones to this person.
   • A true master has an extraordinary level of skill, which is usually accompanied by an extraordinary level of humility and willingness to serve others. In the Taekwon-Do I.TF Federation, the title of master is assigned to the seventh and eighth dan, and the title of senior master is to the ninth dan. Avoid teachers who claim to be a member of this federation and name the tenth dan, as there is no such title at all.
   • Look for a teacher on Facebook or another social network. Avoid teachers who use foul language, insult other teachers, and behave disrespectfully.
3. 3 Meet the students. Before signing up, always go to the lesson, and if possible, then to the exam. A good school has nothing to hide; it encourages visitors. Are the students satisfied? Are they disciplined? Are they knowledgeable? What physical shape are they in? Are they well-groomed? How are they expressed? Taekwondo requires discipline. In a good school, students must behave very well, talk politely and behave respectfully with others, which, unfortunately, is so lacking in modern society.
   • Watch other area martial arts classes and watch videos on Youtube. How do these students compare?
   • Find out how many black belts there are in school and for how long. Too many black belts, especially those assigned to beginners, indicate very low standards, not regulated by the respective associations.
   • A good school is clean and quiet. A dignified atmosphere should be maintained during the lesson, students and visitors should behave well.
   • Avoid schools that look like after school. If the atmosphere is like that, look for another school. The ill-mannered children running all over the place should alert you very much.
   • Avoid teachers who are obviously in bad shape, overweight, and not participating in exercise themselves.
   • Ask your teacher to show you a practical application of the techniques he teaches you. If they don't work, find another teacher who will teach you so that they will work.
4. 4 Check the required costs. Some schools are more interested in profits than in skills and discipline. In some cases, there may be additional expenses that you will not even know about if you do not ask: an exam, membership in an association, a long-term contract. Schools often insist on a long-term contract, especially since most of them started dropping out after six months, but in some places they promise that you can terminate the contract at any time, and when that moment comes, they refuse to cooperate. Some schools allow you to pay once a month, but when the level rises, they require a long contract, from two to four years. A good school will never retain students in this way.

Tips

• Ask the rest of the students. In any teaching, fellowship between students is an important part, but in martial arts teaching it is especially important. Find students who share your personal tastes and temperaments. If you are not in your best athletic form, and the rest are real athletes, it can be difficult for you in such a school. It is important, of course, to expand your comfort zone, but it is also important not to overdo it. Likewise, if other students view martial arts as fun and you are looking for opportunities to develop the perfect discipline, then you are unlikely to fit together.

Warnings

• Don't be fooled by portraits of your teacher with celebrities. Celebrities constantly pose with martial arts lovers, this does not say anything about the level of the teacher and should not influence the choice.
• Beware of schools that have exams every month. If at school you can get a black belt after a year of weekly training, then such a belt factory cannot be considered a good school of self-defense. Obtaining a black belt takes three to five years, at least.
• Avoid teachers who open martial arts schools to make money. Such teachers resort to excessive flattery and disguise the wrong technique with luxurious halls and excessive praise.
• The words "our technique is too dangerous to compete" is said to avoid comparison with other schools.
• Check the sign. Crooks often try to use martial arts. In the Louisiana area, an entire network of taekwondo schools are advertised as karate, although taekwondo is mentioned on the doors, and vice versa.
• Ignore the impressive epithets - "international", "worldwide" and so on. Many schools use these words without any reason. One example is the International Association of (name), which has two local schools. If the organization is truly international, then it will provide you with information about its branches abroad for verification.