is this necessary?

Question

I found myself coasting through the first few color belts in Taekwondo in just 4 months
there are four classes every week
but the thing is the lessons were $800 a year or when I got to certain belt (which was purple first stage, red second stage, and black third stage)
so no matter how fast I complete a stage (it took me four months the first stage) I have to pay the $800 3 times to get to black belt and I had to pay right after that four months when I got my purple belt
so now I found myself not going to classes as often so I have more time in my interets cause if I don't I probably could have gone to black belt in a year
if this is the price for learning fast, then what is the point of practice?
please tell me if I should go to class more often..

Answer 1

As long as you are paying for the classes, go to them.

The good news: almost every system slows the student down just before, or just at, the brown belt level. They are throwing more concepts at you, because in the first few months, you have learned how to learn. Now they can teach you more.

In my school there are three levels of brown belt. I got every other belt, and then the lowest of the three brown belts, at a rhythm of once every four months. Then a year passed by, from brown belt 3 to brown belt 2. Then I lost track of time, because of the sheer amount of things I had to learn, and one day I was surprised to hear my name called out as a black belt recipient. So it is possible that you are on the way, and doing things right.

The bad news: The pricing you mentioned raises the definite possibility that you are in a black belt factory, and that the paying of money is as important to promotion as the learning part is. In my city, there are Tae Kwon Do schools that will 'guarantee' a black belt in 18 months, as long as you attend regularly and pay the contract fee regularly.

I recommend that if you were going to class four times a week, go three times a week, starting right after you look up both Karate and Tae Kwon Do schools, and call up the Sensei, and discuss prices, and whether or not there are contracts, and what the Sensei really wants the students to learn.

I was in a factory for 3 years. I was taught a limited number of techniques every week, which guaranteed slow progress, and then there were two mandatory weeks of review, then a test which I paid for, then the Sensei had to think about it, and then I got to hear that I "almost" passed the test, and I had another week or two of review coming, and then I passed, and then started on the new list of techniques. They didn't have a contract, but they might as well have just set a minimum price for a black belt.

I have been with my present system for 16 years. They test you when they think that you are ready, and they set the standards, which include increasing competence and commitment at every level. That means that really committed, competent people, who attend 75% of the classes, could possibly be promoted before a slower student who goes to all of the classes.

So if you ultimately come to the conclusion that you are in a factory, set yourself a time table, and a goal to be out of the factory when the next contract runs out, and do your research now. As Danny Inosanto said, "absorb what is useful".

Answer 2

So you might pay $800 or $2400 a year, depending on how fast they promote you? Sounds like a recipe for corruption.

As well, your idea of getting a black belt in just a year, training four classes a week, is also misguided. With your $2400 black belt, you will likely find you know less than a blue belt from another school who has been diligently practising every day for two years.

If a belt that is black is all you want, go out and buy one for $10. If it's knowledge and skill you seek, you need to stop worrying about being promoted as fast as possible. And you need to find an instructor who is not so cocerned about money.

Answer 3

Sounds like you have to pay $800/year which is not bad at all. But, if you are having to pay $800 EACH time you get a new belt that is just wrong!
You should expect to pay between $50 to $150 a month (I paid $125 in manhattan and now pay $75 in Vegas). Testing fees are ok and understandable to a point -- pay registration, new belt, etc. But anything over $50 is just wrong...I have heard of places charging something like $500 to test for black belt and that is questionable -- unless there is no one qualified to test you and requires addt'l instructors to be flown in to test you.

That said, take a look for another school and go to class at least 4 times per week.

Answer 4

$800 a year isn't really all that bad when you're getting four classes per week. That's less than $70/month, and there's plenty of places charging a lot more for a lot less. However, $800 per year or per advanced belt sounds fishy to me. Sounds like a belt-factory to me. Regardless, if you feel like you don't need to go to class, you're answering your own question. Go to a new school.

Make it to black belt in a year or 18 months, and you're deluding yourself. There's no way you can have the sparring experience to truly understand and, more importantly, apply the techniques and concepts in that amount of time. You might be great on paper and you might have memorized a million useless katas or whatever that choreography junk is called, but you're likely to end up with a mid-level belt from another school wiping the floor with you if he's coming up slow and steady with a lot of experience.

Stop worrying about the belt--worry about the experience. No one's going to ask what color your belt is before they bust a beer bottle over your head.

Answer 5

You pay $800 a year? For Tae-Kwon-Do?
That is dirt cheap. That works out to only $66 bucks a month! That is the cheapest Dojang I have ever heard of! Consider youself very lucky.
To get a black belt, it's not how fast you learn the moves, it's how well your body can do those moves. It takes time to train your body to do each move correctly because you are moving in ways that your body is not used to. If someone gets into a car accident and looses the use of his legs for a couple years, he has to go through alot of training to teach his muscles how to walk again. He knows how in his mind but his body has to be trained. Same thing for Martial Arts!
I'm sure at $66 bucks a month they are not slowing you down to make money, they are slowing you down to give your body time to catch up with your mind.
I think you should go to your Master and ask for a couple one on one classes so that he can work with you and pinpoint where you need work. Have him set goals for you to work for and give you a firm direction. Talk to him and tell him you need direction.
Keep going to class. Don't just throw away what you've worked for. And don't be in such a damn hurry! Be confident in your abilities first, worry about rank second. It's not a race, it's a lifestyle.

Answer 6

You may need to look into a different school. Black belt is quite an achievement, as you already know and respect. Don't rob yourself of that achievement.

Do you know of other schools? Studying martial arts shouldn't be just about the money. You may have a money hungry instructor/school. Our advanced ranks only pay $80 a month for two classes a week, private lessons included, and weekend sparring. Lower (beginner, intermediate) are $50 per month.

Answer 7

Definitely necessary!

Answer 8

well first of all 800 aint a good price u can go to a cheaper place and still get the knowledge u need it might be at a slower pace but it is better

Answer 9

Sound like your instructor is planning on making a huge investment into something like RV, boat, or a brand new SUV. So if I were you, I would leave instead of handing my bank to him.

My suggest is to find another school.

Answer 10

Go to class more often and you might want to find someplace cheaper. $800 is more than ridiculous for one year.