What to Look for When Joining a Martial Arts School
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Martial Arts
You must know what you're looking for, what do you like and what is your reason for joining. Are you joining for fitness, tournaments, self-defence, socializing or whatever?

Martial Arts
Do you like punching, kicking, grappling, trapping, weapon training (Forms or Combat) or a combinations of all. Are you training for realistic defence or preset self-defence? Keep in mind that most Martial Arts are affective in 1 or 2 ranges.

Schools or Clubs
What kind of school are you looking for, traditional or modern? Do you like traditional wear or are you more comfortable in jogging pants and a T-shirt. Do you like a strict atmosphere or a friendly open one?

Instructors
Be careful of your choice of Instructor/teachers. Do not be fooled by high rank or false claims. Just because someone holds a rank above 4th or 5th Dan does not mean this is the Instructor for you. Make sure of a few things first. 1- How did this person obtain his rank. Through out the years I have met a few, so called Masters (usually 4th Dan and up in most styles) who I know have not test since they where a Brown Belt or 1st Dan Black Belt. Please note that in most styles any rank above 4th Dan is a Political position. Sometimes it's who you know (not how much) and if you will play the game. 2- Be aware of Instructors who say they have invented their own style of Martial Arts, in my opinion, these Instructors are trying to fool the public, usually for financial gain. Sent Bruce Lee died, there have been many Schools/Clubs and Instructors popping up claiming they have come up with their own style of Martial Art. There are only so many ways to kick, punch, trap, grapple or use weapons. Just because they practise Kickboxing, Karate, Hap-Ki-Do and Judo does not mean they have invented a unique form of Martial Arts. 3- Can you get along with the Chief/Master/Owner of this School. Does the Instructor play favouritism? Does he/she spend most of their time training with certain students will others are left out (most of the time) to advance mostly on their own. How does he/she relate to the students (children and adults): Does he/she demand respect, or does he/she earn it? Does he/she make you feel uncomfortable? Or do you feel relaxed and stress-free? 4- Also, does the Instructor(s) put down or criticizes other Schools, Instructors or Styles? If he/she does, he/she is not confident in his/her martial art (s) or him/herself.

In closing, there are many types of Martial Arts and many different approaches to training. You must have some kind of idea of what you're looking for. School's who teach contact sparring and a more combative approach (studies base on the concepts of range) are usually more suited for realistic self-defence. Also, most of them allow the student the choice of how far involved they want to be. Many of these School's are independent or self-governing. Inner Circle Martial Arts approach is one of simplicity, absorbing what is affective for our self-defence purposes. We are always researching new (to us) and affective methods of Martial Arts. We do not believe any Martial Art is superior to another Martial Art; All Martial Art systems/styles have their strengths and weaknesses in a self-defence situation.