I'm very close to signing up with a small Tae Kwon Do dojo near me, and am wondering what kind of accreditation (if any) they should have. I've heard of the ITA and the ATA... are there any other major associations? How important is it that they be affiliated with such organizations?
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Accreditation: what should I look for in a school?
- Thread starter Saphron_Girl
- Start date
You are better off asking the head instructor who his teacher was and who his teacher's teacher was. A lot of very good teachers are not part of any organization other than having learned from another good teacher. And, remember, being a good a martial artist does not make you a good teacher, so, if possible, try to meet some of their senior students also, to get a feel for how good you can hope to be if you study with them for a period of time.
exactly. the accredidation in teh US isn't a bad thing, but it doesn't always prove anything.
plus, I would rather learn from someone who learned from a traditional instructor over in Japan/China/Far East, who knew his stuff but wasn't accredited, than some fo the American schools I've seen.
plus, I would rather learn from someone who learned from a traditional instructor over in Japan/China/Far East, who knew his stuff but wasn't accredited, than some fo the American schools I've seen.
I went to a TKD school which was part of the GBTA, and the instructer was rubbish.
To be honest is really doesn't matter what martial art you do, as a good instructer will teach you all the basics. Then, when you know a little about the arts you may choose a diffrent style.
when looking for a class look for...
people you think you will get on with,
-a friendly atmosphere,
-an instructer who doesnt hesitate when demonstrating new techniques,
-lessons over an hour,
-schools which have more than one or two classes a week,
-an instructer who is a full time instructer (not just a part time job)
-classes with lots of pairs work (training with a partner is essential)
bad points to look out for...
-classes who do lots of exercise, (when u pay for a lesson you want to be learning not sweating)
-instructers who keep accidentally hitting students when demonstrating.
To be honest is really doesn't matter what martial art you do, as a good instructer will teach you all the basics. Then, when you know a little about the arts you may choose a diffrent style.
when looking for a class look for...
people you think you will get on with,
-a friendly atmosphere,
-an instructer who doesnt hesitate when demonstrating new techniques,
-lessons over an hour,
-schools which have more than one or two classes a week,
-an instructer who is a full time instructer (not just a part time job)
-classes with lots of pairs work (training with a partner is essential)
bad points to look out for...
-classes who do lots of exercise, (when u pay for a lesson you want to be learning not sweating)
-instructers who keep accidentally hitting students when demonstrating.
Thanks for all your input, everyone. I found out that the dojo is accredited with the WTF, but more importantly, the instructor is both patient and competent. He runs the school full-time and is devoted to making sure that he oversees the early instruction of all his new students. I believe he is a 5th dan black belt. I signed up yesterday, and am confident it was the right decision.