Good Dojo, Bad Dojo: Choosing a martial arts school

This is a followup to my last post on choosing a martial art to practice.  In this post I'll cover:

• What to look for in a school
• What to know to avoid in a school
• Other things to keep in mind before starting

I highly recommend finding a style you think you'd like to practice first then check out a school that teaches it second.  However, always check out schools of other arts during your search even if you think the first one you found was great.  The style is meaningless if your school and teachers are bad.  All martial arts teach body mechanics, defense and fitness that are applicable to any other art and every day life.

Things to look for

• Happy customers - If the people practicing aren't thrilled, don't go
• People of similar ages - If it's a bunch of kids and you're an adult, it's probably not the place for you. If it's a bunch of adults and you're a kid, it might be, but consider carefully.
• A style you can deal with - You may not get the style you want, but make sure it's a style you can deal with - one that fits your goals. If you want something practical and the school your're at doesn't teach a style that seems practical then don't bother.

Things to avoid

• Asshole instructors
  
  • Says his art is the best
  • Says nobody can beat him
  • Says other arts suck
  • Is down on many other arts
  • Badmouths other instructors
  • Is arrogant
  • Deliberately tries to hurt you (beyond reason - eg: you tap and he keeps applying pressure) while demonstrating a technique
• Schools that are out to get your money (See McDojo). 
  
  • Needless levels of 'progression' can commonly be found in these places: belts, stripes on your belt, endless levels of testing.  In most traditional arts the levels you are required to progress through before you are considered fully proficient (black belt) are few (0-6).  Most decent schools will not have testing fees above $100 for belts below black.
    
  • Requirements to buy massive amounts of gear solely through the school.  Gloves, padding, uniforms, belts, patches.  This is one of the best ways these schools make money.  Requiring you to buy through them when you can find gear cheaper elsewhere is one of the most prominent marks of a McDojo.
  • Black belt guarantees.
    
  • Unreasonable monthly dues, membership/association fees, extra fees.  Some of my best instructors have charged little to nothing for monthly fees.  Most of these guys taught out of their garages.  Brick-and-mortar places have to charge more.  While living in the midwest (town of around 120,000) I paid $20-50/month for various schools to train 1-3 times per week, all of which were superb.
    
  • Common offenders of the McDojo trend are schools of Karate and Tae Kwon Do and schools that focus on fitness more than martial arts.
    

Things to keep in mind

• Martial arts hurt.  Punching a heavy bag will make your hands, arms, feet and legs hurt.  Wrist locks hurt.  Throws can hurt.  Getting hit with a stick on your hand, by accident or not, hurts.  Getting your arm slapped 100 times in a row while practicing trapping hurts.  Rolling around doing ground fighting will burn your skin.  You will likely wake up many mornings feeling like you just carried 100lbs on your back for 20 miles the previous day.
  
• Always wear a cup if you're male.  Even if you're in a lighter art like Aikido there is plenty that can happen to you purely by accident.  There is no reason not to wear one.  If someone tells you that you don't need one, ignore them.  Just wear one.
• You are responsible for yourself.  Some people you train with may be reckless or just plain want to hurt somebody and it could be you.  Always be aware and find a new partner if you end up in this situation.
• You won't become a master overnight. Like anything else it takes time. Learn your fundamentals and make it into a routine.