i want to learn karate, so i called this local place. they claim to be extremely well equiped, with 24hr/day training, weight room and what not. the price is $700 / year :Q am i being taken for a ride, or is this usual?
a martial arts question
- Thread starter kleinesarschloch
- Start date
60 a month? consider a gym membershiph costing 25-35 a month (if its a real gym they have and if you're going to use it).. is the rest worth it?
as a reference tiger schulman's karate is $100/mo i believe. your place has weights too. i think the typical new york sports club membership is ~$75/mo.
from my experience... martial arts schools are around $100 a month.
go for muay thai... it beats almost everything else.
go for muay thai... it beats almost everything else.
Martial art schools are usually 100.00/month and above. Royce Gracie school in Torrance is about $125 and up I believe.
Originally posted by: RossMAN
Geez I guess the days of $50/mo martial arts are over with?
Then again this was in the early 90's
Sorry Rossman, they don't do coupons or pricematches anymore.
My teacher told me it had a lot to do with the UFC and Pride why prices suddenly went up. You should see the rates for the Beverly Hills Brazilian Jiu-jitsu club. Its per lesson too.
Schadenfreude
Lifer
- Dec 28, 2001
- 11,391
- 3
- 0
Depedns on the school. The TKD place I go to, the best I've seen in the US, charges only $25 per month since the instrructos does it on a volunteer-basis (not, that I've been to a lot of different schools). On the other hand, my hometown's community college offers courses for credit and offered Judo, Juijitsu and Aikido while charging $80 for the whole semester.
And as for the other studio that I go to, theyt charge $65 a month and I've seen other schools charge $150 a month as well. There's a wide range of what they charge and usually prices do not concur with the skill with this single exception:
The only warning sign to look out for is -
If a school offers a set plan that guarentees a black belt by the end, do NOT go there - usually they add on that until you get your black belt, you can attend as much classes as you want - what they DO NOT tell you, however, is that once they have your money, they practically throw different ranks at you so you can get your belt, the contract is over, and they can charge more . . . that, my friend, is what we call a "McDojo".
With all that you've said, it's not enough information as to judge whether it's ripping you off or not. $70 per month isn't unusual for a private dojo to charge. They do have to eat and have shelter too, you know. Go to as many different schools as much as you can (even the ones you're not interested in - you'd be suprised), kinda get the idea of what each school is doing (and also what all the schools are doing that's the same), and then decide. This is the exact same thing as shopping around for a car. Until you sign up and hand over your well-earned cash, you're incontrol. Don't let them convince you otherwise.
And as for the other studio that I go to, theyt charge $65 a month and I've seen other schools charge $150 a month as well. There's a wide range of what they charge and usually prices do not concur with the skill with this single exception:
The only warning sign to look out for is -
If a school offers a set plan that guarentees a black belt by the end, do NOT go there - usually they add on that until you get your black belt, you can attend as much classes as you want - what they DO NOT tell you, however, is that once they have your money, they practically throw different ranks at you so you can get your belt, the contract is over, and they can charge more . . . that, my friend, is what we call a "McDojo".
With all that you've said, it's not enough information as to judge whether it's ripping you off or not. $70 per month isn't unusual for a private dojo to charge. They do have to eat and have shelter too, you know. Go to as many different schools as much as you can (even the ones you're not interested in - you'd be suprised), kinda get the idea of what each school is doing (and also what all the schools are doing that's the same), and then decide. This is the exact same thing as shopping around for a car. Until you sign up and hand over your well-earned cash, you're incontrol. Don't let them convince you otherwise.
thanks for responses everyone. when i first called that place, the guy sounded like he was doing a sales pitch, or so i thought. when he said that the $700 have to be paid upfront, my scam-sense started tingling. so i went there to check it out.
the building is pretty run down. i walked inside and got shown around the place. all in all, not bad. they have a weight room, a little antiquated but complete. i express interest and ask about pricing once more.
i get shown to an office, where a female clerk is going to explain how the place works some more. once she is done, she puts some paperwork in front of me even though i didnt agree to anything. i smell car salesmen. i explain that i have a problem with paying everything upfront. she explains to me how they are the best place in town, cheapest too. no need to look anywhere else. also, i am told that i am lucky, because the $700/year is a special deal, regular price is $1800/year. it just so happens that the deal is only valid until the end of the month (today). i thank her for her time and tell her i will consider their school. but she won't have any of that: i get shown to the end of level boss.
i don't want to be rude, so i follow her to "sensei's" office. "sensei" is an older white guy, late 50s maybe early 60s. very talkative. we get introduced and he procedes to tell me his life story and how great his school is. he's definately a car salesman, a suspicion that is only reaffirmed when he tells me you can't buy a cadillac for $700. i am still insistant that i don't want a full year commitment, to which he unloads another sales pitch. i'm not buying it, and he is obviously annoyed. he lights a cigarette, doesn't offer me one. i'm surprised that he forgets the oldest trick in the book. he then offers to arm wrestle me for the tuition, he offers to give me a payment plan. i tell him i will consider his offers, and he agrees to keep the deal "alive" for a few days so i can think about it. i thank him for his time and leave.
here's my questions:
1. is this normal in the martial arts world? am i right to assume i'm being scammed?
2. does anyone know of a good martial arts school in phoenix, arizona?
any advice appreciated
the building is pretty run down. i walked inside and got shown around the place. all in all, not bad. they have a weight room, a little antiquated but complete. i express interest and ask about pricing once more.
i get shown to an office, where a female clerk is going to explain how the place works some more. once she is done, she puts some paperwork in front of me even though i didnt agree to anything. i smell car salesmen. i explain that i have a problem with paying everything upfront. she explains to me how they are the best place in town, cheapest too. no need to look anywhere else. also, i am told that i am lucky, because the $700/year is a special deal, regular price is $1800/year. it just so happens that the deal is only valid until the end of the month (today). i thank her for her time and tell her i will consider their school. but she won't have any of that: i get shown to the end of level boss.
i don't want to be rude, so i follow her to "sensei's" office. "sensei" is an older white guy, late 50s maybe early 60s. very talkative. we get introduced and he procedes to tell me his life story and how great his school is. he's definately a car salesman, a suspicion that is only reaffirmed when he tells me you can't buy a cadillac for $700. i am still insistant that i don't want a full year commitment, to which he unloads another sales pitch. i'm not buying it, and he is obviously annoyed. he lights a cigarette, doesn't offer me one. i'm surprised that he forgets the oldest trick in the book. he then offers to arm wrestle me for the tuition, he offers to give me a payment plan. i tell him i will consider his offers, and he agrees to keep the deal "alive" for a few days so i can think about it. i thank him for his time and leave.
here's my questions:
1. is this normal in the martial arts world? am i right to assume i'm being scammed?
2. does anyone know of a good martial arts school in phoenix, arizona?
any advice appreciated
I've only been to a few schools myself and haven't experienced anything like what you describe. Everyone I went to had a monthly fee but you had to sign a contract for a minimum of a year. Asking for a full year up front is nuts. What if you decide the gym sucks or they're not providing the service they first claimed to? Then you're out $700 or have to go to court to get your money back.
Your first concern should be the quality of the classes though. Show up for a few classes and watch. Do they spar a lot? Do the advanced students look like they know what they're doing? Talk to the students and see how they like the place. Talk to some of the advanced students and ask how long it took them to get to their level.
If the quality of training looks high then try and go for a payment plan. If you can't get a plan or the training looks bad then find another place.
BTW, ask for a schedule of classes and show up to watch them without calling before hand. Try to watch the classes that are at times you'd normally attend to see how those classes are handled. Many times the classes will be taught by students or someone other than the primary instructor and you want to see how good a job they are doing, not just the head instructor.
Frankly sounds like he's trying to rip you off though. Good luck.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 24K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter