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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I did TKD for about 17 years (up until about 3 years ago, when I became pregnant with DD). Never paid more than $60/month at a small club run from a community center. And rather than being all about the belts, this school was legit and it took 5-7 years for an adult to become a black belt (and no black belts under age 16).

For PP suggesting martial arts schools need to make a huge profit -- sure they do, IF THEY ARE A BUSINESS and not an art form pursued by like-minded individuals and guided by an experienced practitioner who's in it for the love of the art instead of $$$. I would never join a for-profit martial arts school.
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I am the pp you are addressing.  I recognize there are many cheaper options such as the one you suggest.  But recognize that your experience was subsidized by taxpayers and your instructor,  and your tuition did not cover the true cost of your program. And that's ok.  But a "ripoff" to me is when you don't get value for your money.   I'm ok with paying a for profit business if i get what I am paying for.  All well and good to be a purist but I think it promotes an exclusionary culture to only deem it unacceptable those instructors who teach purely for the love.  Realistically who can afford to do that around here.  Maybe part time but then that is a huge sacrifice to family time. If you want to keep tkd a small exclusive club then yes you are right.  I happen to disagree.[/quote]

I'm not sure what you're saying here. Sounds like you agree that there's no need to pay exorbitant fees to schools because they CAN be run in churches, community centers, outdoors, etc, but that you WANT to pay more because...paying [i]less[/i] is exclusionary?

That's the first time I've ever heard someone try to argue that a low-priced option excludes people. On the contrary, I think that requiring people to sign long-term high-cost contracts is exclusionary. There are many kids that would benefit from martial arts training whose parents can't afford to pay $150-200/month but could afford $50/month.

And guess what? Being a part-time karate instructor is a great way to exercise with your friends and family members. Most of the instructors I know (and I was an instructor from 2 dan onward) led one or two classes per week and brought kids along if it was age-appropriate for them to participate. I really don't understand this argument against. After all, someone who owns a for-profit studio will be working evenings and weekends, too, and won't be able to only do one or two classes (they'll have to do lots to make a profit), which would hurt their family time way more.

You sound like you're trying too hard to justify your choices. It's great that you like your studio. But it's not the only option, and OP should know about less profit-focused alternatives. The money-hungry martial "artists" out there are poisoning the image of martial arts for many Americans.[/quote]

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