What is the difference between a martial arts school and a martial arts club? Here's my situation. The class I am in only meets twice a week. We have a beginners class where the begginers learn and the advanced students help the instructors. Then we have an advanced class for the advanced students. Then we all go home, eat a burger, guzzle mountain dew, and watch tv. But that's not entirely relevant right now. The thing is, because we can only meet twice a week for two hours, we don't get a lot of time to focus on our sparring. We do lots of form work. Lost of drills. Lost of work out. But if we get lucky and our instructor is in a sparring mood, we might get about two sparring classes in a session. So, when I get my certified instructor status, I'd like to start a club for the students to meet twice a month and work on sparring. Drills, pad work, work out, and gearing up and sparring like we all love too. So my question is, is this a club? Is it ok to do a meet where we just do sparring and no other TKD? And I go back to the basics of my original question. What is the basic differences between a martial arts school and a martial arts club?
I would say that a school is a full time martial arts facility and a club is when people meet a few times a week to practice something they all enjoy
I agree with GemTKD's definition. As for a "sparring only TKD school", I think not. You could have Sparring Specific Classes as a part of your school however.
Well, like I said, what I want is a club that meets and is sparring specific. I'm not going to call it a school. One: That would mean it was a compeeting school against my instructors school as it would involve his students. Hence, I just want a club with in that school to meet at times outside of class so we can have extra time to work on our sparring. Two: I really can't confine the deffinition of a school to such strict standards as having it's own facility, and meeting all days of the week. I consider the class I attend to be a school. It meets at the YMCA twice a week for two hours. But we do it all in most sessions. Forms, sparring, testings, workouts, drills, pad work board breaking, and so on. Sometimes, we'll spread it out over two sessions, but we cover all the basics. Or should I say, fundamentals. In any case, my question was more geared toward, does the content covered by a group of people meeting define weather or not it is a school, club, class or what have you. Say, if you only meet to do sparring make it a club? Or if you meet to only do forms and sparring make it a class? Or if you do it all make it a school? I'm just looking for your opinions on the matter. I have appriciated the responses so far.
I don't really see a diffrence to be honest in terms of training, except that a 'school' as gemtkd said, might be full time whereas the club might run 2 or 3 classes a week.
First, talk to your instructor. If you want to do it through his school (I would suggest that), he can help you get started, as well as encourage his students to go to your class. This is assuming he agrees with your idea of course. Second, talk to the YMCA. A martial arts studio is a good thing to have, but its not always a possibility for everyone in every situation. The alternative of course is teaching through a ymca, university, or community center. The plus side is you dont pay rent. The downside is you canot personalize your space, and also you canot always decide when you will teach. The sooner you talk to the ymca, the sooner they can work you into the schedule. I would suggest doing this more than 2 times a month, but this is coming from a guy who does 1-3 hours of actual class most days. I realize when you are going from a 2 class a week situation you need to move up slowly, but 2 classes a month seems like a good way to injure someone if they are not used to that type of workout. edit - I dont think it matters what you call your school, it doesnt change anything about it.
1. I am deffinatley in talkes with my instructor about it. To do something like this w/ out his permission would be going behind his back, and I would never do that. 2. The Y is about the best thing I could hope for in this small town. Especially because, as I've said before: I really only want to meet a couple of times a month to give some extra time to the students who want to train to spar. 3. The whole thing is really just a way for us to have some more time sparring. We're deffinatley used to the work outs, but some will not initially be used to getting them as often. But that will change over time. Meeting more than every other week would probably not work out but, like I said, my instructor and I are working things out and who knows, we might do something more with it. Any one reading this must keep in mind that I am not planning to take brand new students and teach them TKD. That's what my instructors' school is for. I just want the ones who are in it to have more time training and doing something they all really enjoy, which is sparring.
Sounds good man, good luck with it. Wish more people had the drive to do something like this. One more thing is make sure you have a good warmup before the class. I like to at least get a sweat going before I spar, doesnt always work out like that, but thats my goal.
Aye. Great advice. (By the way, I am a Yank. I just use aye cause I'm white and nerdy.) We're gonna get to do lots of warm up, drills, and pad work before we spar. Then a nice battery of stretches before we leave.
here that's definitely not the case. here you'll find clubs and not schools. thus clubs are not places where you train casually.
I don't mean casually, I just meant they meet on certain days and times and train in a community centre or something rather than have a place which is used solely for the purpose of martial arts
what do you mean by community center? what's the difference if the training session is held here or there as long as it is done correctly. what if the club/school doesn't have their own gym, or doesn't have (enough) money to rent a ''place which is used solely for the purpose of martial arts''? Does that lower their value?
Definatly not always, but its much easier to teach out of a community center than it is out of your own studio, thus you get alot more people who are either not quite as skilled, or do it much more casualy. I'm not saying its a rule, I started out of a community center myself and I think my school is great (we have a studio now and I enjoy it alot).
Absolutely not, where I train is in a church hall and our class is top quality. All I'm saying is that what I consider the difference between a school and a club. I am not comparing there individual standards. The class is only as good as the instructor and students regardless of where they learn
