Fair Price

[Johnny Hot Shot]

What do you guy's feel is a fair price to be payig for Martial Art instruction?

What are you currently paying?

"Life's a great adventure, mate."
Jacko Jackson

[shaolinboxer]

$130/month is what I currently pay.

"She ain't got no muscles in her teeth."
- Cat

[Kung Lek]

You can't "buy" skill.

Having said that...
Fair is what you can afford.

peace

Kung Lek

Martial Arts Links (http://members.home.net/kunglek)

[woliveri]

It depends. I've paid 60.00 a month for Kung Fu and received only form instruction. After that I learned from another man who didn't charge me anything and I learned more about fighting and martial arts than I ever did from the former school. Also, I learned Qi Gong from another man who also didn't charge me anything. On the other hand I have paid upwards of 500.00 for a single Qi Gong exercise and now pay 100.00 per month for Tai Chi one day a week. I would say evaluate the quality of instruction. See if it's well rounded or one sided (like forms training only). See if the instructor has a good heart, doesn't play "secrets" games. That is if you work hard and have a good nature will the instructor still hold you back because of tradition or teach you to your fullest potential? I wouldn't waste my time with any school who holds students back for traditional reasons.

There is no spoon. "The Matrix"
There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path. "The Matrix"

[CD Lee]

This quesiton needs to be expanded to give any reasonable idea of FAIR.

1. How much do you pay a month
2. For how many lessons
3. Big group, small group or private
4. What style
5. Intructor's/schools teaching reputation

The style has a lot to do with value in my estimation. If I was taking a McKarate class, or 'cardio' karate, which has some uses I would definately expect two classes a week, that were half technique and half workouts. This would have probably a larger class.

I take a HsingI class today, that has 10 people, once a week for 50.00 from an internationally reputable teacher. It is slow...and I know why. It is not a workout, it is truly instruction. If I did not practice this stuff on my own everyday, the lessons would be useless. It is slow, and taxing to build these skills. But skills I would never build in McKarate classes. That is a great price, but it is totally dependent on ME doing my job to make the value work.

Karate, or boxing, however, could never work like a Kung Fu style in reguards to classes or instruction.

[CD Lee]

You cannot buy skill.

Therefore, never try to.

Pay what is fair for instruction, and do what the ducks do, remain calm on the outside, and paddle like the devil underneath.

[Nexus]

110-150 a month for two classes a week, 1 hour per class.

That is approx 14-17 dollars per class.

- Nexus

[Ralek]

I wouldn't pay jack sheot to learn kung fu.

Brazilian jiujitsu is superior.

[taijiquan_student]

Do most of you guys go to big schools? It seems like a lot of the monthly tuition people listed was very high. ($130, 110-150). Just curious.
--T.S.

"Duifang jing zhi meng ji, wo fang tui zhi ce fang xi zhi."

[taijiquan_student]

Oh yeah...I agree with Kung Lek. You can't buy gongfu.

"Duifang jing zhi meng ji, wo fang tui zhi ce fang xi zhi."

[Kung Lek]

And Ralek, you will never have "Kung Fu' anyway, whether you pay for lessons or not judging from what you continually post here.

Such jack and smack it's ridiculous you're inane posturing and outright foolish statements.

Too much bad attitude and not enough listening skill in you.

peace

Kung Lek

Martial Arts Links (http://members.home.net/kunglek)

[Johnny Hot Shot]

No but after years of training under the proper supervision you can atain it. This is not a Question about Gaining kung fu.

I'm just asking what is a far price to pay for a decent school?

Where I live The Dojo's cost range from $75 to $125 the higher belonging to A Coporate McDojo.

Price does not necesarily mean Quality. Unfortunately some people equate $$$ with quality.

So for the second time What do you feel is a fair price to be paying instruction. Say 4-5 times a week for an hour class no private???

"Life's a great adventure, mate."
Jacko Jackson

[shaolinboxer]

My school is small. Maybe 40-50 students, with 2-20 in a class at the same time.

$130/month covers as many classes as you would like to take. The schedule if you are interested is here www.shinbudokai.org (http://www.shinbudokai.org) Shizuo Imaizumi teaches all of the evening classes.

I train Monday-Friday 6-8:10 (till 7:30 on Friday), usually missing one or two hours of class due per week due to work, life, etc.

"She ain't got no muscles in her teeth."
- Cat

[CD Lee]

I didn't mean to warp your post. What I mean is this: It is a business question really. My Kung Fu school has low overhead, and is slow to learn. It does not require being at the kwoon every day. That is why our is cheaper, 50 per month.

But...a McDojo, where these guys work out 4-5 days a week, and hour or more...that requires more instructors, resources, electricity, water, equipment (wears much faster), and other things. That is usually involving real good workouts (for your body...cardio,etc), which is different than just learning a martial art skill. That has a value to a lot of people. I would like that if I had time, although I understand it is what it is.

I would be willing to pay more for the workout, the facilities, plus the instruction, than I would be for just instruction once a week. However, that said, that is not what I want right now, so I am willing to pay what I pay for the kung fu. I workout seperately for cardio by running, and tennis, and lots of sweating. Right now...at my very low level of kung fu, the work is slower, focusing more on stances and qigong and stepping.

[CD Lee]

>I wouldn't pay jack sheot to learn kung fu.

No sh1t. You aren't willing to pay jack sheot for BJJ either. And..thats why you spend so much time on a Kung Fu forum :D What a goof.

Hey, seriously, you have got to laugh at this guy. He fukks with us and it works. everytime we respond to him, he is laughing his @ss off. You know his is...puleeeese!

But seriously(hmmm). You know whats funny about Ralek? I had his skills(acutally better) before I started kung fu, so I can still easily beat him anyway (ok..if he was real, I know, I'm just having fun too c'mon!).

[dedalus]

I guess you have to pay for access to whatever's available, but in my experience there is *no correlation* between quality of instruction and training fees.

Paying more might reflects side-issues, such as:

- The size, location and relative chic of the gym
- The marketing expenses of a business-orientated gym
- The money-spinning value of the head instructors' name or lineage (that's especially rife in wing chun)
- The greed of the instructor
- The high demand for tuition
- The expense of affiliation with some other well-know body.

Pay what you have to, but don't confuse cost with quality.

[Sharky]

hey loc

$1 about £0.60

well i now pay £5 for a 2h (usually a bit longer than this though) for each wing chun lesson. I'll have to pay £30 to join the club officially, then pay for a tshirt, fair enough.

i paid £5 to be a MEMBER of the jj club at uni, then it's £2 a pop, but i've never actually been asked for money, and when i said something, they said they'll sort it later. boxing hasn't got a new venue yet, but that was £15 joining fee, i reckon then it's £3-4 a lesson.

i get the uni stuff cheaper than most though.

All i wanted was some RICE CAKES! Now? WE MUST BATTLE.

[Johnny Hot Shot]

Ahh, The joy's of being a student ;)

"Life's a great adventure, mate."
Jacko Jackson

[JasBourne]

I am currently paying less than ever before, for what I consider the highest-quality training I've ever received.

Factors possibly contributing to low price:
- sifu and sihings are lovers of the art
- kwoon is little hole in the wall
- sifu does zero marketing or advertising
- kwoon does not engage in or sponsor any sport-type activities (tourneys, etc)

[Shaolin36]

I pay $100.00/month to train 5 days a week, 2 hrs a night from a world renown master. Not saying that I always make it but I have that option. I always make 3 days and on a good week I will make 4.

Shaolin36

[kungfuyou]

When I studied Hung Ga in San Diego, I was paying $8 a class for a one hour class. Kwoon also offered Bagua and Yoga. Or unlimited classes for $100 a month.
Also studied Aikido in SD, that was $60 a month for unlimitied classes.

A couple schools I'm looking at right now is a Northern Shaolin school that's $50 a month. They have classes 3 nights a week, for 2 1/2 hours. Price pays for one class or as many as I want to take.
Yang Style Tai Chi is $35 a month for one class a week, $55 for two classes a week for the month or $75 for 3 classes a week for the month.

All I feel are fair prices and all by good teachers.

[Nutt'nhunny]

low price= Sifu doesn't know if he'll be open next month. Mcdojo= financial security so that he can actually train his favorites without worry. Best is in the middle.

You all think so one sided. Greed? Go take a course in massage then? How about Reiki healing? Compare them. You get what you pay for. I can do boxing and wrestling for free. I can also hurt boxer/wrestlers. You get what you pay for. TKD is 20 bucks a month and hsing I is 80 dollars a month. No contest, I'll pay 80 bucks. Whose greedy? you want to take but not give. You think you pay your sifu in sweat? Yes, you do, but the ones that charge more keep their students. If you pay nohting, they have invested nothing in it and quit. Give me case examples all day long, but the fact remains. Do you really think your getting a good deal? Do you want someone to tell you, "you look like you saved a lot of money on your haircut" Or wow, it looks like your kung fu was cheap.


History time. Kung fu was for the aristocrats. They could pay a master to teach their kid. Mo money means better kung fu. Peasant kung fu later became karate.

[CD Lee]

50.00 a month, from a shirfu that has been in business in the same place for 28 years. I'll bet he will be around next week. Plus, if you have to, find a very good intructor, and take private lessons from him.

Your logic is a little too simple.

[baji-fist]

I used to pay about $60 a month for my Sifu's class which met twice a week. Our disciple's training is free.

You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet.

[Johnny Hot Shot]

To me anything over $100 bucks a month your paying too much. Unless your training with a True Master then any price is fair.

"Life's a great adventure, mate."
Jacko Jackson

[Kung Lek]

Nuttnhunny-
Buddhist monks beg by the protocol of their philosophy of living (IE: to have you give is a lesson to you).

Taoist monks don't want your money (they probably don't want to teach you either).

Excellent Kung fu is not performed by those who have the most money, rather it is performed by those who invest the most of themselves into their art.


Point is, you can pay a lot and get poor instruction. What is most important is that your teacher teaches from their heart, charges what they need to subsist and if they have other jobs they will generally charge according to what you can afford. This is part of the teachers own Kung Fu not related to their martial skill.

However, It's different everywhere, with every teacher. You are thinking of something you read in a 3$ book somewhere :D
once again, you can't buy "Kung Fu".

peace

Kung Lek

Martial Arts Links (http://members.home.net/kunglek)