The quest for cheaper

After a couple weeks into the enrichment program, I knew we were probably going to continue past the end of our session. I went on the hunt for all the martial arts classes in the area and compared costs. This was not easy to do. Nobody actually advertises their prices. You can go into the individual places and get information that way but not online or over the phone. It kinda stinks but it turned out to be a bonus as well. Visiting the places helped me decide.

There are also "bonus costs" as I would like to call them. They all charge for each individual belt test. Generally, the higher the belt, the more expensive it got. And the fee wasn't consistent. They also sell equipment to you from their store. And finally, there are competition fees. It all adds up after a while.

I won't lie to you but the place we are going to is NOT cheap. It's actually one of the more expensive that I found. However, it also appeared to be the highest quality. The staff (not just the ones trying to sign you up) really seemed to care about the individual student's progress. Some of the places seemed like they were just a group of people getting together and hanging out together. This place also had the most flexible scheduling for my family. We could show up for a class on any day of the week except Friday.

Note: I didn't restrict my search to taekwondo but all the martial arts places in town or near proximity. The fact that "taekwondo" emphasizes more "kicking" techniques than upper body (as opposed to some forms of karate for instance), seemed to match the genetic makeup of my family and I.

And to be honest, once we were going to this particular location, it wasn't easy to go somewhere else. That familiarity with the place and routine was probably the single biggest reason we stayed there. It was easier than finding a new place.

We ended up signing a 6 month contract. That would get us to our green belt and then we would have a decision about committing further.