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Quality of Students

The quality of instruction in a dojang may be judged by the quality of the students. Observe classes held for students of different belt levels. Do the students appear to:

• Enjoy their training at all belt levels.

• Act friends with each other during and after class.

• Show respect for each other, the instructors, visitors, and the art of Taekwondo.

• Show the level of expertise expected of a student of that rank. If you saw the students training while not wearing any rank identification, could you accurately guess the belt level of each student, or would you be surprised to learn that a poorly performing student was actually a high ranked student.

Student respect and discipline may be forced or natural; watch how the students react when the instructor is not within sight. If they step languidly through the motions or chat with one another, their previous show of respect and discipline was a facade. 

Talk to several students. Ask them how long they have studied at the school, what they like about it, who teaches most of the classes, etc. Do not ask them what is wrong with the school, that puts them on the spot to criticize their school and instructor. It will make you look bad if you attend the school. Just ask what they like about the school and read between the lines the best you can.

At tournaments, how does the proficiency of the students rate against students of other dojangs? When sparring, how do the students react with they lose? What loyalties do the students feel toward the instructor and the dojang?

Questions to Ask

Here are some questions to ask when evaluating a dojang.

School

• Is the head instructor a full-time or part-time instructor/owner?

• How long has the school been open?

• Do you use no-contact, light-contact, or full contact sparring?

• Do you teach Olympic style Taekwondo?

• Do you teach practical self-defense techniques?

• Do you teach ground fighting/grappling? What type?

• Is the school matted for use in throws or falls?

• Is board breaking required in training? For testing?

• Is free-sparring required? If yes:

• What is total cost of all required sparring equipment? 

• Must all equipment be bought through the studio?

• Is contact allowed in sparring? 

• Is kicking to the head allowed, if so, is it mandatory? 

• Is kicking to the head in tournaments allowed, if so, is it mandatory? 

• What training equipment is required to be purchased, other than for sparring, such as target pads, re-breakable boards, etc.

Belts

• Do you charge belt testing fees? What are they?

• Do you have written requirements for each belt/stripe test?

• How often are tests conducted?

• Is free-sparring required for tests? 

• Is board breaking required tests? 

• Is tournament attendance required?

• Do you award black belts to youths? If yes:

• Starting at what age?

• What is the average time for a youth to get a black belt?

Contracts

• Must I sign a contract? (Beware of hidden costs, get full disclosure before you sign any contract)

• May I have a copy to review before I sign it?

• How long is the contract for?

• How much is the contract for?

• What do I get for the money?

• Are payments made to a third party? 

• What/who may cancel the contract?

• What if I am sick or on vacation?

• What if I am injured?

Classes

• What are the class hours?

• Are instructors nationally certified thru a recognized organization? What is the organization and its history?

• Is the instruction by group or private?

• Is private instruction available at an extra cost?

• How many classes may I attend each week?

• Do you use youth instructors?

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