Monthly Costs

[tshadowchaser]

What are the monthly cost/fees for studying the Martial arts in your area?
Not just your school but any school in the area.


In my area there is one class at the YMCA that charges $50 a 6 week session and a school in the next town over that charges $75 a month. I instruct a free class at the local Salvation Army in exchange for some volunteer hours.

 

[donald1]

I pay $45 monthly at my school

 

[TwentyThree]

Community Center/Rec Programs - anywhere from $20/mo (cheapest) to $120/mo (most expensive). Average is probably in the mid $70 range. Some of these programs require Rec Center membership, some have a discounted monthly cost when you do, and some do not require Rec Center membership at all.

Private martial arts schools can run from free (typically Meetups in the Park) to $200+ mo (mostly the MMA guys). Average is probably about $90-100.

This holds for a radius of about 10 miles from where we teach in North Richland Hills, TX. I may have missed a few schools here and there (not on the internet, mostly).

 

[Tony Dismukes]

My school has different plans depending on how many days per week you train. (We have classes available 7 days per week.) If you select unlimited training 7 days per week, it's $100/month.

Not sure about other schools in the area.

 

[Flatfish]

My school is $110 a month, $50 for a second person, $30 for a third and free after that for as many classes as you like. This is TKD.
I know of some other TKD schools that charge $170 a month, a BJJ school that charges $150/month an RBSD school that offers SD, BJJ, Judo, Kali and Yoga for $100/month for unlimited classes.
Some Kung Fu schools that are around $75 or so

...........and a brewery that offers Yoga for free on Sundays (Pints and Poses)

 

[GiYu - Todd]

Our normal fees are $100/mo adult, $60/mo kids. We sometimes make exceptions for well suited prospective students who can't quite afford that. This is about the cheapest in the area for private schools. Local Y or Rec Center classes are $50-75/mo, but they have fewer classes each week.
There is one local school charging $350/mo, with a "guarantee" you will earn a black belt in 12 months, only having to attend two one-hour classes per week. Their testing fees start around $400 for begining tests (I don't know how many ranks they have) up to $1000 for shodan. I spoke with a 2nd degree from there, who said it took 18 months and about $12000 total. He said he's one of the few to get 2nd degree, since most people leave after they "graduate". I opted to be civil and not to tell him my true feelings about his school. I hope, for his sake, the instructors were truly phenominal and actually trained him to be competent... but I have my doubts.

 

[Koshiki]

I haven't paid dues for years, since I started leading a class, but as I recall, my school is $60/month for one person, $55/month each for two, $50 for three, and $45 or more for four or more. The school has always been great about accommodating people too. At one point when I was about 12 or 13 my family couldn't come up with the money, so the head teacher traded a year and a half of classes in exchange for a small mural around the double doors to the training floor. (My family are artists.) Many people over the years have done things like weekly cleaning of the dojo for classes. One guy wired the place in exchange for lifetime classes. Nobody has ever been kicked out for not being able to pay.

 

[geezer]

Our current rate for Ving Tsun instruction, three classes a week, is $90 per month, or 3 months paid in advance for a total of $240 (averaging $80 per month). Escrima classes are held once a week, so the rate is $40 per month. Students can train both for $100 monthly. The students buy their own uniforms --a $20 association T-shirt and they get their own kung fu pants and shoes. I cover everything else including association dues and testing fees.

Now with all that, I can cover rent, association dues and some of my own continuing training. The rest comes out of out of pocket. So, I tell my wife it still costs us less than if I played golf or tennis and keeps me out of her hair. It's that last part that closes the deal.

 

[Buka]

I really like hearing all these reasonable prices. Gives me a great deal of hope!

 

[kuniggety]

The BJJ school I last went to was $60/mo for 2x per week, $80 for up to 4x and $90 for those who wanted to do 5 days a week. Classes were M-F. I remember the kung fu school I went to a few years ago being similarly priced. A really good guy ran that school (Sigung Steven Baugh) and he would just train kids for free if they didn't have the money... It was his part in giving to the community. I've been shopping around here in Hawaii and you can find some TKD, karate, King fu, and judo clubs for cheaper but most of the BJJ schools I've been looking at are $100-$120/month for unlimited classes with 2 classes/week in the $60-$80 range.

 

[Dirty Dog]

At our YMCA-based program, it's $40/month for Y members, $60 for non-members. We offer 5 classes a week, and we're thinking of adding 1-2 more.
Commercial schools in the area run from $100-200/month and mostly require long term contracts.

 

[yak sao]

I charge a little differently, instead of monthly fees I charge $15 per class, which lasts two hours.
And once per month I do a four or five hour workshop for $30,

 

[ks - learning to fly]

..at my dojang, I pay $98/month for unlimited classes - my Instructor also has
6 month and yearly deals

 

[tshadowchaser]

I charge a little differently, instead of monthly fees I charge $15 per class, which lasts two hours.
And once per month I do a four or five hour workshop for $30,

I was wondering if I would see any or many classes that where paid by the class. I like this idea if the price is low because it allows those that can not afford the higher monthly prices to practice and also lets those that can only practice a few times a month an affordable way to pay.

It is interesting to see how prices vary depending on the systems and the ares people live in. Saying that I would like posters from this point on to say if they live in a small community , and moderate sized city or a large city.
Keep the post coming folks this viewing of variances fascinate me.

 

[yak sao]

I have found the per class charge to work well, it gives everyone some flexibility.
And since you asked, I live and teach (wing tsun) in a small town outside of Louisville, Ky, population for the greater Louisville area is around 1.5 million.
I would estimate MA classes here run anywhere from $50 to $100 or more per month.

 

[geezer]

I have found the per class charge to work well, it gives everyone some flexibility.

The only downside to that is commitment. Do you get a long term commitment from guys paying on a lesson to lesson basis, Yak?

Our group is small and I like to work one on one with my more advanced guys. That means that each new guy takes a lot of time away from the rest --either my time or on of my two assistants. I hate it when a new guy comes in, takes a few weeks of classes, has a zillion questions, and takes up a lot of instructional time only to disappear and never to be seen again. In a commercial school with high fees and contracts, those guys might be just money in the bank. But in a club environment like I run, they are a waste of everybody's time.

So, if someone visits a class and tries an introductory lesson, then I feel it's time to make a decision and commit to at least a month, preferably three months. Then the new student can actually learn something and make an informed decision as to whether to continue or not.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I charge a little differently, instead of monthly fees I charge $15 per class, which lasts two hours.
And once per month I do a four or five hour workshop for $30,

My only concern about that is it seems that it would encourage students not to show up as often. For someone like myself who usually trains at least 4 days per week, that would come out to $240/month not including the workshop. On days when I'm feeling lazy, the thought of saving some money might be the excuse I needed to miss class.

... on the other hand, if you were just a little closer I might be willing to stop by and pay for 1-2 classes per month just to get a little taste of Wing Tsun. I've always had an interest in WC/WT, but I've only had a small amount or personal experience with the art. (I still practice and occasionally use the tiny bit I've learned.)

Unfortunately, it's about 1 & 1/2 hours each way to Louisville and the drive time is a definite disincentive. I assume the 5-hour workshops are intended more for experienced students than complete novices? I'd be willing to drive that far and pay $30 for a weekend seminar, but there probably wouldn't be much point if you're spending that time polishing students up on a form that I haven't learned.

 

[geezer]

It is interesting to see how prices vary depending on the systems and the area

I really like hearing all these reasonable prices. Gives me a great deal of hope!

I have nothing against people charging top rates for good instruction in a nice facility. And if it's a person's livleyhood, I recognize that they need to make a decent living. The guy I train under has a couple of commercial schools in Texas, and instruction isn't cheap. But if I lived there, I'd gladly pay it.

Same thing for a BJJ school I visited in my town. I ended up not signing up because I honestly couldn't afford the time and also at age 60 have some health concerns from old joint injuries. But the facility,the instructor, and the environment seemed great. To me, all that is worth it for a few dollars more.

Oh, and that's also the title of one of my all time favorite movies. Right up there with the original Road Warrior.

 

[Koshiki]

My only concern about that is it seems that it would encourage students not to show up as often. For someone like myself who usually trains at least 4 days per week, that would come out to $240/month not including the workshop. On days when I'm feeling lazy, the thought of saving some money might be the excuse I needed to miss class.

That was my thought too. A monthly rate encourages me to go to every available class, to get the most out of money I've already spent; it makes me feel that I should show up even when I don't want to, because I've already paid, and the more classes I attend, the cheaper is class is, therefore the more value I get for my money.

A per class charge encourages me to get the most out of each class, which is good, but it also encourages me not to go to class if I don't feel the need. Again, that's the rational way to get the most value for my money.

I mean, if it works, that's great, but I'd rather have students'financial incentive be to show up as much as possible, rather than as little as possible.

 

[geezer]

...if it works, that's great, but I'd rather have students'financial incentive be to show up as much as possible, rather than as little as possible.

That's why when I started I used to pay cash up front for three months at a time. The instructor gave a discount, plus I made a mental commitment to attend least four of the five classes offered a week. If I couldn't make four one week, I'd be sure to make all five the next week.

That was back in the late 70s and being broke most of the time really helped motovate me to attend as often as possible. Being single with no other commitments helped too. A by the 90's what with marriage, career and kids I dropped out of martial arts completely until 2007... the same year I joined this forum. Youngsters take note: Train while you can. Life changes, stuff happens.