Thoughts on private lessons

[seninoniwashi]

Heya guys and gals,

I'd like your thoughts whether your background is Kenpo or not. I've been practicing outside of a formal school for awhile now as I just don't have the money or time for the large classes. My focus is to revisit all the techniques I've learned up to brown belt and then join back into a formal school. I figure by that time I'll have the money and time to enjoy a formal class by then.

A few years ago I joined a larger school to get refreshed on what I knew but felt it was a waste of time as I was mixed in with lower belts and found myself doing delayed sword and triggered salute over and over and when mixed in with the more advanced belts I found myself overwhelmed getting stuck with techniques like leap of faith and not feeling solid on my basics - feeling almost unworthy working these advanced techniques and forms without rebuilding my basics.

What are everyone's thoughts on private lessons? When I was younger I was against them but they seem to be very fitting for what I need now - just, a bit more expensive then I'd like. One school offers them at $30/hr however there are two other instructors in the area I'm thinking about approaching with a lower proposal. Does anyone out there know of any good Kenpo instructors in the Northern Idaho or Spokane Washington area?

Also, from an instructors point of view - how much do you all charge for private lessons? Would $10 - 15 /hour be acceptable?

Thanks for any and all responses given.

 

[Blindside]

Heya guys and gals,

I'd like your thoughts whether your background is Kenpo or not. I've been practicing outside of a formal school for awhile now as I just don't have the money or time for the large classes. My focus is to revisit all the techniques I've learned up to brown belt and then join back into a formal school. I figure by that time I'll have the money and time to enjoy a formal class by then.

A few years ago I joined a larger school to get refreshed on what I knew but felt it was a waste of time as I was mixed in with lower belts and found myself doing delayed sword and triggered salute over and over and when mixed in with the more advanced belts I found myself overwhelmed getting stuck with techniques like leap of faith and not feeling solid on my basics - feeling almost unworthy working these advanced techniques and forms without rebuilding my basics.

What are everyone's thoughts on private lessons? When I was younger I was against them but they seem to be very fitting for what I need now - just, a bit more expensive then I'd like. One school offers them at $30/hr however there are two other instructors in the area I'm thinking about approaching with a lower proposal. Does anyone out there know of any good Kenpo instructors in the Northern Idaho or Spokane Washington area?

Also, from an instructors point of view - how much do you all charge for private lessons? Would $10 - 15 /hour be acceptable?

Thanks for any and all responses given.

I'm all for private lessons, I think students learn faster and retain more with personalized instruction. I charge $40, and I cut that down because I don't live in a highly affluent community. Take a look around at what private lessons in ballroom dancing or gymnastics cost. In 2009 the WA state minimum wage will be $8.55, so you'll be offering some instructor $1.45 over minimum wage to give you private lessons, good luck with that.

I'm don't think I'm being money hungry, or greedy at all, I simply calculate what my time is worth and that is what I charge. I would be far more willing to give a discount to people who were my regular students and had money problems than a relative stranger.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

I only train private lessons because that is how my teacher teaches.

I enjoy it more because I can ask all the stupid questions I want.

In a larger class setting I get lost and I need extra attention.

I think $10-15 is pretty cheap. I would most likely train in any art for $10-15 hr. I have paided average $30 but I have also paided $100 an hr.

Depending on the teacher's experience and how rare or popular the style usually will get you in the higher $$$.

 

[stickarts]

I have been taking private lessons now for 20+ years. They have made a huge difference in my progress and i encourage them.

 

[RevIV]

$40 - a half hour is what I charge if you sign up for only one lesson. 4 lessons for $100. but thats if you are a current student. $10. for a private lesson, I am assuming these instuctors do not have a dojo where they pay rent? or insurance?

 

[KenpoDave]

I am a big fan of privates, both as teacher and student. I have never paid or charged less than $40/hour. What I typically see now is ~$30/half-hour.

$10-15/hour? Seems awfully low, unless you are already paying for a membership at the studio and the $10-$15 is additional. For example, if you are paying $60/month already, and tack on $40/month additional for privates, then I feel you are right in the ballpark.

 

[MJS]

Heya guys and gals,

I'd like your thoughts whether your background is Kenpo or not. I've been practicing outside of a formal school for awhile now as I just don't have the money or time for the large classes. My focus is to revisit all the techniques I've learned up to brown belt and then join back into a formal school. I figure by that time I'll have the money and time to enjoy a formal class by then.

A few years ago I joined a larger school to get refreshed on what I knew but felt it was a waste of time as I was mixed in with lower belts and found myself doing delayed sword and triggered salute over and over and when mixed in with the more advanced belts I found myself overwhelmed getting stuck with techniques like leap of faith and not feeling solid on my basics - feeling almost unworthy working these advanced techniques and forms without rebuilding my basics.

What are everyone's thoughts on private lessons? When I was younger I was against them but they seem to be very fitting for what I need now - just, a bit more expensive then I'd like. One school offers them at $30/hr however there are two other instructors in the area I'm thinking about approaching with a lower proposal. Does anyone out there know of any good Kenpo instructors in the Northern Idaho or Spokane Washington area?

Also, from an instructors point of view - how much do you all charge for private lessons? Would $10 - 15 /hour be acceptable?

Thanks for any and all responses given.

I'm all for private lessons! I take them and I think that they're great. Of course, they have their plus/minus side. The plus side, is that you can work whatever you want, at your own pace. Downside is that unless you split the lesson with another student, the only person you have to work with is the inst. Now, thats not a bad thing, but it may be difficult at times, to make corrections or show things if you are the only person.

As for the cost...that will vary. $20-$60 usually seems like the norm, although I've seen higher. It also depends on how long the lesson is. If someone tried to charge $60 for 30min, I'd probably walk away. The typical time frame is 1hr.

 

[Twin Fist]

i wouldnt teach someone for $10 an hour.

not worth my time.

in my area, i might do it for $20 an hour if i know they have money issues.

normally, i would charge $30 an hour.

 

[KenpoDave]

Another thought from your original post...

To paraphrase, you get bored doing the beginner stuff like Delayed Sword and Triggered Salute over and over, but overwhelmed with the advanced stuff. There seems to be a disconnect there, and my advice would be to stick with the repetition of the beginning material. Of course, it could be that you are ingraining the principles incorrectly, leading to gaps in skill with more complicated material.

If you have material that you know, why not work it on your own, and try and get with an instructor once a month or so to get tweaked and make sure you are not putting any bad habits into muscle memory.

And try and find a workout partner!

 

[KELLYG]

I've taken private lessons in the past and found them to be very valuable. I gives you a chance to work on what you, as an individual, need to work on. I took private lessons before Dan testing so that I could work on the small details. It worked out well and I was pleased with the results.

 

[MattJ]

$30/hr for private lessons is very reasonable IMHO.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Private lessons are a great way to supplement your regular group training sessions. Personally I am all for small classes. (2 to 6 people) Add on a few privates here and there and you can really get some depth into your practice!

 

[Rich Parsons]

Heya guys and gals,

I'd like your thoughts whether your background is Kenpo or not. I've been practicing outside of a formal school for awhile now as I just don't have the money or time for the large classes. My focus is to revisit all the techniques I've learned up to brown belt and then join back into a formal school. I figure by that time I'll have the money and time to enjoy a formal class by then.

A few years ago I joined a larger school to get refreshed on what I knew but felt it was a waste of time as I was mixed in with lower belts and found myself doing delayed sword and triggered salute over and over and when mixed in with the more advanced belts I found myself overwhelmed getting stuck with techniques like leap of faith and not feeling solid on my basics - feeling almost unworthy working these advanced techniques and forms without rebuilding my basics.

What are everyone's thoughts on private lessons? When I was younger I was against them but they seem to be very fitting for what I need now - just, a bit more expensive then I'd like. One school offers them at $30/hr however there are two other instructors in the area I'm thinking about approaching with a lower proposal. Does anyone out there know of any good Kenpo instructors in the Northern Idaho or Spokane Washington area?

Also, from an instructors point of view - how much do you all charge for private lessons? Would $10 - 15 /hour be acceptable?

Thanks for any and all responses given.

Private Lessons Rock!

$30 / hour is good for our area. Most charge $40 on the low end to $55 or more. I have been know to charge less for dedicated people, in particular those who had trained with my instructor as well, but were no longer able too but needed some more education. I did like a family discount. But I never went down to $10-15/ hour.

 

[seninoniwashi]

In 2009 the WA state minimum wage will be $8.55, so you'll be offering some instructor $1.45 over minimum wage to give you private lessons, good luck with that.

You make a real good point Blindside, I haven't looked at it from that angle yet - paying for their time on an hourly basis is what I need to look at. Thanks for the reply Blindside, it was good input.

 

[seninoniwashi]

$40 - a half hour is what I charge if you sign up for only one lesson. 4 lessons for $100. but thats if you are a current student. $10. for a private lesson, I am assuming these instuctors do not have a dojo where they pay rent? or insurance?

The prices I listed were what I was going to request of some of these instructors. I'm really glad I got everyone's thoughts beforehand, the last thing I want to do is offend someone.

 

[seninoniwashi]

Downside is that unless you split the lesson with another student, the only person you have to work with is the inst. Now, thats not a bad thing, but it may be difficult at times, to make corrections or show things if you are the only person.

That's a real good point. Training outside of a dojo for the last year there's two things I need to work on - one is review of the techniques and forms I've already learned. Once I get these down then I'll be ready to start back up with a formal class. Second, I need to work on my sparring, getting a feel for how I open and close the distance, ect. This would be hard to accomplish when working with just the instructor. Alot of this I do with friends I have over when we're monkeying around but nothing compares to the diversity I got when I was at the dojo sparring.

 

[seninoniwashi]

To paraphrase, you get bored doing the beginner stuff like Delayed Sword and Triggered Salute over and over, but overwhelmed with the advanced stuff. There seems to be a disconnect there, and my advice would be to stick with the repetition of the beginning material. Of course, it could be that you are ingraining the principles incorrectly, leading to gaps in skill with more complicated material.

It’s not so much the technique itself that overwhelms me, it’s the fact that I’m practicing techniques and forms from higher belts when the middle belt techs and forms I’m not feeling comfortable with. I have no problems reviewing the techniques and re-learning them - I just feel like my attention should be elsewhere.

 

[Flying Crane]

I have two different arrangements going on.

The first one is with my kungfu sifu. He runs a taiji class made up mostly of middle-aged or older people who are simply looking for exercise. This class is offered thru the local community college, and is free for the public. He gets paid by the community college for teaching this class. I've trained taiji with him, but my main interests lie in the external arts. So he takes time on the side to teach me a bunch of stuff that he doesn't teach in the regular classes. Sometimes he gives me a lot of time, other times he can't do so I get less time with him. But I can always ask questions and get clarification, and in the meantime I am learning things that he doesn't teach to just anyone. He charges $25 per session, when I train with him. It's not exactly a private lesson with a fixed time period. Rather, it's for simply taking the time away from the regular class to teach things not on the regular curriculum. I've been training with him this way for about 11 or 12 years, and I've learned a lot from him in this way. I certainly don't begrudge the money, and I've learned some great stuff that not too many other people have had the chance to learn. It works well for me and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

The other situation is with my kenpo teacher. He isn't trying to make a living thru teaching, so he charges a very very very reasonable monthly fee for classes. Our group is fairly small, so we all get private, or almost-private instruction from him as he moves from person to person and gives them instruction appropriate for their level. This is how the first half or more of class runs. Then, the last hour or half hour is group training. So for a very reasonable group fee, we all get "almost" private instruction.

I find both methods to work very well.

I've trained in schools with a much larger body of students, like 30 or 40 in a session. It's crowded. It works, but it's really more like a group workout session. Often the teacher would break us up into groups depending on our level, and would have us work on material appropriate for that level. This method also works, but it's nothing like gettting private instruction.

I talked to another instructor a number of years ago, who told me he charges $50 per half hour, with a one hour minimum per session, and he only teaches privately out of his garage. Seemed like a lot to me at the time, and this was a good dozen or so years ago.

Private instruction can be great. What is a reasonable fee depends on a lot of factors. I suspect the instructor would need to consider your request, and decide for himself how much he would wish to charge, if he agrees to do so.

 

[jarrod]

private lessons are a great supplement to group training. they can also be effective as your primary training, but imo you need to spar with a variety of people, since even students from the same school will fight differently.

i charge $30/hr, & i feel that price is a very good bargain. to my knowledge, that is the lowest price in the area & i won't go lower. this is speaking as someone who loves teaching, & makes very little money from his regular class. it's just not worth it for me to spend that hour away from my family or my own training for any less than that. honestly i'd be a little insulted if someone offered me $10 an hour. as a student, i've haggled class fees but never private lesson fees. it's kind of like telling the instructor that you don't think his time is worth very much.

i do allow & encourage my private lesson students to split a class so that they can both have a technique done to them & also see it. plus i can watch for mistakes more easily, & that drops the price down to $15 for each of them. some instructors will ask for a price increase if you share a lesson though. so an instructor who charges $30/hr for one person might charge $40/hr for two people.



jf

 

[GBlues]

Just to be the jerk in the forum, what's wrong with 10-15 dollars an hour for a lesson? Hell, I have to work all day long for 14 dollars an hour. At the height of my drilling carreer i was making 17, and that was a good company. So why are prices so expensive for hourly private lessons. Yes your getting one on one attention, but the same is true if you asked me to paint your house. You would ask, well, your just painting the outside why does it cost a thousand dollars? The answer cause that's what it costs, course you could buy the paint for 400 bucks rent a rig for 75 a day, get the masking machine which is about 30 bucks plus, the masking paper another 20-30 bucks a couple rolls of tape for maybe 15 and walla for roughly 5 to 600 bucks your painting your house. Course I could do it better, but you saved yourself 400 bucks. And it would only take me a day, where some one that doesn't do it all the time it might take you two. So when people start talking about 30 dollars per half hour, and 60 dollars an hour, or half hour, your talking a half a day or full days wage from somebodies pocket book for you to do an hours worth of work. How is that right? Just playing devils advocate. Here.