Picking a Tae Kwon Do School - The School

Once you've come to grips with what your reason for taking up Tae Kwon Do is, you'll be prepared to venture out into the world, and look at your options. Armed with your goal (I want to get in better shape), you should think a little bit about what you need out of your Tae Kwon Do school.

For example, as with any exercise, generally, your school should be close to work, close to home, or on the way between the two. Location is important for an obvious reason. If I have to travel out of my way to exercise or train, I will be more likely to 'skip' on a day my motivation is low. So save yourself the trouble. Less than 15 minutes of extra travel time is probably what you should be shooting for.

Now that you've ensured you will physically get there, you need to be sure that the school itself is a place you want to go. This comes down to Regimen, Focus, Instructors, and Fellow Students. The training regimen itself should be challenging, but also interesting and motivating. So if the classes involve running 5 miles and doing a thousand push ups, and you aren't really into that, look for another school.

Similarly, the focus of some schools is "competition" and sparring is a regular event in class. If that isn't your cup of tea, you might prefer focusing on learning techniques, and non-sparring forms of practice.


Finally, the instructor and the other students in the school are going to be a big part of your experience. If you need a patient, easy-going instructor, stay away from drill instructors!

A good way to get a feel for all the issues is to sit down with the master of the school, and to do a trial lesson. Most schools let you sit in on a class before you decide. If they don't offer it, suggest it. Before weighing price, be sure you are choosing between alternatives that are good for you.