Seeking MA Teacher

[HarryRod]

I am wondering if anyone knows of a respectable martial arts instructor in the Huntsville, AL area. I am not interested in the few local schools I know of in the area where it seems that they jam as many people as they can into a room 5 nights a week.
I would prefer to find a private instructor or one that operates a small class....say 3-5 students.
As far as style goes I am not really sure. I am looking into this to help regain my flexibility and old weight as I am rehabbing from a VERY nasty car accident from several years ago. As a result my legs arent in the best condition and anything that involves alot of high impact maneuvers will probably be out of the question.
Any input will be greatly appreciated.

 

[kungfool]

Just a couple of points......


My school is open five days a week and I of course try to keep the classes as full as possible. Besides the obvious that I must make money to keep the doors open having more students gives all the students more diverse partners than 3 to 5 students. I work diligently to keep my standards high, although admitedly, that is harder with 75 students than when I had 8 students. But you should not discount large schools.

A good school will allow you to view a class or two before signing (I even let perspective students try a class first)

A good instructor may not be as good as his /her best student.
Though the instructor may themselves be an awesome technician, can they teach that to their students? (So watch the students more so than the instructor)

Shop around and ask questions. Any school owner who will not or can not answer all your questions should be treated with suspicion. Also, you would not believe the range of charges in the same area! Don't equate high costs with a better school nor lower cost with a bad school.

Private lessons tend to be much more expensive than regular classroom classes. Fair enough, just make sure you are getting a good enough bang for the extra bucks!

Find someone who does teach out of their garage. Just because they do not own a school does not mean they cannot teach what they know well. The problem there is, those who teach out of garages usually do not advertise, so word of mouth is used. Ask around.

Most of all, find someone and stick with it. Too many times students will quit and start again with a different instructor. That usually results in learning a few basics and not much more. Self-defense is a way of life and not a hobbie......hope this helps.

Dreams + effort = reality