Impact Martial arts academy - Offering freestyle kickboxing and self defence to men women and children of all ages

You should always be given at least your first lesson free - any more than your first is even better - This should be a good opportunity for you to asses the class and what goes on within the club - you will also get a chance to meet the other students and instructors that train there.

·Never part with any money or sign any contracts that legally bind you to a membership for any period of time on your first lesson - leave it at least until you have been to a number of sessions before signing up to anything - you may decide that it is not for you after 2 or 3 sessions - but you have signed a contract for 6 or 12 months and will still have to pay.

·Always ring around other martial arts schools in the area and find out about what their costs are and how much they charge - the instructors should be more than willing to give you a run down of all costs - this will enable you to get a fair and accurate comparison of prices charged in the area - be sure there are no hidden charges.
·Go to at least 2 or 3 different martial arts schools to find out what they have to offer and give them a try - this way you will know which club will suit you best and which club has everything that you need - if they do not offer you a first lesson free, then go along and watch what they do in the class.

·Ask friends and family if they have ever heard of the club you are looking to join - try to find out as much information about the club as you can - you can also check the internet to see if they have a web site - chances are that someone has heard of them and can give you a little advice on what they offer.

·If you do decide to take up a membership within a club - look at the different ways that you can pay for your training - if they operate a "pay as you train" scheme then you have nothing to lose at all, but if the club operate a contract scheme check out all the details on the contract and read them very carefully - be sure to ask about any points you do not understand and if you are still not sure about the contract then do not sign it, think about any holidays that you may have planned or any time that you will not be able to go training and remember that you will still have to pay even when you are not there.
·Look at what you are or will be paying to train at the club and see whether you would be better off paying monthly or by contract - example if you were paying Ł3.00 per session to train and you went three times a week, it would cost you around Ł36.00 per month paying per session (based on a four week month) but the contract was Ł60.00 per month - then you would be better off staying as you were - please take all this into consideration when joining up.

·Find out additional costs involved with doing the martial arts - and ask about uniforms - gradings - student licence's - insurance - yearly membership fee's - joining fee's and additional kit that you may need to use within the club i.e. sparring kit or anything else that you may need to purchase to continue training.
·If the club is a new club to the area, try and find out as much background information on the club as you can - because there have been loads and loads of reports of people joining a brand new club to the area - paid out sky high joining and membership fees, then found that the clubs have packed up and left the area - and they have lost everything that has been paid to the club - this unfortunately gives a very bad name to all other martial arts clubs who work very hard in what they do and do not deserve this bad name - but it does happen and quite often.

·Make sure that the club and instructor have their own insurance policy - ask to see a copy of the insurance certificate if you are unsure - insurance is required for all martial arts clubs and it is there for yours and the clubs safety.
·If you are sending your children to any martial arts club - and want to ensure that they are in safe hands - ask if the instructors are police checked and verified - they should also have a certificate to prove this - please remember this is not a guarantee of anything and can not be solely relied on when deciding your choice of clubs - but it may give you some peace of mind and help make the right choice.

·Please do not be hassled or talked into anything that you do not want to do - do not be persuaded to join because they can offer you a black belt in a year - because there is no way you can truly achieve this - you may get your belt, but you will not be at a true black belt level compared to someone in another club who has trained for many years and gained all the skills and experience necessary - if you are that desperate to get a black belt then pop down to your local sports shop and buy one - all major martial arts governing bodies and federations around the world recommend that a black belt should take at least 3-5 years solid training to achieve, with the latter of the two (5 years training) being the best option.

·Look at the martial arts club you are looking to join and see what martial arts organisation or governing body they are associated with - this is a very important factor to consider when joining a club - example if the club is affiliated to the WKA (world kickboxing association) and the clubs gradings are also done through the WKA and you earn you're your belts all they way up to black belt - you then decide to move house to another town or country for whatever reason - you can then find another club that is affiliated to the WKA in that town or country (WKA have thousands of affiliated clubs around the world) and you can take your belt with you and continue to train at the same belt level (grading certificates or signed licence book are normally needed) but if the club is not affiliated to any major association or organisation and the gradings are just done by the clubs instructors, then you will have to start earning your belts from the beginning again - you can always check the internet for all martial arts associations and see how they work and if you are able to take your belt with you.

·Lastly, ensure that the club can meet all of your goals and ambitions - and make sure that they have everything there to help you get what you want out of martial arts - do not be fooled by clever sales people who are not out to ensure that you get the best deal - but only to make sure that they get the commission of your sale in their pocket.