By Master Milad
The short answer
- Don’t ask which martial art is best. Ask which school your kid will still be at in five years.
- Watch a class before you sign anything. You’ll learn more in 20 minutes than from any website.
- Look for real teaching, character taught on purpose, and a clear path.
- Your first class with us is free. Book it
It’s a golden age for martial arts. There are more schools, and more good people making a living teaching this, than I’ve ever seen. That’s great news for your family. It also makes choosing harder.
Parents usually start by asking me, “What’s the best martial art?” Honest answer: a great instructor in any art beats a bad one in the “right” art. Choose the school first.
The real risk is quitting everything
The biggest mistake isn’t picking the wrong art. It’s picking a school your kid quits. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. A kid jumps to whatever looks exciting, lasts a few months, and stops. Some find their thing and love it. Most just stop doing martial arts altogether.
So when you visit, you’re really asking one question: will my kid want to come back?
What to look for when you visit
1. Enough instructors on the floor. Kids learn from hands-on correction, not from a coach calling instructions from the corner. Count the instructors, then count the kids.
2. Teachers who know how to teach kids. Being good at a sport and being good at teaching it are two different skills. Teaching is a craft. Watch whether instructors know every kid’s name and fix one thing at a time.
3. Character taught on purpose. Bowing. “Yes, sir.” “Yes, ma’am.” Respect, focus, effort. At a good school, this happens in every class, not just on a poster. For a lot of kids, earning a black belt is their first real rite of passage.
4. A clear path. Belts, goals, and someone tracking your child’s progress. Ask: where are your black belts registered? Ours are registered with Kukkiwon, the world headquarters of taekwondo.
5. Sparring that’s earned and supervised. Ask: when do kids start sparring? At our school, nobody spars before green belt. (Why sparring builds courage)
6. Real standards. Ask: does the school belong to its provincial sport organization? In BC, taekwondo’s is Taekwondo BC, and I sit on its board. Boring question, important answer.
7. Kids who are having a blast. Our motto is “Sweat, smile, learn.” If the kids look like they’re waiting at the dentist, keep looking.
8. A path for teens. The teen years are when kids drift. Ask what’s there for a 14-year-old who’s been training for years. Ours is the Leadership Team: free and invite-only, for students who are committed, hungry, humble and smart. Many go on to paid instructor jobs in high school. (How does taekwondo teach kids to lead?)
Why we think taekwondo is the best first art
Every martial art has something to teach. We just think taekwondo is the best place to start.
- Kicks, footwork, speed and balance. It builds the base every other art uses.
- Structure kids can see. Belts, stripes and goals give them wins to chase.
- A real sport. Taekwondo and judo are the only two martial arts that have stayed in the Olympics.
- Self-defence, treated like swimming. It’s a safety skill every kid should have, and they get fit and confident along the way. Be the nicest person in the room, and the one who can handle themselves if they ever have to. Never strike first. (Does taekwondo help with bullying?)
Start with taekwondo. Earn the black belt. Then try anything you want. Your kid will walk in with balance, discipline, and the habit of finishing what they start.
Why I wrote this
I’ve met a lot of families who tried a school that wasn’t the right fit. Their kid didn’t want to go back, and the parents didn’t know what to look for. This list is for them.
Come see for yourself
Bring your kid to a free first class. In Taekwondo 101, parents stay for the whole class, so you can see everything on this list with your own eyes. Nervous kid? That’s normal. (My child is shy. Will they be OK?)
We’re not raising UFC champions. We’re raising kids who win at life.
About the author. Master Milad Bahrami opened Endurance in Port Moody in 2014, and today it’s three schools: Port Moody, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam. Read his story
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