Regardless of the martial art, a poor instructor can quickly turn the martial arts experience into a very sour one for both student and parent. Simply stepping onto the dojo floor for the first time can be a very intimidating process for a child. Although martial arts training should enforce discipline and self-control, intimidating students, especially the young ones, accomplishes little other than to stroke the instructor's ego and, likely, send the kids running for the exits.

Before you sign on the dotted line, any reputable martial arts school should allow you and your child to watch a class and better yet, take part in a free lesson. Any school which asks you to sign-up but keeps the class behind closed doors until you do so should keep their doors closed...simple. Asking a few questions to the instructor is definately adviseable, although witnessing how the class is actually run is worth a thousand words.

How an instructor or organization handles tournament competition is something worth considering as well. Tournaments are an arena whereby martial artists young and old can put their skills to the test under some pressure. The fear management that this requires is healthy for a martial artist and setting goals to win a particular trophy or medal does wonders for a child's confidence should he or she prove successful. However, any organization or club that paints a participant a "loser" for failing to bring the club the glory of hardware is not one which will promote confidence and growth in your child. Thankfully, these types of scenarios are few and you are likely to only see it in the movies. However, there have been documented scenes of real-life instructors making a spectacle at tournaments. Is this the message you want to send your child?

Another item to always consider is cost. Buyer beware, just because an organization charges hundreds of dollars more a year than another does not necessarily mean it is better. Many excellent instructors share their skill in affiliation with non-profit organizations. As far-fetched as it may seem, there are instructors out there who train students for the love of the martial arts and the personal rewards that come with it, even if the material rewards are not there. By no means does this mean that all instructors should teach for free, however, the bottom line is, the value is in the instruction on the floor and not necessarily by the withdrawal amount on your account.