How to Visit a School

Here are some tips on how to visit a martial arts school during your search for a school to join:

• When visiting for the first time, call ahead to make sure visitors are welcome and to make an appointment. 
• Wear normal street clothes. Do not wear marital arts logos and such.
• Observe proper dojang protocol. If you are unfamiliar with the protocol, ask about it when you call for a visit or watch behavior of others closely when you enter the dojang.
• Be polite and courteous. 
• If you are offered a hand, shake hands. If someone bows to you, bow back. 
• Be quiet during class; do not do anything to draw attention to yourself while the class is in session. 
• Get there early and stay afterwards so you can ask questions. 
• Do not discuss other schools, if possible. If you cannot avoid the subject, do not say anything derogatory about another school. 
• Do not try to impress the instructor with your limited knowledge of Taekwondo or other styles.
• Do not try to use Korean words unless you are sure of the meaning and pronunciation.
• Visit many schools, many times.
• Beware of high-pressure sales pitches at some schools. If you feel pressured, leave.
• You must visit numerous schools to develop a short list of the ones you like. Then you must visit each of those schools many times to form a valid opinion. Classes vary from one to another; instructors have good days and bad days, the head instructor may be on vacation, or different classes may have emphasis on different subjects, such as weapons training, advanced kicks, or self-defense techniques. If you only visit one class, you will not know what a typical class is like.  
• Many schools do not have continuous enrollment, you may have to wait until next week, next month, or even next semester (if the school meets at a college) for the next beginner's class to start. Use the waiting time to do more visiting.