Wondering how to choose a martial arts school in Marysville, or anywhere else for that matter? Start by asking these important questions.
1. “What are your rates and fees?”
Why it’s important: Almost all of us are on a budget. Rates are important, but should not be the determining factor. It’s important to visit the school and get a clear vision of what the rates are paying for. It’s common to find a school with only a slightly higher rate yet much greater value. Even more important are the “fees.” Lots of schools will sign you up real quick—it’s not until later that you discover all their hidden fees. The trickiest are testing fees. They often start around $50 but quickly increase as students test for higher ranks. Many schools even charge $500 or more for black belt testing.
Where we stand: We are consistently up front and transparent with our pricing. Give us a call or text, and we will be glad to give you all the information you want. As far as testing fees are concerned . . .THERE ARE NONE! We will never nickel-and-dime you!
2. “Am I required to sign a contract?”
Why it’s important: NEVER join a school that requires you to sign a contract. If you ever decide to leave, they will probably stick you with cancellation fees that can range into the thousands. You’ve got to love fine print. If you ask them why they require contracts, they will give you several “salesy” sounding reasons why it’s “in your best interest.” Believe me, the only person whose interest is in is theirs.
Where we stand: After your introductory program (which gives you plenty of time to decide if we’re the right fit), we use a straightforward membership agreement. Here’s what it looks like:
- 90-day commitment to start
- 60 days’ notice required to cancel
- Pause option up to 30 days per year if you need a break
- Makeup Lessons are offered for most missed classes
We keep it in-house. We don’t sell or assign your membership to a third party, which means if life gets complicated, you’re dealing with us and not a collection agency. And for context, in Washington State, any membership agreement longer than one year is illegal anyway, so you’ll never see that here.
3. “What are your school’s hours?”
Why it’s important: This is a trick question. You can already assume most schools will be open in the afternoons when classes are usually taught. What might not be so obvious is that many schools are “part-time” schools that open only in the afternoon. What this usually means is that the instructor works a full-time job elsewhere, shows up a few minutes before classes are to start, then has to juggle teaching, answering phones, paying bills, and everything else that goes into running a professional school.
Where we stand: We are a full-time, professional martial arts school. Martial arts is all we do. We do have several part-time instructors and support staff, but our main instructors are here for you all day.
4. “How long have you been in business at your current location?”
Why it’s important: It’s not enough to simply ask how long a school has been in business. You will often find that a school has been in business for 10 years, but has moved three or four times. This is a red flag! Martial arts that change locations every few years usually do so because of lease issues. You should generally avoid any school that has been at its current location for less than 10 years.
Where we stand: We have been in the same Marysville, Washington, location since 1996. In 2005, we even bought the property. We will be here for a very long time.
5. “Can we try a class or two before joining?”
Why it’s important: This is a BIG one! In fact, we have an entire article, “Watch Out for the One FREE Class Trick!” dedicated to this question. Long story short, offering one or two free classes is usually a sketchy practice full of high-pressure sales tricks.
Click Here to Read the Full Article! You’ll be glad you did!
Where we stand: In order to give you and your family the time you need to make an informed decision, we offer a four-week introductory program that includes a uniform ($50 value), training shoes ($25 value), an online orientation course for parents, and comes with a 100% money-back guarantee.
6. “How are your classes separated? Age? Rank?”
Why it’s important: There are several ways schools split their classes. Most split their classes by rank (experience level) while others split theirs by age group. This is an important distinction. The idea of grouping students by experience level sounds like a good idea, but having a too-wide age range in class is a BIG mistake. Four-year-olds, six-year-olds, eight-year-olds, and ten-year-olds all learn in VERY different ways. More important than what they are learning is how they are learning it. It’s crucial, especially at younger ages, for students to be taught in the way most conducive to their age and learning level.
Where we stand: Not only do we group our classes by age, but we take it a step further. Our classes are grouped by grade levels. The different groups are pre-K, K–2nd, 3rd–6th, Middle School–10th grade, and 11th grade–adult. By doing this, we are able to ensure students are in the proper learning group based on their personal level of development.
7. “How often will I or my child advance?”
Why it’s important: This is another trick question. Anytime someone gives you a precise answer, politely hang up the phone or walk away. Every student is different and learns at a different pace. Some schools like to promise a black belt in three years or less. BEWARE THE 3-YEAR BLACK BELT PROMISE! This is never a good thing! Sure, McDonald’s can crank out a cheeseburger in just a couple of minutes, but how does it compare to the Red Robin burger you have to wait 20 minutes for?
Where we stand: Every student in our school advances at their own pace, based on their own merits. It’s possible, but rare, for a student to earn their black belt in only a few years. It generally takes closer to five years.
8. “What qualifications do your instructors have? Do volunteers help teach classes? What are their qualifications?”
Why it’s important: This is important, especially if you are looking into a part-time school. Oftentimes, part-time school owners are so busy they assign “senior students” to teach while they return phone calls and pay bills. Unfortunately, just because a student has been in class longer than the others does not mean they are qualified to teach. This results in poor quality and ensures that each generation of students is worse than the last.
Where we stand: All of our instructors are professional martial artists. They are all rigorously trained and tested, not just in the martial arts, but also in how to teach. All volunteers we allow and support must demonstrate an exceptional level of skill, participate in our ongoing Leadership Team training course, and participate in our ongoing Future Instructor classes. They are always under the supervision of our staff instructors.
9. “Has your staff had background checks?”
Why it’s important: It’s important that anyone who is allowed to work with your children has undergone a background check. This seems like a no-brainer, but you would be shocked at how many schools have never done a background check on their staff or volunteers. It’s also common for them to do a background check once and then not again.
Where we stand: All of our staff and volunteers are checked annually. As the owner of the school, I have my background check run annually as well.
10. “How do you teach the things you claim to teach, especially things like life skills and good values?”
Where we stand: All of our staff and volunteers are checked annually. As the owner of the school, I have my own background check run annually as well.
Why it’s important: Many, if not most, martial arts teachers seem to think that life skills and good values are something that can be taught by osmosis. They hang some scenic posters up at their school with words like “honor” and “respect” across the top. They have students repeat these words as part of a school creed. Then they wipe their hands and consider that part of their job done. Don’t believe me? Just ask them for a list of values they teach. Then ask them—one value by one valuehow they teach them. Be warned: the awkward silence is coming.
Where we stand: At Marysville Martial Arts, we use our own Warrior Words character development program. It runs on monthly themes, with projects for kids and two structured discussion sessions every week. Our coaches study and prepare for those conversations so they know what to say, what questions to ask, and how to get kids genuinely engaged with the concept being taught rather than just nodding along.
PRO QUESTIONS:
11. “Are visitors welcome?”
Why it’s important: If a school does not allow visitors or does not let parents watch classes, RUN! Don’t walk—RUN!
It might seem like an odd thing to have to ask, but some schools flat out tell parents they are not allowed to watch their child in class. The common excuse is that it’s a distraction, and there’s some truth to that. Sideline coaching and kids running over to their parents every few minutes are real challenges. But the distraction problem is the school’s responsibility to manage, not a reason to ban parents entirely. A school that won’t let you observe what’s happening in that room is something to be genuinely wary of.
Where we stand: We welcome visitors. We keep 20 to 30 chairs set up for parents in every class. That said, we do have clear expectations: if a parent sideline coaches more than once or twice, we’ll ask them to step back. If a child keeps running over for reassurance every few minutes, we may ask the parent to sit out a class or two and watch on our camera feed instead, so they can still see everything without becoming a distraction. Chatty parents near the viewing area get a friendly ask to step out as well. We love having parents present and engaged. The one thing that genuinely saddens us is when a kid looks up to see if their parent is watching, and the parent is staring at their phone.
12. “How many locations do you have?”
Why it’s important: Conventional logic would tell you that a school with many locations must be successful. Sadly, that is not the case, especially when a school grows to more than three or four locations. Two things generally happen at that point. First, the quality declines, and the master who trained the first few school owners is simply not able to ensure that quality is consistent at all the schools. The second thing that happens is that the schools become very “one size fits all.” When students are tested, they test with several other schools at one time. They are often judged by instructors who do not know them and have no idea how far they have come in their personal journey. The cookie-cutter approach is not how the martial arts were intended to be spread.
Where we stand: We are a single school, with the possibility of opening another nearby school. When our students test, they test in front of teachers who know them very well.
13. “Are you a franchise or part of an association?”
Why it’s important: This is another one of those things that may look good on the surface, but when you do a little digging, you quickly realize it’s not good.
Associations: There are lots of schools that are members of various martial arts associations. Some are good, and some are bad (like really bad). Generally, these associations, in exchange for hefty membership fees, provide schools with marketing, promotion, and curriculum support (read: designing curricula for profit). Often, the association exists only so that member schools can say they are a part of an association, bolstering their image. At the end of the day, they usually just increase the amount schools have to charge for tuition, with no real benefit for the students.
Franchises: Franchised martial arts schools, hands down, are some of the absolute worst. They are cookie-cutter programs, more akin to group fitness classes than to places of authentic martial arts learning, designed to make investors profit. Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with school owners benefiting from their years of training and hard work. Still, more often than not, franchise martial arts schools are not owned by long-time martial artists who have dedicated their lives to learning and teaching the martial arts. They are often described as “not martial arts schools with great marketing, but great marketing systems with martial arts schools.”
It’s still important that you join a school where you feel good about being a member. If you come across a franchise school that meets your needs, go for it!
Where we stand: In the beginning, our school was part of a group of eight independently owned and operated schools. Since 1999, we have been an independent, association-free school.
14. “What style of martial arts do you teach?”
Why it’s important: Usually, it’s not. Unless, of course, you have your heart set on a particular style. Beware of any teacher who tells you their style of martial arts is the best. That is like saying if you buy the best hammer, you can build the best house. It all comes down to individual effort and training.
Where we stand: We don’t believe that any student of the martial arts should be constrained by “style.” We teach a mix of Chinese (Northern style of Kung Fu and Tai Chi), Korean (Taekwondo and Jungyae Moosul), and Filipino (Balintawak/Arnis/Eskrima) martial arts. We want our students first to learn and understand the “systems” of martial arts so that they can competently develop their own personal style.
“To be bound by traditional martial art style or styles is the way of the mindless, enslaved martial artist. But to be inspired by the traditional martial art and to achieve further heights is the way of genius.” ~ Bruce Lee
15. Do you award kids black belts?
Why It’s Important: Whether a school awards black belts to children isn’t a simple yes-or-no question. It’s a window into how a school thinks about martial arts development. The concern isn’t whether kids can earn black belts at all; it’s what that black belt actually represents. A child who earns the same black belt under the same curriculum as an adult raises a red flag. Either the children aren’t actually being held to that standard, or the adults are only being held to a child’s standard. Developmentally, no matter how talented a young student is, much of what martial arts demands, conceptually, physically, and philosophically, simply isn’t accessible until adolescence or adulthood. A school that claims otherwise either doesn’t understand child development or isn’t being straight with you. The schools that handle this well are the ones that have built an age-appropriate pathway that is honest about what it is.
Where we stand: At Marysville Martial Arts, we do award a Kung Fu 4 Kids black belt, and we’re intentional about what that means. Earning it marks the completion of our children’s curriculum, which is specifically designed for young learners. Here’s the key distinction: that Kung Fu 4 Kids black belt is equivalent to the beginner level of our full teen and adult program. The teen and adult curriculum is significantly more complex and demanding; it’s a different animal entirely. We also deliberately de-emphasize rank as students progress. By the time someone reaches black belt level in our school, we want them to have genuinely internalized that belts are a tool for goal-setting and measuring progress, not the point of the journey. A belt here means you’ve met the curriculum requirements at your level. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less, and that’s exactly how it should be.
15. Do your students participate in tournaments? Are they required?
Why It’s Important: Some schools focus heavily on tournaments, some don’t, and some fall somewhere in the middle. Schools with a heavy focus on tournaments often require students to participate to earn their new belt, or show favoritism to those who do. Nothing is worse than seeing your child ignored during class in favor of another student who might help earn more trophies for the school’s front window. It is important to know because tournaments can be a big extra expense, and are definitely not for everyone.
Where we stand: We do occasionally participate in tournaments; however, they are completely optional, and competitors have separate training times that they must attend in addition to their regular classes.
If you have any questions or if there is anything else we can help you with, please do not hesitate to call or text us at (360) 763-0073 or email us at frontdesk@marysvillemartialarts.com
Copyright 2026 – Kung Fu Northwest Inc.
