Most people go into a Karate School assuming the Instructor is fully qualified to teach themselves or their child. Be careful. Karate Schools are NOT created equally.
Did You Know?
No government governs or inspects the Certification of Martial Art/ Karate School across Canada! ANYBODY can open a Karate School
without even as much as having a teaching certification or black belt certificate.
Anyone can go to the local martial arts retail outlet, buy a Black Belt and create a certificate on his/her computer then open up a school. IT HAS BEEN DONE RIGHT HERE IN NIAGARA. And as a consumer you are none the wiser!!!
Questions To Ask
Are you a Member of the Ontario Governments recognized body for Karate through Sports Canada? This would be the Karate Association of Ontario or for short Karate Ontario. Sport Canada governs Hockey, Baseball, Football, Soccer and many other competitive sports as well as Karate.
Are you a Member School of an Internationally recognized Karate Style Organization? There are many Organizations throughout North America that would be considered “Home Made” by world governing karate style organizations.
Is your Certification as an Instructor recognized and traceable to Okinawa or Japan? And could you please give me the information so I can verify this? Don’t be fooled. If an Instructor cannot have you verify his Lineage and certification to a Certified Style Organization in Japan or Okinawa , chances are he/she does not have proper accredited certification or has become a member of a North American Home Grown Organization.
Will MY Certification be recognized by Japan’s Certified Organizations through out the World? REMEMBER!!! You will be paying hard earned Dollars in Monthly Student Fees and Testing Costs. This can add up. Do you want to find out down the road that your Certificate isn’t worth the paper it is written on? This happens to people more often than not.
Does This School have Liability Insurance? Believe it or not, many Karate Schools run without insurance.
Do you have a Teaching Certificate along with your Black Belt Certificate and what level teaching certification do you have? As in our regular schools, we can graduate from High School or College and not have a teaching degree! We need to go to teachers college to earn that certification. Recognized Karate institutions also have this. Black Belts who earn teaching degrees will have been mentored by a master instructor and will have been recommended to a passing grade. At this level the Master Level Instructor will apply for his Black Belt Student receive his/her teaching certificate/license. If the Black Belt Certification also has a teaching degree on it. BEWARE!
Once again, the Choice is yours to make! I know that most people are concerned with cost and quality, but sometimes quality goes out the window when cost is too much. At Northwest Karate School you get the whole package. All of the questions above can be answered to your satisfaction! You get the Quality you as a consumer deserve at an affordable membership cost. Be the Judge Yourself!! Compare Us to the others! Once you do, I know you will become a Member of our Northwest Karate Family.
