Cor Sair
August 6, 2018 15:16
First, some positives before I share my criticisms. The school is very nice, spacious, and clean, and is set on some beautiful land. The owner and his family run the school and they are nice people.
The training here is a 5 out of 10 at best, very mediocre to anyone with an active or athletic background. Emphasis on traditional art and culture, not self defense or fighting. 4 kung fu classes a week, with 9 tai chi, and 9 yoga classes should inform you of the main focus here.
Owner and his son are the two primary instructors. The rest are volunteer student instructors, none of whom are paid for their time teaching. None of these individuals, including the owner or his son, have any kind of college education or certification pertaining to exercise science, physical training, or fitness. They all only have in-house "Peaceful Dragon" lineage certifications.
It's $200/month to start. Once you do your first test you will be offered the full program to join. It's around $300/month depending on the payment plan you choose. You can stay at $200/month for up to one year, then you must upgrade to the full program. The price isn't just outrageous for such mediocre training, it's in the top 1% of most expensive in martial arts/gyms/fitness combined in the country. Student performance in the only international competition this school attends is in the bottom 50th percentile. On top of your monthly tuition, you will be asked to donate no less than twice a year, on Chinese New Years and the owner's birthday.
The price has been and still is the number 1 reason this school has terrible student attrition rates. It has a 99% attrition rate in a 3 year window, meaning only 1 out of 100 people who join will stay 3 years. The owner will tell you it's because they can't deal with the "hard" training, but don't be fooled, it's because of the price. Student numbers have been plummeting for a long time, don't be surprised if you're the only one to show up for a morning class. It's also the main reason he pushes you for a long term contract.