By Ed Ricciuti
(September 26, 2025) — It can seem that martial arts schools are like pizza joints, with one on every corner.
And just as pizza comes with a bewildering multitude of toppings, there are oodles of different martial arts on the menu. If you are seeking one for yourself or your offspring, choosing the appropriate art and school can be a daunting proposition.
First, it’s a good idea to find the martial art that best fits your needs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo are both essentially sports but very effective for self-defense. Both can be strenuous undertakings, so not the right fit, for example, for a senior who has never practiced martial arts. Practiced properly, most martial arts are a good physical workout.
Japanese Jujutsu, from which the Brazilian version partly evolved, is primarily self-defense. Schools that offer it are scarce in this area. Tae Kwon Do, once a self-defense system, has become largely a competitive sport. Practitioners must be sufficiently flexible to perform high, acrobatic kicks. Krav Maga is a self-defense art developed by the Israel Defense Forces. It uses techniques from many other arts, is simple and brutally effective.
Our school teaches self-defense via combat hapkido and jeet kune do. Combat hapkido is a modernized version of traditional Korean hapkido, which uses locks, throws, kicks and hand and elbow strikes. It is designed for simple effectiveness in a range of situations, from simple escaping from a grip to handling a dangerous attack. It is designed for people of virtually all ages and physical ability. Jeet kune do originated with famed actor/martial artist Bruce Lee. Like combat hapkido, it is designed for modern world, and uses counterattacks to thwart assault. It relies on adept use of the hands, with multiple strikes, and street-useful kicks.
Even more important than choosing the right art is picking the right school. It’s easy to get ripped off by unscrupulous schools if you don’t do your research. In the martial arts business, these schools are dubbed McDojos. They grab as much money as possible from customers, as fast as possible, knowing that martial arts schools normally have a quick turnover of their student population. They often promise that students will quickly become martial arts experts almost overnight and vow that their art is the most effective of all.
Here’s an important tip. Beware of any school that knocks other arts. Other red flags that suggest a school should be avoided include giving young children full-fledged black belts. Our school’s minimum age to test for a black belt is 16. Most students who test for it are older. We do promote exceptional younger students to a youth black belt, a separate category not recognized as an adult black belt.
Yet another red flag is pushing students to test much too often for high fees. If a school churns out promotions like an assembly line, keep clear. Beware, too, if the school does not allow its students to cross-train in other arts at other schools. A good instructor welcomes students who expand their martial arts experience and bring it to their home school.
Two types of schools predominate, independently owned and franchised. Our Green Hill Martial Arts in Killingworth is somewhat of an anomaly because we are a non-profit organization, dedicated to teaching the martial arts of hapkido and jeet kune do for the sake of the arts.
Experienced martial artists often vow that the instructor is more important than the art. A good instructor stresses safety as the school’s paramount concern, and is firm but patient. If the instructor seems overbearing or overly aggressive, you might do well going elsewhere.
Check the attitude of students. Warning signs are students who are excessively competitive among themselves or who showboat. Students who welcome newcomers and are eager to help are the sign of a healthy school. Green Hill Martial Arts is happy to answer your questions about martial arts in general and to point you toward the right school for you.
Ed Ricciuti is president of Green Hill Martial Arts in Killingworth. This is one in a series of his articles on personal safety.
