“I Come to you with only karate”

360 Family Martial Arts is a school disciplined in the art of American Kenpo karate. American Kenpo is a blended system of both traditional Japanese and Shaolin Karate with influences in Kung Fu and Jiu-Jitsu. We do not teach performance or sport karate. We teach a system of self-defense that is rooted in basic skill sets, katas, sparing and self defense techniques. The school is owned and operated by 4th degree black belts Scott and Stacey Conder.

The school has a rich family atmosphere with a strong emphasis on discipline. In addition to self-defense, 360 FMA offers a compelling curriculum that includes stranger awareness, bully deterrence and abduction prevention for children. 360 FMA has a strong relationship with our community and local schools and has been invited by many of the Crown Point public and private schools over the last several years to discuss bully awareness and prevention with students and faculty. Quite simply we don’t teach kids how to fight, we teach them how not to fight. The best way to defeat a bully or stay out of trouble with strangers lies in making good decisions. Self-defense is always the last resort and least desirable solution to conflict. However, when no other options are available our students are trained to know what to do.

As with any martial arts program , intersted students should look at a school carefully before making a decision and a commitment to training. For this reason we always offer trial memberships to help potential students decide if our school is a good fit for their family.

When searching for a martial arts school there are several things a potential student should look for. To begin with cleanliness of the school and staff professionalism rank among the highest considerations initially. You can tell a lot about how a school is run by first impressions. Second and possibly one of the most important considerations is style and purpose. What style of martial arts is being offered and what is the vision or intended purpose of the school’s training. Some schools focus primarily on performance grade or competition driven sport karate while others focus on self defense. This is important to understand before signing any long term contract. All systems have their merit and one isn’t better than the other. So it’s important that you understand what type of training you will be receiving and that it matches with your desired outcome.

Next is price and value. Not all martial arts are the same and not all training is the same. In most cases you get what you pay for. Potential students should always ask who the primary instructors are along with their age, rank and experience. You should also be sure of exactly what you get for the price offered, i.e. number of classes per week and what type of training is included. Unfortunately many schools today will offer a low introductory “Basic” rate that requires additional fees or upgrades to advance in belt rank. Be weary of schools with hidden fees.

Next is class size. How well does the school you’re considering manage its class loads? What is the student to instructor ratio and how organized are the classes? Chaos is usually a good sign that this is a problem area for the school. And finally how do YOU feel when in the school. Is the atmosphere and training to the level you expect? Does the atmosphere promote a professional training environment? Remember that this is just a guide but these are the very questions we ask our potential students before any enrollment is offered. If we are missing in any of these areas then we haven’t “earned” your business and you should look elsewhere. This goes for any school you look at. We hope that this information is helpful to you in your search for a school for your family.