Catonsville Seido Karate
Home | Sensei Tom Swiss | Fees | Map & Directions | Links | To prospective students | Policies | ContactCSK News
Renovation special! The main hall at the Westchester Community Center is getting a new floor and a new paint job. We'll be meeting outside in the park the weeks of August 4 and August 11. To celebrate our renovated facility, a special deal for new students -- now through October 1, two free clases, then your next 10 for just $50!
Training Fees
No long-term contracts, no high-pressure sales. Pay as you go, or by in blocks of ten classes and save.
As of March 2009, the following pricing plan is in effect:
| Drop in | $12 |
| 10 class card | $90 ($9 per class) |
| College student discount 10 class card | $70 ($7 per class) |
| Friends and family plan, set of two or more 10-class cards (see below) | $80 per card ($8 per class) (Payable in two installments.) |
A sliding scale is available. I do not want to turn away students for financial reasons. (But I would like to actually have income exceed expenses!)
Class cards are good for 2 months from date of purchase. If class is not held for a week or longer, whether for a scheduled or unscheduled break, you will receive an extension.
Friends and family plan: a group of people may purchase a set of 10-class cards for $80 each. However, splitting is not allowed; the set of cards must be presented and stamped together at each class. (For example, if Alice, Bob, and Charlie buy a set of three cards, and Bob misses a night while Alice and Charlie make class, either Alice and Charlie pay the drop-in rate that night, or all three cards get stamped for one class.)
For the friends and family plan, 50/50 payment is available: pay half when the cards are purchased and activate the first five classes, then pay the remainder to activate the rest. Note that this doesn't change the length of time the cards are valid, and that after your first five classes you'll have to complete your payment before you may continue training.
Other Costs
Training fees do not include additional expenses, such as:
- Purchase of a uniform ("gi"). I suggest that new students - especially kids - wait a few weeks and see if interest continues before purchasing a gi; you can train in a t-shirt and sweatpants at first. Karate gi are available from karatedepot.com for about $20 to $30; locally, good gi can be purchased at the Kiyota Company, 2326 N. Charles St. You probably want to get 100% cotton (though young kids who don't sweat as much might get away with a poly/cotton blend), and make sure you get a karate gi (not a judo gi, not a tae kwon do uniform).
- World Seido Karate Organization membership. $20/year, 3 years for $40. Must be a member before taking promotion; again, I suggest new students wait a bit.
- Seido Karate patches for the gi. Buy a set when you join the organization. $20 for a pair. Patches last a long time, they will likely outlast your gi and can be transferred to a new one.
- Promotion fees. Promotion exams are held at the Howard County YMCA Seido Karate Program. For students below green belt, the fee is $25. Your first few promotion exams might be at three to six month intervals; they get further apart as you go on. (Black belt promotions are held at our headquarters in New York and are more expensive - but it's a little early to worry about that...)
- Sparring safety gear. You don't have to worry about buying this until you reach green belt, typically a year to eighteen months of training.
- Books. Not a mandatory purchase, but I recommend Kaicho Nakamura's "textbook" Karate Kyohan and autobiography The Human Face of Karate to all students. (We have a dojo copy of Human Face of Karate for lending.) Other recommended reading includes Gichin Funakoshi's autobiograpghy Karate-do: My Way of Life, and Eugen Herrigel's famous Zen in the Art of Archery. If you keep training you might find yourself collecting martial arts books - it can become an expensive habit!
Notice of Consumer Rights
Your tax dollars at work
Maryland law considers us to be a "health club" (I can't believe it either), necessitating that we pay several hundred dollars annual registration fees to the State and give you the following notice:
- Our business registration number with the State's Consumer Protection division is P3082.
- We are not required to carry a performance bond under the Maryland Health Club Services law because we do not accept more than three months payment in advance, and we do not charge any initiation fee.
- If our program is closed for a month or more, you are entitled to your choice of either an extension of your class card, or a prorated refund. (If the closing isn't our fault, we are entitled to choose either the extension or refund.)
- You have the right to cancel any purchase of services, and receive a full refund, within three business days of receiving this notice. Cancellation must be in writing and delivered in person or via certified or registered mail.
- If you become disabled for at least three months (as confirmed in writing by a physician), you are entitled to an extension of the validity of your purchase, equal to the duration of the disability.
Ain't bureaucracy grand?