Quote:

A little bit of a traditional view of Black Belt Clubs. These are merely upgrade programs that require a bit more commitment on the part of both the student and the instructor. In truly traditional Chinese schools, there are those that are "paying customers" so to speak and those that are "initiate" students or life students of the Master. There are also students that are "initiate disciples." The difference between the initiate student and disciple is that the student is still a student, although VERY committed to the teacher and his teachings. The disciple is FAMILY to the instructor and to the student. The disciple owns the art because he will pass it to the next generation. In many circumstances, the disciple even gets to pick the various aspects of the art to study. (in consultation with the teacher).
I view Black Belt Clubs in the same context. The student commits for a longer period of time and they receive concrete benefits for doing so in my kwoon. We call it the Black Belt Training Program which I think is more indicative of what it really is, then there is Warrior Spirit Society training (Master's Club in many schools) this is yet another level of training which the students may pursue. For those that wish to seek more traditional levels of training, then I also offer the initiate experience. But selection for this training has nothing to do with the business side and more to do with my desire to work on the deepest levels with these students. I have more than 150 students at my school yet only 20 are initiate with 5 of those being disciples.





So how much more does it cost to be an initiate, disciple or get into the master's program?

I know of a Matsumara Orthodox instructor in Yauco, Puerto Rico that has 2 disciples. I don't believe he charged them any different than the regular fee for the rest of his school. These were merely students that were exceptional and he asked to attend different classes for the additional training.

Osu.