Frequently Asked Questions
You have many different levels of classes! What classes should my child attend?
What age do you cater for?
Any exceptions? My child is big and very advanced!
The minimum age of all new members is 5 years old, they must also be attending junior infants in primary school. Your child must have turned 5 by the start of the term otherwise they must wait until the next term before registering.
Most children do not fully develop their fundamental motor skills until around the age of 8 years old. This is honestly the best time for them to start to develop marital arts skills. Unfortunately todays society means that generally our children do not get the chance to develop these fundamental skills through regular play anymore and need early interventions.
Early access to martial arts programs allows them to build these essential neurological bases for sport along with developing their concentration and confidence. We insist they must be at least 5 and attending primary schools as at this stage in their young lives they are exploring boundaries, being educated and learning how to follow directions, developing a work ethic through school and home work, and learning how to learn.
Any younger and it's an uphill battle just to maintain a childs focus and controlling their emotions. If a child joins us any earlier and stays for 3 years they have only just learned how to use their body and control their minds. True martial arts training hasn't even begun at this stage!
Be patient, we've been offering classes since 1984, we are not going anywhere. Pop your child on our waiting lists and wait until they are the physically and emotionally ready to gain the full benefits of a top quality martial arts program!
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Do you offer trial classes?
Do you offer refunds if my child does not complete a term?
We do not offer trial classes. Generally all our classes are full and those on our waiting lists patiently looking for spaces. A single class is never going to give a true glimpse at what we offer our members, this can only be done by delving into the program and trying out a full term.
Children are always going to be nervous and excited joining us, a term of classes will allow them to get to know us, make friends and feel comfortable and safe. Sometimes that may involve some coaxing to begin with, remember we are competing with computer games, youtubers and Netflix for your childs time, but remember the reason you began your search for martial arts in the first place!
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Can we visit the academy?
Of Course, we would love to meet you and your children and for you to see our academy and watch a class. Email us at info@ymaa.ie to set a date and time. Our head coach Paul, would like to be sure he is there to meet you ;-) See our schedule here!
Once the term begins we do not offer any refunds, your child place will be held for the full term of classes and will not be offered to anyone else!! Stay the course ;-)
My child has previous Martial Arts experience, can they more to more advanced class from the start?
All new members must build good foundation in our Kung Fu styles!
Regardless of anybody's previous experience all martial are built from the bottom up! Deep foundations must be created to allow all of our members to truly thrive in our academy. These foundations are established while earning the first 2 belts in our Little and Shouting cranes program. If your child has some skills they may transfer very well and allow them to move faster through the foundation program and they will then move in to our more advanced programs.
Do you offer family discounts?
How do I avail of them?
We offer a 10 % sibling discount for multiple family members attending any of our programs. If we have a parent training with us the discount applies in that case too! Our booking system automatically applies the discount if you book 2 siblings at the same time!
Are there discounts for multi class sign ups?
How do I avail of them?
Each term we email discount codes to apply against multiple bookings per week.
Can I pay per class or monthly?
Do I have to pay in full at the start of term?
We charge a set fee for a term with discounts for attending multiple classes per week.
What uniforms or equipment will my child need for class?
Where can I get them?
Beginners can purchase a club uniform which consists of club tee shirt and trousers and an optional sweatshirt (recommended for keeping warm before and after training) The uniform is a requirement to begin their process of earning merits and credits towards their Belts. Initially your child can wear plain dark tracksuit bottoms, plain dark t shirt and bring a non-zipped sweatshirt. They should bring a pair of flip flops or crocs to wear inside the academy and bring a bottle of water to class. Our Shop - https://www.themartialartsacademy.com/shop
Is there sparring?
Will my child get hurt or injured?
Sparring is the quintessential of martial arts. To truly test skills a martial artist must be able to apply them against a resisting opponent. Of course resistance and skills are based upon levels and so our program slowly introduces sparring once a child joins our Shouting cranes class. All sparring is highly supervised with mandatory safety equipment required, controlled techniques and a focus of fun and play even under the pressure of a sparring class. The early levels are light contact touch sparring, gradually moving to semi contact Sanda.
Injuries are very rare but like any activity bumps and bruises can happen. Safety is at the forefront of our coaches mind when running classes and we all know the most important person in the training room is our partner. So we take care and respect them!
How many classes per week should my child train?
What's the benefit of addition class?
Kung Fu literally means Skills gained over time . The more time your child trains with us the better. Of course initially when exploring the martial arts one class per week will suffice. Especially for the youngest members!
As our members advance it is essential they increase their training by doubling or tripling their attendance. Our Summer and Mid term camps also offer a huge boost to our members training.
You're a Kung Fu school, but you offer other classes such as Sanda Kickboxing and Braziliian Jujitsu?
What's the difference between them?
Kung Fu is an in-depth traditional Martial art. Although we teach many elements of fighting skills in our Kung Fu programs such as kicking, punching, wrestling and locking there are gaps to be filled in becoming a fully capable martial artist in all areas. Whereas Kung Fu teaches mostly standup fighting skills, Brazilian Jujitsu teaches more in-depth grappling focusing mainly on ground fighting skills. Sanda Kickboxing is the other side of the Kung Fu coin, it works within a competition format putting into application Kung Fu skills gained against a resisting partner and allowing our members to develop more practical skills. Good Sanda skills are a requirement for progression through the higher Kung Fu belts.
Are your coches Garda Vetted?
What about Child protection, first aid etc?
All of our coaches are Garda vetted and insured. They also maintain their Child Protection (Safeguarding) and First Aid certifications with regular attendance of all the relevant courses. Please note all of our coaches are also expected to upskill with regular martial arts training at class, seminars and training camps. It is essential that our coaches set good examples for our members!
How do we keep up to date with latest news?
WhatsApp/Email
As well as regular emails about upcoming terms and events we have a dedicated WhatsApp group where we keep you more up to date on the latest occurrences, class details, video uploads etc