As my students know, we operate our classes completely free of contracts for tuition. My thought is that if you are not motivated to train I don’t want you in class. This has some advantages – flexibility for the students, for one, but has one distinct drawback: commitment.
Frankly, most people operate in a sort of mental haze – moving from one distraction to another and need inspiration to undertake anything remotely as challenging (on several fronts) as Taekwondo. Paraphrasing Randy Snow, inspiration is no good because it does not last – MOTIVATION is key because it comes from inside.
Contracts usually represent a solid financial commitment. As one student told me years ago, “I’m already paying for this I might as well go to class” – without the constant payments the urge to foster the innate slothy behavior that permeates our culture would surely have taken over.
Does this mean my long-standing policy is about to change. No. We all need to make contracts and agreements with ourselves to achieve what we want out of life, and our Martial Art is no exception.
