This is one part of the series, Get Started In The Martial Arts: A Beginner’s Guide.
There are some questions you just shouldn’t ask a teacher of martial arts, and some questions they would be unwise to answer. Here is a sample of those questions, along with reasons for avoiding them, and recommended alternatives.
Stupid Question #1: What is the instructor’s belt or rank?
Why it is stupid: There are no universal standards for belt ranking. In some cases, a black belt indicates technical mastery of the art, in other cases it represents combat effectiveness or teaching ability, and in still other cases it means absolutely nothing.
In the real world, belt promotions are sometimes given out as encouragement for faltering students, or as rewards to loyal but unskilled students. Many commercial schools charge testing and grading fees, which is an incentive for them to promote (too) early and often. Perhaps worst of all, some instructors promote themselves to “Grandmaster” when opening a new school!
Smarter alternatives: How many years have you studied this art? How many hours did you train over those years? Who taught you (and what is their reputation)?
Stupid Question #2: How long will it take me to earn a black belt?
Why it is stupid: Students learn at different speeds. Even if you attend every class offered, there is no guarantee that you can absorb and retain every lesson the first time through.
Smarter alternatives: Have you promoted any students to black belt level? How long did they study to achieve it? Are there a minimum number of lessons or hours required for belt promotion?
Stupid Question #3: How is this style better than other styles of martial arts?
Why it is stupid: A proper answer requires significant expertise in multiple schools and styles of martial arts. Very few people, including instructors (MMA and otherwise), have the necessary background to provide such an answer–and even if they did, it would be grounded in personal preferences that you may not share.
Smarter alternatives: What is the greatest weakness of this style of martial arts? What is its greatest strength? What kinds of people are best suited to learn it?
Stupid Question #4: Is this an effective form of self-defense?
Why it is stupid: Any style of martial arts can be applied in a self-defense context. Whether it is effective depends on a variety of factors, not least of which is the practitioner’s toughness and skill level (in comparison to their assailants).
Smarter alternatives: Does training incorporate freestyle or full-contact sparring? Weapons defenses? Multiple attacker scenarios?
Stupid Question #5: What would you do if…(insert threatening gesture here)
Why it is stupid:Attacking a martial arts teacher, even in jest, may lead to humiliation and injury. Unless you already know them well, you should not expect them to exercise restraint in their response, nor should you expect to learn anything useful in the bargain.
Smarter alternatives: If you absolutely must ask about the defense against a particular technique, make sure the answer is demonstrated on a nearby student, and not on yourself!