GRECA MARTIAL ART ACADEMY

FAQ - Frequency Asked Questions

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Who Can Learn?

Everyone - young or old, male or female, can learn Universal Martial Art. The youngest students in our schools are three and the oldest is over eighty!!! Family classes available for parents who wish to train with their children.

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How Often Should I Train?

How often you train is up to each individual. It is recommended that you train at least 2 times per week minimum with a target of 3 classes per week. Of course, everyone is different and some get as many as 50 classes in a 2 month period of time!

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What if I have a Physical Limitation? Can I still train?

Universal Martial Art is for everyone. Our instructors can work with you within your limitation while in class. Of course, it is important to consult your doctor and provide information regarding your limitation to our instructor team.

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Will I Lose Weight in Universal Martial Art?

With dedicated training using proper exercise and a balanced diet, you can expect to reach your fitness and weight loss goals.

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Is Universal Martial Art a Good Family Activity?

We find parents and children enjoy training in an activity they can all do together. In fact, many parents that initially bring their child in for Universal Martial Art later join themselves and start training.

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How Do I Move Up in Rank?

Approximately every two months, students that meet their training responsibilities (know their assignment, technical proficiency achieved, personal improvement, and attendance requirements) are eligible for testing. The test is held either at the student's dojang (training hall) or at a larger facility such as a gymnasium and is presided over by the Board of Examiners - a group of highly trained instructors that grade the students and determine their readiness to move onto the next rank.  Students must be training at least twice per week in order to advance approximately every two months.  It is possible to training only once per week and progress, but time between exams will be increased.

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Is There a Charge for Exams?

At Greca Martial Art Academy, the fee associated with covering the costs of taking exams (such as facility, certificate, belt, and examiner fees) are included in the rate for most of our programs.  Only those taking a major test for a new DAN (Degree) Black Belt have additional exam fees associated with their tests. In addition, testing is not an automatic result of coming to class. If students complete the requirements including earning the required number of stripes as intermediate checks between exams, then they may sign up for the test. Students are not allowed to register for testing until they have completed all requirements and pass their pre-test.

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How Are Exams Conducted?
Most exams are held at the Greca Martial Art Academy Studio in the main dojahng.  Occasionally we might have a regional exam where we get together with other Universal Martial Art schools for exams and special events as a larger Universal Martial Art family.  For each exam, there is a schedule published indicating the times for each rank/group.  Student would show up at least 15 minutes prior to their exam group to ensure they are changed and ready to go.  Each student will get their own progress report out in preparation for the exam.  When it's time for the exam, students will be called up for their exam group.  Depending on the number in your exam group, it takes about 50 min to an hour for each group.  
If desired, students can arrange for special private exams on a day different than the main exam in the event they were ill, had a scheduling conflict with the exam day, or simply wished to take a private exam.  There are additional fees associate with private exams.  

What Can Be Expected for Testing Results?

Examiner's provide comments on each area of the students' assignment they performed at the test. These comments indicate how well the student did on each area graded. Once the comments have been established, the Examiners provide one of three results from their test. They can receive PASS, SPECIAL TRAINING, or RETEST. PASS indicates the student met the requirements for each area and is ready to move onto the next belt. SPECIAL TRAINING indicates that one or more areas require some additional training or development. Special training still indicates that the student passed their test, they just have some areas to address. Follow up with the student's chief instructor will be required for the student to both understand and correct the deficiency. RETEST indicates that many of the areas tested require enough work that the student must train to fix the issues and then retest for the same rank they were testing for when they received the retest. There is no additional fee associated with a RETEST result. It is important to note that RETEST is not very common and is used in extreme instances. What is more common is for students to receive either a PASS or SPECIAL TRAINING.