Class Size

What’s a good class size for Kung Fu?  Depends on a the composition of the class.  If it’s 4 and 5 year olds, probably 6-8 of them is perfect.  If it’s 6-8 year olds, around 12 is ideal.  For the 9 and up class, we’ll go with 15 and for adults, how about 20-25.

The reasoning behind the numbers is perhaps more important than the numbers themselves.  A class should create it’s own culture, that is the students should motivate each other to be martial.  If a class is too small, individuals usually stand out and want special attention.  If a class is too small, individuals get lost in the crowd.  If a class is the right size, everyone dummies up, helps one another out and gets some personal attention from the teacher.

Will we always get an ideal class size?  Of course not.  Today’s mixed adult/kids Kung Fu was pretty good though.  At 17 students I felt like the class size was creating positive peer pressure – helping everyone become better martial artists.