Question 1

What ages do you accept at SGMA?

Accepted Answer

The youngest age a member needs to be to join the SGMA Ninjas program is 3 years of age.

Our Ninjas program is designed for 3-6 year olds and is the fastest growing program in the St.George district.

There is nobody 'too old' to join SGMA – we have plenty of mum's and dad's that train regularly on the mats with us and have had members train with us well into their 60's and 70's with no problem at all. Our classes are family friendly!

Question 2

How many classes per week does SGMA operate?

Accepted Answer

We offer over 40 classes per week across to branch locations. SGMA classes and locations run 6 days per week, from Monday to Saturday between two St.George locations: Kogarah and Kingsgrove.

Question 3

How many classes can I attend at SGMA per week?

Accepted Answer

SGMA offer UNLIMITED CLASSES for the one low weekly membership fee – we are all about supporting the community and as the largest Martial Arts club in the St.George district we encourage our members to attend as many classes per week as they can fit into their busy schedules.
 
We want our members to make our timetable fit into their busy schedule and come to class any day they choose NOT the other way around where you are restricted to the days you can come to class or there are no classes running when you can actually get there!

Question 4

Are there any long term lock-in contracts?

Accepted Answer

NO.
 
When you join SGMA you are committing to 30 days of membership and if you choose to cancel your membership after the first month which is deemed your probationary period you can simply give us notice to cancel by email and this will then activate your 30 day notice to cancel period where fees still apply.

Members can continue training right up until the last day of their 30 day cancellation period. Therefore your total minimum commitment to SGMA is 60 days.

Question 5

Can parents watch their children train in class?

Accepted Answer

In-line with our Child Safety Policy and Child Safeguarding practices, we do NOT permit adults to spectate in our Samurai (3-4yrs), Ninja (5-7yrs) and Shinobi (8-9yrs) programs for any reason whatsoever.

We are more than happy to provide an orientation tour of our dojang upon joining for your reassurance, however parents, relatives, etc. watching other peoples pre-school age children is prohibited at SGMA.

This strict policy is designed for the absolute safety of the child first and foremost and although most parents would like to watch their child train, they generally understand and choose safety first.

Question 6

Can I place my membership on hold?

Accepted Answer

Leave and Return Date
In order for us to process your hold request, we require an exact leave date and return date; please provide this information before we can proceed further with your request.

Deposit Required for 30+ days Holds
Please be advised that hold requests exceeding 30 days requires a hold deposit of 2x fortnights fees which will then be applied to your membership account as credit upon your return to classes.

Long-Term Holds
A maximum of 90 days will be allowed for all hold requests, however in some special cases (ie. injury, family matters, etc. and where documentation is provided) we may accept to hold for a maximum of 180 days; please contact us on this if required.

Failing to Return from Hold
Failing to return back to classes on your scheduled return date will result in your fees held in credit being applied to your membership account as cancellation fees. These fees will be due in-line with our 30 day notice to cancel policy outlined in your membership agreement.

Question 7

What qualifications do SGMA instructors have?

Accepted Answer

SGMA instructors are all Black Belt Dan Certified by the highest global standard issued from the South Korean government – Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters.

SGMA is one of the more disciplined dojangs around that offers a very comprehensive syllabus that requires a minimum of 5-6 years to reach the rank of Black Belt. In addition, SGMA is proud to have produced countless local, state, national and international full contact Taekwondo champions.

In fact, SGMA is the only dojang operating in the St.George district that is a member of AUSTKD the national governing body of Taekwondo in Australia, recognised by World Taekwondo – the global authority of Olympic Taekwondo and the only dojang in the St.George district that regularly competes in full-contact Taekwondo Kyorugi around Australia.

Question 8

How long does it take to earn a Black Belt?

Accepted Answer

At SGMA it takes approximately 5-6 years to earn a Black Belt – that is from your first day as a White belt to earning your 1st Dan Black Belt which means you will be registered with Kukkiwon, World Taekwondo Headquarters as an international Taekwondo Black Belt and recognised for your Black Belt rank worldwide.

Question 9

What is a 'Grading' and how often are they?

Accepted Answer

A grading is a regular belt examination that occurs every 3 months (and every 6 months for red belts) in front of the students and their families as witnesses to their progress and performance on the day.

Gradings are a great time to stop and reflect on how far the student has transformed from the person they once were to the person they are now.

Gradings also provide an opportunity for loved ones to spectate and witness for themselves how proficient a student is and has become in the syllabus content and removes any doubts of whether or not the student has earned their belts or not.

Grading is an important part of the life of a martial artist.

Question 10

What are Martial Arts games and activities?

Accepted Answer

‘Martial Arts’ adapted games are a large part of our teaching strategy for our kids classes and are utilised in dojangs world-wide.

In order to keep our tender age students engaged in actual Taekwondo class content, game-like class formats must be used to ensure our younger students are not only learning and progressing in preparation for their quarterly belt promotion tests but are also having fun while doing so.

What the child does not realise is the actual Taekwondo class content remains at the very heart of the class plan albeit delivered in a game-like format.

These teaching strategies come recommended by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and with Taekwondo being an official Olympic sport, the ASC framework recommendation is to provide a dynamic, inclusive, engaging, interactive, educational and most importantly – fun class plan to bring the very best out of all children in our care.

AIS website reference: https://www.sportaus.gov.au/p4l

Question 11

Does SGMA attend Taekwondo tournaments and do they win medals?

Accepted Answer

SGMA has produced hundreds of Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists and continues to do so year after year; in fact we have a dedicated web page for our long list of competition achievements.

SGMA Competition Achievements https://www.sgmaa.com.au/achievements