Are You Into Martial Arts? Options for Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo Scholarship Money
Karate, judo, jui jitsu, and other forms of martial arts are popular sports. They test not only the physical being, but also the spiritual and psychological aspects. Despite their growing popularity, they are not sponsored by any of the 3 major college sports associations. Judo is an Olympic sport, though precariously positioned, but it’s not yet been added to the NCAA sports line-up.
In the absence of big-time collegiate sports scholarships, what other funding sources for student martial artists are there?
Scholarships
- The American Taekwondo Association sponsors the annual H.U. Lee Foundation Scholarship. This award is named in honor of the organization’s founder and aimed at graduating high school seniors who’ve been active members of the ATA. Applicants must be devoted Taekwondo practitioners, possess a solid academic record, provide letters of reference, and be enrolling in a college or university degree program to qualify.
- USA Freestyle Martial Arts is a popular school located in San Diego. Students may compete for scholarship awards sponsored by the school. Candidates must be enrolling in any type of college program, have participated as student in the USA Freestyle Martial Arts school for no less than 2 years and have a reasonable GPA. Students will financial need are considered first for these awards.
Besides these examples, you are advised to also ask about scholarships through your martial arts academy. If they do not offer college scholarships they may offer scholarships that help financially disadvantaged students pay for their martial arts classes and tournaments.
Martial Arts on College Campuses
Despite the lack of athletic scholarships for collegiate martial artists, you can find some competitive clubs across the nation. If this is an important piece of your academic puzzle make certain that you ask admissions personnel or check the school’s clubs and organizations roster for any martial arts clubs or teams.
Loyola Jui Jitsu Club, Connecticut College Martial Arts Club, Carleton College Martial Arts Club, Kendo Club and Naginata Clubs, and Kenyon College’s Martial Arts Club and Muay Thai Boxing club—these are just a few examples of the diverse array of martial arts club competition is available on U.S. college and university campuses. Just because you can’t find athletic scholarship money specifically to fund your kenpo karate or muay Thai boxing need doesn’t mean you can’t find stiff competition at the collegiate level.