Do You Have What It Takes?
Selecting the Right School

The following was recently sent out in the Killer Kowalski's Wrestling School Newsletter. This is great advice for anyone who is serious about pursuing a pro wrestling career and is looking for a school.

"Just like anything else, you have to start your career with a good education. Here are the things to look out for when choosing. There are many little schools popping up everywhere that are scamming people out of thousands of dollars. Make sure that YOU get what you pay for. Feel free to pass this on to anyone who may be interested in becoming a wrestler.

Things you should look for when choosing a wrestling school:

1. Beware of pricing.

Some school's will charge you a down payment, plus a monthly fee of $50 or more. But the truth is, training will usually take much longer than the average person thinks. Don't be fooled with the low down payment option followed by a monthly installment! It can and will add up to much, much more than one lifetime fee.

2. Trainers.

Who are they and where have they been? What gives them credit to teach you and why should you pay for their service? Was your trainer formerly with ECW, WWF or WCW? Does the trainer work regular shows now? Have you seen him perform in ring and were you impressed by his work and how he looked? Is he booked all over the country, or Japan? Have you ever heard of the trainer anywhere else (ie. internet, magazines or TV) other than through the school and their website? Be very careful about picking your school based on the trainers. These are the people who are expected to teach you what you need to know. Beware of phrases like "x-amount of years of combined experience" if you've never heard of or seen the trainers before.

3. Facilities.

Some schools try to sell you on their "state of the art" facilities, but here's the truth: it's the trainer that makes you, not the facilities. Beniot, Jericho, Lance Storm, Bret and Owen Hart trained in the "Dungeon", which are wrestling mats on the floor of Stu Hart's basement.

4. Graduates.

Who has the school produced for talent? How far have graduates gone in the wrestling ranks? If the perspective school has a listing of their graduates on their website, do a search and see if you can find the wrestlers web page and try to contact them. In other words: look for references.

5. Shows, promoting and getting you in front of the right people

Killer Kowalski's, as an example, can do that. They also offer a variety of federations we're affiliated with from all over the country and Japan. In addition, they offer exposure to media, show you how to market yourself. Once our students have reached a certain level of training they become involved with matches in front of live audiences and TV tapings. Be sure to find out if the school you are researching offers any exposure to local federations and what kind of ties they may have with the WWF.

Can You Take The Pain?
 

(Article reprinted with permission.)