Starting a martial arts school

[MikeK]

I've been watching two groups starting martial arts schools at the Y. So far school A has about 6 students after about a year and the other, school B, just started and I don't think has any new students but they did start having some experienced guys show up.

School A is a karate school that teaches a style that is a mix of traditional arts, school B teaches a very athletic martial art.

One charges about $40 a month and one is free. I figure I'll try both out just to see how the instructors teach.

So, what does it take to get a martial arts school off of the ground?
What does it take to get it to critical mass so it doesn't just exist because of one person?
What reason would someone start a school?
What reason do people have for going?

[Bill Glasheen]

All great questions, Mike. I think I have answers for some of them.

So, what does it take to get a martial arts school off of the ground?

A business plan and a lot of heart. I've started a few myself. You don't even need to be an exceptional teacher or practitioner to get started. You just have to want to do it really badly.

What does it take to get it to critical mass so it doesn't just exist because of one person?

VERY good point. I had something like that going on at UVa. It existed by itself for a decade until some bonehead forgot to show up for a meeting and they lost their precious space.

I also taught long enough and enough people so that I had a number of blackbelts. They in turn left and started some of their own schools. One in particular (Bruce Hirabayashi) has been most successful in planting seeds.

Marketing is key. At UVa I used to go around the entire University grounds from midnight until 5 AM and make space for my posters in the ideal locations at just the right time of the beginning of each semester. After a few years, I optimized my routine. Soon I had over 100 students in all my classes. In addition, I funneled some into the club via PE classes.

Mostly you want LOTS of warm bodies coming in through the front door. Figure you'll keep 5 percent over time if you are good. Plus... If you start with a class that's too full and you tell them you'll be REALLY hard on them so that those who don't really want to be there will leave, by golly the stubborn ones (the ones you want) will fight like hell to stay. Beg them to stay and they get bored and leave. In short... a knowledge of people helps.

What reason would someone start a school?

I can't answer that for others. But the best reason to start a school and to teach is to continue on your path of learning.

What reason do people have for going?

Every reason under the sun.

• A guy is small and/or insecure
• A woman/girl was raped, molested, or abused.
• A great movie or TV show was on (Kung fu, karate kid, Bruce Lee, etc.)
• Girls want to be where the cute guys are. (Guys... join an aerobics class. )
• That particular style just got a lot of publicity (e.g. BJJ or Muay Thai after the early MMA fights).
• They want exercise - preferable of the fun variety.
• The "mind" thing. (Don't get me started...)
• Want to work on the chi. (Don't get me started...)
• A friend does it. A group of you want to do it. (This works REALLY well for retention.)

Thing is... There are all kinds of reasons why people want to join a martial arts class. And as much as I always wanted to believe that people came to study from ME, I found that more likely than not they didn't know me from Adam's off ox. They just had their reasons... And don't question those reasons. On the other hand, don't compromise your principles.

- Bill

[MikeK]

On the question of, "What reason do people have for going?" I should have been more clear. The reasons you listed Bill are reasons why people walk in the door and go for the first month or even year, but what reason do people have for showing up month after month, year after year?

Your, "I always wanted to believe that people came to study from ME", is closer to what I was thinking. What is it about you, or anyone else, that makes them comeback? There has to be more to why people stay than the reason they first walked in the door.

I think why a student stays around should be questioned from time to time, one for assessment of the teacher and school, and another to determine what the student is looking to get out of staying around and can it be delivered.

[Bill Glasheen]

You're building a community with a common goal, Mike. And each person within that community constantly finds a relevant place for themselves in the pursuit of that goal. And it should NEVER get old. Same thing day after day doesn't cut it.

Having a curriculum with regular tests is key. Until I developed that, people would find a reason to stop coming. Plan those tests out half a year in advance (at least). They should know when a certain block of material is going to be reviewed.

Believe it or not... the bigger my classes got, the less tolerant I became of exceptions to the test date. Unless there was a death in the family, the test date was the test date. And you know what? It made people prepare for and come to that test - even if I scheduled it for students during their mid-terms. In fact... I PURPOSELY scheduled tests during mid-terms and just before finals. Otherwise they'd stop coming at those times, and never come back.

Mean? Maybe. But it kept them coming. And they knew the schedule well in advance.

The more accommodating I become with smaller classes, the more I lose them. Go figure.

- Bill