Increasing adult enrollment

[terryl965]

What are some of the aspect your school brings to attract more adults and teenagers? I am looking to add about twenty to thirty within the next couple of months. We teach physical fitness and the SD principle behind TKD but I am looking for something that will set us away from all the other school, something that is beneficial to them and not me per say.

[stoneheart]

I don't think there's a real quick fix. You have to stay true to what you are and offer what you are most capable of teaching and promoting. I asked an ATA buddy of mine who owns a school if his Krav Maga or weapons class add-ons were real money producers for him, and he said not really. Makes sense to me...I'd be wary of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades school, since I think it would be quite obvious to an adult if they are getting true value for their money or not.

Just to brainstorm, these are some things that would appeal to me as an adult: fitness, self-defense, social activities, on-site gym equipment & showers. I'm not sure the average adult thinks of MA or taekwondo when they want to work-out in a fun atmosphere. Can that be overcome?

[Carol]

You don't necessarily have to be "different" to reach adults. You just have to show that you can offer what adults are looking for.

Let me think on this and see what ideas I can come up with ;)

[terryl965]

Thanks guys and girls, I am not looking for add ons. I teach traditional and Olympic TKD with some Okinawa Karate mix in. These are the Arts that I know and I teach. I do some weapon but what I know and what I am comfy with.

[Frostbite]

I think a big draw for adults is the health and fitness aspect of martial arts. I know for my part, that was a big draw, especially considering I started later than a lot of people here.

[stoneheart]

Thanks guys and girls, I am not looking for add ons. I teach traditional and Olympic TKD with some Okinawa Karate mix in. These are the Arts that I know and I teach. I do some weapon but what I know and what I am comfy with.

OK. So, that said, I'm not sure you're offering anything that stands out too much from the crowd. No offense intended. With a goal of adding 20-30 adults and teenagers at a single location, you have to really have a 'hot' pitch that will attract people outside of the normal pajamas training set.

If I were to open my own professional studio, I would definitely consider having yoga/pilates and a small on-site gym out of the same location. There's all kinds of oddball marketing you can do to, but for any of those to work, you have to first define what your target audience is and how big your budget is to give your current offering a makeover.

[Omar B]

A guy I work out with almost every morning at the park is a TKD instructor at a school who's main body of students are kids. He's not the main instructor but he's quite frustrated at times having no other adults to work and spar with (ever wonder why he's in the park with a karate student). Much of it I think is a scheduling thing and a marketing thing. You offer TKD as an after school program and people are going to see that sign and think it's for kids. I suggested alternating beginner, and intermediate classes with a beginner class starting at 3:00 when the kids are usually getting there from school, the kids get their class time and then the higher belts can have the 4:00 hour, and so on for the rest of the evening.

Put up a sign outside, stress key words like "Traditional," "Self Defense," "Increased Health/Fitness." Make a clear distinction between beginner classes and intermediate to advanced classes. Offer 1 day SD seminars built upon your TKD. Teach self defense that is quick to absorb for these people but during the class make sure they know that it's just the tip of the iceberg of what's offered in your full system and make mention of the many health benefits.

[terryl965]

OK. So, that said, I'm not sure you're offering anything that stands out too much from the crowd. No offense intended. With a goal of adding 20-30 adults and teenagers at a single location, you have to really have a 'hot' pitch that will attract people outside of the normal pajamas training set.

If I were to open my own professional studio, I would definitely consider having yoga/pilates and a small on-site gym out of the same location. There's all kinds of oddball marketing you can do to, but for any of those to work, you have to first define what your target audience is and how big your budget is to give your current offering a makeover.

Sorry Stoneheart we do have a gym area to workout with Olympic wieghts and cardio machines. I was considering a yoga class but I need someone to teach it as well any suggestions to wear to get one.

[terryl965]

A guy I work out with almost every morning at the park is a TKD instructor at a school who's main body of students are kids. He's not the main instructor but he's quite frustrated at times having no other adults to work and spar with (ever wonder why he's in the park with a karate student). Much of it I think is a scheduling thing and a marketing thing. You offer TKD as an after school program and people are going to see that sign and think it's for kids. I suggested alternating beginer, and intermediate classes with a beginer class starting at 3:00 when the kids are usually getting there from school, the kids get their class time and then the higher belts can have the 4:00 hour, and so on for the rest of the evneing.

I do not run an after school program at the school. We go to the charter schools and teach there instead. This way my school does not look like an after school or daycare.

[stoneheart]

Sorry Stoneheart we do have a gym area to workout with Olympic wieghts and cardio machines. I was considering a yoga class but I need someone to teach it as well any suggestions to wear to get one.

OK. Are the machines utilized? Do you integrate their use into your curriculum? It takes more than just having the machines and weights available for them to be actual assets to your business.

I mentioned this in your other thread, but it would be helpful if you were more explicit on what your goals and plans are. Do you have a written business plan for example? Comparing your current status to a working document will tell you what you are falling short in as well as give you realistic targets to shoot for.

It's hard to give meaningful suggestions on an internet forum without knowing more specifics.

[celtic_crippler]

The posts concerning focus on what appeals to adults is good advice.

The competition aspect would likely attract more males while the self defense aspect would likely attract more females. Not saying you wouldn't get cross-overs, but I would think that should be your focus based on what you've posted as far as your strengths.

Do you have an ad budget? If so, focus on those points for at least 3 months as you advertise.

Networking is a great way to get your name out there also. Are you member of your local Chamber of Commerce? Do you have any connections with local charities or busniesses?

Years ago I managed to get involved with the local cable company, the YMCA, and the Oxygen network to attract more females. We did a "Fight Like a Girl" seminar that had a great turn out...over 100 ladies showed up if I remember correctly and we signed 3 new female students. However, it got a lot of media attention (free advertising) from the newspaper and local broadcast as well and we even got some male student's out of the exposure as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlorFOQL1Ik

For the guys, you can focus on "getting them off the couch" and into a program that provides both competition and an avenue for fitness.

Just some suggestions. Good luck!

[bluekey88]

I'm with crippler..focus less on new programs and more on getting the word out to your target audience about what you can offer. Find ways to make what you do attractive to adults and you'll get more of them.

that being said, at the school I train at...we suffer from low adult attendace as well. However, the owner periodically does a family trains free month. Any parent, sibling, etc of a currently training student can train for free for a month. That often brings in a whole cadre of adults (parents who are apprehensive about trianing but interested after watching their kids)...many stay for quite awhile.

Mind you, this only targets people who are already in the door. Advertising will be what brings in new blood. (so to speak)

Peace,
Erik

[celtic_crippler]

I'm with crippler..focus less on new programs and more on getting the word out to your target audience about what you can offer. Find ways to make what you do attractive to adults and you'll get more of them.

that being said, at the school I train at...we suffer from low adult attendace as well. However, the owner periodically does a family trains free month. Any parent, sibling, etc of a currently training student can train for free for a month. That often brings in a whole cadre of adults (parents who are apprehensive about trianing but interested after watching their kids)...many stay for quite awhile.

Mind you, this only targets people who are already in the door. Advertising will be what brings in new blood. (so to speak)

Peace,
Erik

You could do a text campaign where people can text "TKD" to 55555 to receive free family training when they sign up at least one of their kids.

[Frostbite]

I'd also suggest putting out some high quality demo videos on YouTube. I know that when I've been looking at schools, it's helped me narrow the field a bit by just being able to hop on YouTube and see what they're all about. If you combine this with marketing on Craig's List, you can have a pretty cheap form of advertising that will reach a lot of people.

[Manny]

What are some of the aspect your school brings to attract more adults and teenagers? I am looking to add about twenty to thirty within the next couple of months. We teach physical fitness and the SD principle behind TKD but I am looking for something that will set us away from all the other school, something that is beneficial to them and not me per say..

Been 41 and no more a competition kid I think you should focus in the old korean karate, I mean, for adults only focus in exercise and well sound self defense techs and.... the tkd technikes, not only the tournament ones but the basics.

Adults tend not to go to tournaments because lack of free time, adults want exercise to keep in good or regular shape and true and sound self defense techs.

Manny

[DBZ]

Something that helped out are school was getting are adult students to go out and "be seen" when parents were there that way they saw that there are adults in the school. That way people dont think its omly for kids. We also have an adult only class. Thats my 2 cents, I have been off the forum for a bit. had to do some training(Army)and we could not have laptops.

[girlbug2]

I don't do TKD...and this may not be the kind of answer you had in mind but..

Speaking as an adult MA student, a HUGE perk to belonging to my school is that they have a great kids' room off to the side. It has a tv and dvd system, a small table and chairs, and a box of toys and kids games. It is closed off and has its own door and a window so the kids can look out and watch if they want. Believe you me, when I did karate before a barrier to my going to class was often "who's going to watch the kids if I go to class?" the kids' room solves that problem neatly. I think if more MA schools had something like this, more adults would come to class and renew their yearly contracts. Without the kids' room I would miss half my workouts during the summertime.

[jarrod]

i've got it: teach your class at a strip club. guaranteed adult enrollment.

jf

[StuartA]

I have a pretty good ratio of adults in my classes I think and I believe its because adulst want adults type training. Yes, you can cover the same stuff you do in a kids class, but in an adult way:
- Patterns over and over until you sweat like a pig
- sparring rounds til you puke
- Serious fitness work (again, til they are exhausted)
- pad work - hard hitting, not technique based stuff you may do with kids (though that as well)
- Traditional sparring for the higher grades
- Serious, Self defence drills.. done in a serious way ie. lots of tapping out, techniques tha hurt (but not too badly) + of course the more dangerous techniques, applied ina safe manner

Adults can handle pressure.. give it to them.. they'll love you for it - honest!

Stuart

Ps. And dont mix kids and adults - you can get away with teens, but not kids in an adult class if you want serious commitment and training

[Omar B]

i've got it: teach your class at a strip club. guaranteed adult enrollment.

jf

I'm there!

[Frostbite]

i've got it: teach your class at a strip club. guaranteed adult enrollment.

jf

What time does class start?

[msmitht]

I have a pretty good ratio of adults in my classes I think and I believe its because adulst want adults type training. Yes, you can cover the same stuff you do in a kids class, but in an adult way:
- Patterns over and over until you sweat like a pig
- sparring rounds til you puke
- Serious fitness work (again, til they are exhausted)
- pad work - hard hitting, not technique based stuff you may do with kids (though that as well)
- Traditional sparring for the higher grades
- Serious, Self defence drills.. done in a serious way ie. lots of tapping out, techniques tha hurt (but not too badly) + of course the more dangerous techniques, applied ina safe manner

Adults can handle pressure.. give it to them.. they'll love you for it - honest!

Stuart

Ps. And dont mix kids and adults - you can get away with teens, but not kids in an adult class if you want serious commitment and training
I agree completely. I have a good adult base and use the same principles. The only difference is that I do not stress Poomsae until after they hit yellow belt. Some Adults think that it is too hokey.

[NPTKD]

I run a program every few months that gets some of the parent out on the matt. Parents training month. I let them train for free for a month then offer them a chance to enroll at a discounted fee.
As for the teen market.....Good luck. For me anyway it has been a very hard group to get a handle on. I don't what to add programs to my school just to attract certain age groups ( XMA,MMA,etc....) I run the same program for all ages. Now, I don't teach it the same way to children that I do adults, but the curriculum is the same. Traditional TKD. We are about 30% adult ( 14-65) and 70% Children (3-13) Most of my adults are parents of students.

[Earl Weiss]

For increasing adult enrolment the same types of techniques for any enrl0olment increase may apply. Referrral incentives, Lead boxes, New student specials i.e 2 for on efor the first month, self defense intro classes.

However, FWIW, is there perhaps a chance the no head punches Olympic style is a non starter for many adults from two perspectives: 1. Practical Self defense / offense issues, and 2. Flexibility potential.

[celtic_crippler]

I don't do TKD...and this may not be the kind of answer you had in mind but..

Speaking as an adult MA student, a HUGE perk to belonging to my school is that they have a great kids' room off to the side. It has a tv and dvd system, a small table and chairs, and a box of toys and kids games. It is closed off and has its own door and a window so the kids can look out and watch if they want. Believe you me, when I did karate before a barrier to my going to class was often "who's going to watch the kids if I go to class?" the kids' room solves that problem neatly. I think if more MA schools had something like this, more adults would come to class and renew their yearly contracts. Without the kids' room I would miss half my workouts during the summertime.


I have a pretty good ratio of adults in my classes I think and I believe its because adulst want adults type training. Yes, you can cover the same stuff you do in a kids class, but in an adult way:
- Patterns over and over until you sweat like a pig
- sparring rounds til you puke
- Serious fitness work (again, til they are exhausted)
- pad work - hard hitting, not technique based stuff you may do with kids (though that as well)
- Traditional sparring for the higher grades
- Serious, Self defence drills.. done in a serious way ie. lots of tapping out, techniques tha hurt (but not too badly) + of course the more dangerous techniques, applied ina safe manner

Adults can handle pressure.. give it to them.. they'll love you for it - honest!

Stuart

Ps. And dont mix kids and adults - you can get away with teens, but not kids in an adult class if you want serious commitment and training


Good points.

In short, it helps to keep the kids separate fromt he adults in some cases.

Families may want to train together, but I've enrolled student after student over the years and many of them have asked, "I won't be training with little kids will I?"

The truth is, kids are the financial base of the majority of schools these days. If you had to survive on adults alone you'd probably starve. But you can increase your bottom line by attracting adults.

[Daniel Sullivan]

Think about not just what adults want, but where most adults are. To qualify, I count sixteen to about twenty two as kids, as they still have school obligations and are still dependent upon parents' money and still may have the tendency to try things out for a month and then lose interest.

In martial arts, adults come in essentially two flavors: lifers and noobs.

Lifers are easy: offer a solid traditional program that has high expectations and where black belts look like black belts. These are the ladies and gents who have been in martial arts for years, often since childhood, and are looking to be somewhere. You do not need to convince them to train, but rather to convince them to train at your school.

Noobs: theses are adults who either have never practiced or perhaps have not practiced since they were a kid and have taken more than a decade off from training. These ladies and gents want generally to get into shape and do not want to lift weights. Sometimes, they want to be able to defend themselves, either due to a recent experience or as a fringe benefit to being in shape. Then there are those who "always wanted to try a martial art but never got around to it."

Noobs will be less able to take hard training: they lack the stamina of lifers and they lack the resiliancy of youth. They are often fighting obesity due to fast food and a sedentary lifestyle and have lost their muscletone and flexibility due to not having done anything remotely athletic since high school. Even the twenty five year old who played football in high school may be woefully out of shape.

On top of that, these people have day jobs and by the time they get out of work, they do not have the energy that a fifteen year old or a lifer will have. In addition, they may have family obligations that limit their practice time.

The adult who has had a scary experience and suddenly wants do defend themselves is likely to be in poor shape and looking for a silver bullet, thus will need to be handled differently than the adult fitness crowd.

Lastly, all of them will be wary of anything that may cause them injury, as they do not want to jeopardize their ability to earn a living, so hard core classes will not be an option for most.

On the plus side, adults have disposable income of their own and if they see a benefit, are more likely to stick with it.

These are the factors that you are dealing with with adults. Others have offered you some excellent suggestions, certainly as good or better than I can offer. In considering suggestions, those factors will be the ones that you will need to work with.

Daniel

[Red Menace]

An instructor I know, implemented a Tae Bo type of exercise program with a focus on fitness and not fighting or self-defense and it brought in a lot of adults, especially women. The interesting thing was that for a lot of the women it gave them the confidence to try the traditional art as well. They had that moment of of "Oh, ok, I can throw kicks and punches, maybe I'll try the regular class too." The bad news, was that his master did not approve of the school having a non-traditional class that "looked like dancing" and he had to end it. Not sure I'd want to teach Tae Bo myself, but it's a thought.

[K31]

This is a topic I have thought about starting a thread about many, many times.Tailor your program to adults by cutting out the high, spinning and jumping kicks as well as the emphasis on stretching for those techniques that go with them.How many threads here are about people with bad knees?Also, more self defense and sparring.

[KELLYG]

I think that adult classes are the way to go. Most adults that I have trained with do not like training with children not because they are kids but because they are smaller and are perceived as being disruptive. They are afraid of stepping on them or hurting them by accident. Face it most adults do not want the super restricted "old school" disciplined environment but somewhere that they can train with like bodied people, work hard and learn something. Specialty classes are not necessary to entice older people to train. The focus should be flexibility, strength, endurance, practical self defense, and building a healthier body.

Just set time aside for an adult class. Invite the older students and the parents of some of the younger students to attend if it works out they will be all the advertisement that you will need. Word of mouth is a wonderful thing.

[ATC]

This is a topic I have thought about starting a thread about many, many times.Tailor your program to adults by cutting out the high, spinning and jumping kicks as well as the emphasis on stretching for those techniques that go with them.How many threads here are about people with bad knees?Also, more self defense and sparring.
But Adults are teens and up. Teens and adults in their 20's love the jumping and spining kicks. What you are talking about is the "Old Mens Club" Maybe adults over 30 and up.

[celtic_crippler]

But Adults are teens and up. Teens and adults in their 20's love the jumping and spining kicks. What you are talking about is the "Old Mens Club" Maybe adults over 30 and up.

HEY! I resemble that remark! :)

[d1jinx]

But Adults are teens and up. Teens and adults in their 20's love the jumping and spining kicks. What you are talking about is the "Old Mens Club" Maybe adults over 30 and up.

HEY.... I'm over 30... and i can still jump and spin.... make the old mens club 40 and up... no better make that 45 and up, I'm half way to 40 now. gotta give myself some more time.......

And I wanna teach TKD in a strip club! I'll lay my "belt" down and be a white belt again for that one. where do i sign up!

[ATC]

But Adults are teens and up. Teens and adults in their 20's love the jumping and spining kicks. What you are talking about is the "Old Mens Club" Maybe adults over 50 and up.
Rut Row Shraggy -- I seemed to have hit a nerve http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon11.gif. I reserve the right to change my statement. See above for corrections. Hey if you are 50 and about and still jump kicking like you were 20, feel free to shoot me.

By the way I am in my late 40's and I am still jump and spin kicking too. Although it is not on the same level as when I were in my 20's.

[celtic_crippler]

Rut Row Shraggy -- I seemed to have hit a nerve http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/icons/icon11.gif. I reserve the right to change my statement. See above for corrections. Hey if you are 50 and about and still jump kicking like you were 20, feel free to shoot me.

By the way I am in my late 40's and I am still jump and spin kicking too. Although it is not on the same level as when I were in my 20's.

:bow:

[Stac3y]

My school has a "coupon" that allows a parent who has a child enrolled to get their first 11 week session free, plus a free gi.

[Daniel Sullivan]

HEY.... I'm over 30... and i can still jump and spin.... make the old mens club 40 and up... no better make that 45 and up, I'm half way to 40 now. gotta give myself some more time.......
Actually, as far as athletic activity goes, thirty is generally considered old. At 42, I am ancient as far as competing athletes go.

Daniel

[Kwan Jang]

Just a quick reply to old men over 40 being able to jump kick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLYnt3aijU0
OK, now that my old ego has that out of the way, back to the topic at hand. Regarding jumping and spinning kicks, we don't have them as required test material for the adults and have a non-mandatory class on saturdays for any student that wants to work on them.

First, many posters have brought up very good suggestions, so I won't re-hash them all. A few good points would include an emphasis on fitness and practical and effective self defense. Seperating adults from kids. In our school, we have a completely different training floor for the adult classes and the kids are not allowed in there. It's decor is more like starbucks while the kids is very bright and busy in it's scheme. I think it's important to have a seperate class for the beginning adults (or if you have to combine them, have a seperate instructor working with the beginners and one working the advanced much harder). That way, you don't overwhelm or kill the "noobs" (as another poster put it) and still can work the "lifers" the way they should be.

The final thing that I'll add is something that made a huge difference for our adult program. Changing the class schedule to accomidate having adult students. Most adults want to train after work and if they go home, have dinner and make it to the couch, it's far less likely they will get back off of it on a consistant basis for class. Most schools prioritize their schedules to accomidate the kids classes in the schedule, but if you want a thriving adult program, they have to be a priority rather than an afterthought.

[stoneheart]

The final thing that I'll add is something that made a huge difference for our adult program. Changing the class schedule to accomidate having adult students. Most adults want to train after work and if they go home, have dinner and make it to the couch, it's far less likely they will get back off of it on a consistant basis for class. Most schools prioritize their schedules to accomidate the kids classes in the schedule, but if you want a thriving adult program, they have to be a priority rather than an afterthought.

That's a fantastic point. There absolutely should be more options available for adults to train starting around 4:30 PM or 5:30 PM. Too often schools ask for their adults to come in at 7:00 PM or even 8:00 PM. That's a negative proposition for people with children at home who might very well need a stress-relieving workout.

[K31]

But Adults are teens and up. Teens and adults in their 20's love the jumping and spining kicks. What you are talking about is the "Old Mens Club" Maybe adults over 30 and up.

That's an interesting remark because I learned of such classes from a late 20's - 30 year old woman. The only reason I don't attend a school that teaches her MA is because they are too far away. Also, my previous instructor, ~22, quit because of a torn meniscus. So maybe I'm advocating a a practical MA that allows it's members to continue practicing so they can join the Old Men's Club. Go into the threads on why people joined the MAs how many say it was to learn to do a 360 hook kick? Adults, yes, old men and woman over 30 are now the largest segment of the population. Why not, if you are an instructor, tailor a course try to attract them to your school?

[ATC]

That's an interesting remark because I learned of such classes from a late 20's - 30 year old woman. The only reason I don't attend a school that teaches her MA is because they are too far away. Also, my previous instructor, ~22, quit because of a torn meniscus. So maybe I'm advocating a a practical MA that allows it's members to continue practicing so they can join the Old Men's Club. Go into the threads on why people joined the MAs how many say it was to learn to do a 360 hook kick? Adults, yes, old men and woman over 30 are now the largest segment of the population. Why not, if you are an instructor, tailor a course try to attract them to your school?
Keep reading and find my other post after that.

[Tez3]

The old mens club comments are typical of the reasons cited by many women as to why they don't do martial arts even though they'd like to try. It's perceived to be male orientated and they'd feel alienated if not bullied if they joined a class. those women who are involved in martial arts know it's not true (well I hope it's not!) but we have to work hard to overcome the perception.
Getting more women involved is worthwhile for many reasons.

[K31]

Sorry to relieve this thread but I just found this article and thought it was interesting. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304506904575180162241451770.html

[granfire]

Good article!

[StudentCarl]

Looking at it from the inside (as an adult student), I see a couple of useful bricks to build with.
1. Getting a small core of committed and somewhat athletic adults helps others see what is possible. Not athletic superstars but active adults who like to work hard and commit to growth with enthusiasm. Those people add a positive energy that you can build on. They must be people who welcome others with a smile.
2. The first recruiting base is the parents of your kid students. More of our parents have joined since a couple of us 'reasonably athletic' positive adults have jumped in with both feet. We're the recruiting tool. And the bigger our group becomes, the more we attract. Not completely sure, but I think what pulls people in is exercise that is demanding but achievable with a positive social structure. Our group is welcoming and encouraging to all (one guy with a prosthetic leg, a significantly older person, and several working with health issues, along with younger single mothers and moms who are 20 years removed from their last athletic endeavors). If you can build this in ones and twos, you can get a core group that can springboard your advertising. It is vital that you have at least one positive and committed woman in this group, as she will draw others.
3. As the student in this picture, I won't pretend to be the expert on class content. I don't think it matters as much as making sure the level of difficulty and exertion is matched to the students. At the school I attend, the adult-only class follows the advanced class.

Hope this helps, Terry.

[Daniel Sullivan]

Sorry to relieve this thread but I just found this article and thought it was interesting. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304506904575180162241451770.html

I really enjoyed the article. I particularly liked that the people who were featured all noted longer than McDojo-ish times in grade; two years to green belt, one was nine years to black belt.

Daniel