Quality and business

[shesulsa]

Last night we had a color belt grading at my dojang and I asked a TKD black belt I know to come judge on the panel as my guest. He is also a business and marketing consultant and we've been talking about keeping my doors open - an increasingly difficult challenge. He had some interesting things to say.

1. He said we're much more hardcore than the style he trains in - we're all about the finish (blush).

2. While that's admirable (and various accolades I won't add here) that he didn't know how good it was for business.

I've been invited to the dojang where he trains to sit on a dan testing panel and he practically apologized in advance, saying it's more about a display. They will perform one form, a few techniques, spar a little and they're done. No one's test goes beyond 15 minutes. :mst: I just held a color rank test that lasted two hours for three candidates ... and it was abbreviated.

Yesterday afternoon I received a text from the mom of two kids who are difficult to train (one more so than the other) and who are not ... physically gifted. Her younger son (who I suspect has Asperger's, undiagnosed) hates our freestyle grappling SO MUCH he wants to transfer from belt ranking class to self-defense class once per week. Not only is my self-defense class cheaper and does it suck for me, but it also really sucks for HIM.

I'm thinking this guy has a point.

I'm aware that what we do is much more demanding than most other programs out there and while I don't to compromise quality, I really want to try to make money at doing this and fulfill my commitment to spread the art for as long as I live. As it stands now, I will have to close my doors within the next few months if I don't make a big change.

So ... I feel compelled here to offer some choices. Right now I'm offering a self-defense program and a belt-ranking program. I'm thinking about a step-down program that is still a ranking program where they don't grapple or spar or deal with weapons, have less material but still quality stuff with regularly scheduled gradings. This could be good for business and for the community.

I want for what I do to be for everyone - but one program can't BE for everyone. This is one way I can make this happen AND keep my doors open.

It's an interesting balance, quality and business.

Thoughts please.

 

[Dirty Dog]

How would you handle two ranking programs in the same school?

 

[shesulsa]

Separate the classes and use different belts.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Dirty Dog]

Separate the classes and use different belts.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

So you'd have blue belts and blue belts-lite?

In your school, are the striking/grappling/weapons programs all integrated in the same style, or are they different rankings?

If the main program awards rank in different styles for the striking/grappling/weapons, then I can see how teaching just the striking part of the program makes sense. If not, then how do you differentiate between them?

I know that rank shouldn't matter, and to most who have been around a while it really doesn't. Much. But using a ranking system inherently implies that it DOES, at least to some extent, and I suspect that a student in your primary program is not going to want his/her rank confused with the simpler training of the "lite" program.

 

[dancingalone]

I have a martial arts wellness program sold to corporate clients that is an important part of my business. We coach and train onsite or within health clubs as arranged by the clients.

The program is essentially gentle aerobic exercise & yoga coupled with some karate. I do award certificates but the curriculum is referred to as "Lifelong Wellness and Karate Concepts". The audience is mostly middle-aged and we don't spar, grapple, or really address violent encounters within this format because it's not what the clients or indeed their workers want. The participants know they can enroll at my school in our full blown martial arts program if they want a fuller MA experience, though I've only had one thus far even come by the dojo/dojang to check things out.

My situation is not yours, since I don't have both sets of students training at the same location so they never run into each other and there's no issue of having to explain the advantages of one over the other. But it's true enough that different students have different needs and wants, and the same program will not be appealing to everyone. I encourage you to add the second program, and please by all means let us know the details and outcome.

 

[Steve]

Can you distinguish the styles. Do you hold rank in only one style that is completely integrated, or would it be possible to teach distinct styles?

Also, have you considered sub-letting, to get more variety under your roof? The BJJ school where i train is very new, and for the the first 6 or 8 months we were open, we rented mat time from other schools. It wasn't ideal for us, but there is a definite upside to paying $X per hour for mat time operating my own school in your space. I don't have the overhead or the headaches involved in building maintenance.

You can also consider things like zumba or yoga in addition to other martial arts styles. Doesn't have to be just martial arts.

Steve

 

[jks9199]

It's a frustrating problem, and I'm running into a side of it, too. I don't teach commercially... but we're having trouble getting new members into the club, and the few that come in often don't return. One of the things I've been told by my younger students is that their friends just aren't interested because "they already have black belts" or "they did that when they were kids." In other words -- through a martial arts day care. Lots of them don't recognize the difference in what I offer from the day care programs (I'm deliberately not naming styles because many of them CAN be very effective styles, when taught for that purpose).

How does a smaller program compete against some of the large, highly commercial operations? How can you make the customer see and recognize the difference in what's offered?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Create 2 programs.
1 is the commercial 'softer' focus. Use a striped belt to indicate rank. This would be the basic system, with more emphasis on forms and fun.
This is the bread n butter program.

1 is the "Intense" system. Use a full color belt for this. This is the full tilt version, with the sparring and what not.
You charge extra for this, in part because you'll have less students and in part because it's more personalized training.

Run the intense after the soft. As in 7pm is soft, 8pm is intense.

When you have a weekend seminar, you can offer it at a discount to the Intense folks as a perk. You can also offer them things like special patches, pins, shirts, etc. (Your choice to award or make them a purchasable item).

 

[shesulsa]

@Dirty Dog: You have a valid point, though I really think most people who would object to this kind of thing would be people like us - like me, in fact. I've chastised this kind of practice before. What I'm essentially talking about is an upgrade kind of program. I feel all smarmy even thinking about this, but I really have to stay open. I can't deny, though, that the full meal deal here is not for everyone. I think this is in part why the WHRDA crowd went with their Tae Soo Do program. *sigh* I know, I know.

@dancingalone - fascinating and compelling. So do you forsake ranking in your concepts classes? It sounds like you have individual students for this, is that correct?

@Steve: I've put some ads on Craig's List and called some schools I know have closed because of the economy. I've left messages for those guys offering the floor space for the few students they have left. I've only had one TKD black belt's *wife* call me so far. I would honestly prefer to leave the grappling to a BJJ teacher as what I was taught seems to be a blend of Korean and American wrestling with some BJJ sprinkled on. I only have rank in one style.

@jks9199 - Yep. There are three major competitors here: U.S. Best Taekwondo, East-West Taekwondo and Kanthak Karate. The first is an Olympic school with an upgrade program, i.e. not all students are Olympic candidates, that's an extra class. The second incorporates some Kaju and Krav Maga (as well as offering them separately and independently) on top of the TKD program for a combination style. The third is the only school who was grandfathered into sending flyers home from school (the local school districts have stopped allowing this - all except for *this guy*). The children's programs are huge. I mean huge. As in there were as many kids from their schools in the Jr. Rose Parade this year as there were band students. And I know some of those band students were students at those schools. It seems to be viewed largely as a children's activity 'round here which will likely affect my marketing strategy.

@Bob This is what I'm talking about.

 

[Takai]

The economy doesn't help at this time but, you won't be able to please everybody. I see a lot of good suggestions about splitting into 2 separate programs. "Soft" versus "intense". It sounds like you have already done that with the Self Defense vs Ranking set-up that you have in place.

Commercialization always makes it tough, you are now competing for the masses attention. And they have a really short attention span. The McDojo is a horrible monster to compete against. Here are few of my thoughts:

1)Do you have enough time to start teaching some additional private lessons? Your "hardcore" students might just go for this. In addition students that feel they are struggling could really benefit. Just a couple of these a week could help add to the bottom line.

2)I would definitely look into Bob's ideas as well. If you have a good relationship with other dojos in the could you start doing some guest seminars that allows everyone a chance to try to draw in additional students. Kind of a "round robin" set of seminars. Some risk is involved but, it would certainly help with splitting marketing costs. Word of mouth is a priceless commodity.

3)Steve's idea of renting out space to a yoga, pilates, zumba, etc. instructor seems like a potentially good one to me. This would bring something additional funds to you, allow something that doesn't compete with you regular instruction and offers a benefit to your students. It may also bring in new students who come for the "other" course.

4) I am sure that you have a formalized curriculum for your Self Defense course but, have you thought about doing a short "seminar" style version of it to market to civic clubs, gym's, large businesses (think call centers that have employees leaving late at night), etc. You may not make a lot of $$ of this one but, you get to make money while generating an source for that "word of mouth" marketing.

Just my .02.

 

[Dirty Dog]

@Dirty Dog: You have a valid point, though I really think most people who would object to this kind of thing would be people like us - like me, in fact. I've chastised this kind of practice before. What I'm essentially talking about is an upgrade kind of program. I feel all smarmy even thinking about this, but I really have to stay open. I can't deny, though, that the full meal deal here is not for everyone. I think this is in part why the WHRDA crowd went with their Tae Soo Do program. *sigh* I know, I know.

My memory could easily be faulty, but weren't you affiliated with some hwarangdo org originally?

@jks9199 - Yep. There are three major competitors here: U.S. Best Taekwondo, East-West Taekwondo and Kanthak Karate. The first is an Olympic school with an upgrade program, i.e. not all students are Olympic candidates, that's an extra class. The second incorporates some Kaju and Krav Maga (as well as offering them separately and independently) on top of the TKD program for a combination style. The third is the only school who was grandfathered into sending flyers home from school (the local school districts have stopped allowing this - all except for *this guy*). The children's programs are huge. I mean huge. As in there were as many kids from their schools in the Jr. Rose Parade this year as there were band students. And I know some of those band students were students at those schools. It seems to be viewed largely as a children's activity 'round here which will likely affect my marketing strategy.

@Bob This is what I'm talking about.

I think I'd be protesting to the school board about this. It seems to me that this amounts to endorsing a particular business.

 

[shesulsa]

My memory could easily be faulty, but weren't you affiliated with some hwarangdo org originally?

When I first started training in this art (1997), my teacher and his school were affiliated with WHRDA. Not long after I joined, though, things went south with the Lee family and my teacher's teacher who finally named his own kwan just a few years ago. I use the curriculum he uses.

 

[dancingalone]

@dancingalone - fascinating and compelling. So do you forsake ranking in your concepts classes? It sounds like you have individual students for this, is that correct?

The program has evolved somewhat. Initially, we started out closer to a full martial art, and we did wear gi and I awarded belts. No longer. The class participants felt more comfortable wearing regular workout clothing and having more of a fitness class feel to it, so I took out most of the ma ritual, lingo, etc. The students are booked through a larger client who offers my class as a perk for their employees, adjunct to their other wellness programs - I don't sign up students individually myself.

 

[Kwan Jang]

You might want to consider restructuring your format and how you present your curriculum. Especially the syntax you teach in. I truly am opposed to a watering down of curriculum or quality of programs and I really believe that as an instructor and school owner, the quality of my product is the quality of my advanced students, especially my black belts. And if I am not producing a high quality product, though I might have some short term financial success, in the long term, I truly believe that you will have much greater success and market stability.

A major problem IMO that many schools have is that they are too top heavy on their curriculum and push the beginners out the door by overwhelming them before they have had an oppurtunity to develop a love for their art and training. After they have, then you can really push them. I really do not care if I have the best white or gold belts out there, I care about how good my advanced belts are. I do not make it mandatory for my lower bets to spar or roll and I do not even allow the beginners until they have the basics down well enough to make it not only safe for them and their partners, but wait until it is an empowering exerience too. When they are far enough along, I let the intermediates who want to spar an roll at that stage come into the sparring and grappling classes, but it still is not part of thir regular classes until they reach the advanced class. By then, they have as solid of a base as they are going to get and they have to get going on free sparring and live rolling. Some do drop out at this point, but I feel I have taken every step I can to prepare them.

IMO, taking this longer term view helps to build up a much higher percentage of students to a higher quality level and in the long run, I have had a MUCH greater number of students reach their potential. In turn, our school has a much stronger reputation and the students and their families know that they have really earned and accomplished something worthwhile. Using these methods, I can compete in business with the McDojos without stooping to their level and still feel good about my school, art and integrity.

 

[Mark Lynn]

Last night we had a color belt grading at my dojang and I asked a TKD black belt I know to come judge on the panel as my guest. He is also a business and marketing consultant and we've been talking about keeping my doors open - an increasingly difficult challenge. He had some interesting things to say.

1. He said we're much more hardcore than the style he trains in - we're all about the finish (blush).

2. While that's admirable (and various accolades I won't add here) that he didn't know how good it was for business.

I've been invited to the dojang where he trains to sit on a dan testing panel and he practically apologized in advance, saying it's more about a display. They will perform one form, a few techniques, spar a little and they're done. No one's test goes beyond 15 minutes. :mst: I just held a color rank test that lasted two hours for three candidates ... and it was abbreviated.

Yesterday afternoon I received a text from the mom of two kids who are difficult to train (one more so than the other) and who are not ... physically gifted. Her younger son (who I suspect has Asperger's, undiagnosed) hates our freestyle grappling SO MUCH he wants to transfer from belt ranking class to self-defense class once per week. Not only is my self-defense class cheaper and does it suck for me, but it also really sucks for HIM.

I'm thinking this guy has a point.

I'm aware that what we do is much more demanding than most other programs out there and while I don't to compromise quality, I really want to try to make money at doing this and fulfill my commitment to spread the art for as long as I live. As it stands now, I will have to close my doors within the next few months if I don't make a big change.

So ... I feel compelled here to offer some choices. Right now I'm offering a self-defense program and a belt-ranking program. I'm thinking about a step-down program that is still a ranking program where they don't grapple or spar or deal with weapons, have less material but still quality stuff with regularly scheduled gradings. This could be good for business and for the community.

I want for what I do to be for everyone - but one program can't BE for everyone. This is one way I can make this happen AND keep my doors open.

It's an interesting balance, quality and business.

Thoughts please.

Shesulsa

The first question that comes to mind for me is How bad do you want to stay in business? The next is "What are you willing to do to keep your doors open?" I'm not in any way suggesting that you give up your quality here but what I am suggesting is to treat your school as a business and educate yourself on running a MA school as a business if you haven't done this already.

I'll take a lot of criticism here but if you haven't done so I would suggest the following.
1) Check out the NAPMA website and see if they have a special offer for one of their upcoming business seminars. Hear me out. In the past you could sign up for their maximum Impact Seminars (or something of the sort) and they would enroll you in Napma free for X amount of time plus send you all sorts of good info on marketing, business stuff, etc. etc. which helps to educate you on running a dojo as a business instead of a hobby.

2) Go to Century's MAIA webstie and talk with them and see if they will give you a free trail or send you info on MAIA's org. Sometimes they give you access to their site and you can download a whole bunch of material (articles) from their MA Success magazine (from over the years) which is again good info to run your school as a business.

3) Check out Mike Massey's website of Small Dojo Big Profits for another view point on how to run a school.

4) Try Jason Stanley's material

And there is more out there but these four I've gone over their material over the past several years as I've tried to educate myself on running a school as a business. All of these sources have good material although they come at things from different view points (Jason Stanley and MIke Massie from the smaller school and MAIA and Napma from the larger school view points) decide what you can graft into your situation. You can also talk with a MAIA rep and they can give you some counsel on your curriculum issues (they have for me in the past).

I've been to seminars hosted by Century/MAIA and Napma and have found them to be helpful to varying degrees, however my situation is different in that I teach part time out of a Rec. Center and due to my work I want to leave (my primary job) and open a commercial school. So I face different challenges than you do. Most of the material that I learned from these consultants and the seminars dealt with marketing and generating student leads etc. etc. which is the life blood of a commercial school. Again that could be helpful for you more so than me. However the biggest thing was changing my mindset from Hobby to Business.

Again I am in no way suggesting you to water down your art.

Submitted with respect
Mark

 

[Xue Sheng]

How will you feel when one of your martial arts light students goes out and gets his/her butt kicked or worse and then proudly tells everyone who they learned from?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

But you can't put 4 yr olds through a meat grinder of intense training and expect to keep enough students to keep the lights on. Fact is, most people train as a hobby, and to most parents karate is like dance, cheerleading and baseball. An hour without the kids. You have to find a balance point that allows you to keep the lights on AND satisfy both you and your clients.
Even Ed Parker had 2 systems from what I hear, the commercial one and the serious one only taught to serious folks.

 

[Xue Sheng]

But you can't put 4 yr olds through a meat grinder of intense training and expect to keep enough students to keep the lights on. Fact is, most people train as a hobby, and to most parents karate is like dance, cheerleading and baseball. An hour without the kids. You have to find a balance point that allows you to keep the lights on AND satisfy both you and your clients.
Even Ed Parker had 2 systems from what I hear, the commercial one and the serious one only taught to serious folks.

I am not asking why parents take their kids to a MA school and I am not asking about keeping the lights on, I am not asking if it is a hobby or not, I don't care what Ed Parker did, and I don't give a damn about the clients want in the question I posed so please do not answer questions I did not ask.

I want to know how shesulsa feels as it applies to the question I asked. Yes it was blunt, and yes it was the worst case scenario, but that is a possibility. IF she can deal with that then
go with the business models being suggested. If she can’t then she will be teaching a more students but feeling very guilty and rather miserable while doing it

My daughter spent a year at a TKD school that was basically playtime and after a year she had a yellow stripe running through the center of her belt and she was no better off as far as
self-defense went than she was when she started. Sher actually got a whole lot more out of Gymnastics that would appliy to MA than TKD gave her. Now she has been in Aikido for 3 months and they are not playing and they are not beating on the kids either, but it is serious and they are learning real MA. Granted it is not the adult class but you cannot train young kids with adults unless you want a law suit or two but she is gaining more skill and has gained more confidence in 3 months of Aikido than she did in one year of TKD. And in 3 months at TKD she had a colored belt already and there is not even a belt discussion at this Aikido school. But then the sensei apparently decided a long time ago the quality matter more to him then quantity because he has considerably fewer students, both child and adult, than the tkd school bt the few he has are much more skilled. capable and serious about thier art than any of the hundreds of students at the TKD school.

My wife told me a long time ago that I would never make any money teaching martial arts in America because I am too serious, and she is right, so take this all for what it is worth. However I no longer have anything against those that teach what they have to keep there doors open and put food on the table…it is just not something I could do as it applies to martial arts.

 

[jasonbrinn]

There is a third option, which is along with Bob's statements which I agree with, and that is to create a NEW program that is actually focused more on a business angle that does not lower quality. For instance, you could sell seminars to private groups, pepper spray courses, stun gun courses, etc.

I can tell you that I have been in the business of helping businesses for a long time now. I had a very successful MA school that turned out top competitors and I actually had to turn people away from most of my programs due to no available spaces (My after school programs, which again turned out top competitors, was always overbooked). You have actually posted this at a very interesting time. I am soon to launch a Business Program to help people in your situation do exactly what I am talking about.

If you are interested I would LOVE to help you. In fact, if you are willing to share your story and the results I am positive I could help you get then I will give you the entire program for free. It will only take a little time on your part (maybe an hour a week). Just give me a call (919) 559-2922 or email me if that is more comfortable to start [email protected]

In order to really turn this around I would focus on the numbers. What are the demographics in your area? What demographics does your school focus on? What are the demographics of your school? What are the demographics of your competitor's schools? If all 4 schools in the area are mostly made up of 8-15 year olds and the surrounding population has around 2,000 kids in that demographic then you could say that no more than 10% of that 2000 would ever be interested in MA and that leaves you with 200 potentials, divided up by 4 schools gives each school an equal 50 with everything being fair. Now the question is how much of that market do you have and how could you, if possible, increase your share of that. It is fair to think any great school could market to get around 48% of any market so the most I would ever expect from this example would be a potential of 96 (this leaves about 34 kids per school for my competitors). In order to go from good to great you would need to offer better quality, more services, and something special or unique from any other school in your area.

You DON"T have to water anything down - but you do need to focus on BUSINESS first. This means putting in programs where you can make good money without compromising quality.

I would find out what everyone else is covering and then look at the demographics and go after the thing they are all leaving out. Seriously. I had a friend in a VERY competitive market who came to me with a problem like yours. After some research I saw an opportunity for him to pick up some government money going into rest homes and teaching light tai chi for health. He was a karate guy and had never learned tai chi. I found a program that could teach him and he started reluctantly down that path. A year later he was able to start marketing to the rest homes and has since picked up 4 contracts being the only person around that even had the service to offer. He is able to schedule these contracts once a week mid morning on an off day and the money he makes pays his rent outright.

There are many more options and ideas I would share with you. If you are interested simply contact me and I will do all I can to help you.


Wishing you the best,


Jason Brinn

 

[Mark Lynn]

Last night we had a color belt grading at my dojang and I asked a TKD black belt I know to come judge on the panel as my guest. He is also a business and marketing consultant and we've been talking about keeping my doors open - an increasingly difficult challenge. He had some interesting things to say.

Is your friend a business and marketing consultant in the martial arts or in another business field? If he is or he isn't doesn't disqualify his opinion by any means, but it does help to know where he is coming from. A couple of my students are in business for themselves and have a marketing background, their advice has helped me to look at things differently. They have also pushed me to some degree into advertising/trying to get my classes more exposure (which is good).

1. He said we're much more hardcore than the style he trains in - we're all about the finish (blush).

2. While that's admirable (and various accolades I won't add here) that he didn't know how good it was for business.

I wouldn't judge your school per say as compared to other schools that aren't the same as yours whether it is good for business or not, how hard your program is, or how hard core vs. soft core etc. etc.. I believe it is a much better method to really look at YOUR stats;
1) how many students are you bringing in vs. how many are you losing each month (turn over rate/student retention and marketing),
2) at what point in your curriculum are your students leaving (this is a better indicator than a general over view or feeling of how hard core your program is),
3) do you have good student value how much is your student worth vs. how much are they getting in instruction and benefits for what they are paying?

Likewise I would look at your school and see if it projects the image you want for the school and what people want from a martial art school.
1) Is it clean (what is the image) is it professional looking or is it like a hard core gym?
2) Is everything working right? Equipment in good shape? Do you have enough equipment or to little for the type of drills you do? (Do your students have to stand around and wait in line (boring).
3) Do you have a small area to sell equipment like a pro shop, or do you package equipment for belt ranks (integrated sales in your curriculum)
4) Are your instructors clean and do they fit the image of a professional MA instructor. This is something to think about.
a) If you teach a good kids program are you going to want some spike haired heavily tattooed, body pierced guy or gal conducting those classes? Think about it from a mom's point of view?

I've been invited to the dojang where he trains to sit on a dan testing panel and he practically apologized in advance, saying it's more about a display. They will perform one form, a few techniques, spar a little and they're done. No one's test goes beyond 15 minutes. :mst: I just held a color rank test that lasted two hours for three candidates ... and it was abbreviated.

Again it is different business philosophys and neither one is more right than the other but you might need to tweak it a bit. For instance I had a green belt test for my arnis class and it lasted two hours. It was mind numbing for the students and the people watching. In fact one observer I possibly lost as a potential student because the test was so mind numbing long. It didn't need to be that way, it was my choice and I've since took a different path. My last test I had the students all teach on a subject matter for 10 minutes at a time. The higher the rank the more 10 minute teaching sessions they had to do. Now everyone basically told me afterwards that they enjoyed that format better, and one student told me that he didn't realize how much he knew about the double stick combative responses that he was assigned to teach on until he put it together and he taught the material to the rest of the class. For me the student earns the rank in my class, the test is an examination and a celebration or rite of passage to the next level. The 2 hour Green belt test was the same for the next test where they taught, in both tests the students went over material that they learned but by teaching it to the rest of the students during the test they understood how much they knew.

I used the above example because I just wanted to show that you can do tests different ways and achieve the same outcome. But first you must decide who the test is for and what is it's purpose. It is pass/fail? Is it for the student or for you the instructor to see if the student is ready for the next rank? Is it for the parents or observers? What is it's purpose? I believe you really need to look at this and figure out what is it's purpose, because you could be scaring off students here.

For instance lets say it's for the parents/observers to show how much the students have learned. However if the lower ranked students who are watching and the parents/observers get bored they could easily think I could never learn that much material and they quit soon after. If you have a lot of tough sparring then family and friends could get horrified and pull their kids or not recommend your school to others.

Yesterday afternoon I received a text from the mom of two kids who are difficult to train (one more so than the other) and who are not ... physically gifted. Her younger son (who I suspect has Asperger's, undiagnosed) hates our freestyle grappling SO MUCH he wants to transfer from belt ranking class to self-defense class once per week. Not only is my self-defense class cheaper and does it suck for me, but it also really sucks for HIM.

This is an area that needs special attention. If you have students that have special needs and the student who has possibly Asperger's would be one, these types of students should be taught differently and you should have different expectations of them. I have had special needs students and have them currently and I believe you need to examine again your plan for your system and what your goals are for your students. But here are some suggestions.
1) If you suspect the student has Asperger's then research it and talk to other instructors who have taught/teach other students with the same condition about how they adapt to working with these students.
2) Talk to someone who works with children with special needs about ways to help these students.
3) Help the student do the best that they can do and as long as they are doing that then promote them when they meet the requirements.

The martial arts; Karate and or TKD I believe especially, can be great sports for these kids and often times they are one of the few places these kids can go. They can be challenging but they are worth it and you can make a real difference in their lives. I had one parent express to me how they had tried team sports and their child would cry because they couldn't handle the pressure of the crowd cheering and yelling for the team. Their child believed that everyone was yelling at them and no amount of explaining that they weren't would help their child, they believed the crowd was yelling at them. In my classes he got positive reinforcement but I still caused the student stress by teaching them to much at once, again they couldn't handle it. However once I became aware of his triggers I stopped getting on him when he was at attention (he would clench and unclench his hands and slightly more around) because he couldn't help it. I adapted to his needs and lightened up a little and he became a great student. This particular student worked real hard on his katas, and his sparring with me. It frightened him to spar with others (because he was concerned with hurting someone) but with me he did great. He trusted me and I was big so he could let loose without the fear of hurting me, but it took time to get over his fear of hurting me. However this child when I gave him a task such as "When I punch at your head I want you to block and side kick me here in the ribs." He was able to do it with the timing and the skill of a black belt. I was amazed at what giving him a task and direction and working with him achieved.

I have another student with the same condition and he has surprised me with his spinning techniques, turn kicks, jump turn kicks, doing multiple sparring (where he had to weave in and out of people) he does great. He has great power in his kicks, he is a great kid. However sometimes he is on medication and he is like noodles with his kata. However he knows the form he can do the form it's just he does it with noodle motion. I never know what he will be like. But it isn't his fault so who am I to hold him back from progressing. He is doing his best and therefore he earns his rank. Again I adapt to his needs but hold him to a standard of improvement, conduct knowledge and skill.

The upside of working with students like these are immense. With them you can make a real difference in their lives. This being said I would take a good look at how you are teaching this student and what you are teaching them and see if you can save them as students. You say this "sucks for him", but how do you know? He might not enjoy grappling, it might be a real trigger for him and you (from the sounds of it) are causing him stress by making him do it. Back off a little, ask yourself what does he really need to know, or rather what does he really excel at and then ask him how or why does he like that (what he excels at). It very well could be that he doesn't like the noise, the randomness of grappling, the potential to get hurt or hurt others, etc. etc.

If you have students who have special needs you might consider making a class for them and their families. Not only would you get loyal students and possibly an increase in students (family members) but also your name would get around that you work with special needs students and that could help spread positive words about your school in the community.

I'm thinking this guy has a point.

I'm aware that what we do is much more demanding than most other programs out there and while I don't to compromise quality, I really want to try to make money at doing this and fulfill my commitment to spread the art for as long as I live. As it stands now, I will have to close my doors within the next few months if I don't make a big change.

I don't think you have to compromise quality you just have to come up with a good business plan that supports quality and to charge accordingly.

Think about this.
1) Add upgrade programs (I think we went over this before on a different thread, which is why I suggested in the previous post to ask yourself what you would do to keep your doors open) by splitting up your program.
a) Have a base punching and kicking type program (TKD) at one price
b) Have a grappling class that is an add on for another increased price
c) Have your weapons program as a 3rd add on program for another increase in price.

At no time here am I suggesting that you compromise the quality of instruction, I'm suggesting that you keep high standards just charge more as the student learns more material. I believe you could structure things to keep your quality as high if not raise it by separating out the instruction. Instead of having weapons instruction once every couple of weeks or for a few minutes in a class, have a whole class devoted to the weapons every week or whatever for only those students who are in the upgrade program. This will allow you to go into more depth of instruction with only people who want to be there (because they paid extra for it) your quality will get better. Same concept applies to the grappling.

For your current students I would prime the pump so to speak by grandfathering them in into the highest upgrade program, and then raise the rates for new students who wouldn't know any better in the first place. By raising your rates this way you won't lose your current students and you can also promote the change as a positive thing for everyone (people hate change BTW) and maybe a slight increase of enrollments at your current rates as you plan for the price increase at the start of the new year. So you might tell everyone (promote it) as a way to get their friends or family members grandfathered in at the old rates and subsequently be upgraded when the new program starts in January next year.

2) Another idea is to develop a good leadership training program or character development program and use it with the upgrade program as described before. Again this has nothing to do with reducing quality and everything to do with trying to help increase your enrollment and increase your cash flow to stay open.

So ... I feel compelled here to offer some choices. Right now I'm offering a self-defense program and a belt-ranking program. I'm thinking about a step-down program that is still a ranking program where they don't grapple or spar or deal with weapons, have less material but still quality stuff with regularly scheduled gradings. This could be good for business and for the community.

I want for what I do to be for everyone - but one program can't BE for everyone. This is one way I can make this happen AND keep my doors open.

It's an interesting balance, quality and business.

Thoughts please.

I disagree on this approach for the following reasons
1) I believe your programs should feed into one another, not draw from one another. Let's say the average house wife comes into your school and is wanting to learn some self defense, so she wants to take karate. Thinking she is going to learn SD. However she looks at your program and she sees a SD program and the karate/TKD program and so she asks what is the difference. (Keep in mind that she hasn't a clue about MAs she's just heard about it) So you start to explain about katas, weapons, grappling etc. etc. all this great stuff (that would be better for her and keep her as a student longer) and then you promote your SD class which is cheaper and more basic and she is learning what she believes she is really after which is SD. She'll opt for the cheaper program and you'll have set up a system that draws away from the primary art.

2) Now look at it this way. Same scenario but this time you have the basic TKD/Karate course where she'll learn basic self defense plus all of the good things about your chosen art. And once you get to this rank then we offer these special courses such as this self defense course where we have once a month topical classes on say table top (defense at the lunch room, or anti pick up at a bar) defense, empty hand defense against impact weapons, or empty hand defense against edged weapons, or house hold defense (objects in your house), etc. etc. for an added fee, or you could be part of our Black Belt club and get these classes plus a 10% discount on our pro shop etc. etc. for this monthly rate etc. etc.

Here the house wife has a choice of taking your primary art and learning self defense skills, but for an additional fee she will learn other techniques that will not only help protect her but give her added knowledge in the primary art. For instance if in the primary art you teach finger locks, well in the table top class she might learn a technique like a finger lock using a glass on the table. Or say the primary art has pinching techniques as a distraction and you offer a class where they use ball point pens defense and do pinching techniques with them (as well as other stuff of course, I'm trying to show examples of how things can build on one another and not take away from each other).

I once taught at a Kav Maga and Tang Soo Do school as a special guest instructor. I always felt the business plan for the school was wrong since in order to drive people to the KM side of the business the Tang Soo Do side didn't spar, didn't do a lot of SD just basically katas and such. I think it hurt both programs, any serious martial artist would see the TSD and see that it is watered down and you would lose the potential student to another school. Likewise you could take KM for a while feel you have learned to protect yourself and then exit because the TSD wouldn't have anything to offer (since they didn't spar, and the SD was sub par compared to the KM side).

I hope this helps some what and gives you some things to think about.
Mark