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
