Recession and the Dojo

[Bill Mattocks]

http://www.cbs12.com/news/karate-4723450-kelley-school.html

Karate School is Dealt the Final Blow


Kelley, who holds a 7th degree black belt, says the recession has dealt him a blow that even he couldn't recover from.
Last Thursday, December 31, he held his final class.
He says at a time when people are struggling to pay their mortgage and put food on the table, or have lost their jobs, many can no longer afford karate lessons.
"I had cancellations, clients that I've had for 10, if not 15 years, so it started hittin' hard and quick," Kelley said.
Last week, he had only about 50 students, down from a peak of nearly 200 at one time. "I was usually here from 10 to 10. I was here seven days a week, trying to work and it just no longer could happen," Kelley said.
The way things were going, he couldn't even pay the rent anymore.
So he's locking the door and walking away from a business he loved.
"I was just hoping the time would never come and the actual day wouldn't come. And it came," Kelley said.
Kelley, 47, says he had to take a job doing security at a mobile-home park to make ends meet.

 

[Bruno@MT]

This is sad indeed. It is the risk if teaching is your bread and butter, and you have to rent the premises. I wonder if he couldn't have switched to having a regular day job and teaching in the evening in a communal dojo / other facility. that is how 99% of all MA is taught in Belgium.

 

[K831]

Businesses fail in all economies. They may fail at a higher rate in a down economy, but any business owner who fails to adapt and adjust faces the risk.

The Kajukenbo school my brother is currently attending continues to grow - they just expanded their building, and the economy isn't stellar here in AZ.

There are some trends changing in martial arts, and in what students are seeking. Marketing, class structure and availability, pricing structures etc all needs to be creative and fit the niche.... or schools will close.

There are many aspects to the down economy that I have seen help dojo numbers; we have had several students join because they wanted to stay active in a sport, but couldn't afford to run their boat/ jet skis/ motorcycles/ or any number of other hobbies more expensive than the 60-100 a month that most schools are charging.

 

[fireman00]

we've seen about a 30 percent drop in attendance in the black belt classes. thankfully the owners have a very reasonable lease and they're able to keep the school open and haven't had to talk about increasing rates.

 

[harlan]

Seeing a commercial dojo fail in a recession is no sadder than seeing any other local business fall by the wayside. Market rules apply.

 

[Carol]

The closing of Mr. Sean Kelley's school was touched upon over on KenpoTalk. He has said on his facebook page that he's going to try to make the private route work (private tutoring, corporate customers, etc)

Some folks have had to be creative in terms of how they make their teaching work. I think once the art is really in you, then you find a way of making it work, even if it takes a few tries.

 

[Grenadier]

It's a sad time to see a good martial arts school close. Even the best schools can get hit by hard times, and there can come a time where you can't really slash any more from your operating costs.

There are various marketing methods that can be employed, as well as promotions (not the rank kind), recruiting, etc. However, sometimes, no matter what you do, even if you do everything right, a particular area can become dead to the martial arts. This can happen in good or bad economic times.