ps1

I don't necessarily agree with this unless the school owner claims to be on the mats every day. If you come in the door and try out a few classes and the owner is never on the floor, it should be obvious what you're getting. For an owner, there are really two choices he/she can make as their school grows. 1. Become the manager and "hire" instructors 2. Remain the instructor and hire managers. I've seen both options work just fine. Again, it comes back to whether you were lied to or not.

How extremely odd. 1. You're right for getting out of there. 2. That place sounds almost cultish.

I agree 100%. I hated contracts until I started running a school. Most professional instructors do this for a few reasons: 1. Steady and dependent cash flow: Paying bills, planning marketing, and paychecks are only possible with a steady cash flow. 2. Steady Paycheck: Most instructors double as the school owner too. I think it's pretty fair of a person to want to know how much they will make from month to month. Look at your own situations. How would you like it if your workplace randomly handed out paychecks? This month, you get $200...next month nothing... the third month you get $5000. 3. Your instruction is better because of it. If an instructor has to constantly chase down checks from the non-payers...and I know I was shocked at how many people "forget" to pay...he is spending his time and energy focusing on that task and not on training you. When an instructor has a system set up for automatic payments, he spends more time working on class setup and less on chasing people down. 4. Contracts are a standard part of society. I don't know why some people freak out when a martial artist does it. I have a contract for the private school my daughter attends. If I pull her out today...I'm paying till Fall. I have a contract on my house payments...It's called a mortgage. Try and buy a house and just say, "I'm not signing anything." I only have problems with contracts under the following conditions: 1. They guarantee a certain rank in a certain time period 2. They have unreasonable exit clauses. My exit clause has sections for moving more than 25 miles away and serious injuries or change of heart in the first 30 days. I also don't think it's bad for an academy to make money. I want my academy to make money. That means my instructor is able to focus on me instead of worrying about his second job or whether he'll make his mortgage payment this month. The McDojo is characterized by "do anything" marketing tactics and low rank standards. On top of that they also tend to do the same things that good schools do: contracts, charge for testing, in school parties, retention programs ect... In other words, "You don't get what you're paying for." To me, "McDojo" is synonymous with "fraud." They are the slimy car dealer of the martial arts world. They will tell you anything to get you in the door and take your money, even if what they tell you isn't true. They're playing the odds that you won't bother complaining. I've had countless people call me asking for kickboxing. I own an BJJ academy. I have been given the advice by some "experts" that you should always say you have what they're looking for because people don't know the difference. That would be the action of a McDojo. Instead, I do this: "No I don't have a kickboxing program. We teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the academy. Were you looking for kickboxing specifically?" IF YES: "Ok, no problem. Let me give you the number of Ryan down the street. He's the best Kickboxing guy I know." IF NO: "Ok. Let me tell you a little about jiu-jitsu. You may be interested." Simple...I find the truth is 100 times more powerful than any lie. I have done this no less than 10 times and every time the person chose me because they appreciated my honesty. McDojos don't do that. McDojos: - Anything to get you in the door - Don't care about your skill To me, those two things make it a McDojo.

Welcome! Thanks for your 2 cents!

If you're having problems with hip mobility, that means you're having problems with mobility period. Everything comes through the hips. Try the 30min squat challenge: http://antranik.org/the-30-minutes-a-day-squat-challenge/ You'll be surprised how much difference this will make. I did it and was shocked at how much more effective it is than all the other stretching routines. Give it a shot.

I pay my students for any work they do. 1. They are not my slaves. Their time is as valuable as mine and they deserve to be paid as much as I do. 2. In some states, it's illegal not to do so. 3. I don't like to barter because often times the services traded to not have equal monetary value. IE...graphics design can be quite pricey. It's not fair to give them a few months at a discount, which may be much less valuable. 4. I feel it's the professional way to handle things.

Thanks guys! You know that's the second time I've seen that Paul Walker book mentioned here I will definitely check it out sensei8. Ps1, I completely understand what you're saying I guess when I look at the forms, the first 3 in ITF TKD for example. I know I'm a "JKD guy" but I am also trained in TKD and I teach TKD forms in my kids class and to any adult who expresses an interest, I find it really helps with their coordination and focus. I look at these forms and though I understand that forms 1, 2, & 3 aren't that different technically I still see 1 as easier to learn than 2 and so on, I guess I'm afraid of having a brand new student jump into form 3 for example without learning 1 & 2 and them being overwhelmed. What about after the "Beginner" block, will I need to create a different time slot for the "Intermediate" block so that they don't mix? Is that how that works? No. The idea is that everyone works the same stuff at the same time. So yes, if there's a jump spinning back kick...you're teaching it to high ranks and white belts all at the same time. If it's a "basic" kata, with only 20 moves, you're teaching it to black belts at the same time as white belts. Ect... Really, the only thing that changes is the level of understanding and ability to apply the technique.

Mr. Punchy, The key is to get out of your head. Whether they are called, "2, 3, and 4" or " Chuck, Dick, and Mary" is irrelevant. Actually, using their English numbering may be making it more confusing for you. Go back to their Korean names and your mind will accept it better. I can say, if I ever started a Karate class at my academy again, I would certainly go to using a rotating curriculum for it. I would simply modify the more advanced techniques for the beginners.

"No fighter from the UFC or any other major MMA promotion has ever died as a direct result of injuries during sanctioned competition." I think this quote from the article itself is the most telling part. The UFC and other major sanctioning bodies take great care to ensure the safety of their ATHLETES. From the rules in place to the medical staff available to the training of the referees. There are plenty of unsanctioned barn-brawlers out there that will literally take anyone willing to step in the cage. In the state of Ohio, for example, we are heavily sanctioned and governed by the state. Anyone over a certain age must have a CT and MRI scan of their head to prove they have no past brain trauma. They must fight a specific number of amateur fights before going pro. The rules for the amateurs are very different as well. No knees to the head, no elbows ect... This is to weed people out and ensure safety. Don't get me wrong; it's a violent sport for sure. But it's nowhere close to what it used to be. This is just a tragic example of what can happen in combat sports. That said, look up the number of high school athletes that die or get paralyzed each year in high school sports. You may be shocked at the numbers you find.

I regret not seeking out Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu earlier in my martial arts career. I mocked it for so long. Then I experienced it and absolutely fell in love. Don't get me wrong, I love all the other arts I've studied. But BJJ just made me better at them. It just makes sense to me.

I learned Shotokan through the Kwanmuzendokai. They also had a kobudo program through which I learned to use the Bo. Then I took a one year, very intensive, sogo bujitsu course under John Viol Shihan. In that course I was taught: Rokushaku Bo Tonfa Tanbo Then, also through John Viol Shihan, I learned Yagu Ryu Kenjitsu, though I never graded for any certifications.

I like a more modern take on it, yet just as prolific: "Violence is never the answer; but it is an option."

Training the "basic" kata is about as boring as inspecting and strengthening the foundation of the Golden Gate Bridge. I walked in on one of my kenjitsu instructors once and all he was doing was the prepatory hip motion required to draw the sword. At the time, i was very novice and just thought it was weird. Now I know he was ensuring the foundation, on which the rest of his art was built, was strong. That movement is more important than any other in the art. I had another master instructor who, when he wanted to see you at your best, would request you perform Teikyoko Shodan. He always said, "If you can't do the basics right, the rest will be S**t!"

Glad to hear you got everything sorted out!

Thank you, Patrick! My blog is at http://toplevelmartialarts.wordpress.com

You don't need an association to get insurance. In fact, they're probably overcharging you for it. You should be paying around $400/year for insurance if you're a school with less than 200 students.

I'm a huge fan of blogs and forums too. As an owner, I do alot of reading about running martial arts business an such as well. If you want any suggestions, feel free to send me a PM.

Some really great information here. Thank you so much for the advice! Now it's time to act on it.

It is...and isn't important. You can have the best instructors in the world. But if you aren't good at the art...then it means nothing. Lineage is a very relative thing.

I generally agree with you, Adam. But I try to have 10 to 15 marketing items going at any given time. FB ads, at $3 to 5/day is working pretty well now. I also like that FB ads lets you chose up to 6 different pics to put with the ad. So it's like having 6 ads going at once.

I think I finally have it figured out. For certain, they aren't free. But they're not that expensive either.

Is anyone here skilled in Facebook Ads? Any tips? Right now I'm finding the easiest thing to do is boost my academy posts.

This is SKIF... http://www.skifworld.com/ Gracias!

I think we need more context. Are you talking about playing for a school team? Are you talking about playing in a league? Are those "pros" as they relate to your martial arts training? Or are they "Pros" as they relate to life in general?

What is SKIF?