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well, if you are looking for something that you know will work and keeps kids excited and coming back, then a franchise curriculum is great, however thats only icing on the cake, you yourself must make it fun and exciting with lots of great jobs and high fives. but if you want to have curriculum that is more to your fancy, but you aren't sure about the interest level or retention factor in your curriculum, make sure that they have fun. bottom line, you can make them sweat bullets and as long as they have fun, they will be in the next class, thats what these franchise curriculums offer, all the hardwork and effort put into curriculum planning is done for you. so i'm sure that what you buy isn't too differet then what you have thought up.

it also depends on how often schools do testing, some schools allow students to test every 2 months or 3 months, some aloow for testing when the instructor thinks the student is ready. in my school, i test my students every 6 months, and some may say that is a longtime. but i want to give my students a chance to really develop there technique, so a bronw belt in my school takes almost 3 years. but i am not saying a brown belt in 2 years is too short, but from what you have said abotu his kicks and his forms, makes me think that he has been testing to often or has been cut too much slack during his tests. i would say the best way for you to handle this situation is set an example for everyone else in the school, where he lacking, strive for perfection, don't make this personal, if you focus on vengence you won't go very far, but set a goal for yourself to make every test you take or every technique you do the very best you are capable of, becuase if you see what is worng with one person and allow yourself to do the same, that just makes you look worse. good luck with your training -scad

i don't see the WTF and ITF merging, i mean ITF is north korean and WTF is south korean. The only reason ITF was started was to run against the WTF. The two federations vary so much, i think it would be hard to find comprimise on many of the differences. i think it would do more harm than it would good

TKD and TSD are slot alike, however TSD is more traditional, in korea in there where many different types of martial arts that where very similar, these where known as kwons, moo duk kwon, sul duk kwon,hwa soo do, soo bak do, and so on. well in the 70's. all these martial arts where unified and called Tae Kwon Do, thus the formation of the World Tae Kwon Do Federation and Kukkiwan. so your modern TSD schools and masters have simply just stayed alittle closer to the roots of there particular Kwon. hope this helps

i have found a few programs that have template for lessons, you just add what it is that you want to teach and how long you plan to teach it, however, the ones i have found where complex, non userfriendly, or just plain didn't satisfy me. but i have looked into using excel, but i want something that looks alittle better. so the hunt is still on. if anyone comes across anything, please let me know

do any of you instructors or school managers out there use a program to log and track your curriculum? if so what program is it. i have been looking for a program to do this but i haven't had much luck finding a good one. if anyone nows of one, please let me know, thanks -scad

i want to generate more leads for new students,i want your ideas, your proven methods, your thoughts!!! if you are willing to share. i have some of my own ideas, but yours will help me. so please, if you have anything you would like to contribute, leave it here for everyone to see. -scad

my worst injury was when i got kicked while in the hand when i was sparring and my hand bent back and my knuckles touched the top side of my forearm, it was the most painful thing i have ever felt, it took about three months for me to regain the ability to rotate and bend my wrist. i'll never spar with open hands again!

my master was a top competitor in korea when he was in his teens and early 20's and he won the U.S. open a few times when he came to the states. from all the kicks he has thrown, the wear and tear caught up to him in the school one day, he was warming up, just practing roundhouses and from the torque on his left knee when he kicked with his right leg, he snapped hid a.c.l. clean in two. your a.c.l. is the main ligement that runs through your knee. he was only 33 when this happened. he had a donor tendand put in his leg and went throuhg alot of physical therapy. but thats a perfect example of wear and tear on your body, but he is fine now, he can still sparr and kick fine

i charge $500 a month for once a week.

the thing about contracts, is if you use them, its not just for securing a pay check, its for one, have not to worry about collectign tuition from each student. second, all billing companies require a contract to do the automated billing, and third my school only allowes ten students per class, so when you sign up, we reserve that spot for you, and don't allow anyone else to join, so even if you try and quit, that spot is yours, and we don't want to have unused spaces, also, you spend one on one time with each child in a class, so why would you want to see some of them slip through that cracks, that is just simply time wasted on the instructors part. when i am signing people up to my school, i make sure they know its a minimun 1 year commitment and that we are reserving a spot for them, and we do an intro class to see if the child enjoys martial arts, so when we use contracts and automated billing, there are no tricks and now unspoken details. the child and parents both know what they are getting and what the class is like, so if they make the decision to sign up, they have made the commitment. also, the only way i let someone out of a contract is if, the student is ill or injured and ordered by a doctor to stop training, or if they student moves farther than 25 miles away. and its nothing personal, its just business, why bother with contracts if you are going to let people just drop out when they want, the real challenge it keeping them coing otu to your class -scad

i love the raffle idea!!! thanks so much for the help

what are some ideas that you have used successfully to get new students in the door! i have my own ideas but i like to see what other people have come up with, so please let me know what you have thought of, i'm looking for new ways to recruit in the new year! -scad

i understand your frustration with salesmen, i manage a WTF Tae Kwon Do school in florida. and we charge $79 a month for tuition and 99 per testing, but our testing is a large event, it envolves a day where you bring your family to watch your testing on a saturday. but we are the best, that why we charge so much. i mean yes, some schools really do an injustice to the martial arts with there instructors and belts, but i have done martial arts my whole life and i instruct and manage a school, and i am 18, and i will tell you here and now, i am the best martial arts training you will find in my area. also, you aren't paying for something out of a book, you are paying for me to teach your child what i have studied and practiced since i was four. and its not just TKD that does that, there are other schools to, but its all comes down to, is the price you ask worth the training you provide, and if it is, then there should be no problem in asking a high price. that how i look at it. -scad

my school speacilizes in children...ages 3-13 only, thats why a bike sounded good to me