DWx

One of my TKD friends owns a vets practice... she always says the biggest thing with dogs and other animals is to realize the warning signs early on and just give the dog space if you need to. Things like flattened ears, stiffened bodies Dogs are much faster and stronger than humans and I really wouldn't want to try to beat one to the punch, or kick. Personally, I would just back away and put something between myself and the dog. I certainly wouldn't initiate and try to kick it if it was snapping at me as a warning. If it wanted to bite me it would have done already so I wouldn't want to put myself in harms way. Worst case scenario and one did get hold of me, my fingers are going in its eyes until it lets go.

I don't currently run my own school and there are others here like tallgeese who are far more qualified to help you. However best of luck Though if I can offer my 2 cents on the above, with regards to your target audience, it's good that you've identified self defense as the area you are looking to focus on as hopefully this should make you stand out versus your competitors. That said, self defense for kids and self defense for adults in my mind need to be approached from different angles when it comes to marketing as you're still looking at two different target audiences. With kids classes, you're still selling to adults, especially with Facebook content as the parents are the people who are seeing the ads and they have to think "hey I should sign little Billy up for this! it would be good for him". IMHO the focus should be on "what life benefits will my kid get from joining your class?". So I would promote the "stranger danger" aspect and general life skills like discipline, confidence and health and fitness, but with a whole lot of fun thrown in. Parents don't care that your teaching their kid to side kick or go through a form, they want a return on their money Opposite this, if self defense is your goal, then show proper self defense for adults. Adults are more likely to want to see the grittier stuff, real self defense scenarios with real techniques.

FWIW I've still got my Kia Picanto (was my first car). It is the slightly older version than they make now but I found it to be really well made and easy to do the maintenance myself. Kia also seems to offer the longest warranties out of all the manufacturers.

Congratulations Patrick on another massive milestone

That's what I was thinking, probably wanted a quick fix for a problem kid.

Ashworth, have you considered nearly new or ex-demo models? You're still buying from the dealer direct and most likely they will give you a warranty on the car. Brand new is nice but the depreciation in the first 6 months to a year can be significant. Also I don't know if you can hang on a few months but the 66 plates come out in September and you would be able to get an even better deal on a 65 plate. Or depending what model you're looking at, look for when a new model comes out. E.g. I think the MK7 Golf is getting a facelift this summer, when that happens you'd get a good deal on any slightly older ones the dealer has. I've been fortunate in that all my cars except my first have been company cars so I've not paid for them myself (though I have been involved in buying them). Through that I've had brand new straight off the factory and ex-demo cars (5000 miles on the clock). Funnily enough it was the brand new Ford Focus which was the one that needed a new clutch and gear box after two years. At that time I wasn't driving it anymore but a colleague so I will blame him! IMHO if you want reliable, you want German. Any of the cars from the VW group should be built well (VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat) and with these its worth considering that several across the group are built on the same chassis and with the same engine so you can get a bit more for your money with a "cheaper" brand. As to finance I can't say too much as never done it but friends have. As long as the monthly payments are within your budget there should be no problem. Might also want to consider whether you should take out gap insurance too.

Welcome back jaymac

Personally it would bother me more if you made a point of not hitting me. I can understand why it might bother you to hit a female there but trust me, if a woman is doing a martial art, she's going to expect to get hit in the chest and it won't be an issue for her.

Respectfully, I have to disagree. Effectiveness exists but I think it's also fair to say that ineffectiveness also exists. Though I guess we have to define what exactly we mean by effectiveness; are we talking combat effectiveness? Effectiveness for self defense? Effectiveness for health and fitness? I don't think we can categorically say a style is the best (at least not without defining "best at what") but we can definitely say some styles are poorer than others. A practitioner can have good athletic ability but without proper tools (techniques) and instruction for using them (methodology), they may as well take up dancing or gymnastics. Again sorry but I disagree. The style can contain all sorts of training methodologies and tools for testing ability and competition can be one of them. If your Soke or Dai Soke stipulated that you had to stand on top of a mountain and train kata every 3rd Tuesday of the month, that would be a part of Shindokan would it not?

Probably required due to insurance. As to type, it depends on what the competition rules allow but I've used both of the types here: https://www.bytomic.com/maxi-guard-chest-protector-p/m1.htm https://www.bytomic.com/cool-guard-bra-inserts-p/ci.htm My personal preference is the second type of inserts as I found the maxi type too cumbersome and that it trapped heat. As for being flat chested... I can't speak from personal experience but friends seem to have no problem with either type.

Good points so far. Whilst we cannot categorically say one style is that best, I think it's important to bear in mind that certain styles are geared towards certain aspects of the Martial Arts whether that be grappling, striking, sport or tradition and that its OK for people to enjoy different aspects of them. Taking the point about TKD for example, competition is a huge element. Competition against other fighters is encouraged because it tests the effectiveness of the fighter. But more importantly the getting the sport into the Olympics was a huge factor in spreading it worldwide. Over the years this has resulted in a combat sport which some clubs exclusively train for (and are very good at). That's not to say that TKD The Martial Art had disappeared, but TKD The Sport is what most people will associate with TKD because that's what they have been exposed to. FWIW, the comments so far reinforce this as I guess most of you are talking about rather than something like or .

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2016/5/14/11674464/ufc-200-fighters-must-check-in-within-8-of-fight-weight Personally I think this is a good move. As long as there are weight classes fighters will always be looking to cut weight, sometimes to the extreme. This seems like it will help reduce some of that.

Welcome to the forums northstar what style do you teach? This is an important point. Whether you have a minimum number of lessons or not, it is only fair for the students to have this criteria properly laid out in an accessible place so that both students (parents) and instructors are on the same page. I would also say that if you are going to stipulate a minimum attendance, that you also make a point of recording this properly in the form of sign-in sheets or a register of some sort and not rely solely on memory.

What are some of your favourite sparring drills? Do you have any special footwork drills or sparring combinations which you like to work?

It seems odd to say the least. To me understanding techniques and strategies requires being able to use them in a live context and not just through rehearsed drills. I can understand wanting to prevent injury but IMHO controlled, lower intensity free sparring would still be beneficial before reaching 4th dan.

Don't you mean, have them turn off their cell phones as part of dojo rules?! Because, the cell phone is private property, and imho, no dojo has the right to take anyone's cell phone/private property away. Possibly in some parts of the world, but kids are kids and they can all go into a box for "safe keeping".......... We used to do this in high school gym class. We'd put all valuables in a lock box which the teacher would look after. Phones aren't much of a problem though. Once we're in the training hall phones stay in their bags.

Thanks for the feedback all. Lots of good suggestions. Funny thing is they're not really split along ages. The older ones do mix reasonably well with the younger members of the team. I suppose they split more along which dojang they come from and how long they have trained together. I know it is only natural for them to have preferred team mates but I'd at least like to make sure that individuals aren't being isolated. That's a good idea. We used to do this when I was a junior. Might see if I can organise something.

Great topic IcemanSK. It sounds mushy, but for me it's the camaraderie and the fact that everyone is working to the same goal. Everyone just happens to be at different points in their journey. Every group of martial artists I've ever trained with has had this great team spirit.

Welcome Ingdow

Recently I have been given the responsibility of coaching our team of junior girls (11-17 yrs) for upcoming tournaments. They will be all be competing in sparring, team sparring, individual and team forms and the tournaments are all the type where we have to go away and spend a week travelling together. There are maybe 15 of them? and are all from different parts of the country and get together every 2 weeks for a 3 hour session. One of the things that has stood out to me as a coach, is that the girls just don't seem to get on as well as I think they should. Within the 15 or so girls we have, there is a core group (could call it a clique maybe) that gels really well, then one or two smaller groups and then some of the girls are outsiders to all this. In all my years training, all the teams I was on always just got along but this lot seem to bicker quite a bit and stick with their own. I know you can't force people to get along, especially teenage girls(!) but what strategies would you take to encourage a bit of team spirit? Is it productive to deliberately mix up the pairs when sparring so that they all mix? Anything else I could be doing?

Welcome Brock

JR137 makes some good points. I'm of the opinion that it could be good to review the appointed Kaicho every so often. After all if that person is in charge of and responsible for the student body, they have to be supported by the student body and represent their best interests. Though to me 2 years seems like a very short term. IMHO not long enough to effect any real change. Especially if the incumbent Kaicho cannot be re-elected, this 2 year turnover may stagnate change rather than promote it. I'm with JR137 in that it would be better to have any outgoing Kaicho available for re-election so that if they are doing a good job and are the best person for the job, they can serve another term.

Congrats Ken!

Do you mean the Dunning-Kruger effect? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect Most people will over- or under- estimate their abilities. Funnily enough it is usually those that are skilled and have knowledge who underestimate themselves and those that are poorly skilled who overestimate. Most high acheivers in life have a tendency to Imposter Syndrome and always underestimate their abilities. Usually this means they end up working even harder and learning even more than those that overestimate themselves. This seems pretty appropriate: The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” ― William Shakespeare, As You Like It

Congratulations to GM Reed. I think the term has a different meaning in Korean martial arts. Grandmaster just gets awarded at a certain rank level in the same way a master title is or a bachelors or PhD. I lose track but I think in the ITF in the UK alone we have 7 grandmasters?? And more than I could count worldwide. The title gets bestowed on reaching 9th dan. It doesn't equate to being head of a group of schools.