Money makes the (martial arts) world go round!

[Luther unleashed]

It’s a shame. Taekwondo places under qualified to teach active shooter seminars, or to teach Krav Maga classes, or Kickboxing but they use these words and class titles to make a financialy sucessful program/school! So many times it’s Taekwondo, I see it, most others see it. It gives Taekwondo a bad name. Yes other styles in other schools can fall under this category however it seems to follow TKD the most.

This is not about TKD though, it’s about schools, as mentioned, selling their program as anything they need or want to only to make money and creat success. Success of numbers anyways. Not being true to the arts, or what you actually know is not succeeding, as numbers can’t fix that.

Please, don’t sell out just to make money. If you haven’t studied Kickboxing please don’t teach self jabs and crosses with kicks and call it that to sell it. If you haven’t trained in Krav Maga, please don’t teach a class called that, and if you aren’t qualified by being a police officer, a self protection specialist of some sort, or ex-military, please don’t teach active shooter seminars. Putting people in jeopardy over ego or money is the WRONG thing to do.

Teach whatever you like, I don’t stick to one system and never really have but I’m open about that and I don’t cal it something it’s not, OR lead people to believe I have knowledge I dont have. I have made my Bio sound many ways as I have growth through the years, I have labeled my program in different ways for different reasons, but never taught something g I wasn’t well taught in, or labeled something that was really not fitting, just to make people come in.

Upholding integrity in the arts is more important to me then what style or how many styles you teach. I do NOT teach or want to teach only one style, but I don’t call it “Batman fighting methods” knowing people will think they are Bruce Wayne, and teach Tang Soo Do either.

Success doesn’t mean getting students by any means necessary. Success means doing it truthfully and not changing what really is just get those numbers. Building numbers may not take weeks, it will probably take time, BUT please remember that “anything worth having is something that one must work for”!

[sensei8]

Can one lay their heads down onto their pillow with a clear and concise mind at the end of the day?? All types of CI's can, no matter if it's an honest day or not!!

I only teach that which I'm qualified: Shindokan Saitou-ryu!!

But you know what?? What you're speaking about is called MARKETING...THE BOTTOM LINE...PAYING THE BILLS!! I don't condone it at all, in any shape, way, and/or form.

However, whatever another CI does is none of my business!! Sure, I don't have to like it, and I don't, but you know what?? It's just not that important!! I've enough to worry about making a living and caring for my wife and me, than worrying about their lack of integrity and all.

For the very few times that I did add other MA to my dojo, I made sure that the CI for whatever was qualified across the board. If not, sorry, can't rent that time slot to you!! "WHY?" Because, I said so!!

There are all types of Marketing to fulfill ones bottom line honestly, as well as dishonestly!! That's up to that CI...up to that school of the MA...but it's NOT up to me to police their actions and activities. Again, to me, what another school of the MA does isn't important to me, and in that, I really don't care one way or another UNLESS it directly affects my family, me, my students, and/or my dojo.

Sure, when I read about or hear about what your OP speaks about, it angers me, yes it does! But just as fast as it angers me, it calms me down because I remember, that I don't care one way or another. These acts of indiscretion are the acts of madmen!!

[singularity6]

I've noticed this, too. My friend's TKD school did seminars on Thai Chi, but no one at the school had much Thai Chi training. I also feel martial arts is about the last thing anyone should consider in an active shooter situation, as anyone with active-shooter training will tell you, fighting should always be your LAST option. I know for a fact that 2 years of training hasn't made me into hero-material.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Making a living from martial arts (or anything) is not wrong by itself. It only becomes wrong when it is done by dishonest ways with the intent of purposefully deceiving people for personal gain.

Simply said, it is lying and stealing. Both of these acts are to varying extents criminal under the laws of many countries. There is also a difference between intentionally defrauding people and just trying to make ends meet.

[DWx]

Whilst you shouldn't try to teach what you don't know (false advertising!!!), it can be good to bring on board other styles or instructors sometimes for a bit of variety and perspective. Nothing wrong with asking someone to come into your school and run a seminar or short course on something like Tai Chi or kickboxing or defensive tactics. We've brought in boxers and kickboxers before to try to learn from.

[MatsuShinshii]

I think it falls under integrity. You either have it or you don't.

If you're teaching something that you are not qualified to teach then you have no integrity. If your selling this "unqualified knowledge" to others you're a crook.

Its simple really. If you are not graded in an art what would make you think you're qualified to teach it to others? It boils down to this type of individual having absolutely no integrity and whether they understand it or not it reflects on them and their art poorly.

If you wish to pass a skill onto your students either take the time to learn it and gain the qualifications or bring someone that has the qualifications in to teach it.

I'm not sure who these people think they are fooling. Any bystander can see they do not have the skills fostered by years of training. It's hard to respect a person like that no matter how many years they have in their art and what grade they have attained. Greed over integrity pure and simple.

[bushido_man96]

Good thoughts. Its got to the point that when you see various things like this pasted across the windows of dojos and schools, that we may become skeptical of whether its actually true. I'd be more convinced to check out a place that showed only one thing in the window, believing they are likely more than competent to pass it on.

But, with that said, its worth checking all places out.

[Alan Armstrong]

Martial arts just like everything else has fallen into the grips of the false economy.

Faster cheaper watered down knockoffs of everything is available.

Always keep your integrity, as this is the true value of your martial art teaching.

Just like a fake gun will explode in the users face, so the same thing will backfire to those that don't have anything substantial to teach in martial arts; therefore let them create their own fate to failure.

[Bulltahr]

In a nutshell: Financial pressures can affect integrity.

[Alan Armstrong]

Integrity should never be compromised; never ever.

Integrity is strength that needs to be constant, never to become a hit or miss thing.

If integrity is compromised in the marital art business, then the skills will fall victim to the same fate; both failing and falling flat on the face.

Being unscrupulous isn't a winning plan on account of missing the most important ingredient, that being integrity.