Category: Business

What Happened To Brotherhood?

8/9/2017

Author: Bret Gordon

I really should just get off social media, because nearly every time I see something posted by the martial arts "community" I start to twitch. One of the latest posts was a question asking school owners, "What separates you from your competition? What sets you apart in the market?" To even ask such a question shows the complete and total disregard for the values we all claim to teach: Respect, Integrity, Humility.

Here's the thing. No other martial arts school is my competition. I primarily teach teens and adults, so fitness classes are my competition. Extended work hours are my competition. Mountains of homework and college prep are my competition. If you teach kids, then little league is your competition. Soccer, football, dance, gymnastics, even video games. That is your competition.

Here's a great example. For those who don't know, I currently rent space from a Taekwondo school to teach my classes. I don't have anything to do with their program, but I do try to support them (considering if they close, I'm out of a space). Yesterday they attended a "Meet the Teacher" event at the local elementary school, as did three other local schools. While you can definitely sense the tension in the room between the school owners, everyone got their fair share of leads and sign ups. It's a school with 1,400 students currently enrolled. There's enough for everyone, without the need to belittle or bash the other schools.

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Martial Arts, Inc.

7/23/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon

Do you ever get the feeling that you don't belong? Lately, this has become not just a passing thought but an all-encompassing, gut wrenching emotion that has driven this article. What I'm about to talk about will ring true for some, but I'm sure will offend most. And let me apologize now, because this will be long.

Everyone talks about the martial arts community. They throw around marketing words like brotherhood, family and integrity. They say they teach martial arts in order to make a difference in someone's life. To inspire them. To give them confidence. To teach them real world skills. They say all of their students are like family, that no one is just a number on the mat. However, after being involved with other school owners for the last decade, I can only say one thing. They're all lying.

I belong to several martial arts groups on social media, some of which are only for instructors and school owners. The ones that are open to everyone of all experience levels are frustrating for someone looking to have a deep discussion about Budo, yet understandable. But no matter how understandable it is, there's only so many "Which style is better?" posts that I can take before I start removing myself from those groups. However, in a group that is solely comprised of instructors, you would think there would be some great discussions. Yet the more I observe, the more it becomes apparent that these groups are run by mega-school owners talking about the next marketing scheme or hustle to attempt to satisfy their ever-growing greed while looking down on anyone who doesn't have enrollment in the triple digits. After careful observation and numerous interactions, I can only come to one conclusion. The martial arts community as we know it is dead, and what we're left with is the martial arts industry.

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Does Profit Equal Prestige?

3/15/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

Having spent the last 20 years in martial arts and training in everything from large 5,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facilities to backyards and garages, I've noticed that no matter the training space, all of the truly prestigious schools have similar traits (notice I said prestigious, not "big and fancy"). Yet there's a growing trend in the martial arts community that troubles me. When people visit new areas and look for the best restaurants, they're often drawn to the "Mom and Pop holes in the wall" as opposed to the larger chain restaurants. They claim the food is better because the people genuinely care about their customers and their product (food) over profits. So why is the mentality different when searching for a martial arts school?

Martial arts has become a multi-million dollar industry, and organizations of "professional martial artists" such as NAPMA and MAIA are leading the way. Seminars are being held all over the country, but not for the advancement of training or information. The focus of these seminars is how to run a better business. A recent seminar even went so far as to show you how to develop a "cult-like following." Now, before I continue, I must say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with an instructor being fairly compensated for their time and expertise. However, when the entire focus of your school is aesthetic appearance, there is a problem.

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Rated E For Everyone - The Watering Down Of Budo

2/28/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon

Over the last several decades, martial arts study has gradually become less of a serious endeavor that teaches the extraordinary skills of warriors past and more of a youth sport. Most commercial schools across America start at age five, with some even younger. While the teachings of Budo are great for children (respect, perseverance, integrity, discipline, etc.), it only makes sense that this shift has been accompanied by the watering down of traditional martial arts that focus on combat practicality in favor of flashy demonstrations, tournaments and school picnics. Most schools that I know and work with have a large youth program with dwindling (or worse) teen and adult enrollment. What started this transition, and why has the study of Budo become yet another extracurricular activity to compete against baseball, football, soccer, gymnastics and dance?

The simple answer is money. In Japan and other Asian countries, it was customary to compensate your instructor for his time with your loyalty. You cleaned the dojo, ran errands, brought him the finest bottle of sake, etc. Leave it to the Americans to find a way to turn martial arts instruction into a lucrative, capitalistic venture. It just makes more business sense to focus on children, who outside of school have very little time-consuming responsibilities and obligations and can spend more time (money) in your school. Adults have jobs and careers, families to tend to and bills to pay, and if it comes down to another month of classes or food for their children, they're going to hang up their belt (with good reason). That being said, parents will often go without in order to make their children happy and to see them succeed. If you can provide both, while teaching valuable life lessons, cha ching!

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Instructors, Charge What You're Worth!

12/17/2015

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Author: Bret Gordon

Very rarely do I talk about the business of martial arts instruction, but after listening to another dear friend of mine think about shutting down his beloved dojo I feel something has to be addressed. As instructors, many of us feel a personal connection with our students. Those with an "old school" mentality have grown up viewing the dojo community as a family thicker than blood at times, and many instructors go out of their way to help their students off the mat. Whether it's as a confidant, a shoulder to lean on, mentor or in any other capacity, we often find ourselves stretching ourselves thin and sacrificing to be there for our students. And you know what? We continue to do it without hesitation, expecting nothing in return other than loyalty and dedication in training, regardless of how many times we get burned because that's what a family does.

These same instructors, myself included, often feel uneasy about charging what we feel is a significant amount of money for tuition because our instincts to help our students at any cost usually take over. "I know things are rough. Don't worry about paying this month, just keep training and we'll figure it out as we go." That's a conversation I've had more often than I care to admit while running my storefront school (which I later closed, but for unrelated reasons which I'll talk about later in this article). What clicked for me was when I sat down with my fiancé at the time going over our personal bills, and noticing that we were struggling when on paper I had more than enough students to cover all of our expenses with additional profit. So what was happening?

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Articles of 2016

USAMA BLOG

What Happened To Brotherhood?

Martial Arts, Inc.

Does Profit Equal Prestige?

Rated E For Everyone - The Watering Down Of Budo

Instructors, Charge What You're Worth!

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