The handsome photo above is of my friend and former student Michelle Spencer, taken by my friend and former student, photographer Neil Lockhart of Reno, NV.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an action is worth a thousand pictures.” —Martial arts master Jhoon Rhee

Contained in Master Rhee’s quote, is the essence of how the martial arts school owner should, in my opinion, market his/her school —with actions. 

Talk is cheap; saying you teach something when you can’t show any real evidence that you do, is bullshit; copying what that guy said in his ad, as you think it “sells” your services or lessons, is the epitome of laziness; being anything but a catalyst for change thru what you DO in your community, with your students and the people in their spheres of influence, is not the best you can do. 

The 100. Method is found in taking what you say you teach on your mat and turning it into measurable evidence in your community. It’s advertising your school by having an impact on the world around you.

If you “teach” your students more than kicking, punching, and grappling, then show us what that means in their lives and in the lives of everyone they have the ability and wherewithal to affect. It should be easy. 

Respect?

You teach respect? Good, we need some of that. 

Now, how has what you’ve taught made a difference in the lives of people you’d like to teach? When you’re able to show how your work matters, you might be able to STOP conventional “marketing” and start being a real leader, an engaged, participative, compassionate teacher-citizen. 

That’s what The 100. Method is about; guiding martial arts teachers to be more than business people, more than entrepreneurs, more than coaches; more than athletes; more than just consumers in today’s world; it’s about doing the amazing, as a way of life. 

Let’s say that we divide all (that is, EVERYTHING, every sensible, sane, honest method) of martial arts school marketing into 4 catagories:

Category 1. All the easy, mindless, essential, inexpensive, everyone-knows-this, and everyone, regardless of experience, can-do-this stuff; postcards, tear-sheet fliers, lead boxes, “VIP passes,” print ads like everyone has access to in the martial arts world, and all the, you know, standard stuff. Good, essential, common, and sort of the plate you put your food on. You need it, it serves you, everyone needs plates (or bowls) to put their food on.

Category 2.  All the stuff that isn’t so “easy,” but is, nevertheless not rocket science to produce and distribute. Add to this category just about any sort of advertising that a health club does, a Curves, a fast (fat) food restaurant, or a plumber, locksmith, or other business that needs to put out marketing to get customers. 

The two categories above are the shoes, sox, undies, pants, and shirts of marketing. You don’t go out of the house naked (most the time), and you don’t go into or operate most businesses without using these easy to find, easy to implement tools. 

NOTE: Many, many people try to paint the tactics, above, like there’s some kind of amazing magic to it —and certainly, it all gets better results with a bit of formula applied to it, but to be honest (as in I’m not selling those services), this is all the stuff someone with half (or less) of your experience can buy and put to work, like yesterday. Every Schmo under the sun can —and often will go head to head with you in the common tools of marketing and promotion. 

Proceed knowing this (of course). 

# 3. The 3rd category belongs to the man or woman with intuition, with a level of intelligence that can see and understand the difference between copying someone’s slogans and images, and a real, honest-to-goodness “unique selling proposition.” This is the actor who not only knows her lines, knows how to hit her marks, and understands how to make her character seem real, but who also knows how to exude some magic —to reach her audience viscerally, so that they forget she’s “acting.”

This is the program you design that’s all yours, that uses unique images unavailable to competitors, that has unique language —that explains what you do in a way that sets you way, way apart from the less experienced owner. This is marketing that requires many steps, a strategy, a plan, some perseverance, some style, and someone who knows how distinguish his work from all the fast-food, easy marketing blah-blah of all the other people vying for the disposable income of people in your target market. 

It’s the self-defense program that’s really (maybe even brilliantly) designed; rich in content, deep in purpose, well-thought-out, and expertly, painstakingly thought out and executed.

It’s the children’s program that wasn’t bought from a box, that can’t be purchased by the school-down-the-street. It’s powerful, the teachers are well-trained to deliver what is different and rich about the work. The program is supported by great graphics, well designed lessons, a comprehensive website, and evidence is compiled and distributed that shows just how damn good and effective the program is, FOR REAL. 

And then, my friends, there is Category 4. 

Category 4 is, most often, the evolutionary step of the practitioner and teacher who knows steps 1 thru 3 like he knows his own name. She knows how to plan a battle, to organize a project, to execute common marketing, to build on it to make something she’s “branded” and can call her own. She knows how to proceed with a sense of style and substance. 

Category 4 marketing transcends “marketing.” It’s stuff that comes from the soul, it’s mission-driven, it goes against conventional marketing strategies because marketing is the planet and this category is about the universe; no, it’s about the The WAY. 

It’s stupefies the “businessman.” It’s scoffed at by the ad-copy writer. It’s something noble; it’s not driven by formula, it’s driven by a sense of mission, it’s about purpose, it’s not supported even by logic. It’s something you do because there is no other way to proceed without giving up on everything you value, respect, and hold dear. 

This is where I go, with my work at www.the100.us. This is where I am when I have, properly, started with the end in mind. 

Almost all forms of marketing can get a result, sometimes a good “return on investment,” —-but only category 4 marketing speaks to the absolute ultimate, the best of the best, the best thing for everyone it touches. It isn’t marketing —it’s magic, it’s art, it make the person who is doing it —and the people engaging it, better people. 

That’s the kind of work I believe in. 

“You don’t fit the foot to the shoe; you fit the shoe to the foot.”

That’s how I like to work with martial arts school owners and teachers. I don’t seek to “sell” them “the system,” —I like to know what they’re passionate about, you know…what they live for. If it’s money and things, I let ‘em know I’m probably not their man; if they have a mission, then my job becomes “helper” or “participant,” and sometimes, “coach.” 

This work is, for me anyway, far more stimulating and interesting than one size fits all. Some instructors carry the banner, for a period of time or forever, of “bully prevention,” or “suicide prevention,” or “health and wellness,” or “self-defense,” or for things that are so far out of the mainstream martial arts world that you have to smile at them —-for their vision and bravado. 

My opinion is that the “business” of running a school, the brass tacks, is an all-out 2 year course of study; stats, phone calls, marketing basics, staff meetings —-if you really dive in, you’ve covered it all, twice, in 24 months or so. My complaint about “the industry,” in general, is that they seem to keep returning to the same material year after year, as if we had to suffer thru the freshman and sophomore years of college forever. I started The 100. for school owners who had the basics down and were ready to do something with their schools beyond running a machine that produces more income than it spends. 

I confess however, it’s very hard work —as it seems very difficult for martial arts instructors, not all of them, but a lot of them, to break out of the box that currently defines what a teacher does —and/or doesn’t do for —and in —his or her career and community. We are, nevertheless, making headway.

Harder still is to get people to band together and pool resources for the greater good. It’s easy to get people to do things for their own benefit, far more difficult to get them to do things for the benefit of the martial arts community —and beyond.

On March 18, 2013 between 10 and 10:55 am, I’m going to teach a class, on-the phone, entitled “How to Operate an Honest Martial Arts School.” In this seminar I’ll be guiding current and future martial arts school owners and teachers through the fundamentals of sane, smart, ethical, and sustainable business practices for martial arts school management, marketing, staff training, and curriculum design. 

The event is, in part, born out of the scandals, dishonesty, and formulaic and manipulative marketing and business practices currently at use in the martial arts industry, practices that have brought no small amount of shame to the martial arts community —and has served to undermine the general public’s trust and confidence in our work. 

The call is limited to 150 participants; to listen in, live, call 1-626-677-3000 at 9:55 am Monday, March 18, 2013. The code to enter thee call is 304298.

I’ll be joined by a number of friends, school owners and teachers, and the topics of discussion will include:

• Starting off right: A Smart Business Model Dictates Smart Practices
• Marketing isn’t Made of Scam and Artifice, It’s Built on Your Knowledge and Projects
• Living Today from Tomorrow’s Money, the Most Destructive Force in School Management.
• The Worst Offenses, Lies, and Dishonest Methods Being Used in the Martial Arts Industry Today. 

The call will be recorded and distributed, for free, to the martial arts community. How to Operate and Honest Martial Arts School is a fund-raising project for The Alabama House Build-Vention, a charity project where martial artists travel to Greensboro, Alabama to build a home for someone in need. For information visit www.UBBTAlabama.org. Callers will be asked to donate $1 or more during the call, but no donation is required to participate. For information, feel free to contact me at 530-903-0286 or via e-mail at tomcallos at g mail dot com. 

If you’re not honest, eventually, you will suffer the consequences. Your staff will turn against you. Your students will see you for the fool you are. Your reputation will suffer. You will be mistrusted —and rightly so.  

In a martial arts school, we don’t lie in our marketing. We don’t play on people’s fear or greed. We don’t mislead, bait, or begin a relationship with the intent to sell, sell, sell.

Who wants a friend or a teacher like that anyway?

The smart, well-trained, ethical teacher shows respect for her students; respect for his community; and respect for the traditions of the great teachers (not the great marketers). 

How to Be Honest in Your Business / Martial Arts School

Transparency

All prices are posted on your web pages. If you’re honest and articulate about the benefits you offer, you’ve nothing to hide. It’s your responsibility to price your programs responsibly —and to let people get to know you’re true to your word, before you can expect them to adequately invest in your school. 

No More Contracts for New Students

Eliminate CONTRACTS for membership, until the second year of membership (and then only as a tool to offer win-win membership terms). In a year, you’ll know you’ve turned a customer into a student —and your student will know they have a teacher they can trust. 

Tell The Absolute Truth in Your Advertising

NEVER make claims not backed by truth, ever. 

If you don’t know BJJ, don’t advertise you do. 

Reject Bullshit Marketing Techniques

If you buy into the slimy, manipulative, gimmick-driven website and marketing junk promoted by far too many “marketing geniuses,” it won’t be very long until the slimy and the manipulative and the gimmicky seem like business as usual. 

These thoughts are, of course, how I’m thinking on this great day of February 17, 2013.

1. When you come into the martial arts, study it, whatever aspect that appeals or is available to you, whatever style, with the kind of vigor only a novice can bring to the table.

2. When you’re young and able, but yourself thru the fire of the smartest and hardest training you have the resources and ability to endure. The more you heat and fold and work the steel, the stronger the sword.

3. Stay a student —and for God’s sake, don’t mistake the car for the trip. The martial arts are the car you might be driving, but the car is just a tool; the trip is why you’re in the car. And, if God has graced you with any brains at all, appreciate that the trip is not about the destination, alone; appreciate the scenery and the tourist stops along the way. 

4. Teach like a maniac; teach until you break thru the barrier’s of your own stupidity. Teach until you’ve finally taught yourself that you don’t know much —and that the process wasn’t about what you know/knew at all, but what your students came to teach you.

5. Finally, when you’re ready, realize that the practice of the martial arts are not about the martial arts at all; not one little bit. Being a martial arts master is easy, disgracefully easy. The whole damn thing has been about getting out of the dojo, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, socially —on every level —and into the world. The goal is not “martial arts mastery,” the goal is to become a compassionate, awake, participative, engaged, cognizant human being. 

6. When you come into this awareness, even if only momentarily or in waves, study it, whatever aspect that appeals or is available to you, with the kind of vigor only a novice can bring to the table.

Oh, and take a stand for an many things as you’re smart enough to stand for. Spit in the eye of evil. Never hate; compassion and forgiveness is the only healthy path. See no enemies (I mean, you aren’t 10-years-old, right?). Stand up for those who aren’t able to stand up for themselves. Don’t rape, molest, or kill —or, in other words, do no harm. Don’t be a materialistic piece of selfish crap, seek to live a life that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich; live simply so that others may, simply, live. Apologize, sincerely, every time you goof up (and you will goof up 10,000 times, or you’re not really living at all). Stay away from crooks. Try not to lose your marbles before you lose your marbles. When, in your life, you are faced with a moral dilemma, keep in mind that your entire life of training was only to help you make the right decision, in the moment you must.

(I’ve written this, of course, not for you, but for myself)

I’m in shock, like everyone I think, over what took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School last week. What pain and sorrow.

I don’t know what to do, exactly, to deal with, prevent, or cope with all the issues and the problems the event has presented us with, but I do feel compelled to offer this suggestion: 

A Balance

In all of the 40 years I have studied and engaged in the practice of the martial arts, the number of messages and/or kinds of instruction I have received that relates to using force and technique to cope with problems presented have been about 1000 to 1, at least. 

In contrast to the instruction I have received in combat and competitive strategy, I have had very little instruction in that which is not the physical, what is not the counter-attack, the block and defense, the take-down, the palm strike, the choke, the kick to the knee, and the use of physical force to keep from being a victim. There has been some instruction in the non-combative, non-violent resolution of conflict and the embracing of the non-violent “way,” as opposed to kicking and punching, but if I weigh one side against the other, the bulk of all my training has been physical and technical. 

So I propose that it is our responsibility as martial arts teachers to balance out the instruction; to provide more direct instruction, discourse, and dialogue in and about the ideas of respect, of non-violent alternatives to problem solving, to the philosophies and concepts that seek to awaken the mind to a deeper level of compassion for the feelings of others.

I don’t see this kind of instruction coming from “the martial arts industry,” which I believe is, sadly and dysfunctionaly, fixated on the sales process and gimmick and formula driven marketing. No, I think what we need to learn to create more balance in our instruction comes from a more spiritually evolved “industry” or group of teachers. 

I have jokingly suggested in the past that we include one tidbit of peace-related dialogue in our classes for every 10 kicks to the groin —but in light of recent events, it no longer feels like a joking matter. 

Personally, I find much instruction and wisdom in the teachings of the Zen master Thich Nhat Hahn, but I don’t think it’s my place to tell you where to find your “balance” and message of non-violence, peace, and compassion, but I do feel it’s right to suggest we seek a more balanced form of instruction. 

We could cultivate, through our own emphasis, more awareness of respect for others, for the thinking that diffuses righteous indignation, for tolerance, and for ideas about how to cope with anger, pain, and other issues regarding the way a healthy individual functions in the world. 

Here are some resources you’ve probably seen me post before:

Teachers without Borders and their Peace Education on-line Teacher Training Program

Dr. Tony Fiore’s Anger Management On-line Teacher training for martial arts teachers

These might take you and your team some time to complete —but they are, I think, a step in the right direction. 

The photo, above, is of 99-year-old 10th degree black belt in judo, Sensei Keiko Fukuda. I’ve been talking about her and the film my friend, Yuriko Gamo-Romer made about her (see the trailer here), as one of the things I do as a consultant to martial arts school owners is bring great teacher role models to the forefront of school owners in the international martial arts community. 

Praise goes to Sensei Fukuda for her lifetime of dedication. 

On another note:

I am an outspoken critic of practices in the martial arts community that I think damage our credibility. For example, I’m not a big fan of the sales hyperbole some firms / consultants use to try and lure in potential clients. Promises of million dollar incomes, floods of new students, and claims that their system is more complete and/or better than any “system” of the past for sales, self-defense, and/or school management…well, it’s not my cup of tea, nor do I think it treats the subjects with respect. Most of the sales garbage is designed to sell more sales garbage. I like straight up honesty, sustainable business practices, and hard work over gimmicks.

Can I help you? 

It’s really up to you.

Consulting

I’m not trying to up-sell you, so when we talk, there’s no ulterior motive or steering you towards some new product or service for sale. I’m just here to listen to your story —and offer you my insights. 

Money Management

I know about money management, as I’ve managed millions of dollars over the course of my career. I can help you keep more of your money, earn more, and waste less. I can’t do that, however, if we never talk about how you’re making it, what you need to make, what you’re making now, and how you’re spending it.If you want my help making, keeping, and managing money, other than generic “these are my thoughts about money management” articles, you must ask me.  My cell phone is 530-903-0286. My skype is tomcallos. The ball is in your court. 

I know my fair share about operating budgets, about the pitfalls of unexpected costs and poor financial planning, of how to translate financial needs into daily operating plans, of lease negotiation, and other financial concerns that one learns after 30 years in the game of teaching for a living.

Staff Training

There are, literally, more than 1000 ready-made staff meeting topics on the 100.’s website; we have reports  covering any and all topics relevant to building people and teams of people who can really help you achieve your goals. 

My suggestion is to direct your team to, over time, go thru every single posting, report, and video on the 100.’s site. As the 100. is “open” 24/7, 365 days a year, a staff member can invest 60 hours a year in training, learning, and thought-stimulation, by simply spending 10 minutes a day reading our front page and/or perusing our rich library of content. Your staff joins for free, making this one of the most affordable training tools you’ll ever find in the international martial arts community. 

I’ve recruited, hired, trained, retained, AND let go of more staff members than but a handful of martial arts master teachers I know. I know it’s a challenging job that nobody has all the answers for, but I can help you if it’s help you need.

Marketing and Promotion

There can be no talk about marketing and promotion that doesn’t have STUDENT RETENTION as a factor.  I have spent hundreds-of-thousands of dollars marketing, thousands of hours designing marketing materials for other organizations (like EFC, NAPMA, and MAIA back when they were viable companies in the industry), and I know real, deep, genuine marketing for martial arts schools as good or better than anyone in the world. 

If you need help marketing, I can and will help you, but let me warn you, I don’t do gimmicks, I won’t waste your time telling you to say and do things that aren’t “you,” and I won’t tolerate hyperbole and/or dishonesty. 

Do you need help with getting (and keeping) more students? Then ask me for help. If you will listen, take action, and follow thru, I’ll help you fill your school. 

Curriculum Design

Ask me and I’ll help you design the smartest most effective curriculum that you, personally, can conceive and execute. 

Your Education

Your education limits or empowers your staff members and students. Your circle of friends, peers, and mentors can shape how you think about your work/career, what you aim for, what you avoid, and how you plan, think, and enjoy what you do. What you “do” and “work on” shapes what you have to market and “sell.”

I can help you in all these areas IF you engage, participate, and talk with me. If you are silent, absent, and don’t show up for classes or ask for help, my ability to assist you is minimal, at best. 

The certificate, above, belongs to martial arts teacher Heidi Wilmott. It was awarded to her this week by the organization Darkness to Light (www.d2l.org). Heidi earned it by taking a $10 on-line educational course called Stewards of Children. 

I found Darkness to Light’s extensive, well-designed, and emotionally powerful website and programs after more than one of my students recommended them. After the suicide of a prominent martial arts teacher and leader in the industry due to pending charges involving sexual misconduct with students, I had pledged to create a course for martial arts teachers outlining basic guidelines and procedures to help them prevent sexual abuse in their own schools —and in their communities. After all, the sexual abuse of children is a SELF-DEFENSE ISSUE, and thus right up our alley. 

I struggled with what to include in the course and how best to deliver it, until I found Darkness to Light’s brilliant material. 

I am currently taking the course myself and highly recommend that you not only join me, but make this training a requirement for all of your teachers —AND senior students. In self-defense, ANYTHING you can do before an incident is, I believe, about 1000 times better —and more important —than anything you can say or do after one.

Prevention IS self-defense. Will you join me, please, at www.d2l.org.

I would not be surprised if the majority of the martial arts community sees no connection whatsoever with environmentalism and the martial arts ——or, more specifically, between the environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill and anything that has to do with teaching or practicing the martial arts. 

But I see a very important, vital, and relevant connection between this young lady and her work —and the work I’ve engaged in for the last 40 + years of my life.

If that day in 1971 when I walked into a martial arts school and took my first formal lesson were a rock thrown in the center of a pond, then each of the last 40 years have been an ever-widening ripple of growing awareness and understanding about the martial arts and self-defense. 

As I’ve grown up as a martial artist I have come to understand the connection between my hands and arms and protecting my head and upper torso. I have come to understand the importance of dodging, ducking, and footwork —when it comes to both avoiding attacks and delivering my own. 

I have learned how to use my words to defuse conflict.

I have become aware of the value of avoiding potential conflict as a method of self-defense, so I don’t have to fight or protect myself, physically, at all. 

I have come to understand that the way I treat my family, the way I eat, the way I engage my friends and my community, and the way I think are just as important to self-defense as is the block, the punch, and the kick.

My view of the martial arts, what I have learned in the process of studying and practicing, might best be called a “global” view; a big picture view.

If and when you are absorbed in your own issues, the world can feel pretty small. I’ve been there, immensely absorbed in who I was, what my skills were, and what it all mean to me and mine.

Step back from your own problems to look at how others suffer and it can put your own issues into a different perspective. I’ve been there, as a teacher and friend to others. You too, yes?

Likewise, stepping way back and looking at the world, at history, at global issues, and what’s really important on a grand scale (what is “self-defense” globally?)  —and it can (should) affect how you feel and what you teach others.

That idea might best be phrased, “Think globally, act and teach locally.”

From this viewpoint, environmental concerns are as relevant to self-defense as any other issue on the sliding scale between the micro, such as the block of the punch, to the macro, as in, for example, the destruction of our planet’s rain forests.

Julia Butterfly Hill is someone who I admire for her ability to live her life with more than her own personal concerns in mind. She’s part of the village of teachers who I look to for instruction on self-defense for big picture issues. From my viewpoint, Julia Butterfly Hill is as much a proponent of self-defense as an environmental activist, as I am as a teacher of the martial arts.  

What’s Your Tree?

Julia will be the first person to point out that climbing an old-growth redwood tree and refusing to come out of it for 738 days is not for everyone. That tree was HER concern, but she doesn’t presume tree-sitting is yours.

But what she follows that idea with is what makes her so very important to the master teacher of the martial arts, as she asks, “What’s your tree?”

In other words, what do YOU care about enough to put yourself on the line for? And this, my friends, is a manifestation of the spirit of the warrior. This is what we want, in part, from our years of training, from what we hope we might instill in the minds and hearts of our students:

Conviction. 

Courage.

Resolve.

Perseverance.

Indomitable Spirit.

Values.

Determination. 

Julia Butterfly Hill is every young person we have the honor and privilege to teach and, hopefully, influence and empower. She’s an example of how an average person, two legs, two arms, one head, and without backup or money or anything much more than a certain fearlessness and a conviction to do what she believes is right, can have a profound influence on others and on the world. 

When you meet Julia, understand you are in the presence of someone who contains the spirit you’d love to, be lucky to, instill in any of your students. Look her over carefully —and recognize that because she did what she did, you can be certain that others can do it too. What’s your tree? That’s the question to ask yourself. That’s the question to ask every student you ever are gifted with teaching. That’s the question that might be the ultimate aim of all martial arts training:

What is the battle you are willing to fight with everything you have?

Julia Butterfly Hill is a warrior for the things she believes in. Is there anything more important you would like to instill in those young people you teach? 

She will be joining us in Greensboro, Alabama, April 10 to 14, 2013 in The 100.’s / UBBT’s Alabama Build-Vention. I suggest you come and make friends with someone who will teach you/remind you about the kind of courage we want to cultivate in ourselves —and most certainly in our students. 

Be sure to get a copy of Julia’s book, One Makes the Difference: Inspiring Actions that Change our World. Need more information on our Build-Vention, call me, Tom Callos, at 530-903-0286. 

ONE

Well, first, stop lying, stop insinuating you know or do things you really have no actual knowledge of, such as LEADERSHIP. Stop selling leadership courses which have no actual curriculum and are nothing more than a tool you use to sell another program. You started selling this course because you heard someone else was doing it and making money from it, but you’re misleading yourself and others by claiming to “teach” leadership without even a term paper’s worth of study about the subject. 

Instead, immerse yourself in leadership training, as Gary Engels of The Leadership Academy of Woodruff, WI did. Gary’s school has, at last count, been a catalyst for 500 documented community / leadership projects created and executed by his students. Now THAT is where “leadership training” begins. 

Stop pretending you teach self-defense, as it’s very likely that you know little or nothing about the subject —and besides that, you’ve not created one single tool to be used to teach self-defense, written a treatise on the subject, studied hyper-masulinity, or read anything on the subject other than what’s fallen across your lap through the popular media.

If you actually taught self-defense that was worth anything, you’d know the top 10 killers of men, women, and children, off the top of your head. You’d know who Jackson Katz is, you’d have trained in non-violent conflict resolution, and/or you’d have an actual background in law enforcement. You certainly wouldn’t be giving self-defense the half-assed, superficial, hand-to-hand, “traditional” karate approach that far too many “self-defense experts” pass off as an understanding of what self-defense is in today’s world. 

Instead, go through at least a yearlong immersion in the subject. Study with Bill Kipp, Tony Blauer, Rory Miller, Peyton Quinn, Rob Pincus, and reach out to my friends at http://www.nsdi.org (The National Self-Defense Institute), and THEN, after you AND YOUR TEAM have done an intensive research and study of the subject, MAYBE, THEN, start to help your community address the issues of self-defense with some intelligence and a level of thoroughness we can all point to as an example of how the work should be done. 

Look at the ads you use. You know, the ones you bought from someone else, the words you copied from the guy you met at the convention, the words that you put on your ads because you think they “sell” your lessons, and ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. Have I given my team even a day’s worth of training in any of these areas, these words?

2. Can my helpers (or can I) genuinely say we teach “integrity” and that our training improves “study skills?” Or are we hoping that, by magic, those things happen because we will them to?

I think there are martial arts teachers who will be shocked at my insinuation that they don’t know much about what they claim to teach. Sorry. Getting REAL might be painful, at first, but in the long run we’ll all be better off if we start dealing with the issues that have turned far too many martial arts school business consulting programs into endeavors seeking to dumb-down and make sales-ready a kind of martial arts that lacks any substantive study or research. 

And don’t claim to teach MMA or BJJ or any style, unless you’ve actually learned the art. Don’t repackage your old stuff and call it something just to try and “capture” a market you hope to profit from. Do the work, in spades, first. 

—————

Case in point: I had a chat with a friend of mine who works with a sizable “commercial” martial arts school that subscribes to the billing service and high pressure sales tactics of our “industry.” They want to charge $180 a month for their lessons; So, just as a litmus test of their value-building strategies I asked them if their teachers had ever gone though even a 1 hour training course in martial arts history, teen suicide prevention, domestic violence issues, girl-on-girl bullying, cyber-bullying, anatomy and physiology, dietary or nutritional training, anger management, first aid, or ANY subject other than how to prepare students to do the physical curriculum of the school and/or prep students for membership upgrades. NO, on all accounts. 

And here, my friends, is why, when you go to martial arts seminars, to the conventions, or open the industry’s trade magazines, it all smells of cheap and easy, of repetitive scam, of “GET MORE STUDENTS,” and of something far less that the dignified educational approach we could (and should) be taking to increase the REAL value of what martial arts teachers and school owners do, today, in and for the world. 

When I was 9-years-old I was given my first martial arts lessons when an old judo teacher invited me to step on his mat and learn how to perform a forward roll. This year I will be 53-years-old —and if I could, I would go back to that judo man and thank him. I would press my forehead against his, as I have seen Pacific Islanders do. I would hold him by the shoulders, eye to eye, and try to communicate something more than words, alone, could express. I am most certain I would cry; they would be tears of joy and soulful appreciation.

In the 44 years that have passed since that day, I have spent many thousands of hours practicing, participating in, promoting, and “being in” the martial arts world. I’ve been mindless in my practice —and mindful. I’ve been absent and present, an obstacle and a guide, a student and a teacher, a friend and the enemy. 

As the 9-year-old boy, returning to tell you about his adventure, as the pre-teenager, sharing his emerging sense of self-confidence, as the 17-year-old deeply immersed in preparation for his black belt test, as the 25-year-old leading his first students, as the 32-year-old at the peak of his physical skills, as the 44-year-old using the practice to maintain his center, and as the 52-year-old teacher sitting at his computer reaching out to you, I would encourage you to bring your own children to a martial arts school, to a teacher, in your community. 

While my English teachers taught me appreciation for the written word and language, while math and science teachers helped me to solve problems, while my parents struggled to teach me all that parents are burdened with teaching, my martial arts teachers, all of them, taught me the art of putting my feet solidly on the ground. They taught me to fall, if at all possible, softly, and to regain composure quickly. They taught me to block and counter, to embrace and relax in the struggle, to focus on the solution, and to understand as deeply as understanding can root itself in one’s mind, the power and path of practice. 

Yesterday my oldest son, after many years of study, was awarded his black belt. Today his brother will be competing in a martial arts tournament in Japan, trying to stretch a years worth of record breaking performances and victories a bit farther. Parents: The effort it took to bring them to classes, to weather their resistance to the repetitive and rigorous practice, to get them to the right teachers, and to pass to them the spirit of what is behind the technique, it has all been (so very) worth it. 

If you are looking for something that might instill in your children the lessons they will undoubtedly need to survive and thrive in this tumultuous world, if you are looking for someone who can assist you in teaching your children how to keep their feet firmly planted, their eyes on the right things, and to master the art of turning obstacles into opportunities, I would like to encourage you to look carefully for a good teacher of the martial arts. The cost of tuition is worth it. The time you invest is worth it. Enduring the demands of teachers who seem to be committed beyond good judgement, is worth it. 

In all the things that I’ve created in my life, of all the struggle, the love, the adventures, and the sorrows I’ve experienced, there hasn’t been a more abundant source of strength, support, and regeneration than what I have learned practicing the martial arts. As you may know, “martial” means “war,” and the art my many warrior-teachers taught me is about the struggle to appreciate your parents, brothers, sisters, and friends, while they are here and still available. I have learned to fight my ever-present ego and ignorance, apathy, and disconnection, opponents who seem ever-ready to dump you on your ear if caught unaware. I have learned, even, how to live a life of kindness —a kind of life that has become outwardly simple, but inwardly rich; which are self-defense lessons extraordinaire.

It may, for a long time, be difficult to connect the kicks, punches, and wrestling your children do in a martial arts class to the experiences and my testimony above, but trust me, there is a connection. The long awards ceremonies, the hassles of formal belt testing, the tournaments, the bumps, black eyes, and bruises will be hard to endure, but I am confident that they will produce a positive outcome if you stick to the training. 

I’m hoping this letter reaches you, as that teacher reached out to me so many years ago now. I would like to encourage and invite your child to step onto the mat, to get his or her first lesson. I know the potential of what awaits the committed student. I know how much the lessons have supported the very same things I wanted my children to learn —as a parent. In today’s world, the martial arts teacher can help us prepare our children for those things that await them, with courage, with a sense of self-dicipline and patience. What more could a parent ask for?