| The sales rep was well meaning, but obviously | | | | one reason people quit the business: Frustration. |
| knew nothing about the martial arts business. | | | | Imagine spending hours at your computer creating |
| I was placing and order for my first ad in the | | | | and printing promotional brochures, doing good, |
| yellow pages when he asked me what I'm sure | | | | hard workouts to stay in great condition. Now |
| he thought was a casual conversation booster. | | | | your in the dojo, the lights are on, the doors |
| "So what are you plans?" he asked. "Open up a | | | | unlocked, you've carefully prepared tonight's |
| school, hire a couple of teachers, then expand and | | | | lessons-and no one shows up. For a martial arts |
| open up a couple more schools?" | | | | instructor, it's an experience that can quickly drain |
| Yeah, right. It's all just that easy. | | | | all your commitment-and fast. |
| Ever wonder what motivates a martial arts | | | | Most students have no idea how many hours the |
| instructor to open a school? Money? Recognition? | | | | teacher has spent just preparing for classes. |
| A chance to show off your skills in front of a | | | | Along with teaching, there's encouraging |
| captive audience four nights a week? Hardly. | | | | commitment, motivating hard work, cultivating |
| Every good martial arts instructor-and I mean the | | | | students' beliefs in themselves, and nurturing a |
| good ones-is motivated by something much less | | | | belief in their own success, often just to see |
| tangible and far more valuable than money or | | | | them hop down the road to newest McDojo to |
| fame. I call it the moment of "Surprise | | | | learn the latest technique for dropping your |
| Achievement." It's that special experience when | | | | opponent with the tap of a finger. |
| something you've been teaching clicks in a | | | | So what are we, crazy? Sometimes I think so! |
| student. It's when they "get it." | | | | Yet something keeps us leaping out of bed each |
| And you can't put a price on that. | | | | morning and trying again. It's that peculiar |
| But, like it or not, the difficulties of trying to build | | | | experience called, "Surprise Achievement." |
| a prosperous martial arts school threaten every | | | | It's that moment when you struggled to help a |
| school owner's success. Most instructors know | | | | confused and frustrated student to understand |
| there really isn't much money to be gained in | | | | how a technique works. He tries it once, and gets |
| teaching the arts. Given the costs of maintaining a | | | | a painful bruise on his arm; he tries it again and |
| facility, a web site, creating and printing flyers and | | | | again, but it doesn't seem to have any valid |
| brochures, promoting or entering tournaments | | | | effect on his opponent. Then, just when you |
| (including travel expenses), and buying books, | | | | thought there were no more ways to explain it, |
| DVDs, and magazines to stay up on the latest | | | | demonstrate it, or get him to commit to the |
| trends (not to mention sorting the genuine ones | | | | repetition drills, he gets it. You didn't expect it to |
| from the hoaxes), a good instructor stands to | | | | happen at that moment. Neither did he. And his |
| make only nominal financial profit from a martial | | | | face turns to you, the expression of disgust and |
| arts school. | | | | frustration replaced by the surprise of an |
| And then there's the time investment. All of the | | | | unexpected achievement. It's spontaneous; it can't |
| above eat away at valuable time spent with | | | | be planned, and it's never easy to get there. But |
| family, friends, or just about any other hobby you | | | | it's worth it. |
| might have thought you were going to stay | | | | In fact, it's so worth it that I often remind my |
| active with. Or for that matter, the hobbies your | | | | students that our greatest rewards arise from |
| own kids might have. Try balancing your teaching | | | | our greatest difficulties. When you know that |
| schedule with cheering your kids on from the | | | | they grasp that concept, and they invest their |
| bleachers at their baseball games, hosting birthday | | | | valuable time and energy into what you are |
| parties, taking family vacations, and attending | | | | teaching, the moments of Surprise-Achievement |
| parent-teacher conferences. | | | | become more frequent, and your own reward as |
| Of course, we can't forget the expectations of | | | | a teacher, immeasurable. |
| your students, either. If you're claiming to be an | | | | Every dedicated martial arts instructor knows |
| "expert" in some area of martial arts, you better | | | | there is a lot more to teaching than giving a |
| plan to spend as much time as possible doing your | | | | couple of quick demonstrations, explanations, then |
| own grueling workouts. After all, no one would | | | | just sitting back and watching students work their |
| respect a martial arts instructor who can't | | | | way to a black belt while you count the money. |
| demonstrate at least basic techniques with black | | | | Every martial artist who decides to go into |
| belt proficiency! | | | | teaching has had a taste of some kind of success. |
| Which can also take a toll on your body. Balanced | | | | Maybe it was experienced in tournament |
| correctly, a martial arts instructor's own | | | | competition, and you want to share that feeling |
| practices-including the workouts you get while | | | | with others. Or maybe it was just the |
| teaching-should leave you in perfect physical and | | | | atmosphere of the dojo, or the fascination with |
| mental harmony with the rest of the universe. | | | | the techniques and strategies you've learned. But |
| Right? | | | | none of those experiences will sustain a good |
| Should, but... | | | | teacher for very long. Believe me, for every |
| The fact is, instructors face two big realities with | | | | moment of success, there are ten moments of |
| regard to their own practice: | | | | frustration that threaten to overwhelm you. |
| 1) We age, and | | | | So forget the sales reps. They mean well, but |
| 2) Accidents happen. Believe it or not, we're not | | | | what do they know? And forget the critics who |
| perfect! | | | | think you're just in it to feed your ego. Forget all |
| Those are the downsides in terms of money, | | | | the frustration. In the end, all that matters is what |
| time, and health. I'll just briefly mention one more | | | | you and your students think. And that light in his |
| thing that every martial arts instructor | | | | eyes, that sudden beaming smile, that certain, |
| experiences, few know how to really talk about | | | | "Aha!" |
| among their peers, and is probably the number | | | | ...more than makes it all worth while. |