| Has a spouse or significant other made a | | | | with pictures of your happy students. It's OK to |
| suggestion about your martial arts school or how | | | | have a shot of yourself; just make sure it's |
| you teach? What was your reaction? I know | | | | tasteful and professionally shot. Media coverage, |
| mine was essentially 'Who the heck are you to tell | | | | such as magazine covers or newspaper articles, |
| me, the black belt, about martial arts?' The key, | | | | are also fine. Tip: If you are on a TV show, have |
| though, is: | | | | someone take a photo that includes the cameras. |
| They don't care about martial arts; they care | | | | This is a good way to get mileage out of a TV |
| about you. They usually represent Market Eyes, | | | | appearance. You can't post a video on your wall, |
| and they are almost always right. | | | | but this type of photo shows you were on a TV |
| In a previous article, I introduced the concept of | | | | show. Media appearances build confidence in |
| "Black Belt Eyes" and how they are based on | | | | students and prospects. Photos of you breaking |
| false assumptions and often get in the way of | | | | flaming bricks don't. |
| our more useful "Market Eyes". Market Eyes could | | | | 10. Having a smelly school. |
| represent the eyes of a potential student who | | | | This could be called Black Belt Nose. When |
| doesn't know a black belt from a green belt but | | | | prospects walked into my school, their eyes |
| has a willingness to learn. | | | | watered and their faces contorted from the |
| Other examples of Black Belt Eyes include: | | | | sweaty stench soaked into our carpet. I used to |
| 1. Using your style name as a headline or, worse, | | | | tell them with pride, "We earned that smell..." Not |
| a school name. | | | | good. |
| This is a huge assumption that the reader or | | | | 11. Sparring too soon. |
| prospect knows how your style or technique | | | | Black Belt Eyes say, "Sparring prepares you for |
| translates to benefits for them. | | | | self defense." Market Eyes say, "That's scary, and |
| 2. Using a logo that looks like martial arts | | | | it hurts." Few things lead to high dropouts faster |
| hieroglyphics. | | | | than sparring. Sparring is important, and I love it. |
| If your logo contains a fist, a yin-yang, a circle, a | | | | But the smartest curriculum adjustment I ever |
| triangle, Asian lettering, or a bug, you may have | | | | made was to push back the time when students |
| Black Belt Eyes. | | | | had to spar. Rather than after three months, |
| 3. Listing techniques instead of benefits in your | | | | which was how I was raised, it became eight |
| black belt marketing. | | | | months. During those eight months, we work on |
| This may disappoint you, but the odds are | | | | limited sparring drills and defense and prepare the |
| miniscule that someone seeing an ad that touts | | | | students how to spar before they are thrown in |
| Hun Gar 3 Step Waza will exclaim to his wife, | | | | the ring. |
| "Honey! Hun Gar 3 Step Waza! Just what I've | | | | I made the change after years of having the |
| always wanted!" Only your Black Belt Eyes will | | | | following scenario played out too often. Typically, |
| know what that means. I don't even know what | | | | a female student would enroll and soon become |
| it means. | | | | an A student. She was in every class. She was at |
| 4. Confusing your wins as benefits. | | | | every function. She volunteered to help. She |
| Black Belt Eyes assume people want to know | | | | changed her work hours or made changes in her |
| that you are an accomplished black belt. It's not | | | | life to make sure she could do karate. |
| that no one cares, as much as that listing your | | | | This lasted for three months until she reached the |
| tournament wins, hall of fame inductions, or that | | | | rank where sparring was required. Then I wouldn't |
| you trained the military police simply don't | | | | see her again until I ran into her at the mall or a |
| translate into benefits for potential students. Mike | | | | restaurant. "Sally! Nice to see you. We sure miss |
| Tyson is a great boxer, but I don't want him | | | | you in class." "Oh, um, hi, Mr. Graden. I've been |
| teaching my kids. Study the ads for private | | | | really busy lately. Gotta go." |
| schools. They don't list the teachers' resumes. | | | | If I had a Truth Translator, the real message |
| Market Eyes want to know what you can do for | | | | would be, "I trusted you. I really trusted you and |
| them or their children. | | | | embraced your school into my life. Then you put |
| 5. Having long classes. | | | | me up against that guy, and I had no idea what |
| The assumption is that more is better. The truth | | | | to do. He hit me on my nose, and it hurt. I will not |
| is that better is better. If more were better, a | | | | trust you again." When I tell this story in seminars, |
| four-hour class would be better than a two-hour | | | | the classic Black Belt Eyes vs Market Eyes |
| class. People are busy, and it's presumptuous to | | | | exchange reveals itself, as the owners' wives and |
| assume that your class is so important it has to | | | | girlfriends elbow them in the ribs. "I told you!" |
| take two hours of their day. Most people have 16 | | | | Some guys argue that sparring is important. I |
| waking hours per day. Two hours is more than 10 | | | | agree. However, how can you teach sparring to |
| percent of that day. Good instructors can teach a | | | | someone who drops out? |
| great class and produce outstanding black belts | | | | Today, people - especially women - are taught |
| using one-hour classes. If your classes are longer | | | | never to hit someone. We have to be patient and |
| than this, reduce them to one hour. Your students | | | | help them get comfortable with the idea of hitting |
| will not complain. They will thank you. | | | | and getting hit. We have to give them strategies |
| 6. Keeping archaic exam requirements that are | | | | to get out of the way of a bigger, faster |
| important to you, not the student. | | | | opponent and, most of all, we have to drill them |
| When I was a student, for part of your brown | | | | over and over so they are ready to spar when |
| belt exam you had to break two boards with a | | | | they reach that level. |
| reverse punch, round kick two boards, and do a | | | | 12. Setting heavy traditional requirements in the |
| running jump side kick over two people to break | | | | first year. |
| three boards. This was for the blue belt to fourth | | | | If your white belt class consists of traditional |
| degree (kyu or kup) brown belt and usually | | | | stances, blocks, and forms, you are going to have |
| occurred about a year into training. I opened my | | | | a tough time keeping students. Give your |
| school with the same requirements. | | | | students material they can use right away. |
| When the children's invasion began in the | | | | We pushed all of our traditional tae kwon do |
| mid-1980s, those requirements became a real | | | | techniques back to green belt. White, gold, and |
| problem. Eight- and 10 year olds have no business | | | | orange belt were spent on working on pad drills, |
| doing those types of breaks. So I dropped board | | | | practical self defense, sparring, and footwork drills. |
| breaking as a requirement and added | | | | The students loved it. They felt a sense of |
| board-breaking seminars that the students could | | | | competence right away. As important as they |
| pay to attend. I turned a negative element of the | | | | are, the traditional martial arts are very hard to |
| belt exam process into a fun profit center. To | | | | learn. By front-loading your curriculum with your |
| accomplish this, I had to overcome my Black Belt | | | | core traditional material, you put some of the |
| Eyes. | | | | most difficult techniques to learn with your most |
| 7. Conducting marathon exams. | | | | inexperienced students. |
| During the days of my marathon Saturday | | | | This is especially true for children. Forms were |
| exams, it seemed as though we measured the | | | | created by highly disciplined adults to be taught to |
| quality of an exam by the number of ambulance | | | | other highly disciplined adults. They were not |
| calls. I thought it was important for students to | | | | designed to be taught to eight-year old kids with |
| deal with the stress of the high-pressure, | | | | ADHD. |
| marathon exams because it would help them deal | | | | Teaching a new student a front stance and then |
| with the stress of self defense... which is just | | | | trying to layer on a down block-lunge punch is not |
| dumb. I also waited until enough people were | | | | only hard, but you almost have to apologize for |
| ready before I held the exam. This is classic Black | | | | the lack of practicality. We say things like, "You |
| Belt Eyes combined with the Control Factor. In | | | | would never really block this way, but this is a |
| time, I switched to monthly exams (stripes and | | | | block against a kick to the groin." That, my friend, |
| belts) that were held in class. This greatly | | | | are Black Belt Eyes in action. |
| increased retention and student progress - and | | | | 13. Having too many "shoulds" in your curriculum. |
| reduced stress. | | | | It's natural for a new school owner to have |
| 8. Displaying weapons on the wall or in the office. | | | | dreams of creating a great martial arts school. He |
| You may love weapons but, to the market, a wall | | | | dreams that his black belts will be the best, and |
| full of knives, swords, and spears looks like a | | | | people will flock to his school. When this |
| weapons cache. Mothers in particular do not | | | | enterprising black belt sits down to design the |
| respond well to the prospects of their darling child | | | | ultimate curriculum, he thinks to himself, "Hmmm. |
| being exposed to these instruments of death. | | | | My students should learn the traditional basics. |
| 9. Displaying photos of yourself hitting, getting hit, | | | | They should be able to do a form or two each |
| or breaking. | | | | belt. They should know the basic traditional |
| One school had a photo of the instructor being | | | | stances and blocks. They should be able to do all |
| front kicked, full power, in the groin. His Black Belt | | | | the kicks and punches. They should learn some |
| Eyes felt that the photo showed he could | | | | self defense. They should be able to do one-steps |
| withstand any blow. My Market Eyes made me | | | | and spar as well." |
| wince and turn away. There is nothing interesting, | | | | Do any of these sound like you? Then you may |
| appealing, or tasteful about such a photo. Take | | | | be guilty of black belt eyes. |
| down the 1989 photos of you, and replace them | | | | |