Karate Sales Letter - a Response

I received a sales letter for a karate club today. Apparently it's doing the rounds of the schools (I hope our host school doesn't allow it to circulate!) I have some concerns about the nature of these sales pitches.

The letter opens with a line to grab parents' attention (classic sales method). It asks questions about their children coping with being bullied, and the dangers of abduction. From the outset the letter is using fear to sell the classes.

The letter also points out that schools and parents might have difficulties "developing" children's potential. Excuse me?! Are these people telling me I'm incapable of looking after my own children? And the education system (our children's school) can't develop them either?

The club is offering a "program" (computer software?!) to develop children's potential. I'm always interested in how this works in a karate club, because I have a professional interest in developing people. Do they run workshops, or roleplaying situations, or what? Are the people who put the programme together qualified to do so? What is their educational background? Have they worked in academia? Do they provide counselling?

Why is it that other clubs - sports, dancing, etc - don't need to offer "life skills"? What is it about these karate classes that enable kids to cope with the "pressures" of daily life?

The letter goes on to state that they have proven successes in competition. If you're going to do karate, they reason, shouldn't you train with people who can take you to the top?

Well, that all depends on the aims of the club, the student, and the teachers. If you're a competitive sports club - that's a fair comment. But what about purely traditional martial arts like Aikido or Tai Chi? What about self-defence oriented schools? What's their measure?

But now I'm confused.... self defence, international competition, and Tony Robbins for kids? They must be good!!

Next comes the money-shot. Free uniforms, and free "consultations" (eh?) There's family discounts too.... but no price list.

Questions to ask instructors when enrolling at a new school.....

• Instructor credentials?
• Are they qualified to deliver what they say?
• How are their various programmes implemented?
• Are you contracted for minimum membership?
  
• How much does it cost?
• Are there any hidden fees? (Grades, badges, belts, certificates, "mandatory courses", etc)?
• What is the student-teacher ratio in terms of numbers?

Make sure you watch a number of classes before signing up. Better still, shop around and look for different schools. Don't just go by the numbers game, or by convenience. If they won't let you watch, walk away. If they can't answer those questions, walk away.

Finally check out the "vibe" of the club or school. Go with your instincts.

Caveat Emptor!

I don't see this kind of pitch as a threat to my own training, or my own group; and I don't see it as a threat to the other traditional clubs in the area.

We're not in the "selling" game. Our numbers come from word of mouth, positive thoughts, and a good energy in class. Our syllabus is robust, and the methods used to implement it in the kids' (and adult) classes work. We don't need to "teach discipline" because the classes are appropriately structured for the experience and age groups of the students. Our classes are small, we're not a business; so, as long as costs are covered we do OK.

I am thankful not to be a fulltime instructor!

Warriors Escrima

Some nice escrima footage. This is a great art and works well alongside karate. Grab yourself an escrima stick and study your kata movements, it opens up some interesting avenues!

I like the fluidity and form of this art. The empty-hand techniques sit well with karate especially if you study open-hand and circular techniques (think sanchin/tensho and similar).

New Writings

Nothing to do with martial arts, but if you're a computer music fan and you use linux check out my new blog thing.... http://www.tuxaudio.blogspot.com/

Push Hands Training

We've had a couple of push hands sessions which went down well with the seniors, including some beginners. We've been focussing on single push hands which is the first push hands exercise in our syllabus.

It trains stances, distance, body awareness, and develops sensitivity. It shows you how to operate the lower body and upper body in opposite directions, and shows the relationships between upper and lower. It's a good exercise for developing the body skills necessary to learn how to punch effectively.

We had a play with some applications too, showing how you can take the training method in different directions. Useful for close-in work, receiving and locking.

In order to be effective at push hands, students need to be properly relaxed. By the end of the first session everyone was certainly relaxed! Anyway, we have some interesting methods which can be used to encourage students to relax :) Push hands isn't necessarily an "easy" night's training. Tee hee...

Single push hands training continues...

System Upgrades

I've been upgrading my computer system and playing with my new Linux Mint 8.0 set up so I haven't done any writing recently. But its back to business-as-usual now so I'll try to get some articles up and running shortly.