Martial Arts Business Vol.1 No.3

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issue 3

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The Confidence Spiral

Rhaewa dC oi nmjbuartiy v&esl i a |b i lMO i t yU T |H G tUhAeR Dc oRnEfVi IdEeWn Sc e s p i r a l

A better way to train new instructors

Head Trauma & Liability Lessons from a tragic case

Marketing Essentials

key strategies 5 for creating new business

COMPETITION Are your students missing out on its benefits?

UPSKILL

Get real with your first-aid training

Jump the Cash Gap 3 ways to manage cash flow

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CONTENTS ISSUE 0103 // nov–dec 2017

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THE WARM-UP 06 Publisher’s Letter Blitz Publications CEO Silvio Morelli discusses the legal and moral issues of teaching pre-emptive striking

08 Movers & Shakers Martial arts industry news & insights

16 Gearing Up New products and services to help the martial arts business owner

18 Success Story Martial arts master and retailer Mr Peter Tan reveals his formula for success

22 Motivators Words of inspiration from Andrea Harkins

DOWN TO BUSINESS 24 5 Ways to Win Hapkido instructor and founder of Black Belt Business Nathan McDonald details five essential marketing strategies

28 Slow Flow?

Business coach and martial arts teacher Darren Kerby reveals key tips for maintaining healthy cash flow

30 Public Displays of Ascension The Institute of Martial Arts’ Graham McDonnell and Phil Britten discuss the merits of public gradings for marketing

4 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | contents

34 Too Close for Comfort?

Long-time Jujutsu instructor John Coles looks at how to prevent sexual harassment in our dojos

Regulars

38 The Way of Success Dave Kovar outlines five core beliefs that drive the success of his dojos

40 All Systems Go Kovars’ business systems specialist Dave Chamberlain explains how to conduct trial classes that will win more new members

42 The Big Questions Jujutsu instructor and finance professional John Coles discusses the benefits of creating a business plan

44 Martial Law Barrister William Lye reveals the danger of relying on waivers instead of insurance

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ON THE MAT 46 Matters of the Head A sobering look at a recent death on the mats, studies into head trauma and what it all means for martial arts instructors

52 The Confidence Spiral Kovar Systems founder Dave Kovar reveals a better way to train instructors

56 Tournaments vs Tradition HKMA’s Kyoshi Matt Charnley looks at the benefits of competition for students

EDITORIAL Managing Editor Ben Stone ben@blitzmag.com.au Editorial Assistant Molly Morelli REGULAR Contributors Matt Beecroft, Phil Britten, David Chamberlain, Nathan McDonald, Graham McDonnell, Andrea Harkins, Dave Kovar, William Lye, Melody Shuman, Ricardo Vargas, John Will ART Art Director Javie D’Souza Graphic Designers Diep Nguyen, James Steer, Zeenia Bhikha

60 Upskill: Get Real An interview with Real First Aid founder and paramedic Ben Krynski

Regulars

64 Small Talk Child-education specialist Melody Shuman breaks down the best way to break up age groups across your dojo classes

66 A Will & A Way BJJ/MMA pioneer John Will explains why discomfort is so vital for personal growth

DIGITAL & ONLINE Head of Digital Strategy Karl Nemsow Senior Web Developer David Ding Online Content EDITOR Christine Assirvaden Photography Charlie Suriano, Getty Images, Thinkstock Cover photo: James Carrett ADVERTISING SALES Aleksandra Blazeski – aleksandra@blitzmag.com.au MARKETING Marketing & Events Manager Frances Richetti frances@blitzmag.com.au

68 The Physical Conditioning expert Matt Beecroft on the benefits of training asymmetrically

72 Drill Master Kyoshi Matt Charnley shows three drills that get more out of your equipment

THE COOL DOWN 74 Peer to Peer US-based instructor Jason Sigler laments the reasons he no longer teaches karate lessons to children

Chief Executive Officer Silvio Morelli Chief Financial Officer Stefania Minuti ADMINISTRATION & CUSTOMER SERVICE Finance Min You Subscriptions Manager Angelina Modica Customer Service Angelina Modica, Frances Richetti Email: customerservice@blitzmag.com.au Phone: (03) 9574 8999 Fax: (03) 9574 8899 PO Box 4075, Mulgrave, 3170 Web: www.blitzmag.net Articles published in this issue of Martial Arts Business magazine are copyrighted © 2017 and are published by Blitz Publications and Multi-media Group Pty Ltd under license from Bushi Pty Ltd. Printing

76 Budo in Business Jeet Kune Do teacher and ethics professor Ricardo Vargas on how martial arts clubs can contribute to their communities

GRAPHIC IMPRESSIONS australia pty. ltd.

Ph: (03) 9574 9211

Disclaimer Opinions and viewpoints expressed in Martial Arts Business do not necessarily represent those of the editor, staff or publishers. Responsible instructors, individuals or organisations with something valid and relevant to say will, whenever possible, be given the opportunity. Reproduction of any material without written permission from the publishers is strictly prohibited.

The acceptance of advertising does not necessarily imply endorsement of services or products. All articles, photographs and other material submitted by mail for publication in Martial Arts Business must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Contributions are submitted at the sender’s risk and while all possible care will be exercised, we cannot accept responsibility for loss.

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contents | www.blitzmag.net • 5

publisher’s note SILVIO MORELLI

SHOULD WE STRIKE FIRST?

I

actually wrote this editorial for our most recent edition of Blitz Australasian Martial Arts magazine with students in mind, but it’s also a discussion that must be had among instructors — especially those who teach pre-emptive striking for self-defence.

Since a 2013 study revealed that more than 90 Australians had died from so-called one-punch attacks — aka ‘coward punches’ — since 2000, the death toll has continued to rise. And while the mandatory sentencing laws for one-punch killings now enforced in several states may help protect more people, they also raise questions for those of us who have been taught that the first strike is often the best defence.

Recently, a young man, Hugh Garth, was convicted for ‘unlawful assault causing death’. He had punched and killed another man outside a friend’s 21st birthday party in Sydney’s west in 2014 — now, at the age of 25, he faces at least eight years’ jail. Meanwhile, Melbourne 22-year-old Joseph Esmaili is in custody awaiting trial — and potentially a minimum 10-year sentence — over the death of surgeon and father Patrick PritzwaldStegmann. The heart specialist was felled by a coward’s punch earlier this year simply for asking a young man to stop smoking outside Box Hill Hospital. To add context to the latter incident, this news comes amid growing concerns and startling statistics showing that first-responders such as paramedics and firefighters face the prospect of violence every time they go to work, as do many in the health services sector.

What these tragic stories tell us, in terms of how we go about teaching self-protection to our students, could be seen as a bit contradictory. Firstly, we tell them to be aware that random violence is ever present and that just one punch could kill or disable them.

Secondly, in order to ensure they don’t become victims of such behaviour, they must be better prepared to deal with the aggressors, which means mastering the skill of pre-emptive action — i.e. attacking before they get attacked.

The old Japanese phrase ‘one punch kill’ has long been associated with effective karate, but this translation wasn’t literal: it didn’t mean that every strike thrown in self-defence was meant to kill, but rather that it was powerful and accurate enough to incapacitate an attacker and end an assault immediately. By the same token, the world’s most highly regarded reality-based self-defence instructors

6 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | EDITORIAL

— including those who provide training to the lawenforcers themselves — advocate the pre-emptive strike, which is the modern-day equivalent of the ‘onepunch kill’ concept. The likes of reality-based training pioneer Geoff Thompson, Senshido founder Richard Dimitri and many other experts in the field teach that striking first is often the best — and sometimes only — way to avoid becoming the victim of a serious assault.

Of course, their instruction and our implementation (in a worst-case scenario) of this strike-first strategy is merely about survival — the intent is never to permanently injure or kill the attacker. However, that doesn’t mean a death isn’t possible as a result of taking this action in self-defence. It is imperative that this fact is kept in mind when teaching pre-emptive actions, and when our students rehearse them in the types of scenarios they might face in real life.

If you are teaching first-strike responses to imminent assault, you must ensure that students are clear on the circumstances in which it may be necessary and appropriate to ‘go pre-emptive’, and aware of the possible consequences for both themselves and an aggressor, who might later be presented as the ‘victim’ in a legal scenario. It is up to you to discuss at length with students the social, moral and legal implications of ‘going pre-emptive’.

That said, you also don’t want them second-guessing themselves when in immediate physical danger for fear of possible legal consequences. That is why we all need to think ahead about the consequences of punching someone in the face. Students must consider not only the circumstances that could (or should) trigger their pre-emptive strike, but what possible alternative actions they could take for varying threat levels. Poke an eye and run? Drop the attacker while controlling their fall?

Slam them in the solar plexus, rather than the head, with an ippon ken (single-knuckle strike)? It’s important we teach viable and useful options, not just a KO punch.

The pre-emptive strike is an essential survival strategy, but if our students are to use it the right way, we must first teach it the right way.

Silvio Morelli, CEO of Blitz Publications & Multi-Media Group, co-founded Blitz magazine in the late 1980s.

Morelli is a lifelong martial artist and founder of Geido Kai freestyle karate.

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movers & shakers

Grapplers gather for Machado visit More than 360 competitors gathered at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) in September to test their jiu-jitsu skills at the annual Australasian Machado Gathering. The event, held each September to coincide with a visit from US-based Professor Rigan Machado, 8th Degree, drew students and instructors from more than 60 academies.

With eight different divisions and a large number of second-generation BJJ Black-belts on the mats, the action was fast and highly entertaining for the solid crowd of spectators at MSAC. Bouts were run according to the IBJJF’s point-based submission rules, with matches running for five, six, eight or 10 minutes depending on the rank. Competitors are awarded points for acquiring positions of control (e.g. mount, side-control, knee-ride, back-control) over opponents or via execution of successful takedowns or reversals (sweeps). The ultimate goal, however, is to force the opponent to submit via a choke or joint-lock, which takes precedence over any accumulated points.

Organiser and head of BJJ Australia John Will reflected on the art’s development since he first established it in Australia some 30 years ago, having since fostered the developments of more than 100 local BJJ Black-belts.

“The BJJ competition scene has enjoyed phenomenal growth over the past few decades,” said Will. “Ever since the advent of the UFC, BJJ has gained a level of popularity that is surprising; especially considering the challenging nature of the training regimes. There are competitions in the USA and Europe that attract thousands of competitors, such is the growth in interest around BJJ and submission grappling sports.”

Will, a long-time friend and representative of Professor Machado, also paid tribute to his mentor’s role in establishing the art Down Under.

“The BJJ landscape in Australasia traces its lineage back to the Machado brothers, originally of Brazil. Professor Rigan Machado was the original owner of the Barra Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro and held the (yet unbroken) record of over 350 consecutive wins in competition,” said Will.

“Australia’s original BJJ academy took root in Geelong but now, the fruit of that initial planting can be found in every state and territory of Australia and on both north and south islands of New Zealand. With over 100 second-generation Black-belts now teaching and training Down Under, Machado BJJ enjoys a level of camaraderie and solidarity that remains truly special on the martial arts landscape.”

Next year’s Gathering is set for 8 September 2018 and Prof. Machado will also run seminars around that date.

Black-belts battle at The Gathering

John Will & Rigan Machado (front, centre) with BJJ Australia’s senior Black-belts

8 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | THE Warm-Up

Could your team of instructors rival the fitness of our emergency services personnel?

Get climbing for a good cause The 10th anniversary of the race to the top of Melbourne’s tallest building will see fit folk from across Australia and overseas raise much-needed funds for charities Whitelion and Interplast on Sunday 19 November.

One of the highest vertical races in the world, the annual Eureka Climb challenges participants to walk, run or climb up 88 levels of stairs (1,642 in total) and 300 m of vertical elevation to reach the Skydeck – the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere.

Defending champion Mark Bourne, who has won the last six events in a row and holds the record in the Elite Men’s category, will be back to defend his title. Female record-holder Alice McNamara will attempt to capture her seventh title since 2010.

Crowd favourite the ‘Emergency Services Challenge’ will see Ambulance Victoria, SES and Victoria Police teams attempt to catch the unbeaten Melbourne Fire Brigade ‘Rescue Me’ team in this category.

Participants can enter individually or create a team of four, and there will be a separate un-timed race in a different stairwell for those not ready for the big race.

Last year’s event raised more than $260,000. To get involved, visit www.eurekaclimb.com.au.

Need help to kick bad diet habits?

A CSIRO study has analysed the diet-related personality types of more than 90,000 Australian adults to answer the question: why is it so hard to maintain a healthy diet?

With almost two in three Australian adults overweight or obese, the resulting CSIRO report — which identifies

five key diet-related personality types in what is Australia’s largest ever diet and personality survey — will be welcomed by many Aussies.

“For anyone who has found eating to lose weight difficult, your personal diet type, daily habits and lifestyle factors could provide the answer to why some weight loss methods haven’t worked for you in the past,” said the report’s co-author, CSIRO behavioural scientist Dr Sinead Golley.

The five most common diet personality types found across the surveyed population, including differences in weight status, diet behaviour, gender and generation, were: The Thinker (37 per cent): Predominantly women (86 per cent), Thinkers tend to over-analyse their progress and have unrealistic expectations, which can result in a sense of failure that derails the diet.

The Craver (26 per cent): Cravers find it hard to resist temptation, and 58 per cent of them are obese.

The Socialiser (17 per cent): Food and alcohol play a big role in the Socialiser’s active social life, so flexibility is key to maintaining a healthy diet.

The Foodie (16 per cent): Foodies are most likely to be a normal weight. Passionate about food, this type has the healthier diet with a high variety of vegetables in their diet.

Alcohol makes up one-third of their discretionary food and beverage intake.

The Freewheeler (4 per cent): Spontaneous and impulsive eaters, Freewheelers have the poorest quality diet. Mostly men, Freewheelers avoid planning meals and 55 per cent are obese.

The CSIRO has now set up an online diet type survey designed to provide behavioural insights to increase a person’s potential to successfully lose weight. According to Dr Golley, “If you’re frustrated by unsuccessful weight loss attempts, having a better understanding of your personal triggers and diet patterns can be the crucial piece of the puzzle.”

To learn more or to assist your students in their weight-loss efforts, visit www.diettypes.com.au

The Jet lands Down Under US kickboxing and karate legend Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez will make his annual visit Down Under in October, teaching seminars around the country. Hosted by Sydney-based taekwondo master James Sheedy, Urquidez will return for the eighth year in a row.

Urquidez is a kickboxing pioneer and undefeated champion who held five world titles before his retirement from fighting in 1993, winning 63 title fights — and 59 fights by knockout — in a career that began in 1974. Also a highly regarded fight choreographer on Hollywood films, Urquidez was recognised for his contribution to the evolution of full-contact karate and at the Martial Arts SuperShow in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Urquidez will hold 12 training seminars in his Ukidokan karate/kickboxing system and numerous speaking engagements across NSW, Vic. And Qld between 14 and 29 October.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to train with one of the most exciting and renowned martial artists in the modern era,” said Master Sheedy of his kickboxing mentor. “His skill set and experience is an asset to any fighter who is making their way in MMA or kickboxing…or in fact any student training in any martial arts system.”

If you don’t want to miss out on attending or hosting a seminar with ‘The Jet’, head straight over to https://www. facebook.com/bennythejet2017Oztour/ or contact James Sheedy (0403 985 099 or jamessheedypds@gmail.com).

‘The Jet’ teaching a seminar in Sydney with James Sheedy

THE WARM-UP | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 9

movers & shakers

Train with Jeet Kune Do original Chris Kent Leading American Jeet Kune Do authority Chris Kent will visit Sydney for a series of open seminars in November. With more than 40 years of experience in the art developed by the legendary Bruce Lee, Kent has gained international recognition for his knowledge and leadership in perpetuating JKD training and philosophy.

In 1973, Kent became the youngest and final member admitted into Guro Dan Inosanto’s now fabled ‘Backyard JKD’ group during Bruce Lee’s lifetime. He studied with Inosanto for over 13 years, travelling extensively around the US and abroad while serving as Inosanto’s personal assistant at seminars and exhibitions. In 1982, Kent became one of the first students to be awarded the prestigious title of Full Instructor under Inosanto.

Alongside his continuous study of Jeet Kune Do, Kent has educated himself in exercise physiology, kinesiology and human performance, and has authored/co-authored three popular books on Bruce Lee’s art (Encyclopedia of Jeet Kune Do, Jeet Kune Do: The Textbook and Jeet Kune Do Kickboxing) as well as producing three series of highly regarded training videos. His latest book, Liberate Yourself! A Guide to Personal Freedom focuses on how to apply to daily life the philosophy of self-actualisation espoused by Lee. Today, Kent is sought after as a teaching consultant, assisting other JKD instructors with training protocols, teaching methodology and curriculum design.

“It’s not just about teaching an art — it’s about becoming a great teacher,” said Kent.

For more information on training with Kent, contact David Rasko via email: rasquito@iinet.net.au

Female fighters needed for national survey University of Wollongong’s Brooke Brisbine is seeking high-performance female athletes to participate in a study on breast-related issues and bra-wearing habits among sportswomen.

The survey — which is confidential and takes only around 10 minutes to complete — is being conducted as part of a research thesis in the Movement Science discipline, in concert with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). To be eligible, participants must be over 18 years of age and competing at a national or international level in their sport.

For more information, contact Brooke Brisbine at brooke.brisbine@ ausport.gov.au. To participate in the survey, visit https://survey. au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_dhG1ZZsJSkA0HWd.

Chris Kent in teaching mode

Top kettlebell course coming to Adelaide The ‘big daddy’ of kettlebell instruction certifications is coming to Adelaide, SA for the first time ever on December 1–3. The comprehensive, three-day Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certification (RKC) course will be taught by RKC Master Instructor and Blitz strength and conditioning columnist Matt Beecroft.

The course will focus on mastering the essentials before going into detailed instruction in performing and teaching advanced kettlebell lifts. “I am super stoked to be running [the course] in my city. You will discover the most effective, safe and efficient ways to use, teach and coach the core kettlebell lifts including the swing, [Turkish] get-up, front squat, military press, clean and snatch,” said Beecroft. “It’s a hands-on course and you will be both coached and will coach others, to facilitate your learning process.”

Participants will also learn how to prep for lifts, troubleshoot technique and incorporate kettlebells into current programming to maximise results.

RKC has been the leading kettlebell certification in the world since 2001 and was responsible for bringing kettlebell training to light in the US and other Western nations, thanks to the pioneering efforts of founder John Du Cane and ex-Soviet military PT instructor Pavel Tsatsouline.

For further information, visit Master RKC Matt Beecroft www.dragondoor.com/workshops

10 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | THE Warm-Up

Wrestler seeks help for Games Scottish-Aussie wrestler Connor Evans is looking to get a grip on some funding to support his Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games bid. The 24-year-old Gladstone Park resident has won 22 national titles, numerous competitions in South-East Asia and has twice been Oceania Champion. He also wrestled for the Scottish and British national teams before becoming an Australian citizen in 2012.

Named Australia’s ‘digital ambassador’ for Commonwealth Games wrestling, Evans intends to promote wrestling and raise awareness of the medal-winning opportunities of the wrestling team for Australia. However, it is funding that he needs to pursue his Gold Coast dream.

“Up to now, I have had to use my own savings and sporting grants to enable me to travel and compete at the elite level,” he said.

“There is a limit to this because I work full time as an apprentice electrician.

Unfortunately, I shall have to put my apprenticeship on hold to focus on training to get into medal contention for the Games and hopefully the Olympics in Japan in 2020.”

Connor Evans grapples at the Oceania Championships Commonwealth Games wrestling hope Connor Evans in action

To stay in the hunt for Games gold, Evans must attend upcoming training camps and competitions in France, Finland, South Africa and Turkmenistan.

“I need sponsors to assist me in putting Australia on the wrestling map,” he added.

“It is tough, but there are many opportunities sponsors can gain from backing sportspeople in their endeavours. We just need them to give us a fair go at success.”

Check out Evans at www.facebook.com/ connorevansfreestylewrestler/

Anniversary for Practical Wing Chun in Queensland Practical Wing Chun Australia – Queensland, led by Sifu Jack Leung, recently celebrated its fourth anniversary. With Leung overseeing six kwoons around the state — at Underwood, Sunnybank, Woolloongabba, Chermside, Southport and Robina — he believes it’s the organisation’s positive energy that has made it one of the fastestgrowing martial art schools in Queensland.

“Positive energy attracts like-minded people. Training itself has to be fun,” said Sifu Leung.

PWC has become known for its diverse approach to training, regularly running unusual workshops, including the Self Defence on Public Transport seminar, which saw training sessions held on a bus

and a passenger aeroplane booked specially for the purpose. Leung also recently held joint ‘Wing Chun x Silat’ seminars with Guro Evan Tai in Brisbane and Melbourne — an idea that came about following the positive response to Leung’s 2016 workshop ‘Wing Chun x Systema’.

Based in Leung’s orginal home city of Hong Kong, The Practical Wing Chun school of kung fu was founded by Grandmaster Wan Kam Leung, a student of the late Grandmaster Yip Man. Now a disciple of Wan’s having undertaken the traditional Chinese ceremony, Leung started training with his sifu in 1996 and began teaching a small class from his own garage in 2013 before opening his first official club.

Sifu Leung (seated third row, 11th from left) with PWCQ members

THE WARM-UP | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 11

movers & shakers

Spreading KABOSI like a boss taught at 27 locations across Gujarat (Anand) and Kolkata and took an intensive instructor workshop, grading another six teachers in the system.

“During the trip, we assisted in capturing a live cobra, got

our instructor certifications in laughing yoga and did demonstrations in four colleges, with the last college having close to 900 students in attendance,” said de Matos.

“In the colleges I taught

De Matos with his Indian instructor team

Stay optimistic for speedy recovery, say scientists Positive thinking can help seriously ill patients recover faster and enable disaster victims to overcome the psychological impact of a traumatic experience, according to University of Sydney Business School research.

The findings, revealed in the paper Cultivating optimism: How to frame your future during a health challenge, are seen as an important breakthrough in rehabilitating people with serious physical and mental illness.

“People who are more optimistic about their recovery when they are ill are more likely to recover,” said researcher Professor Donnel Briley. “They’re more likely to have positive mental health, and they’re more likely to have a range of positive physiological outcomes.”

Professor Briley also said that the most effective thoughts were those that focused on future activities or behaviours.

“Mentally simulating your future is incredibly important to optimism,” he said. “For example, if I’m ill, I might want to exercise more and by imagining

myself exercising more, it actually makes it more likely that I will exercise more in the future.”

The research team, which also included Stanford University’s Professor Jennifer Aaker and the University of Houston’s Assistant Professor Melanie Rudd, monitored levels of optimism in ill and traumatised people through a series of experiments and “different variables”.

In one interesting twist for martial artists (grapplers take note), physiological tests revealed a link between optimism and grip strength: “…we included in one study a hand-grip task and we found that people squeezed it longer and more vigorously the more optimistic they were about their futures,” Professor Briley said.

The upshot of the study? Not only try to stay optimistic, but help others do the same when they are struggling.

“People who are suffering from a critical illness — cancer, for example — or some other debilitating disease really need optimism in order to recover and live a better life,” concluded Professor Briley.

12 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | THE Warm-Up

about women’s rights and basic self-preservation (awareness, avoidance, using the voice, body language) to self-defence skills including releases, escapes, using surrogate weapons, etc.”

De Matos expects India’s KABOSI membership to reach 500 active students by December and four times that within a year — such is the growing market for martial arts and self-defence there, with an increasing number of Australian instructors making the journey. De Matos will also train some law-enforcement groups, as he’s been doing in Australia, East Timor and the Philippines for many years. He will return to the Philippines island of Boracay in November to continue his regular delivery of security skills training to military units.

KABOSI, which is an acronym standing for ‘kali, boxing, silat’ — the arts in which the founder has been training for several decades.

Staying optimistic when injured can be hard, but research says it’s worth the effort

thinkstock

Perth-based martial arts instructor and security services trainer Mannie de Matos recently returned from India, where he has established three schools in his KABOSI Mixed Weapon System.

During the 10-day trip, de Matos

So, you wanna be an Action Star?

Aussie martial artists and action-inclined actors and athletes have a chance to win a free stunt-training course and land an action film contract with the second instalment of Kapow TV’s Action Star Competition.

Action Star, which launched last year in association with Sydney production house ANIMA Studios, will hold open auditions in the NSW capital on 9–10 December. Finalists will then take part in a reality TV series that will document their journey through a twoweek stunt course at the Australian Stunt Academy on Queensland’s Gold Coast, with the winner receiving further training in the USA with legendary sword master and stunt coordinator Anthony De Longis.

“Action Star is a fast-track opportunity for existing and new-to-industry performers to break into the action film and television industry, offering specialist action training, exposure through a seven-part TV series, and roles via a studio contract,” said organiser Glenn Coxon, himself a Guiness World Record holder for board-breaking.

The producers of the show have teamed up with ANIMA Studios, which is offering the film contracts, and Melbourne’s Kapow TV Productions, which will produce the reality TV series.

“The show is looking for male and female performers, with potential for up to four studio contracts to be filled,” said Coxon. “[ANIMA Studios] will not be limited to using winners from the show, rather they

are looking to find those with unique screen presence, and as such the studio is looking for several more roles to fill.”

ANIMA Studios’ director and experienced action choreographer Trung Ly will offer pre-show tuition sessions to all registered performers. “This will help ensure all performers deliver quality for the TV show and have their best chance of success in the audition competition,” said Coxon, who also encouraged prospective entrants to make note of the performance tips on offer at www.facebook/ActionStar.TV. The reality TV show will begin filming during the initial trials and the top 12 performers will then be filmed while undertaking their professional stunt training, as well as during some of their initial roles with ANIMA Studios. The show is scheduled to screen on FITE TV, with more agreements currently in negotiation.

In addition to the training, the dozen finalists will undertake several Action Star challenges designed to “test and develop the overall character of the performer as a prospective Action Star,” said Coxon.

“All of these elements will be judged and contribute to the finalist’s overall point score.”

The finals will be held in March 2018 before a live audience at a Sydney venue yet to be announced.

For entry information, visit www. actionstar.tv.

The 2016 Junior Action Star winner, Jared Abbott

Australia’s Anastasia Cariotis with dad and coach Master Spiridon Cariotis

USMA Taekwondo

Oz team bags Asia Taekwon-do medals An Australian team joined hundreds of competitors from around the world at the 2017 ITF Asia Taekwon-Do Championships and Korea Open Festival in early August, returning with a haul of medals.

The three-day event and competition, run by the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), was held in Incheon, Republic of Korea. Despite facing teams from China, USA, Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Czech Republic, Russia, Argentina, Australia, Malaysia and others, the Aussies definitely left their mark, taking home seven medals out of eight events entered.

Master Spiridon Cariotis from Victoria’s USMA Taekwondo had plenty to be happy about, with club competitors Anastasia Cariotis and Michael Luu scoring numerous podium finishes between them.

Cariotis won gold in the Black-belt Lightweight (<55kg) sparring division and silver in Black-belt Patterns, while teammate Luu won silver in the Junior Male (Under 16) Black-belt Welterweight (<60kg) sparring and gold in his patterns division.

THE WARM-UP | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 13

movers & shakers

Europe gets RAW Reality-based self-defence instructor Jim Armstrong of Melbourne’s Raw Combatives completed a small tour of Europe in July, giving a total of six seminars in Ireland, Finland, Belgium and Germany.

Armstrong taught the base principles and concepts of his BareBones Combatives syllabus, with all seminars focusing on his ‘Base Triangle of Being’ concept, encompassing mind, body and skill. The workshops drew a variety of martial artists as well as people with little to no prior experience, and a diverse mix of ages and professions, including a bodyguard, SWAT members, policemen, paramedics and security personnel. The final seminar in Cologne, Germany saw participants come from several countries and a variety of backgrounds including Street Combatives, Senshido, krav maga, Shotokan karate, Jeet Kune Do, Filipino martial arts and taijiquan.

Cologne host Dominik Lansen said Armstrong’s warm-up exercises were designed to challenge the balance before grappling and push-hands drills were used to impart principles of structure, generation of power and use of the body’s different tools, from various hand attacks to knee-strikes and kicks. Along the way, all were introduced to

Armstrong (rear, centre) with his krav maga hosts in Cologne, Germany

Armstrong’s unusual concept to help create the mindset for effective striking: “You’re just a matchstick man and my bare bones go inside/through you.”

“Jim said that this is a way of learning with the use of your brain to reduce movement or make movements smaller so that you cannot see a movement in the hip but the punch still puts your teeth on edge,” said Lansen, who added that the practitioners of Chinese internal martial arts present saw similarities in the Aussie’s method of making movements simultaneously smaller and more powerful.

“You think you have been hit hard…think again. His knowledge of body mechanics is just mind-blowing,” reported Liege (Belgium)

participant Andhers Tomi. “And still you have a lot of laughs during training… The feeling he creates and the passion he teaches with is amazing.”

Students at the seminars also practised forms of man-handling, ‘soft control’ with no space, takedowns (creating holes for the opponent to fall into) and different push responses. “[They] learnt a different way of how their mind can communicate with their body, thus increasing the speed at which one learns a new skill through the understanding of principles and being,” said Armstrong. “I’m looking forward to next year’s tour being even bigger and better.”

Karate fraternity turns out for Taira Sensei A visit from Okinawa’s Masaji Taira Sensei, 9th Dan, over the week of 19–27 August, drew more than 95 Goju-ryu karateka from as far afield as Thailand, Queensland, Canberra, South Australia, regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne and Sydney.

Taira Sensei is chairman of Okinawa Goju Ryu Kenkyukai and renowned worldwide for his understanding and development of kata bunkai (applications).

This is the seventh year running that Taira has visited Australian shores and treated participants to insights into Goju’s many kata as they apply to combat. “[He taught] applications that started with Gekisai kata and amazingly evolved to Suparinpei, demonstrating the many correlations between each and every kata,” said Melbourne host and branch chief Pete Keogh Sensei. “Once again, he left us thrilled with the response of Aussie karateka and their willingness to empty their cups and look beyond their regular training.

“Taira Sensei left Melbourne and Sydney participants scratching their heads and wondering, ‘How did he do that?’”

14 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | THE Warm-Up

Taira had earlier conducted his annual Gold Coast seminar in June at Southern Cross Martial Arts’ Honbu Dojo, hosted

by Gold Coast branch instructors Damien Martin and Hannah Thornton. Forty participants ranging from White-belt up to 7th Dan came from affiliated dojos across Australia, and Taira’s original Australian student, Kyoshi Bryson Keenan, flew in from Indonesia too. All participants were from dojos affiliated with Taira Sensei’s Okinawa Goju Ryu Kenkyukai.

“It was a fabulous weekend of training and camaraderie that was followed by one of Taira Sensei’s largest gradings in Australia to date,” said Martin. Among the 20 people promoted, local karate stalwarts Paul Tomassini, Steve Nedelkos, Sinn Chew (Brisbane branch chief), Damien Martin and Pete Keogh were all awarded the title of 6th Dan Renshi, while Kyoshi Bryson Keenan received his 8th Dan. Taira Sensei will return Down Under in March 2018.

Taira Sensei (middle row, sixth from left) with Aussie branch chiefs and students. To his left are Bryson Keenan and Steve Nedelkos, and on his right sit Pete Keogh and Damien Martin

Top aikidoka is about to land Down Under

Aussie eskrima master teaches Chinese cops

Chida Shihan during his visit to Australia in 2010.

Read an interview with him at www.blitzmag.net

Adelaide-based eskrima (stick-fighting) world champion Senior Grandmaster Vince Palumbo recently conducted a series of training sessions for Chinese law enforcement groups in Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Yangzhou, Mianyang, Qingdao and Macau.

The 30-hour workshops, each conducted over five days, saw Palumbo teach officers how to use an extendable baton to control and restrain offenders, keep aggressors at bay and deliver non-lethal stop-hits.

“The officers are taught how to keep an attacker away from them simply by utilising all the length of an extendable baton so as to maintain a safety buffer zone,” said Palumbo, “but should that assailant bridge the gap in an attempt to attack, then these officers are also taught how to deliver ‘humane’ extendable-baton strikes to the attacker’s outer thigh, which will disable him or her very quickly.”

It took the Aussie grandmaster eight years to attract the attention of Chinese officials by performing regular full-contact stick-fighting demonstrations — opposite his student and fellow world champ Master John Moore — at various wushu festivals in some of China’s biggest stadiums. Palumbo was ultimately still required to prove his skills for China’s law enforcement chiefs by stick-fighting 30 members from special operations police and army special forces groups at the Hangzhou Police College. He fought each of his much younger opponents for one round, with both fighters protected only by a stick-fighting helmet, padded gloves and a groin cup. Palumbo’s performance saw him become the first Westerner ever certified as an extendable-baton instructor for the China National Police Force.

Palumbo has taught similar baton workshops around Australia and in other countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Poland, UK, USA and Italy.

With more than 40 years’ experience in martial arts, the longtime security professional and full-contact stick-fighting world champion teaches skills from the Filipino arts of Cacoy Doce Pares eskrima, pangamot jiu-jitsu and boxing, as learned from his late Taira Sensei (middle row, sixth from left) with Aussie branch chiefs and students instructor, Supreme Grandmaster Ciriaco ‘Cacoy’ Canete.

charlie suriano

GM Vince Palumbo (R) receives certification from China’s national police

Aikido Renshinkai chief instructor Tsutomu Chida Shihan, 8th Dan — formerly among the top instructors at Yoshinkan Aikido Honbu (headquarters) in Tokyo — will visit Melbourne for seminars and a public demonstration in October.

Aikido Yoshinkai NSW chief instructor Darren Friend, a 6th Dan Shihan who trained under Chida in Tokyo, said his visit is an opportunity not to be missed: “Chida Sensei is renowned for having a soft touch with a hard edge. His aikido truly seems effortless but when felt it is amazing…I cannot urge people enough to make the most of this opportunity to train with a Yoshinkan pillar,” said Friend.

Having begun his training in 1969, Chida Sensei was an uchi deshi (live-in disciple) of the late Gozo Shioda, founder of the Yoshinkan dojo, where Tokyo’s riot police undertake the infamous Senshusei course. The Yoshinkan style of aikido is renowned for its combat-oriented approach, having been established in the early days of aikido’s development, before its founder O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba transformed his battlefieldborn aiki-jutsu into a more philosophical practice.

Chida Shihan will give a public demonstration in Melbourne on 20 October — for full details, visit www.aikidoshudokan.com

The Warm-UP | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 15

gearing up

Tans Training Partner

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With long sleeves for full under-gi coverage, the Mizuchi is made of a breathable fabric with thermoregulating and wicking properties to keep chafing and rashes at bay while working up a sweat on the mats.

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He’s the training partner you’ve always wanted: silent, sturdy and highly durable, the Tans Training Partner can really take a hit. Designed to enable full-contact strikes and anatomically correct targeting, the life-like rubber striking dummy features a water-filled base to keep it in place and is height-adjustable to suit. Optional extra padding above the base (as shown here) is available to increase lower striking area and protect against injury from missed hits.

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Recommended for those who suffer from swelling and soreness after exercise, the Firefly can reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) within 24 hours of high-intensity exercise. It’s also useful for offsetting the effects of sitting for long periods, such as during long flights, drives or sedentary jobs.

Price: $59.95 pair (inc. delivery) Supplier: www.elitesportrecovery.com.au

16 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | THE Warm-Up

Look past the legends and learn about the real ninja of feudal Japan with this entertaining, illustrated guide from the man who first brought the art to the United States, Stephen K. Hayes. In feudal Japan, ninja were feared for their skill in espionage, stealth, close combat and, particularly, assassination — traits that made them world famous, and yet ninjutsu remains the least understood of the Japanese martial arts.

In The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art, Black Belt Hall of Fame member Hayes reveals the secrets that lead to the perception of the ninja as warriors of almost sorcerous skill: the art of invisibility, special tools and weapons, and the psychological training that gave the ninja a unique advantage. A comprehensive collection of historical and cultural ninja facts, the book covers the ninja’s origins and power structures, and their decline; ninjutsu in the modern world; the elements of unarmed combat and the ninja weapons and their uses; the ninja’s stealth and disguise methods, and their espionage and infiltration tactics; and the spiritual beliefs and psychology of the ninja clans.

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Building Something from Nothing Success Story | Peter Tan

Mr Peter Tan is one of the most widely known and well-respected characters in the Victorian martial arts community. Having arrived in Melbourne straight from a Thai refugee camp back in the 1970s, he set about doing the only thing he knew — teaching martial arts. Now, he is in his 34th year of running TANS Martial Arts Supplier, a company with several stores and a golden reputation.

A

s it happens, Peter Tan — then known by his Cambodian name of Ech Neng Tan — became an Aussie almost by luck. After fleeing the carnage wrought on his home country of Cambodia by mass-murdering despot Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge army, Tan was knocked back by several countries before he finally headed Down Under.

“I believe I was meant to come to Australia; it was God sending me here instead of another country,” Mr Tan says. “Why I say this is when the Khmer Rouge came to power, I fled Cambodia and while I was staying at the refugee camp in Thailand, I only applied to go to Japan or Korea, in hopes to further my training. My youngest uncle in Paris tried to sponsor me to go to Paris but it wasn’t successful, as another person took my name twice! Finally I received a letter from my cousin in Australia and the immigration accepted my application and welcomed me.

“Australia is a great country. It was hard to apply and hard to get in, but now looking back it was definitely a blessing and I was very fortunate to start living my life here.”

Much like his entry into the country, good fortune played a role in Tan starting the business that would go on to support the next generation of his family as well as the martial arts professionals of Melbourne and beyond. Just five years into his new life, in 1984, Tan was encouraged by one of his first students to start selling martial arts goods.

“This martial arts supplier store was not my idea; I was purely just a martial artist and only knew how to teach,” Tan recalls. “I started to teach in Cambodia when I was 16 years old, teaching the police, doctors, nurses and at schools. When I started teaching in Australia, it was my second student, Rod Paine, who suggested for me to start this venture. He arranged all the students at the time to help and set the store up from painting, shelving, laying carpet, signage and stocking the store…he did it all. He also taught me how to run it, then my wife and I only stayed in the store to just serve customers.

“Rod’s valuable advice was that we must be honest and do the right thing and we will be okay.”

18 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | The warm-UP

Peter Tan in his judo and taekwondo school, 2017

TANS Ringwood store today

TANS wasn’t an overnight success, however.

Having no business experience, the Tans worked long hours to learn the ins and outs of retail as well as to understand the needs of their customer base. “It took us a long time, a lot of hard work, determination and never giving up to get to where we are now,” says the now-seasoned proprietor.

As well as hard work, martial arts knowledge played a big part. “Having martial art experience in various arts has definitely contributed to who we are today. The way we train and think is all relatable,” Mr Tan explains. “You have to understand the customers and love what they love. Like we always say, ‘we love what we do because you love what you do’. Even though we haven’t trained in all arts, we believe they all hold our utmost respect, hence why we aim to provide for all martial art practitioners of all styles.”

Tan’s drive to succeed owed a lot to his history and the struggles he’d endured as a refugee from a young age.

“I came to Australia in a plain, torn T-shirt and a pair of pants lent from a friend. When I arrived, my cousin saw me at the arrival gates and didn’t want to accept me as a relative. Not only did I look like I did, he said, ‘When you fight here, you go to prison.’ He also made it a point to say, ‘You and I are not related.’

Many years later, he believes that saying that to me then is what has made me successful today. Maybe it was true…his words back then made me work

The Tan family: (back, L–R) Valentina, Catherine, Elysia, Mrs Tan, Mr Tan, Winnie and Philip; (front) Thalia and Anna

harder and strive to be better than what he thought I would become.”

On arrival in Australia, Tan was adopted by an Australian family, Mr and Mrs Sidney Wright. Both have now passed away, but the lessons they left him remain strong. “While I was living with them my dad (Mr Wright) said, ‘Working hard never killed you,’” Tan remembers. “Following his own advice, he worked

The warm-UP | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 19

Tan Talks

Shop

Peter, retail businesses that have remained successful through the Internet era are those that have managed to adapt to developing online shopping habits. Was it an easier transition because TANS, like many other MA suppliers, already did a lot of business by phone/mail order, given the niche product and lack of local suppliers for most people?

Yes, retail business nowadays is set very strong online. The transition is always in progress as trends continuously change…it did affect us in the early stages but we strived to keep up with the times while also keeping to who and what we are. TANS are not here to compete with other martial art suppliers, we are here to service martial artists Australia-wide. Whether they come in store, call up or email us for advice on products and training, our knowledge and our martial arts experience helps deliver this. and studied hard his whole life, graduating uni in his eighties, passing away at 97 years old.”

Family means a lot to the Tans and their business, and always has done. Today, two of the Tans’ children, Philip and Catherine, run the stores. “Both work very hard to keep this business going…we work as a team and we help each other to move mountains,” says Tan. “More members of the family in the business makes it run better, with the same passion, vision and philosophy.”

Part of that philosophy involves giving back to the community, not only locally but in Tan’s country of birth.

When catastrophic floods hit Cambodia in 2011 and 2013, affecting 21 of its 23 provinces, the effect was devastating and the Tans leapt to help. “I banded together support from businesses, families and Tans customers near and far to help raise funds to help this cause,” says Tan. “I also try to help other charities such as supporting an orphanage centre in Siem Reap, supporting the Cambodia Vision, and after the Nepal earthquake we donated footwear and clothing sent in a container. We also supported the Unite and Fight Cancer fundraiser, which my daughter ran for three years in a row, bringing together friends, family and martial artists, reaching almost $50,000 in donations for cancer research.

“I had come to Australia with nothing, but with the blessing of a new life here and great support, I now have the chance and the opportunity to give what I can, to support my own home country Cambodia but also to other nations when in crisis. If we have the ability to help, why not, right?”

20 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | The warm-UP

Above: A young Philip Tan at the family business he would later join in running Opposite page: Mr Tan demonstrating at a charity fundraiser

In the age of online shopping, is your retail shop still a major component of your business? Is face-to-face customer service still important?

Online does affect walk-in retail businesses; however, generally for us, customers come to the store to see us, to get a personalised service. Whether it is getting fitted properly for a uniform/shoes, getting ideas on starting up a club with logos and embroidery, or picking their choice of weapons. This interaction is priceless and is what keeps us alive and keeps us doing what we love.

Have you found that the major trends in martial arts such as the MMA explosion have affected what you market and sell over the years?

Yes, MMA is a major player in the industry at present. For TANS we just keep it flowing; we follow the current and aim to cater for the customers’ needs and enquiries. As customer demands grow, we also grow, creating custom apparel, sparring gear and training equipment.

They say, “If you can’t find it, go to TANS.”

Obviously you meet martial artists from all styles and affiliations. Have you seen any new trends emerging over the last year or two?

Access your favourite issues of Blitz Martial Arts Magazine anywhere!

As you may know, many different arts have their time in the spotlight. I have seen so many in the last 42 years living here in Australia, from kickboxing to ninjutsu, to BJJ, to krav maga and so on. They come in very strong with a big hype then they join the other traditional arts such as karate, aikido, taekwondo, Japanese jujitsu, judo, etc., which still hold the traditional ways.

In some product categories, TANS now sells only or primarily its own brand equipment. There are untold numbers of factories in places like Pakistan, China and Thailand now cranking out replica versions of top brands’ martial arts products, and so in recent years the market has become flooded with new operators placing their own fightgear brand on equipment that’s often imported from the very same factories.

How do you stay competitive in such a market — what, if anything, makes TANS-branded training equipment different to all those others out there?

Yes, TANS sells primarily our own brand products, as we have a control over this, but we do also have selected specialty brands that are also family-run companies following the same philosophies as we do. These brands are well known, producing only the best from their country — not only have they been around for a long time, we have built long-term friendships, more like family than business.

We are also importers, which makes our product knowledge stronger; it gives us an edge knowing how products are produced and knowing which are good to bring in. Some of our suppliers produce for well-known companies and the only difference is the branding. TANS knows that some customers are willing to

purchase a ‘branded’ product at a higher price, even though they know it is the same product, just for the sake of the brand. But we will stay firm and will keep our TANS-branded products so we can monitor the products for the better.

Is having your own made-to-order TANS equipment a way to reduce buying costs and thus give a more competitive retail offering, or a way to have greater control over production specifications to meet the cost/quality balance customers are looking for…or perhaps for some other reason, such as helping to market the store via your well-known logo?

TANS are well known in the industry for making products specific to customer requirements. Customising a look is a big deal. It doesn’t reduce costs, but it does give the customer an individualised feel and help them and their clubs stand out from the rest. We also custom-make uniforms for all body shapes and sizes.

This is a speciality now hard to find but we understand the need and the desire to be comfortable when training. We do all kinds of embroidery and translations, making sure the characters and meanings are right — we don’t want the customer to walk around with the wrongly translated belt! Our goal is to not only provide for the industry but to also keep our customers happy, it is our top priority.

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Finally, what are the three key personal qualities necessary for success in business — and is it the same for success in martial arts?

Being successful in business and in martial arts goes hand in hand. Be honest, loyal and honourable.

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ENJOY Responsibly MOTIVATORS | Andrea Harkins

Responsibility can weigh on us, especially when facing the many challenging ones that come with teaching self-defence. But it is also a privilege and a chance to bring about positive change.

I

opened the door and stepped into the room before class started, and it was absolutely silent. The floors were slightly dirty, the lights were dim and the air was flat from no activity within the walls. I realised a hard, cold truth: I had the responsibility to make it come alive again.

It was in that moment that I realised that what we do is miraculous, in a sense.

We teach, we mould and we interpret. We bring students as far as they want to go. We engage their sense of creativity and athleticism. Even more powerful than all of that, we help them discover their own truth and build their self-worth.

Whether from learning new techniques, listening to a ‘mat minute’, practising with a partner or stepping in front of the class to perform, your students learn far more than what others traditionally think of as martial arts.

Just in these few examples above, they are learning to actively listen, reciprocate in a relationship and present themselves through effective communication.

This is about life, and one day, when put in the right situation or circumstance, they will have the tools to make the right decisions.

Your initial responsibility stems from the physical orientation of their skill sets and techniques. Once you teach the flow, the kick or the pattern, they have the responsibility to learn it and practise. You cannot do that part for them. It requires their initiative and curiosity, but it also brings forth the strengths that they never knew they had. In these moments, you are bringing the quiet parts of their minds alive and challenging them to adapt.

What you do is far more important than you may realise. You are changing lives through martial arts and that is a monumental experience. One day your students will see the impact. When they stumble or fail, they will turn to that moment in class when you showed them that the indomitable spirit is always available. They will seek out the incredible sense of

22 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | ON THE MAT

The responsibility we bear in shaping others’ lives brings its own rewards

achievement they felt upon promotion or when you gave them a pat on the back. As human beings, we all strive to be valued and recognised. This improves our self-worth and our ability to push through even the most difficult of circumstances.

At the end of every class, I lower the light switch, turn and face the now darkened mats where only moments earlier we were practising martial arts, and bow quietly. I look forward to the next session and the next group of students who will bring it to life. Some students will stay for a long time and some will not.

Either way, I have used my responsibility well. That’s a feeling we can all look forward to.

Andrea F. Harkins is a 2nd Degree Black-belt in Tang Soo Do and has been practising and teaching martial arts for 24 years. She and her husband, David, currently teach their Family Martial Arts program at a YMCA in Parrish, Florida. You can reach her at: daharkins1@hotmail. com or at www.twitter.com/aharkins1.

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DOWN TO BUSINESS

5WIN Ways to

Proven Marketing Strategies to Drive Business to Your Dojo

For those who would prefer to be working in their school rather than on it, marketing and the associated admin can be a bugbear. But even if you think your classes sell themselves, the highly competitive environment of today demands that you know the basics — and you might be surprised what just a little but more application in the area of promotion can do for the health of your business. Here, business coach and hapkido school owner Nathan McDonald offers his proven advice.

By Nathan McDonald 24 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

What special offers and events will be most well received in your community?

They say that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. There is a lot of truth in that sentiment, but when running any type of business, there is always something that you hate to do, and avoid like the plague in the hope it will go away. Many business owners end up in their position because they are great at their profession: the plumber who is great at plumbing, the martial arts instructor who is great at teaching, and so on.

Yet even though they may have the ‘skills to pay the bills’, such people are often hampered by their inability to market those skills to those who want and need them.

So, you’re a great teacher, your passion for martial arts is indomitable, and yet you are struggling to find students. You’re not sure what

to do, so you sporadically seek advice and make a scattergun attempt at marketing, to little effect. Sound familiar?

It might be time to go back and look at the fundamentals. Firstly, that involves understanding that there are three essential steps in making money from your martial arts instruction business: Marketing – Having prospective students contact you to enquire about training.

Sales – Taking those enquiries and turning them into new student enrolments.

Operations – Delivering your service (i.e. teaching) well and thus retaining students (which also contributes to wordof-mouth marketing).

So, what strategies have you tried to achieve these aims? There are hundreds of strategies and while in all my years in business I have only ever had one that never worked (and I suspect that was more because it was left in the hands of someone with little knowledge of our industry), some are certainly superior to others or better suited to your particular market segment. Here are my top five…

“How much are you willing to spend to have good money coming in — and does the latter outweigh the former?”

Strategy 1 – Referrals

This is the most obvious and often most effective strategy that you have available to you in your school. If you are providing good teaching and a competitive service, having current students refer your business to their friends, family, schools, etc. will happen ‘organically’ with little input from you. However, there are some great strategies that will encourage and accelerate the process: Ask for referrals: Remind the students and challenge them to see who they can invite to the school over a certain period.

Offer free or discounted classes for

those who refer new students.

Hold ‘bring a friend’ classes and make it a big deal (experienced students will be excited to show their friends what they do).

Provide students with referral flyers to hand out to friends and family.

Give thank-you gifts for referrers that also encourage them to maintain commitment, such as offering the next workshop or grading ‘on the house’.

Strategy 2 – Website

You can have an awesome website, but if nobody is going to it, it is like having a billboard on the moon. There are some fundamental things that must be done to ensure your website attracts visits and enquiries: A great call to action, offering things like one week of free classes, free membership sign-up, etc. (consider a time limit and evaluate the success of different offers over time).

Ensure the design/platform is mobilefriendly, since a lot of people are now searching on mobile devices.

Clearly define what you do on the home page — you only have three seconds to make a person decide what to do next: move on or read some more?

Make your contact details very clear, whether you use only a website registration form, contact number or full details and location, as people are looking for direction on what the next steps are.

Now that the essentials are in place inside your website, how do you get it out there? Again, these are the fundamentals: Enable Google Places – this will come up in your searches if you type ‘Martial Arts Parramatta’, for example, in Google or Google Maps. Put as much detail and photos on here as possible so you will be ranked high from the get-go.

Speak with a search-engine optimisation (SEO) company to help make your website ‘Google friendly’ and send you up the rankings. You can find these companies and people around the world using Upwork or Freelancer.

Consider Google AdWords – Paid advertising is sometimes necessary to attract new students. Dealing with a professional adwords company is better than trying to do it yourself, as they will

know how to maximise the hits.

Another thing that increases web hits is searchable content, which you can create via blogging on your site. This also gives you content to share and link back to your website via social media. Speaking of which…

Strategy 3 – Social Media

Using Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and the like may be confusing to some but can be a great marketing tool for your business. So what should you be doing on social media?

First, and most obvious, is to create a Facebook page for your martial arts school. Again, include as much detail as possible (while being concise) about your school, from opening times to descriptions and photos. Post regularly about what is happening — rather than just ‘advertising’, though, post pictures of classes and congratulations to students doing great work, videos of school events, etc. Encourage students to share these posts among their networks, creating another avenue for referral (again, you may like to provide an incentive for this specific activity).

Facebook advertising/post boosting is brilliant, as you are able to define the demographics and location really well. For example, you could target all mothers who like cooking and reside within 15 km of the school’s location and that ad post will only go to them. A big mistake you want to avoid here, though, is blatant selling in these posts. Social media is about informing, sharing and entertaining, not doing the hard sell. With that in mind, don’t do a heading like ‘Join our amazing martial arts school!’ Instead, try something more like this: ‘Having discipline issues with your child? Here are 5 ways to help.’

Strategy 4 – Direct Mail

Traditional marketing still works, and having a great brochure or leaflet can definitely attract students. That being said, you need a few essential things to make it work for you.

Firstly, you need a great call to action.

What are you offering on the flyer? It’s very important to have something that stands out and avoid a cliché like ‘Martial Arts for Everyone’. Focus on the problem/s people might look to solve through your martial art, or what they can gain, rather www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 25

DOWN TO BUSINESS than being too generic or bland. It is better to have 10 different brochures each offering a solution to a different and welldefined challenge or problem (for different audiences or to drop at different times) than one generic, catch-all flyer.

Letterbox drops still work and can be inexpensive, but here is the biggest thing to focus on: it has to be done for six months with a minimum of four drops to the same house. Do not do it once and say it didn’t work; like other forms of print advertising, it has to be repetitive to be effective.

Also, try to find benevolent hosts to stock your flyers, such as gyms, schools, playgroups and the like — you can reciprocate and share their flyers on your dojo counter or bulletin board in return.

Building these relationships is beneficial for all, which brings us to…

Strategy 5 – Strategic Alliances

Talking to other people, groups or companies who also engage your target prospects is a great way to get inexpensive referrals. Consider everything from universities, psychologists, gyms, mothers’ groups, doctors, chiropractors…and the list goes on. Find like-minded people, take them out for coffee and work on a win/ win solution. Make it a two-way street: you refer people on to them and they do the same for you. You may even be able to go further, with discounts for each other’s clients and so on.

In my school I have three main strategic alliances that work amazingly well. They are a tutoring company, a child psychologist and an after-school care organisation. We have a great arrangement and refer each other on all the time.

Your Overall Plan

Marketing does not need to be expensive, but it does require some application and commitment to grow a school. There are also a few key things to remember.

Firstly, it takes time for marketing to work. Don’t do adwords for one week and expect 400 students; do it for three or four months and then check the results. SEO can take up to 12 months before your business URL is able to hover around two or three in related web searches, so be patient.

Secondly, you must understand a simple formula: the cost of acquiring a 26 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

“You can have an awesome website, but if nobody is going to it, it is like having a billboard on the moon.” member versus their ‘lifetime value’ to your business. How much are you willing to spend to have good money coming in — and does the latter outweigh the former?

This is marketing 101. For example, let’s say you divide your total marketing spend by the number of new students enrolled over the same period, and it works out that it costs you $50 in marketing to land each new student. The average length of enrolment is two years and in that time you make an average of $2400 off that one student. Is that a good acquisition cost versus lifetime value? Absolutely! So you might then consider what return you might get if you invest X-amount more $50 lots (keeping in mind that student numbers over a certain cap will incur an increase in costs; leasing a bigger building, hiring more teachers/staff, and so on).

On the other hand, the above exercise might reveal that your marketing spend over a given period was actually more, or very close to, the lifetime value of each student it captured — in which case, it’s not viable. But of course, if you’re paying for more than one marketing tool (as most of us are), you need to work out which of

them aren’t working, and look at those costs in isolation.

This brings us to the last but probably most important point: track your lead source. Always ask how students found you so you can see if your dollar spend on each of your various marketing exercises is viable. Track the following information: • Total marketing spend and spend per campaign/method • How many leads per month and during specific campaigns • How many students (a) enquired and (b) joined via each marketing source (revealing the lead source for your business each month and overall).

Doing this will give you some great information, most vital of which is your cost of acquisition and also your conversion rate.

Effective marketing amounts to a simple formula for your school’s success, but you have to be diligent and willing to try new things in order to create the recipe that works best for your particular location, offering (i.e. styles and programs) and target demographics.

Nathan McDonald, 4th Dan hapkido, is the founder of Black Belt Business and has more than 20 years’ experience in business growth and development, and 18 years in martial arts. He can be contacted via www. blackbeltbusiness.com.au

DOWN TO BUSINESS

slow flow?

3 Ways to manage the ‘cash gap’ in your business

Even if your martial arts school is profitable and you can strike a balance between cash in and cash out over a financial year as a whole, there will usually be times when the balance is off and the shortage of incoming cash spells trouble. Here, business coach and martial arts academy owner Darren Kerby offers a few ideas for managing cash flow so you can take your business to the next level.

By Darren Kerby

Cash flow is the lifeblood of your enterprise. If it dries up, so will your business. The problem is that when operating a business, you spend your money two, three and even four times before you get a return on your investment. The time it takes to get the money from the customer after suppliers have been paid is called the cash gap, and it can result in stress and difficulty for everyone involved — hence it is often said that time is the enemy in business, not money.

Naturally all businesses would like to have customers pay for goods before the suppliers demand payment for their goods. However, most businesses are not 28 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

this lucky. To fill the money void you need ‘reverse cash gap’ strategies to manage through the waiting period. Here are three to consider:

Strategy 1

The Christmas holidays is obviously a time when you can find your business strapped for cash. You probably have rent to pay over the holiday break but may have no incoming money. But this needn’t be the case. For example, a friend of mine closes his martial arts school for four weeks over the Christmas holiday period, but his monthly rent of $440 still needs to be paid on time. So what does he do? In late November he starts his

marketing to get new students for the following year.

He does this by selling and promoting Christmas gift packs. These include a T-shirt, a four-week lesson card, a private lesson, an introductory DVD on the basics, a copy of the first grading syllabus and a history of his martial art. This is packaged in a folder with a sticker of the school on the front cover, so at $149 it presents great value for money. He sells three of these packages to fill the cash gap, and the marketing also delivers new members in the new year, which fill spots for students who are on holidays. It is a two-pronged attack to help maintain the necessary cash flow.

Strategy 2

Coming up to the end of the financial year is another time when you can run out of money, especially if you haven’t put away enough savings for your tax return.

One way to counter this is to plan a seminar two weeks before the end of the tax period. Ask your students to pay in advance (a special early-bird price may help), as this delivers large amounts of money over a shorter time — obviously your focus is to collect more money over a shorter period to prepare for the impending shortfall.

Strategy 3

Gradings are another important reverse cash-gap strategy. Each year, set your gradings for times when you are likely to be approaching a cash shortage. Let the students know the dates at the start of the year, and the costs well beforehand as well, so they can ensure they are both physically, mentally and fiscally prepared for the event. Offer extra grading-prep classes each weekend for the month prior to the event, too, as this ensures the student gets the best grading possible while also bringing in extra funds.

That being said, the approach here is not about simply getting as much money as possible out of the students; it’s about clever planning so that every member gets the best value possible for their investment while you also close the cash gap, which in turn helps you provide better service, equipment and activities in future.

So, take 10 minutes this week to have a look at where your cash gaps are or will be.

Once you identify them, you can develop strategies that

shorten the time lag between the money going out and the money coming in. Think of it this way: what are the ‘french fries’ you can add to your offering that will give you a cash injection at appropriate times? French fries, of course, are both appealing and affordable, hence they are the perfect up-sell — but this is where we part ways with that metaphor, as we don’t want to give our customers something they don’t need or that’s of low ‘nutritional’ value.

Instead, think hard and you’ll be able to come up with things that are good value for money for your students but also enhance their experience.

Once you have the money coming in and not going out straight away, you can be spending it with direction and allocating it strategically rather than being on the back foot and simply spending it reactively as costs arise. You can plan marketing campaigns with purpose and operate the business in a calculated fashion to achieve your goals.

Healthy cash flow means you have money to manage your business and stop the business running you. Fill the cash gaps and your business operations will go from chaos to control.

Based in Bendigo, Victoria, Darren Kirby is a certified business coach and franchise support manager for ActionCOACH Global, a US-based coaching franchise business with 1200 registered coaches around the world.

He has 22 years’ experience in martial arts (under Greg Angwin of Bendigo Martial Arts, primarily in Wing Chun kung fu and eskrima) and ran his own club for 10 years. He can be contacted by email at darrenkerby@actioncoach.com

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Public Displays of Ascension

Private vs public gradings story by Phil Britten & Graham McDonnell

Gradings are ultimately about the growth and recognition of our students, while the ceremonies that follow are a celebration of their efforts. But at the same time, gradings may provide an opportunity to engage prospective members. Can you do both without one goal compromising the other? Here, Phil Britten and Graham McDonnell from WA-based training provider The Institute of Martial Arts weight in on the debate.

G

radings are the pinnacle of months and years of hard training. It’s an immensely personal time for those involved and an opportunity to showcase skills, tell their story, eliminate selfdoubt and face their fears head-on.

Gradings, in my experience, follow a typical structure. This consists of a ceremonial bow-in, the testing process — in ascending age and rank order

30 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

— and the awarding of the successful students’ belts and certificates. However, they can differ widely, with some schools opting to grade their students in-house, many doing so en masse at state or regional gradings, and some testing higher ranks behind closed doors.

Others, too, find themselves standing in a packed-out stadium with hundreds of pairs of eyes fixated on just them — or so it may feel to the student on the floor.

Having trained in a traditional martial arts school with a hard-as-nails instructor, where gradings took place annually, to owning three martial arts schools of my own, I have been through, run and seen many different grading examinations in my time.

With the many grading scenarios and schools arguing for one way over another, is there really one ultimate grading test and ceremony?

right up to 2nd Dan Black-belt. It is at 2nd Dan where we believe the student is fully aware of the extreme challenges they face and the limits and boundaries needed to secure their first true senior rank. Expectations are high, the testing is very tough and unfortunately, for friends and family who have no idea what to expect, experiencing the 2nd Dan grading as a spectator can be difficult and even upsetting.

With that in mind, you might feel that

“Traditional closeddoor, gruelling gradings are competing against a modern grading/ graduation mix and there are pros and cons with both formats.”

Traditional closed-door, gruelling gradings are competing against a modern grading/graduation mix and there are pros and cons with both formats. Personally, I feel a closed-door grading can benefit the individual, but the family unit misses out on the opportunity to see their loved one showcase their skills. At our clubs, we give an open invite to anybody to come and watch the gradings, and we do this

gradings of all levels should be open to only those who are grading and not even to other students from your school — or perhaps only to students who are of the same rank (as those being tested) or higher — as that is certainly one way to ensure the grading process doesn’t put off junior students. Many juniors may not yet be able to fathom that they too can one day achieve the physical and mental readiness to brave such an ordeal, and it is definitely not worth prompting someone who is only a month into their tenure as a White-belt to attend a Blackbelt grading if it will only scare the gi pants off them.

However, there’s also the flip side: inviting all students gives those who are willing a chance to see the level that is required to pass a grading. They can sit in the venue, appreciate the pressure experienced by the student standing on the mat, and they can also offer their support. If the only time a student attends a grading is when they are being tested themselves, this adds even more pressure to an already intense and nervous time, adding to the level of ‘fear of the unknown’ and therefore

fuelling anxiety.

The dual-process grading and graduation ceremony ticks both boxes and is a win-win, as the testing student will have their peers, who understand what the grading holds, to offer support, and they will also have an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of family and friends. The latter factor, for some, may add a different kind of pressure that may not be present at a closed grading, but it’s balanced by the support factor too.

And pressure isn’t something we want to remove from gradings — it’s a must-have, of course, in any true test — we just want to remove or limit any specific elements that perhaps aren’t relevant to what we are testing. (For example, if we are testing a grading student’s defences against random attacks from multiple opponents, it’s the attackers and the watching examiner who bring a pressure that’s relevant to a real scenario; worrying about what watching family might think of your performance is not.)

So, should the graduation ceremony be a secret event or should it be used to market and create hype around the school and the achievements of its students? This has long been a subject of much contention. Some schools will accuse you of not adhering to tradition and label you a sell-out if you start advertising your events; but at the same time, marketing via any live demonstration helps increase visibility of the art while giving prospective members the opportunity to see what martial arts is all about and to be wowed by the skill and aptitude on display.

Creating hype allows the art to gain new reach and grow.

The next question is whether to have a low-key ceremony or a grand event. Of course this is purely up to the individual school and a lot of this has to do with budget. Small martial arts schools running classes from community halls will usually not have the budget to hold a grand event. Our schools have 1700 students, so even if we would like to do a low-key grading, we’d have to hire a bigger place anyway just for space. If you do opt for a grand event, the number one priority is to ensure it is done with integrity. The whole point www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 31

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of the ceremony is to celebrate the student and what they have accomplished. In comparison to many established sports, martial art is still in its infancy as a community pastime and unlike other sports, martial arts is a holistic activity covering emotional, physical and mental elements in equal proportion.

Does the grading process and subsequent award ceremony reflect this?

In our opinion, there is no need to reinvent the wheel to create a grading and graduation process that upholds the style’s integrity and is functional for the student, but also helps our marketing efforts. Throughout the world, university graduates will be tested among their peers and examiners — no one else — and this is where the student will learn the most. The presentation phase that follows is an elaborate celebration that allows you to showcase your accomplishments, and I don’t think martial arts should be any different. Why not say to our communities, ‘look at us — look how much we have accomplished!’ and grow and enhance the reputation of a system that has changed the lives of so many?

To summarise, whether you opt for closed or open gradings, private or extravagant ceremonies, the key is to prioritise the needs of the student and the families and friends who support their journeys. Ultimately, any process that ensures high standards for your art and organisation, and supports students in achieving their personal best outcome at the same time, is a win for all. Even from a point of view of marketing your school, it’s quality that assures we get the more of the strongest form of marketing: word of mouth. If on top of that you can somehow incorporate a whole-school or even community-inclusive event that showcases skill and achievement but won’t undermine the above process, even better.

Graham McDonnell and Phil Britten are co-directors of WA Institute of Martial Arts (WAIMA), one of Australia’s most successful martial arts academies, teaching Zen Do Kai, muay Thai and Kombatan arnis to over 1000 students at three locations. The pair also run The Institute of Martial Arts, a business program for martial arts school owners. They can be emailed at GMcDonnell@waima.com.au and info@philbritten.com.

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34 â&#x20AC;¢ www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

Too Close for Comfort?

SEXUAL HARASSMENT & MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTION Story by John Coles

In light of recent moves to uncover and deal with sexual harassment within government agencies such as the Australian Defence Force, it’s wise to consider what we can do to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in our martial arts schools. Here, long-time jujutsu instructor and business professional John Coles offers advice on managing the legal risks associated with sexual harassment and, more importantly, protecting the welfare of both students and instructors.

T

he vast majority of martial arts schools are amateur by nature and those running them don’t tend to give much thought to governance, which includes the prevention and response to sexual harassment. In the martial arts teaching environment, sexual harassment may be perpetrated by an instructor against a student, by a student against an instructor, or even by a student against another student. It’s important that all martial arts instructors understand the issues associated with sexual harassment, including what it is, how to prevent it and how to respond to it.

Firstly, we need to define sexual harassment. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s definition, “Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated where that reaction is reasonable in the circumstances.”

If you accidentally touch a female student’s breasts in a martial arts class, is that sexual harassment? If you touch them incidentally while applying a bearhug attack from behind, is that sexual harassment? If you press your body against theirs while applying a bear-hug attack from behind or in front, is that sexual harassment? If you put an arm between the student’s legs to apply sukui

nage (scooping throw), is that sexual harassment? The intimate physical contact involved in applying these attacks and defences for training purposes could make someone feel uncomfortable — but is that enough to make it sexual harassment?

I don’t know, but we need to be more sensitive to the issue that such contact may make a female student uncomfortable because of the perceived sexual nature of the contact.

There were two 14-year-old female students in my class when I first started teaching jujutsu. They were attending an exclusive girls school at the time and were extremely ‘boy shy’. Sometimes they were the only students in the class and I’d have to demonstrate attacks and defences on them. They would vigorously resist any intimate physical contact such as a bearhug from the front or behind and would timidly apply those same attacks so that I could demonstrate the defence. They were clearly uncomfortable with this intimate physical contact. Was my instruction sexual harassment? No, but could it have been construed as sexual harassment?

I’m fortunate that it wasn’t considered so by the students involved, because I was invited to their 21st parties and weddings, and am still friends with them today.

Having said that, my behaviour could easily have been considered to be sexual

harassment (albeit unintended), and in the case of someone doing these exact same things with perhaps a different manner or intent, it might actually be the case.

This brings into question the issue of governance. I began training in 1983 and was given my first teaching appointment in 1985 on the back of my technical capabilities; however, I was only 3rd Kyu and had not yet undergone the examiner’s gradings in 1st Kyu or 1st Dan. I had not assisted an instructor, which is a requirement of those gradings, and I was given no instructions as to how to teach the class in any way, shape or form. That not only exposed me to potential legal liability, it also exposed the principals of the school to what is known in law as ‘vicarious liability’. More importantly, it exposed the students to the possibility of feeling offended, humiliated, intimidated and/or uncomfortable because the close physical contact that is part and parcel of jujutsu attacks or defences could potentially have been felt by someone to be of a sexual nature.

I became acutely aware of this problem when I was teaching numerous private lessons to female students. Bear-hugs from behind and in front, scooping throws where you place your arm between your opponent’s legs, sitting astride a person as an attack…all involve intimate www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 35

Be a

T I H E N OWonder

physical contact that could be construed to be of a sexual nature. I developed ways and means of managing the risks of sexual harassment, intended and unintended, in these instances, but that should not have been my responsibility. It should have been the responsibility of the school and they should have had a policy in place that explains how to prevent and respond to sexual harassment. They did not, but they are far from being alone in that regard within the martial arts industry.

In the latter stages of my teaching career with the school, I was giving private lessons to three female students Instructing the opposite sex can result in some awkward situations and you need to be prepared

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al with s, How to de Covers puncheing, multiple attackers; tim g, & cin tan dis street scenarios s pad-work, set eat awarenes thr os mb drills & co

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individually. They each explained that they were doing private lessons with me because they felt ‘uncomfortable’ in a particular male instructor’s class because of the physical attention he paid them. Was his physical attention sexual harassment?

I don’t know. Much to my shame, I didn’t take their concerns seriously enough at first; however, I eventually brought the matter to the attention of management (which did not involve the principal instructor). Management reacted by ‘shooting the messenger’ and ignoring the message. No policy was in place to respond to claims of sexual harassment, so nothing was done to investigate or deal with the students’ concerns.

I encourage all martial arts instructors to seriously consider the issue of sexual harassment in their instruction and classes. A good place to begin is by studying the Australian Human Rights Commission’s document Effectively Preventing and Responding to Sexual Harassment: A Quick Guide at www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/ effectively-preventing-and-respondingsexual-harassment-quick-guide-2008.

I also encourage you to develop a sexual harassment policy so you understand the issue and develop ways of preventing and responding to sexual harassment of your students and/or instructors should it arise.

Creating a ‘policy’ may sound like an overly officious thing to do; however, the process forces you to address the issues consciously and deliberately. After all, there are ways and means to achieve the same outcome in terms of self-defence training without potentially sexually harassing the student or, just as dangerous, compromising the effectiveness of the teaching.

John Coles is ranked 3rd Dan in Jan de Jong jujutsu (aka Tsutsumi Hozan-ryu), 5th Dan under the Australian Ju Jitsu Association; 1st Dan in aikido; 3rd Grade in Suci Hati Pencak silat. Based in Perth, WA, he has also taught in UK, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France and Indonesia.

He is also the author of Jan de Jong: The man, his school, and his ju jitsu system and holds numerous professional qualifications including a Bachelor of Commerce and MBA (specialising in international management) as well as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Secretary and Associate of Securities Institute of Australia certifications.

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5 Core Beliefs The Way of Success | Dave Kovar

To have long-term success in any venture, and especially in martial arts, you need to know what you believe in. From the physical aspects to the mental and philosophical, we work with principles, and underpinning those principles are five core beliefs that are integral to a school’s success.

I

am blessed to be a martial arts professional.

Although it can sometimes be extremely challenging, the rewards are worth every bit of the hard work.

In order to have the maximum impact on my students today, I always remember that, first and foremost, I am a martial artist. I strive to be the person that my students think I am. Secondly, I remember that I am a teacher and I know that our product IS the classroom, so when I step on the mat, I am there to teach and serve.

Finally, I strive to have the greatest possible impact on my students, but I know that to do this I must run my school as a business and, therefore, I always focus my efforts first on The Five Core Beliefs. These are:

1. We are the friendliest place in town • Visitors are always greeted quickly and made to feel important • Instructors eagerly approach students every day • Senior students are reminded to greet junior students every day • Through bows, handshakes and polite greetings, respect permeates throughout the school.

2. We are the cleanest place in town • The exterior of the school, lobby, mat and bathrooms are always kept spotless • We maintain a familyfriendly environment

3. We only teach great classes, never just good classes • Every class is taught by motivated, enthusiastic and well trained instructors who have the students’ best interests in mind • Every class is a great workout • Every class teaches an age- and rank-appropriate curriculum

38 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | Down To Business

First impressions count, and a friendly face at the dojo door means a lot to new members

• Every class teaches quality life skills • Every class stresses student camaraderie.

4. We are excellent at student/parent communication, including: • • • •

Inquiry to enrolment Enrolment to ‘Black-belt Club’ Black-belt Club to Black-belt test Through Black-belt and beyond.

5. Every day we seek opportunities to recruit new members…

• Internally by encouraging family members of existing students to give martial arts a try • Externally by sharing the benefits of martial arts with people outside the school when it is appropriate.

I understand that the only way that our school can continue to grow and prosper is through staff development, so every day I treat my team as I want them to treat our students. I help them to grow by giving them ongoing guidance and feedback, and I am constantly on the lookout for new talent (and I’m not shy about it).

Finally, I also understand that different challenges will present themselves to me every day and I will greet them head-on, with the knowledge that I will get through them and be better for it.

Hi There!

A lifelong martial artist with Blackbelts in 10 styles, Kyoshi Dave Kovar is recognised worldwide as an innovator of best practices for martial arts school operation.

He oversees eight Kovar’s Satori Academies, is the founder of ProMAC (Professional Martial Arts College) and is the lead instructor for Century’s Martial Arts Industry Association (USA). Kovar has also published over 100 online business and teaching videos for the Educational Funding Company (EFC).

He can be contacted via www.kovarsystems.com

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Your Class on Trial ALL SYSTEMS GO | DAVE CHAMBERLAIN

Even after your marketing efforts or students’ word of mouth has led a prospective student to your dojo door, there is still much to be done before they become a member. Everything that happens through the subsequent trial class, feedback and enrollment process is important in getting them across the line.

“elic teceaqui tendicab ium qui re voluptate aut quossequo doluptate cum id eicietum eos”

W

ell it’s happened: all the time and energy you put in has made the phone ring. A prospect!

Woohoo! Okay, be calm; you’ve practised the pitch...and, YES, they agree to come in for a trial class, to learn about your school and the benefits of martial arts. But they all come for some particular reason. Now, you already know you have a great program: it helps adults, kids and their parents in all kinds of ways, some of which are profound. You have done the research and you provide a program of excellent value; the best service at the best price. So, now all you have to do is provide a stellar student/parent experience and figure out ‘why — and why now?’ for this prospect, knowing

40 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | Down To Business

The feeling a new student experiences in their very first class will determine whether they want to come back again

with confidence that when you do, they will join.

The moment a prospective student walks into our academy, they will form a first impression. Will it be good, great or mediocre? Have you ever walked into a martial arts academy and been hit by the ‘funky foot’ smell? Or been greeted by the ‘tough guy’ instructor standing with his arms crossed, almost glaring at you?

Clearly, those are days of the past if we hope to cater to families and project professionalism. Greeting a prospective student in a genuinely positive, cheerful way is an essential first step. At Kovar’s we refer to this as the ‘3 Foot Rule’ and everyone, from our front desk staff to assistant instructors, is well versed in its importance.

Some of our academies even write a welcome message with the prospective student’s name on the whiteboard to let them know how excited we are to introduce them to our school.

Now that they are impressed by our warm welcome, it’s time for the trial class. We probably all teach that first trial class differently; however, there are key components that are universal to connecting with the prospective student and continuing their positive experience. For the sake of this example, let’s assume

“First, both the child and the parent need to go home with the feeling that the child will be good at martial arts.” our trial class is for a child coming in with their parents.

We know they need to leave the trial class with enough basic knowledge to feel comfortable in class, but what else is important?

First, both the child and the parent need to go home with the feeling that the child will be good at martial arts. You can accomplish this by praising the child multiple times in the class. For example, if Johnny is practising a snap kick, you could remark about how quickly he is picking up the technique, how fast he is kicking, and add something like, “Wow! Johnny, you’re going to be really good at karate.” Setting the preframe of your confidence in the prospective student’s abilities is important, especially since almost everyone is nervous and unsure at their first trial class. It is even better if you can include the parent in this process by having them hold a pad for Johnny while he kicks, and encouraging him.

Your interaction with the parent is the next key piece. After the trial class, it’s time to discuss enrolment. This is the time where we really have the opportunity to get into the value our program offers. But we can’t possibly share ALL of the ways we can benefit the child, so it’s time to get back to that three letter word: why. This is also a time when, if we aren’t careful, we can make a common mistake in ‘over-sharing’ our benefits.

Why do parents enrol their kids in martial arts? There are myriad reasons, and it’s our job to find out two things before we enrol a

The key to any trial class is instilling confidence in the prospective student, young or old

prospective student: why, and why now? When we are explaining the benefits of our program, it’s imperative we know the answers to both of these questions so we can better educate the parents and create value.

Whatever their answer is — focus, discipline, respect, better grades in school, coordination, self-defence — we need to explain how our program will help their child succeed. It’s not enough to say, “We help develop focus and discipline in our students.” We should have a complete arsenal of facts that support how we accomplish these things, followed by social proof to back us up.

That being said, we don’t need to tell parents absolutely everything in this moment. If they come in asking us to help improve focus and respect, then we should focus the enrolment discussion on these areas.

We know our program teaches amazing balance and coordination, too, right? But what if Johnny is already a star athlete and his parents are not concerned with improving those qualities? We can waste valuable time if we get into a long discussion about everything we do. Focus on their particular needs and desires — what do they want Johnny to get out of martial arts right now? What is going on with Johnny at home and at school, NOW, that made them seek help with his discipline and focus? That’s where we should spend our conversation time (and share this feedback with our fellow instructors). By doing this we are establishing the value that our program has to offer them specifically. Now, when it comes time to talking to them about tuition rates, it’s smooth sailing.

Ultimately, if the child feels confident and enjoys the trial class, and the parents see how martial arts will help their child, they are likely to enrol. The same simple approach applies for an individual adult, male or female. Certainly, there are many finer points to these processes — but creating an overwhelmingly positive first experience while educating our prospects about the value of our programs is a great place to start!

Dave Chamberlain joined Kovar’s in 2006 and now serves as the CEO, working side-by-side with Kyoshi Dave Kovar to make Kovar’s and its clients successful. Mr Chamberlain is a seasoned senior executive with experience in high-profile corporate environments and fast-growing start-ups. Prior to joining Kovar’s Inc., he held executive management positions at IBM and Novell. He has earned his 2nd Degree Black-belt and is currently training for his 3rd Degree.

Down to business | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 41

ARE YOU PLANNING TO FAIL? THE BIG QUESTIONS | JOHN COLES

Nobody goes into a business venture planning to fail — but most don’t realise this is exactly what they’re doing by going in with no plan at all.

A

With a proper business plan, you’ll more quickly and easily identify problems to solve and successes to replicate

Failing to plan may not be planning to fail exactly, but it is going beyond leaving things to chance.

The Federal Government via the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) provides advice and templates on business plans here: www.business. gov.au/info/plan-and-start/develop-your-business-plans/ writing-a-business-plan.

They describe a business plan as “a documented set of business goals, objectives, target market information and financial forecasts that you are aiming to achieve over a certain period of time” and advise that, “It is important to prepare a business plan when starting or growing your business and review it regularly to keep it up to date.”

Personally, and professionally, I prefer the West

thinkstock

merican founding father Benjamin Franklin is attributed with saying that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. No matter where you are in your martial arts business life, you can benefit from a well-formulated business plan. The beauty of it all is that there are so many resources available to assist you in that endeavour.

Starting a martial arts business? A business plan experience ensures that you’ve thought about all the factors that will promote the survival and growth of your business. Already have an established martial arts business? A business plan experience ensures that all of your bases are covered and helps you in strengthening or growing your existing business.

42 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | Down To Business

Australian Government’s Small Business Development Corporation’s advice, which can be found here: www. smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/business-advice/starting-yourbusiness/business-planning.

They wisely advise, “Effective business planning can be the key to your success. A business plan can help you secure finance, prioritise your efforts and evaluate opportunities. It may initially seem like a lot of work; however, a well-prepared business plan can save you time and money in the long run.”

I referred to a business plan ‘experience’. The DIIS refer to a ‘documented’ business plan. The business plan does not need to be a formal document; however, the templates provided guide you to at least think about all of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) that your martial arts business ‘plan’ possesses.

Do not ignore the negatives — they are what drive and shape your success. Your martial arts business is based, to varying degrees, on addressing the risks faced by an individual from actual or threatened physical assault. Your business plan experience addresses the same issues from a business perspective: let’s identify and build on our strengths; let’s identify and work on our weaknesses.

What is most definitely required with a business plan experience, however, is honesty and objectivity — something that tends to be lacking in entrepreneurs. Get a third party to review your business plan; preferably ask someone with business experience and who will challenge your assumptions. I’m sure you’ve heard those trite quotations and sayings about walking away from supposedly negative people. Rubbish! This is not always right, and comes down to how we define ‘negative’.

People who challenge our assumptions are often very helpful. So, rather than react to their supposed negativity, instead address it with a thoughtful, researched response. Currently, I’m writing two books that are designed to uniquely contribute to the general body of knowledge. Those books have been largely attributable to the questioners, the doubters, the naysayers. Rather than react to what could be seen as their negativity, I used it to excel. It is only by challenging your assumptions that you will create a robust business plan — or, to look at it as we might look at our martial art, a robust defensive and offensive strategy.

Your financial projections involve income versus expenses. Your expenses are relatively easy to forecast; however, your income is another matter. Don’t get me wrong, it takes research, thought and understanding, but the statement still applies: it is relatively easy to forecast your expenses, but not so your income. Much of that will come down to the effectiveness of your marketing, which is a key component to address in your business plan.

There will be a lot more written about marketing in future issues, but for now it will suffice to say there are two issues to address around marketing:

“Effective business planning can be the key to your success. A business plan can help you secure finance, prioritise your efforts and evaluate opportunities. “ 1.

How to initially attract paying students, aka customers/clients 2. How to retain them and utilise them to help grow the business. (More will be said on the latter question in future articles.)

When I attended the Malcolm Sue Kung Fu School in Perth, Western Australia, they gave new students a marketing pack, which included posters to be put up at local establishments such as laundries, bulletin boards at shopping centres, etc. Students were also required to wear their uniforms to training in order to be seen on public transport or the streets. Those uniforms, as you might imagine, were quite distinctive. That is one way of promoting your martial arts business.

The Jan de Jong Self Defence School offered free demonstrations to numerous local events as a means of promotion. (I know because I participated in many of them locally, nationally and internationally.) That is another popular way to go to promote your martial arts business.

Social media provides an enormous opportunity of promoting your martial arts ‘offering’ and it is, in my experience, very much underutilised. Having said that, you have to know what your martial arts offering is.

A poorly defined or dubiously expansive offering will work against you. Again, and I reiterate, you need to be honest and objective with yourself about your martial arts business plan.

You need to go through the business plan experience sooner rather than later — so don’t delay, and make use of the many free and affordable resources out there to get you on the right path.

John Coles is a finance professional who has trained in martial arts since 1983 and has taught around the world. He is a 3rd Dan in Jan de Jong jujutsu (Tsutsumi Hozan-ryu), 5th Dan with the Australian Ju Jitsu Association, 1st Dan in aikido and a 3rd Grade instructor of Suci Hati Pencak silat. Coles holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration (MBA) and the certifications Chartered Accountant, Chartered Secretary and Associate of Securities Institute of Australia. The author of Jan de Jong: The man, his school, and his jujitsu system, he is currently working on two more books on the science of martial arts. See more at kojutsukan.blogspot.com.au

Down to business | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 43

What’s a Signature Worth?

MARTIAL LAW | William Lye

Before opening a martial arts school, it’s important to find the right martial arts insurance program. However, many instructors find it too expensive, and either don’t bother or give up completely — often wrongly believing that a waiver will give them sufficient protection.

I

f you’re intending to run a martial arts school, you really can’t afford to do so without insurance to protect you from the possibility of financial loss, and more importantly, to cover your students in case they get injured. By not having insurance, you are taking a huge gamble, and ultimately you will be personally responsible for loss and damage to your property and students.

So, what if you can’t afford insurance — is a Sports Waiver Form sufficient cover?

This issue came to trial in 2006 before the Supreme Court of British Columbia in the case of Robert Lorne Parker v Jodey Preston Ingalls (Pure Self Defence Studios).

In that case, Parker sued Ingalls for negligence after he was injured during a demonstration of a shootfighting (MMA) technique. Parker alleged that Ingalls’ negligence

44 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | Down To Business

Injury insurance is a musthave for instructors and anyone running an event

caused him a severe knee injury. Ingalls claimed he was not negligent, and that Parker had also agreed to waive any claim for damages against him.

Ingalls was a karate instructor who also introduced shootfighting to his class, including submission-grappling techniques. Parker’s motivation in learning the art was physical fitness; he didn’t enter competitions or sparring, to avoid getting hurt. On the date in question (in 2003), Parker and his friend were practising, and Ingalls came over to demonstrate the technique and its counter with Parker. It was alleged that during the counter-move, Parker suffered tearing and felt his knee ‘pop’. He was taken to hospital and later received surgery as a result.

Ingalls testified that martial arts involved contact, and that he always discussed the possibility of injury with new students. He claimed he gave each student a

document that explained the costs of instruction and the risk of injury.

He said that from the start he used a system that involved explaining both the contract and the risk of injury to new students.

On the question of whether Ingalls was negligent, the judge said it was the duty of an experienced karate instructor such as Ingalls not to harm a student when demonstrating. The question was whether Ingalls breached the standard of care. The judge found that Parker’s dislocated knee had resulted from excessive force, and speed, which prevented Parker from ‘tapping out’ or vocally telling Ingalls to stop.

Accordingly, she found that Ingalls had failed to use the proper technique for the Achilles lock. She also said that the risk of injury was forseeable to Ingalls, and that Parker’s injury was caused by the force applied to his leg.

So, Ingalls was at fault. The question, then, is this: should Parker’s claim fail because he signed a form waiving his right to sue for damages? Parker had denied any recollection that he discussed with Ingalls about his legal rights being waived, either when he first enrolled in the karate classes or when Ingalls began teaching shootfighting.

Ingalls, however, had a Student Enrolment Agreement Form that showed that Parker had signed it. Parker said that he did not know that the form was printed on both sides, and that it was not read or explained to him. He said he understood the document to be a contract where he had agreed to pay for instruction over a 12-month period.

The waiver of rights provisions read as follows: “Student further acknowledges the existence of some risk of personal injury in participating in the prescribed course of instruction and expressly agrees to assume the risk of all injuries, death or property damage and agrees to indemnify and save [insert business name] from and against any and all liability, including all expenses, legal or otherwise, incurred by [insert business name] in the defense of any claim or suit.”

However, the judge found that an injury such as that experienced by Parker was not covered by the waiver. She said that Parker, by engaging in shootfighting lessons, accepted certain risks of injury but he did not accept the risk of injury at the hands of his instructor, whom he trusted not to harm him. It was reasonable for Ingalls to seek a waiver from accidents such as a student injuring himself as a result of falling or doing a move incorrectly, or being injured by another student. However, it was not reasonable for Ingalls to exclude himself from his own negligence where he was conducting a demonstration in which he had complete control over the safety of the student.

Notably, the judge also found that Ingalls had not explained to Parker the risks of injury involved in shootfighting when he enrolled in that class. It was significant too that the waiver was ‘hidden’ in the Student Enrolment Agreement Form, and not clearly spelled out.

This case illustrates that even if you have a waiver form signed by a student, you might still be found liable. Ultimately, every martial arts instructor should obtain insurance protection. A carefully worded and properly explained waiver could be a bar to a negligence lawsuit, but students must be given every opportunity to read waiver forms carefully and the terms must be sufficiently brought to their attention. Students must also be independently advised that they’re waiving their rights to sue in case they are injured while participating.

William Lye has been a practising barrister at law for almost 30 years. He is also an active entrepreneur and has studied several martial arts.

He can be contacted at wemlye@gmail.com

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ON THE MAT

Matters of the Head

The realities of head trauma in training and fighting

46 â&#x20AC;˘ www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

T

story by Jarrod Boyle

Head gear was removed from amateur male boxing bouts at the 2016 Rio Olympics after a study found it potentially worsened brain trauma

Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images.jpg

Most would accept that there are certain risks that come with martial arts training; it is about learning combat skills, after all.

But it’s also a fair assumption that trainees — and the law — expect instructors to be aware of risks to their health and put appropriate injury-prevention measures in place. In setting out to learn how to protect themselves and better their physical health, no martial artist expects that they could be inadvertently compromising their future brain function or putting themselves at risk of serious trauma. Understanding these risks is therefore integral for instructors in order to mitigate them.

raining in the martial arts is an excellent means for developing discipline and character in young people in the context of an overtly aggressive contact sport. It has successfully resolved that paradox in a way almost no other sporting pursuit has. It’s not without its challenges, though, and technique and practice hasn’t evolved a great deal over literally thousands of years. In fact, most styles cite the preservation of technique as one of the cornerstones of their reputation.

However, the progress of science continually throws up both insights and questions. The phrase ‘dementia pugilistica’ was coined almost 100 years ago to describe a syndrome brought about by too many hits to the head, and wasn’t confined to the diagnosis of boxers.

Concussion-related head injuries are now known to be responsible for a host of neurological disorders in athletes. In the last decade, organisations such as the NHL (ice hockey) and the NFL (American football) have found themselves beset by costly legal actions brought by former players who have been forced to live their lives confined by severe disability.

CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, is characterised by plaque deposits in the brains of athletes who have received repeated low-level concussive blows to the head throughout the course of their careers. Concussion-related injuries aren’t simply responsible for deterioration in function, but also behaviour. Substance abuse, depression, antisocial behaviour, gambling addiction and ultimately suicide can be directly linked to frontal lobe damage.

In 2005, forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu published a paper entitled ‘Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in a National Football League Player’ in the medical journal Neurosurgery. Omalu and his team of researchers drew their findings from an analysis of the brain of former NFL player Mike Webster.

Webster had died of a heart attack at age 50. Before retiring from the NFL, he was already disabled. He suffered from

amnesia, dementia and depression and was addicted to pain medication. He lived out of his pickup truck, sleeping in the car parks of train stations, even though a number of his friends had offered to rent apartments for him to live in.

Omalu’s findings were ignored by the NFL until 2009 when analysis of the brain of Chris Henry, former wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, established that he was also suffering from CTE when he died at the age of 26.

“There’s a spectrum from concussion through to CTE, which is the end stage of the process,” says Dr Cassie Nesbitt, neurologist at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

“All coaches and officials should be looking out for concussion. Any concussion, even a mild one, is an absolute contraindication to further participation. It’s hard with athletes; they want to play, it’s what they’ve trained for. After you’ve had one concussion [however], you have an acute brain injury.”

This acute brain injury presents a complex cluster of problems.

“The flow-on consequences are that it sets up a neuro-hormonal feedback loop, which on its own can impair function for the rest of your life. When the brain isn’t working properly, the risk of a second injury is huge. Your reflexes just aren’t as sharp as they should be.”

Recovery isn’t a simple process, either.

“You will have chronic reduced function following [the impact], depending on the severity. It can take weeks to recover, sometimes months.”

The damage resulting from injury can be catastrophic and permanent.

“You may never recover some skills or executive functions,” warns Nesbitt.

Dr Nesbitt defines ‘executive function’ as, “Tasks performed by the frontal part of the brain; problem solving, multi-tasking, planning in advance, remembering how to get from A to B. Things we take for granted. That can include inhibitions, also.”

For that reason, absolute care must be taken immediately after the event of a head strike. www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 47

ON THE MAT

“You should suspect any form of loss of consciousness that follows a head strike as concussion” – Dr cassie Nesbitt “You should suspect any form of loss of consciousness that follows a head strike as concussion,” says Dr Nesbitt. “A knock-down is the most severe, but mild [could be] when a person is a little dazed, not quite remembering, [all the way] through to unconscious.

“As a neurologist, I would recommend the athlete absolutely comes off the ground and no play for three months.

For some people, in the instance of a second concussion, they should never play again.”

To the martial arts community, let alone the wider contact sports community, this sort of prognosis is deeply confronting.

48 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

“People don’t want to hear this — [athletes] have dedicated their lives to playing sport at a high level and don’t want to hear true outcomes,” says Dr Nesbitt. “People like Muhammad Ali are an average example of what can happen.

In the US, athletes are suing coaches and clubs for permanent injury. Sports clubs in Australia need to catch up.”

Anyone who thinks these problems are confined to sports like gridiron and ice hockey only needs to watch the recent documentary The Hurt Business to see former kickboxer and MMA fighter Gary Goodridge, once so dominant in both K1 kickboxing and the UFC, reduced to a shambling, slurring version of his former self.

THINKSTOCK

Even non-striking martial arts can result in head impacts that require serious treatment

Head trauma can also result in immediate fatalities. While seemingly unlikely, such freak accidents pop up with alarming regularity.

Thanh Pham was grading for his Kyokushin karate Black-belt in 2011.

One of two prospects, he and the other student had reached the kumite part of the grading when things went horribly wrong.

Kyokushin karate, often described as the strongest karate, maintains its reputation by stringent standards, often enforced in the realm of full-contact fighting. While head punches are not allowed, fighters can punch to the body and head kicks are acceptable.

While not a common occurrence, knockouts occur — and it is, of course, the most desirable outcome of a bout for the winner and their fans.

While tournament fighting would appear the most hazardous, because fights are conducted at maximum intensity with a knockdown being the ideal outcome, both gradings and even sparring classes present their own inherent risks.

“There is often very hard sparring in classes and training sessions, but it’s not the same as tournaments,” says Shihan Trevor Tockar, lawyer and 7th Dan Kyokushin karate Black-belt.

“At gradings, you’re not trying to smash them with every technique, but [the objective is to] take them to their limits and sometimes past their limits.

The stress to the body is quite severe, people are exhausted, and you have to be careful.”

Whatever the circumstances, the outcome for Thanh Pham was final.

According to the coroner’s report, the ambulance workers arrived at the scene to find Pham unconscious, apparently due to falling off the mat and striking his head during sparring. He was taken to hospital and subsequently died from his injuries.

The coroner didn’t find the karate organisation to be culpable in the matter but, as a result of the findings of the inquest into Pham’s death, made a recommendation that the New South

Wales Office of Communities, Sport and Recreation work in conjunction with the New South Wales Karate Federation (NSWKF) to develop guidelines for best practice on grading and tournament days to minimise the chances of anyone else being killed in future.

And yet, for those looking to organise an amateur event of their own, it is difficult to find any guidelines of any kind. The NSWKF website doesn’t contain any information, and, going by my own experience, anyone who picks up the phone is unlikely to be of any help at all in this area. One problem is that those assessing our martial arts industry from outside, such as a coroner, will likely not understand the organisational divisions and systemic differences within it. After all, NSWKF (a division of the Australian Karate Federation) deals with non-contact point fighting, which has little in common with the fullcontact Kyokushin style — commonly referred to as ‘knockdown karate’ — that Pham was engaged in. Kyokushin itself is represented by numerous disparate organisations that are not members of the AKF and may not be recognised as ‘peak bodies’ by the relevant federal and state governing arms for sports.

As a result, the best place to look for practical guidance is the professional boxing system. The guidelines are clearly laid out and fall under the responsibility of the doctor.

“Basically, under the pro licensing system, you have the pre-fight medical the day before,” says Dr John Jory, a lifelong martial artist and ringside doctor of 20 years’ experience.

“You check the boxer’s health and his medical history before the fight.

Then, you watch the fight on the night. If you’re concerned, you stop the fight and if there’s an injury, you’re there immediately.

“You examine the patient and decide if an ambulance needs to be called. That involves all the usual first-aid stuff; it’s a reasonably straightforward procedure.

As far as some kind of medical predisposition [to a traumatic brain injury], there’s no way of picking it beforehand.”

While the professional boxing licensing act may provide guidelines,

these are different to enforceable laws: amateur contests such as those within gradings do not require a doctor to be in attendance.

“If the event is not under licence, then there is no obligation to have [medical staff ] there,” says Dr Jory. But in his opinion, this doesn’t mean they aren’t necessary.

“There should be an independent team of current [qualified] first-aiders watching. There should be an awareness

“Headgear increases the mechanical force of a twisting punch quite significantly” – dr john jory that these things can happen.”

In fact, Dr Jory believes that supervision is the critical element.

“In the case of Thanh Pham, you have to ask the question, ‘Who was watching?’

There were two Black-belt gradings going at the same time, and the head instructor was going back and forth, participating in the two. There should have been an independent observer recording information in the event something went wrong.”

The obvious question to ask about head injuries relates to the use of protective gear on the head. Headgear, once a staple of all amateur events, has come into dispute in recent times.

Most notably, it was dropped from the Rio Olympics in 2016 — although, interestingly, only for male boxers.

The chairman of the AIBA medical commission, Charles Butler, told the Wall Street Journal in 2013 that his research had found that boxers were more likely to suffer concussions with headgear than without it.

Butler collected data on roughly 15,000 rounds and determined that in the 7,352 rounds that took place with boxers wearing headgear, the rate of concussion was 0.38 per cent, compared with 0.17 per cent per boxer per round in the 7,545 rounds without headgear.

While Butler did warn that his findings were “preliminary”, according to the report, it represented enough evidence to warrant a ban on headgear for AIBAsanctioned fights. The findings also led the International Olympic Committee to officially remove headgear from the Rio games.

The argument becomes blurry, however, given that female Olympic boxers were required to compete with headgear. The argument is that because women aren’t punching as hard, they aren’t capable of inflicting the same damage. However, since there appears to be no comparable women-only study to prove this hypothesis, one might also wonder whether the greater likelihood of cuts — and thus visible blood — when headgear is removed may be the issue.

Since female pugilists were only recently granted entry to the Olympic ring, the world’s public may be less inclined to support the move once a little claret hits the canvas.

Three of the main reasons for dropping headgear are because it makes the head a larger target (i.e. easier to hit), it adds weight and increases the possibility of whiplash injury, and, finally, it reduces a fighter’s field of vision. All these variables will affect a fighter regardless of their gender, thereby calling the validity of the ruling into question.

“Headgear increases the mechanical force of a twisting punch quite significantly,” says Dr Jory. “Getting hit [with a] straight [punch] is not such a big deal — what does the damage is when you get hit and your head turns in a circular motion.”

That circular motion is what brings about the ippon (‘decisive victory’ in karate parlance) via a knockout.

“In the case of a straight punch, the head goes back and the brain goes back with it. It’s still going back when head bounces forward and the brain bounces off the rear wall of the skull. That’s not such a great problem.

“When the hit comes to the side and twists the head, that’s potentially very damaging for two reasons. One, the frontal lobes are impacted and two, there’s a shearing action. Inside of the skull, www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 49

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The head snapping back (kinking the brain stem) is one cause of KOs

there’s a bony ridge and the brain is grated along that. That can produce lacerations, which are [profoundly] damaging.

“Around the gym [headgear prevents] injuries in normal gym training relating to cuts and bruises. Once it’s serious, there are disadvantages in wearing headgear. It does potentially more harm than good.”

Into the mix comes the wildcard of public perception, which would be no larger a factor than at the Olympics.

“It’s hard for the general public to understand,” says Dr Jory. “Just by instinct, we believe that having a head guard on is going to protect you. Despite that being wrong, it doesn’t prevent public pressure being applied nonetheless.”

Public perception is possibly the most influential factor in the field of martial arts. Martial arts are sustained in large part by the participation of families, and head injuries amongst children are not only far more damaging to the individual who sustains them, but also far more disturbing to those who witness them.

Regardless of the code, the science cited by Butler in the decision to drop headgear for men in the Rio Olympics holds true. While headguards may minimise blood and bruising, what is of the greatest concern is the neurological trauma suffered by the wearer. The best cure for this comes by way of a change in culture, courtesy of education.

In addition to that, best practice requires a commonsense approach. What are essentially ancient systems need to be governed by modern scientific research and responsible governmental and medical bodies. And until your particular governing body or the relevant arm of government above it decides to implement and enforce such practices as a matter of law, you are obliged as a professional to take that responsibility into your own hands. Best practice starts now, with you.

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DOWN TO BUSINESS

52 â&#x20AC;¢ www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

The Confidence

Spiral

Breeding success with success

The Confidence Spiral is a concept that illustrates a fact that many instructors might have happened upon via their own experience: failure can lead to a mentality that ensures it, while success can do the opposite.

Here, renowned martial arts business coach and owner of eight US karate schools Dave Kovar explains how to apply the Confidence Spiral to new instructors, program directors and students.

Story by Dave Kovar

T

he ‘Confidence Spiral’ is a teaching concept that is really helpful when training new instructors, program directors or when working with beginner students of any age. Imagine, if you will, a spiral that is getting progressively smaller. On one side of the spiral is the word ‘failure’.

On the other side are the words ‘low confidence’. Can you see how these two concepts are related? Basically, it means that when someone fails at something, their confidence decreases. And in turn, when their confidence decreases, they’re more likely to fail. We see this all the time in athletics when a player is going through a slump.

Now, imagine a spiral that is getting progressively larger. On one side of the spiral is the word ‘success’. On the other side is the word ‘confidence’. Again, can you see how these two concepts are related? It captures the idea that when someone experiences success, their confidence increases. Likewise, when their confidence increases, they are more likely to experience success.

Training Instructors

First up, let’s talk about how we can use this concept for training new instructors.

I’ll begin by explaining how I used to ‘break in’ new instructors in the old days — but not anymore, and you’ll see why. When I had a new volunteer on the

mat who wanted to learn how to teach, I would reward them by giving them the worst-behaved kids. I would tell myself that I did this because I want to share how challenging it is to teach martial arts. The reality was that I did this because it made that class easier for me, since I did not have to deal with ‘those’ students and could focus on improving the other kids. Then I would wonder why that same person, after just a few classes, would tell me that they were not cut out to be a teacher and quit helping out entirely. I am embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to figure out that I was setting them up for failure by giving them the worst kids first.

“the spiral shows that when someone experiences success, their confidence increases…

Likewise, when their confidence increases, they are more likely to experience success.”

Eventually, I learned that if I give new instructors — i.e. those who are

just learning the ropes — the very best students, they have a better experience teaching. As a result, their confidence improves and with that confidence comes success. Inevitably, every instructor needs to learn how to work with those challenging students, but when you wait until they have developed their basic skills alongside their confidence, then you’ve armed them with the ability to do so successfully.

It is also important to remember that it is very intimidating to step out on the floor and help teach a class for the first time. Little things that we might take for granted because of our experience can be really big things to a new instructor.

Imagine that you have never lined up a group of students or bowed them in, or led a warm-up, and you are asked to do so. All of a sudden, you might start to question yourself. How do we do this again? What’s the first warm-up exercise? Am I supposed to lead the recital of the student creed? If I am not confident in myself, chances are it’s going to come across in my presentation.

I might end up leaving the floor thinking that I don’t have what it takes to be a successful instructor. This is why it’s so important to give new instructors clear directions. They need to know what you want them to do and, preferably, to have been able to practise first. This way, the first time they step on the floor, they www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 53

DOWN TO BUSINESS have a plan. The result is a much more poised and confident presentation. He or she will walk off the floor feeling like, ‘Okay, I can do this!’

Training Program Directors

The Confidence Spiral concept is just as useful in developing the directors of your training programs. Let me begin explaining how by telling you the story of me doing my first ‘extension conference’ with prospective students.

“The Confidence Spiral is just as useful in developing the directors of your training programs.”

It was April 1976 and my instructor went to Hawaii for a week of vacation and left me in charge. I was 16 years old and didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing, but I somehow managed to enrol a father and his two teenage sons in our beginner program. I was stoked.

Beginners’ luck, I guess, because I failed at my next four attempts. By the time my instructor got back, I was one for five — not exactly what I was hoping for.

Although my instructor never gave me a hard time about it, he also never had me do an extension conference after that week either. He just kept me on the floor teaching. As time went on, he would comment to someone on how good of a teacher I was, but…

I didn’t do an extension conference again until I opened up my own school two and a half years later. I was young and extremely green, but I had logged hundreds of hours on the mat and felt comfortable there. The office, well, that was something different. I feared that place. Every time I took a prospective student into the office to discuss membership, I went in pretty convinced that they weren’t going to enrol, unless I gave them some crazy big discount.

Guess what? They usually didn’t. The result was that I ended up with a full mat of students paying half tuition or less, and an empty bank account.

54 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

Give your instructors the confidence to lead before they face leadership challenges — it will make them more effective

I struggled with this for years, until 1987 when I convinced my older brother Tim to join me. He came to me with years of business and sales experience and he saw the potential right away. He was convinced that everyone should train in martial arts and believed that our prices were extremely reasonable. He went in to every extension conference with the mindset that this potential student needed our program, could afford it and would enrol at full price, no questions

asked. The results were astounding.

All of a sudden everyone was paying our standard tuition, and for the first time, the business actually started to show a real profit. What I didn’t realise, until that point, was that having a profitable business dramatically improved the students’ experience as well. It allowed us to have cutting-edge training equipment, ample space and to be able to teach without the stress of wondering whether we could pay the rent that month.

As we grew, Tim made time to train our new program directors until they were extremely competent AND confident. Then, when they were finally ready to go, he made sure that they were successful in their first several extension conferences. He did this by giving them family add-ons and extremely enthusiastic referrals. The results were remarkable. You see, when someone experiences success at something the first four or five times they do it, they expect success every time. Tim knew that half the battle was having the program director believe that the potential student would enrol before they even sat down to discuss membership options.

So what is the moral of the story?

Make sure to train your new program directors thoroughly. By doing this, they will develop a high level of confidence which will dramatically increase their success rate.

Training New Students

The Confidence Spiral concept is not only useful in relation to new staff and achieving business objectives, it’s very much applicable to working with new students and getting them on the path to reaching their full potential. To begin with, just for fun, see if you can go back in time and remember your first martial arts class. What stands out for you? How did you feel when you walked off the mat that first time? Of course there will be some exceptions, but most of us probably walked off the mat feeling like we didn’t know much, but still experienced enough success to make us feel that this was something that we could someday be good at. Imagine how different life would be for you, and your students, if your first class had been a disaster.

We know that if you want to run people out of your school before they ever even enrol, have them experience massive failure in their first class.

Make them feel ignorant, unsafe and unappreciated. I promise that this will work every time. On the other hand, if you want to keep new students training with you, it is incredibly important for them to experience success as soon as possible. Following are a couple of stories that exemplify this.

“out of the corner my eye, I noticed a board over in the corner that was left over from a recent demo. Although I wouldn’t always recommend it, I decided to have her break that board.”

Here is an example from early in my career of what NOT to do on a first lesson. I had a muscular, athletic guy in his early twenties come in to try out a class. He didn’t appear cocky, but something about him was a bit intimidating. I decided that the best course of action was to show him what we were about, so I had him come to sparring class. Let’s just say that he didn’t do very well. Not only

did he leave feeling a bit banged up, I’m sure that he left feeling clumsy, uncoordinated and humiliated as well.

In my ignorance, I thought that would make him realise how much he needed martial arts and that he would enrol for sure. However, the results were completely opposite: not only did he never come back again, he would not even return my phone calls. I would like to say that that’s the only time I’ve done something foolish during the introductory process, but I’d be lying.

I’ve done lots of things in a similar vein and it took me years to figure out what didn’t work.

Eventually we learned to do things differently during the introductory process. To begin with, we always find out what a potential student is interested in and we try to address that. Next, we ensure they experience success in some capacity. For example, a few years back a woman who was extremely nervous about training came to me. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen someone has intimidated as she was. Slowly her confidence began to build during her orientation. I could see the light bulb going on. Then, out of the corner my eye, I noticed a board over in the corner that was left over from a recent demo. Although I wouldn’t always recommend it, I decided to have her break that board. After a bit of coaching and practice on a pad, she went for it. I will never forget the expression on her face when she broke it. That was it. She was 100 per cent on board. Not only did she train with us for several years, but she got her Black-belt as well.

Once again, I don’t recommend that every new student break a board, but what I do recommend is an introductory process that gets every student leaving the mat thinking, ‘I can do this. And someday, I’m going to be pretty good at it too.’

A lifelong martial artist with Black-belts in 10 styles, Kyoshi Dave Kovar is recognised worldwide as an innovator of best practices for martial arts school operation. He oversees the operation of eight Kovar’s Satori Academy schools and is the founder of ProMAC, the Professional Martial Arts College. Kyoshi Kovar is the lead instructor for Century’s Martial Arts Industry Association (USA) and he has published over 100 online business and teaching videos for the Educational Funding Company (EFC). He can be contacted via email at dave.kovar@kovars.com www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 55

ON THE MAT

Tournaments vs Tradition Can all martial artists benefit from competition?

Self-defence and budo are often at odds with tournament training in modern dojos, whether we admit it or not. But can you have the best of both worlds? Here Kyoshi Matt Charnley, 6th Dan and founder/head instructor of Hoshiki Kiritsu Martial Arts, looks at the benefits of training for martial arts tournaments while balancing it with tradition and structure within the dojo.

by Matt Charnley 56 â&#x20AC;˘ www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

james carrett

W

ith our time in the dojo being limited, quite often the task of training specifically for tournament martial arts can be seen as a distraction from our normal goal — that being our grading- and skill-orientated regime, which for most is about selfdefence and fitness/health.

However, I believe promoting competition is imperative in any serious martial arts club.

Imagine this: you are a 1st or 2nd Degree Black-belt and one of the younger novices is considering entering their first martial arts tournament. They approach you and ask, “Sempai, what is it like when you get up to fight in a tournament?” or “Which kata did you perform in competition?” While you might have been instructing this individual for the past six months for their next Kyu-rank grading, you simply cannot answer the question with any authority or conviction because you have never competed. Now the reason you have never competed might be because your previous instructors always discouraged competition, or it simply did not appeal to you. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t really matter; the fact is that any advice you now give to the student will only come from theory, not practical experience — and disclosing this to the student could possibly disappoint them and others. This is an awkward position in which many instructors will have found themselves before, I suspect. As we all know, experience is the best and most authentic of all teachers, and it produces more well-rounded martial artists and instructors. Officiating, observing and studying is simply not enough when it comes to preparing a student for competition.

I have had first-hand experience of this as a student. Many years ago I was questioning the tactics of a martial arts instructor as I was training for a fullcontact karate competition, only to find out that he had never fought in any form of competition. I instantly lost confidence and sought out a known tournament champion within the same martial art.

This is why I believe we should spend at least 15 to 20 per cent of our time in the dojo specifically devoted to preparing

students for competition. Even if some students do not wish to compete in a formal tournament, then at least they have experienced some form of pressure test within the dojo against their own classmates. This will invariably improve every student by increasing the intensity of their training and giving them more variety. It also quite often has the added benefit of unearthing a desire to compete, which can transform a ‘rank-oriented’ martial artist into a potential champion simply through exposure to competition and the encouragement to have a go.

I have always believed that a professional martial arts instructor should be able to wear several different hats simultaneously, and that diversifying our focus and training

“As we all know, experience is the best and most authentic of all teachers, and it produces more well-rounded martial artists and instructors.”

to a different area or discipline will not mean that other facets of our training will suffer. It’s just the opposite, in fact: more often than not, our overall ability as a martial artist will improve. I am certain of this because while I graded from 7th Kyu to 3rd Dan over a period of approximately 12 years, I was simultaneously competing in kickboxing, semi-contact and full-contact martial arts tournaments.

Quite often, instructors discourage competition within their dojos for a number of reasons. Some that I have seen first-hand are: 1. The instructor themselves never competed and doesn’t want to expose this fact to the class.

2. The individual instructor or particular style of martial art views competition as against their spiritual ethos and/or interfering with tradition.

3. The training will detract from grading preparations and other skills.

4. Competition is seen as not ‘real’ (as compared to self-defence), as there are too many rules, pads and officials.

5. The instructor doesn’t want to put in the extra time and effort to properly prepare the students for the specific rules of the competition.

Bearing that bit of extra pressure in competition helps kids build resilience and confidence

www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 57

HKMA junior competitors celebrate together after a successful showing

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“Competing builds experience, resilience and self-belief, and the focus and fitness gained through this more intense training permeates all areas of martial arts skill.”

Over the past 25 years of teaching, I have seen literally hundreds of students transform their martial arts careers simply through the act of competing. This has ranged from a small but highly noticeable increase in self-confidence in a junior student to resurrecting a struggling, disinterested senior into a tournament champion. I have yet to see any martial artist young or old who has not benefited from diversifying into competition.

Competing builds experience, resilience and self-belief, and the focus and fitness gained through this more intense training definitely permeates all areas of martial

arts skill from kata through to selfdefence, submissions and everything in between. And, while there may be rules, competition is often a more ‘real’ test than class sparring.

With this personal growth in mind, we make it clear to all of our students that by simply entering a competition they have already won. They then do not feel the pressure of expectation and can simply enjoy the experience. It is because of this approach we find that competition is embraced with anticipation and excitement rather than fear and anxiety.

The benefits of competition are many.

Firstly, it promotes a healthy respect for rules, officials and opponents, promoting principles that prove invaluable for life in general.

Competition creates positive goals and fosters a club spirit and level of support that quite often only comes out at competition.

It extends to both student and instructor, it can bring elation and humility, and we always learn from the experience, win or lose.

I believe we have a duty to actively encourage our students to compete in all relevant forms of martial arts competition, because if we do not, we may have only tapped into a small percentage of the vast potential that stands before us in the dojo.

Kyoshi Matt Charnley began his martial arts training in 1983. A former Victorian full-contact karate and kickboxing champion, he has trained intensively in Kwannon karate, Zen Do Kai, kickboxing, boxing, kung fu, muay Thai and jujitsu. In 1995, Charnley and Sensei Glenn Smith formed the Hoshiki Kiritsu system and now run four suburban dojos. Charnley holds diplomas in sports coaching (martial arts) and counselling, and regularly trains overseas for his own professional development. Along with his wife, Renshi Maree Charnley, he has developed self-defence courses specifically for women, school children and the intellectually disabled.

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ON THE MAT

an interview with the founder of real first aid, ben krynski

UPSKILL: Get Real 60 â&#x20AC;˘ www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

Interview by Ben Stone

Within the world of martial arts instruction, teaching students how to deal with the obvious aftermath of a violent altercation is a link missing from the average syllabus. Here, founder and head trainer of Real First Aid Ben Krynski explains how he teaches these very skills — and why a good dose of gore makes them more effective in practice.

Ben, why is your business called ‘Real First Aid’ — are other firstaid courses not teaching real skills applicable in real situations? How do yours differ in how and what you present?

Good question. Our courses are definitely the real deal. Even our most basic courses are delivered through a simulation-based methodology that includes the use of fake blood, fake wounds, sounds, smells and even smoke. However, the true impact of our methodology comes out during the debriefs we run. As with everything, there are other courses that are good, and some less so. We see ourselves as the Singapore Air first-class suites of the firstaid training industry: you end up at the same destination, but the experience and memories are completely different.

It’s been said that your teaching is ‘principle driven’, making the methods easier to recall and apply under pressure. Can you explain what some of those key principles are, to give an example of how they might apply to multiple situations?

certificate for compliance purposes, then there are easier ways of getting it than through us. But if they actually want their staff to be able to use the skills they are taught and gain valuable knowledge from the training, Real First Aid courses are the way to go.

How did you get into this line of work and what related training and employment did you do before starting Real First Aid?

Originally I trained as a first-responder, then a medic through the civilian ambulance service in Israel. I spent about two years there working on both basic and advanced life support ambulances and training overseas volunteers through a 10-day first-responder program. Back home in Australia I worked for a variety of training organisations while I was

studying marine biology. Since then I have retrained as a paramedic through Monash University.

While I was training people in Australia, I saw how disinterested my students were after eight hours of lectures, and how very few retained the information. There had to be a better way. So, my experiences from Israel, training first-aid locally and my professional paramedic education in Australia inspired me to launch Real First Aid in 2014 with two partners. Our mission is to prepare people for the realities of emergency situations.

Can you take us through a scenario that you’ve encountered in real life and then replicated in training?

Many people who ask me these questions expect a gory, intense, dramatic scene, and although I can share plenty of stories like

Use of realistic prosthetic injuries and fake blood gets first-aiders ready for what they might face in a real emergency

Sure…an example is treating an unconscious person. One of the principles that we instil is the importance of turning any unconscious patient onto their side, as this is crucial to maintaining the integrity of their airway. This principle can be incorporated into any situation: car accident, fall, drowning, terror attack, etc.

What kinds of people or organisations tend to do Real First Aid courses?

We train start-ups like Vinomofo and Deliveroo, not-for-profits like Sea Shepherd and The Salvation Army, industry leaders such as Toll Shipping and Meridian Energy, and government clients both domestically and internationally.

Essentially, we train companies, organisations and individuals who care about high-quality training. At the end of the day, if all that a client cares about is a www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 61

ON THE MAT this, I often focus on much less dramatic, more common scenarios. A classic scenario from a real case I often replicate is of a 46-year-old female with lower back pain, indigestion, slight headache, mild nausea and a shortness of breath. You may think this is quite a benign description, but when we put the ECG monitor on her, she was having a heart attack. We treated her on the scene and then during transport, and she arrived in a very stable condition to hospital. Although I didn’t follow up with her, I am confident she had a positive outcome.

I often replicate and discuss this case to demonstrate that heart attacks don’t always present with the left-sided pain radiating to the left arm, crushing chest pain, shortness of breath, etc. but can present in many different forms. Thus, it is essential to always suspect the worst-case scenario and take quick, effective action, even if all you can do is call 000.

Some people feel faint at the sight of blood and gore; does your training help people overcome that tendency so they can be effective in a real situation?

Blood and gore is not really an issue; the main issue with our form of training is the psychology danger from being inside of an immersive scenario. Our scenarios are so realistic that students begin to believe they are real and sometimes react in unexpected ways, with the scenarios bringing up flashbacks from the past that the students themselves aren’t even aware of. This is a hard risk to mitigate.

We do have a comprehensive safety brief, and protocols, but it’s not just a problem we face but a challenge for the entire simulation-training industry. I sit on the Human Dimensions in Simulation Committee for Simulation Australasia, and I am an advisor for the Asia Pacific Simulation Alliance. A lot of the work I do there is based around improving psychological safety in simulation. We have a paper being released soon and another being presented at next month’s Simulation Conference in Sydney.

When you teach these courses, do you find the students generally have a basic understanding of first aid, 62 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au

Role-playing teaches Real First Aid students how to adapt and improvise in critical situations

or is it apparent that most people in the community lack sufficient knowledge in this area to be of assistance in a crisis?

Most of first aid is common sense; however, misinformation is a huge challenge of my job. For example, there is strong belief that you must never move someone, or tourniquets can kill, or, my pet favourite, it’s illegal for a first-aider to administer drugs. (See my LinkedIn article on this.)

In the martial arts, the learning is focused on self-defence. Some probable outcomes of defending against an attack successfully are that the opponent may be knocked unconscious. Alternatively, as the defender you are also likely to suffer head trauma, even if you achieve the goal of surviving and getting away. Can you offer some basic advice on what to do in both of these common situations?

Download the app ‘HeadCheck’, which was developed by the Murdoch Institute in consultation with the AFL. Mainly for kids, it provides a really good way of assessing head injuries and deciding what to do. Secondly, go with your gut;

if it looks bad, sounds bad, or feels bad, then it probably is. An example I give is of a woman who was hit by a bus. On examination, she was perfectly fine, but I insisted on transporting her [to hospital].

Why? A bus hit her! Bus was big, woman was small. Bus plus woman at 30km/h equals BAD! So, to summarise the advice: Always go with your gut: consider the environment, forces involved and treat for the worst-case scenario.

If unsure you can call 000, ask advice, and even if an ambulance comes, they won’t necessarily transport [the patient] if they feel they don’t need to.

Do you do ‘train the trainer’ courses so that martial arts instructors, for example, can get qualified to give lessons to students in essential first aid, for example?

We don’t; all our trainers are experienced emergency service personnel, company medics/paramedics or critical care nurses.

However, we do offer tailored course for martial arts centres.

For more information on firstaid training and simulation courses, visit www.realfirstaid.com.au

One Side Fits All the physical | MATT BEECROFT

For strength and injury prevention, are we better off using exercises that train both sides of the body at once, or one side at a time?

68 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | ON THE MAT

Bilaterally loaded squats are a key component in most strength regimens

the Bulgarian split-squat), you are getting these advantages: • The total load on the spine is reduced, because the weight is cut down roughly by half • The split-stance used in unilateral exercises is more similar to the athletic stance. One foot pushes off the ground, and the other lands on the ground • Technically, one can move more weight per leg compared to bilateral exercises • Stabilising muscles are engaged to a greater degree.

Obviously, both have their own benefits. It is certainly hard to choose one over the other. The debate as to what is ‘better’ has gone on for years, but to me this argument is irrelevant because it inevitably depends on the person for whom the exercise is being prescribed and the reason for it.

The Athlete’s Needs While we know that bilateral exercises develop the entire body’s strength more effectively, what needs to be determined is whether or not the athlete or client needs this absolute strength, and what is the risk versus the benefit of doing a particular exercise.

If I’m a rugby league coach, my players will do heavy back squats. When you’ve got 150 kilograms on your back, you know that back strength is being developed.

I see it as a higher risk and higher reward exercise (depending on the player’s history and injuries) that these athletes do to maximise their toughness and ability to take a hit. But is all of this necessary for a limited-contact athlete, like a soccer player? No. Sure, the guys playing soccer might occasionally crash into each

charlie suriano

L

et’s face it: exercise can be dangerous. When we have around 40 or more per cent of people getting injured from training every year, we clearly have some issues with exercise prescription.

Sometimes the stuff we do in the gym — or, as instructors, assign to our students — just doesn’t work. The question is, why?

Exercise is a stimulus for the body. If you give the wrong technique or exercise to the wrong person, you stimulate the body to adapt in a way it shouldn’t — and the result can be disastrous.

Enough strength training research has been done that we now understand that people respond differently to exercise. In one example, researchers found that after 16 weeks of training a bench press for three hours per week, 17 per cent significantly improved their numbers, 63 per cent had minimal but small improvements and 20 per cent actually went backwards. Go figure.

Last issue, I mentioned one of the biggest variables in progressively overloading the body apart from load, volume and density is exercise selection. You can now see how what may often seem as choice for choice’s sake can actually have huge ramifications for your health and performance.

Let’s look at bilateral training (exercising both sides of the body simultaneously) versus unilateral training (exercising one side at a time), purely from a performance perspective. First, though, I want to make the point that I don’t favour one form of training over the other.

Here are the advantages of bilateral exercises (such as back squats, bench press, etc): • It is the best way to develop overall, absolute strength • The absolute greatest amount of weight can be used, because the entire body is used, not just one leg • There is less stress on balance and stabiliser muscles, again allowing more weight to be used • Exercises such as the squat and deadlift are tried-and-true methods that have created powerful athletes, huge bodybuilders and all-around strong people for years and years.

With unilateral exercises (such as

other, fake a fall, actually fall or get into scuffles, but it’s nowhere near the level of impact that guys in the NRL experience. So why spend time on riskier exercises such as heavy back squats? I don’t think they need as much back strength. Leg strength, which I’m sure is important for soccer players, can still be achieved with unilateral exercises.

This also applies to people who aren’t athletes. Are you in a physically demanding job (e.g. military, fireman) that requires allaround toughness, or do you have a desk job that doesn’t have physical requirements? Understanding your needs and demands will help you decide whether you need to do bilateral training for wholebody strength, or you can just give your spine a break and stick to unilateral training.

Unilateral Exercise Benefits For those with back injuries, the split-squat is an awesome progression to be used when trying to work one’s way back up to the regular back squat, simply because the load on the spine is cut in half. Also, for those with seriously-debilitating back injuries, they may only be able to do unilateral exercises for a long time (or forever). Sure, maximum wholebody strength is achieved bilaterally, but for those who are seriously damaged, unilateral movements are much better than nothing.

Stabilisation and balance are emphasised more during singleleg training, which is particularly useful in its own right for athletes and others. Balance is a skill of its own, and allowing stabilisers to become weak can result in various injuries. Important for a martial artist? You bet.

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JEET KUNE DO CONVERSATIONS

IN THE STEPS OF BRUCE LEE

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEET KUNE DO FROM A TO Z

BY JOSE M. FRAGUAS

charlie suriano

Lunges are a great unilateral exercise, loaded or not

TAO OF JEET KUNE DO

BRUCE LEE’S FIGHTING METHOD

BY BRUCE LEE

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The myth of symmetry We have been bombarded about symmetry and training for symmetry in the world of fitness since the beginning. Everything is about being ‘balanced’: do the same amount of sets or reps on both sides; do the same amount of stretching or mobility work on both sides; make sure you do unilateral exercises. Go to a class and you will have to do the same amount of work on both sides, all in the name of symmetry and balance. But the fact is, we were never born symmetrical in the first place — and, more so, most of us are dominant on one side of the body. So the argument of symmetry is now a moot one, as working both sides of our body evenly would keep us, well…asymmetrical, wouldn’t it?

Outwardly, the human body appears symmetrical but inside our body our organs aren’t aligned and placed symmetrically — a theory that the folk at the Postural Restoration Institute (www.posturalrestoration. com) push heavily in their training. We have a liver on our right and a spleen on our left. Our heart sits in our upper-left chest cavity and takes up so much room that to accommodate it, our left lung must be smaller than our right (two lobes versus three). Even the two halves of the diaphragm are different in size and strength. Pretty much all systems in our bodies — visual, digestive, muscular, respiratory, lymphatic, and neurological — are asymmetrical. It’s not a bad thing; although organised asymmetrically, the body’s structures are still more or less distributed evenly.

However, our asymmetry does tend to make most of us shift our centre of gravity to our right leg. If you watch a woman holding an infant or watch people waiting in line and so on, you will notice this weight shift to the right leg. Watch someone walk or go upstairs — they will push off the right leg and if carrying a bag, they will usually put the bag on the right shoulder, for example. In standing, most people will put their weight on their right leg, move their left foot forward, rotate their pelvis down and right, drop the right shoulder, and raise the left side of the rib cage. We assume this stance partly due to gravity (to offset the weight of the heart), partly to support the function of the diaphragm’s larger right leaflet, and partly because that leaflet’s stronger attachments tug us in that direction. It is also a consequence of being right-handed — even if you’re a lefty, you shift right because nearly everything in society, from doorknobs to cars, to computers to guitars, is ergonomically designed for right-handed people.

70 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | ON THE MAT

“Exercises such as the squat and deadlift are tried-andtrue methods that have created powerful athletes, huge bodybuilders and allaround strong people for years and years.”

PT Lindsay Perry demonstrates hanging kettlebell deadlifts

charlie suriano

Not everything we do in life is performed with both feet at the same time. Most natural movements — running, tackling, crawling, climbing, etc. — involve one leg driving the body from a single-leg stance, while the other plants and follows up with driving the body, and so on. So, there seems to be an added importance for being able to do things unilaterally, one leg at a time. And if you are a martial artist kicking and kneeing while balanced on one leg, then you can see the importance of unilateral training.

Eventually we get locked in that rightward posture.

Repeatedly assuming this with all this right side dominance can cause havoc for our joints, as we are always out of alignment. Add an asymmetrical sport or martial art as well (i.e. where we favour an ‘orthodox’ or a ‘southpaw’ stance) and you can see where all this is going. The PRI recommend several things, from day-to-day posture and breathing through to exercise prescription, to correct it.

Through the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), we can see that the biggest predictor of injury is, firstly, previous injury and, secondly, asymmetry. So if this is the case, and we also know the body is asymmetrical by nature and often right-side dominant, why do we continue to train symmetrically?

If we really want to be balanced, better aligned, and find a biomechanical neutral so we can perform better, run faster, lift heavier, hit harder and so on, we need to start embracing the ideal that it is totally okay to train unevenly. If we want to avoid injury or treat a current concern, we may need to train asymmetrically. Does that mean we should do more stretching on one side more than the other? Yes. Does that mean you might train one side with more sets and reps than the other? Yes. Does that mean possibly only stretching one side or only training one side of the body to even things out? Yes. And you are probably freaking out about that.

But don’t: it could provide the key you’ve been missing in your efforts to heal or prevent injury.

Matt Beecroft is an RKC Team Leader and Functional Movement System-certified strength coach with over 13 years’ experience as a trainer.

He’s an Expert Level krav maga instructor, nationally accredited boxing coach and national fitness presenter. He also coaches amateur and professional muay Thai fighters.

He can be contacted via his website www.realitysdc.com.au

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The Age-Old Divide SMALL TALK | MELODY SHUMAN

There are many different reasons for choosing certain age-divisions when programming children’s martial arts classes — from convenience for parents down to student numbers in each level. So what happens when the kids’ development needs take precedence?

B

eing a veteran martial artist who started training in 1987, I have witnessed many changes and innovations within the industry, including the progressive transition from all-ages classes to agespecific classes. What I have also discovered is that many schools are stuck in the middle. In this issue’s column, I am going to share some important facts that may motivate some of those schools that are still stuck in the middle to make the transition into the next generation of children’s martial arts training.

A decade ago, you were an innovative school if you provided a pre-school program for children aged threeto-six, and then a juniors program for ages seven-to-12.

Today, you are an innovative school if you made the transition into breaking down your age groups even more to target your students’ stages of development.

These age groups include three-to-four-year-olds; fiveto-six-year-olds; seven-to-nine-year-olds; and 10-to-14year-olds. With that said, let’s break down some facts to compare the new ‘old-school’ children’s programs with the ‘new school’ children’s programs.

3–6 Program If you combine these ages in one class, chances are you are experiencing high enrolments but low retention. You are losing the majority of your three-year-olds mainly because they are ‘not old enough’. You are also dealing with parents of six-year-olds that want their child to move into the juniors’ class because they think they are too old for the pre-school class. At the same time, the instructors in this class struggle every day to teach a meaningful, results-driven class.

Teaching tiny tots together can be tough, but you will instil the fundamentals

“Think about it: your three- and four-year-olds’ classes are focusing on early childhood fundamentals, which means that even the youngest three-yearolds are showing progressive growth and development.”

64 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | ON THE MAT

Think about it. You are teaching children that attend pre-kinder in the same class with kindergarten and foundation/pre-primary and grade one school kids. If you understand early childhood education, then you know that this is a wide range of physical, intellectual, emotional and social capabilities. It is no wonder that three-year-olds are quitting, because most new prekinder students cannot write their name. At the same time, what parent of a grade-one would want their child learning side-by-side with a pre-schooler?

3–4 & 5–6 Programs If you split up your age groups according to these ages, then you are experiencing decent enrolments and high retention. You may be losing some leads because some siblings fall into both categories and the split classes are inconvenient for parents. However, since you are targeting each age groups’ stage of development, your classes are measureable and results-driven, therefore retention and referral rates will be much higher.

Think about it: your three- and four-year-olds’ classes are focusing on early childhood fundamentals, which means that even the youngest three-year-olds are showing progressive growth and development. At the same time your five- and six-year-olds are working on basic fundamentals, which means that the six-year-

olds feel challenged and do not have the desire to train with the older kids just yet. Both classes are just right and this means great retention, happy staff and happy parents, which also means more qualified referrals!

There is an obvious benefit to applying this ‘newschool’ concept to the most junior classes. However, it is understandable that many schools are hesitant to make that leap either because they do not have room in their schedule, or they are afraid of losing students and new leads, because it is more inconvenient for those parents with children in both age brackets. If that’s the case, then you have to make a calculated forecast of how many new students you can attain, versus how many you would retain, if you made the leap.

7–12 Program If you look statistically at the dropout rate for this program, you will discover that the youngest children in class are dropping out the most, particularly at Greenbelt (or equivalent mid-belt level) and they are dropping out because the program is getting too hard for them.

At the same time, you will also discover in most cases that the next most likely to drop out are the older children, at or near the same belt level as the youngest students — however, their main excuse for dropping out is because they’ve lost interest, or because the program is ‘too easy’.

To take this even further as it pertains to the 13-andover adult program, the smallest amount of enrolments are drawn from the 13-to-14-year-old age bracket, mostly because young teenagers do not want to train side-by-side with adults.

It’s no wonder why schools running these programs are constantly feeling like they are playing catch-up when trying to attract new students — grade-twos are expected to train with year-sevens! On top of that, year-eights are trying to find their own independence from adults and therefore have absolutely no desire to partner up with someone old enough to be their parents!

Yet at the same time, 13- and 14-year-olds are amazing athletes that typically love martial arts, so it’s an age group that should be prominent within any martial arts school.

7–9 & 10–14 Programs If you take the new-school approach and split your classes up according to these age brackets, you now have classes that are dynamic, exciting, and easier to retain. You may have to combine all belt levels into one class for scheduling purposes, but that’s okay because studies have shown that students with lesser experience prefer to work with people their own age, and vice-versa.

So, you can now target your seven-to-nine-year-olds’ stage of development with a program that progressively builds their skills, without having to worry about the older kids being bored. Your curriculum has more difficult challenges for the higher-ranking students, but the challenges are not beyond their physical, intellectual, emotional and social capabilities.

Teaching smaller groups with a narrower age-focus is great if you have the resources

At the same time, your pre-teens and young teens all get to train with peers on a similar level. They are not being slowed down by younger students, and at the same time the lower-ranking students see their potential by watching their higher-ranking classmates perform, as opposed to being overshadowed by adult classmates.

The classes are not only fun for the students but the instructors as well, because they are not experiencing the daily roller-coaster ride that the new old-school programs present.

Now, I know it’s hard to make changes, especially when you are use to one system. Many instructors fear the change will cause existing students to drop out, and at the same time create a headache for management, who have to integrate new schedules, curriculums, belts and so on. If you’re considering a restructure but are apprehensive, email me for a free selection of drills that target each age group. Seeing drills that compare each level of development side-by-side can help instructors see the significant learning curve between the ages.

With that said, I will leave you with this quote from famed Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “If you do not change directions, you may end up where you are heading.”

Melody Shuman holds a 6th Degree Black-belt in taekwondo and has over 20 years of experience researching childhood development as it relates to sports, coaching and parenting. Her innovative age-specific curriculums and drills, known as SKILLZ, are used in hundreds of martial arts schools around the world. She lives with her family in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA and can be emailed at melody@shumanconcepts.com

ON THE MAT | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 65

Discomfort Zones A will & a way | john b. will

How well does your training prepare your students, and you, for self-defence in the real world?

T

“I sat there in a state of mild shock. I was enjoying my training immensely and felt I’d jumped to a new level since the tide had turned for me the year before.”

he following is an edited excerpt from one of my books, Fear and the Engine: Sometimes in life we need to be pushed out of the nest. Our natural tendency to remain in our comfort zones stems from a biological survival imperative that is no longer as relevant as it once was. It is no longer likely that the odd tribe living over the hill will kill us on sight. The fear of leaving the tribe we know can only hold us back in today’s shrinking world. We need to be able to make many distinctions in life — one of the most important being the distinction between what is dangerous and what is merely uncomfortable. For the explorer, comfort zones are like the bars of a prison.

Breaking free awakens and enhances our potential.

The four letters The day started fairly normally. I’d just returned to Indonesia from a brief stint working in Australia, and was staying at my friend Gandre’s house in Kuta. I was back into training and turned up for my regular morning session at Master Tambir’s house in Tampak Gangsul.

64 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | ON THE MAT

Early days: John Will training in Indonesia

He invited me in and we sat down for a pre-training cup of tea, as was his usual custom. This time though, he had a serious look about him; not the usual smiling and jovial greeting I was used to. I wondered if I’d done something wrong.

He put four envelopes on the table; each had a name and address printed clearly on the front. Each letter, he explained in solemn tones, was an introduction to a renowned Pandaikar (Silat Instructor). They were scattered all around Java, the island across the straits from Bali. It was time, he said, that I broaden my horizons and go and study these vastly different styles. I was to spend at least a month in each of the four towns, training in the four different systems. I wasn’t to come back until I had completed this training. The letters, he said, were to remain unopened and be handed to each instructor upon arrival.

I sat there in a state of mild shock. I was enjoying my training immensely and felt I’d jumped to a new level since the tide had turned for me the year before. I was confident and was then a Purple-belt, which represented assistant-instructor level. I was even teaching a few classes for some local security groups at tourist hotels, and that came with perks.

I made a weak attempt to dissuade him, and wondered if he was just sick of training me. I always had too many questions. He had tears in his eyes though, as he assured me this was something I needed to do.

Looking back, I marvel at what an amazing teacher he was. How many martial arts instructors in this day and age have the confidence and wisdom to send their students off to learn things that they freely

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acknowledge they cannot teach themselves? Such was the calibre of Master Tambir. I will always love him dearly for that level of caring, although at the time, it didn’t feel like that. I was suddenly feeling lonely.

That day, I gathered my few belongings, stuffed them in my backpack and bought a bus ticket to Surabaya…

That little excerpt from my new book is a wonderful example of a teacher who put his student’s needs before his own. Obviously, he was confident enough in himself and the relationship we had, to be able to send me off to learn from others.

In today’s shrinking world, and particularly with the explosion of information via the internet, students know that they need a variety of skills to be truly effective as martial artists. But how many instructors are comfortable enough to allow their students access to other instructors and skill sets? The best instructors actually go out of their way to provide such exposure to their students, usually by bringing outside instructors in for seminars. This is a great way to provide their students with what they need, but also tells the student that there’s no need to go elsewhere. In my experience, students love this and it does nothing but increase their respect for, and loyalty to, their instructor and school.

I have the honour of being able to offer training at some of the very best schools in the country and overseas in this capacity. And although everyone loves the training, I can’t recall a single incidence of a student leaving their parent school as a result of me exposing them to new ideas. This situation is a win-win-win relationship: the school owner benefits by raising his own standard as well as the standards in his school; plus his students know they’re in the right place — a one-stop shop, where it all comes to them. I benefit too, by making new friends and gaining financially.

Sure, students need to be pushed out of their comfort zones on a regular basis, so they can grow and develop. But instructors also need this, perhaps even more so.

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John B Will is head of BJJ Australia and teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu, shootfighting and self-defence solutions around the world. Check out his regular blog at www.bjj-australia.blogspot.com.au

CALL (03) 9574 8460 OR VISIT ON THE MAT | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 65 WWW.SUBSCRIBEANDSHOP.COM TO ORDER

Get Equipped, Get Creative on the mat | matt charnley

To get the most out of your martial arts training equipment and develop your students’ skills faster, it pays to think laterally. Hoshiki Kiritsu Martial Arts chief instructor Matt Charnley shows how.

t

HE DRILL

The drills shown here are designed to help students perfect various techniques more quickly by using equipment that is commonly found in the dojo/gym to reinforce and perfect the key elements of skills that have been demonstrated. These drills are especially effective in helping junior students grasp and execute what is being taught.

One of the biggest difficulties when teaching junior students correct kicking techniques is getting them to lift their knee and keep correct posture to generate power.

The first drill shown here employs a kick shield placed between the student, and the kick shield is held (or heavy bag, if training solo) so the student does not drag

their leg and compromise their posture. This also assists the technical execution of the kick, promoting better balance and the ability to generate power.

The second and third drills shown here work the side kick and outside crescent kick respectively. Quite often, in a bid to execute a kick correctly, the kicker compromises the protection of their face and head, so in these drills we address the issue using a martial arts belt, which is wrapped around the student’s hands and placed over the back of their neck, measured to where the guard should correctly sit. This prompts the student to keep their hands up at all times throughout the movement, as they will otherwise feel a downward drag on their neck and shoulders while executing the kick.

Drill 1: roundhouse kick 1

“These drills are especially effective in helping junior students grasp and execute what is being taught.”

start

3

Cassidy demonstrates an incorrectly performed roundhouse kick with poor posture and leg lift.

2

finish

In order to clear the vertically positioned kick shield, she must now use correct technique, lifting her leg higher and staying upright…

…to complete the roundhouse kick while retaining balance and good posture, before retracting her kick with similar control.

72 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | ON THE MAT

Drill 2: crescent kick Cassidy shapes up to the forearm pad using a belt to keep her hands up in the correct position.

1

Using a vertically placed kick shield to ensure correct technique (distancing, swinging the leg through the inside, etc.), Cassidy fires her outside crescent kick up to the target…

2

3

…and returning to her balanced stance without touching the kick shield or dropping her hands.

4

…penetrating the pad while maintaining correct posture and hand placement…

Drill 3: side kick 1

THE RESULT

2

start Jnr Sempai Jude shapes up to the kick shield As he turns to commence his kick, the two kick using a belt wrapped over his neck to keep his shields provide a guide for correct height and hands in the correct position. timing in lifting his leg…

3

4

finish

…so he can complete the side kick with correct posture, hand placement and penetration of the target (i.e. distancing)…

…before returning to his balanced stance in a controlled fashion, without touching the kick shields or dropping his hands.

As we all know, teaching and learning martial arts depends heavily on the student’s ability to mimic specific moves and actions. Effective teaching also incorporates accurate verbal descriptions, slow repetition and the complete demonstration of the ultimate goal — the technique in full, functional execution. Because martial arts involves teaching people to use literally empty-handed techniques that require exceptional control of all the limbs, mimicking becomes the primary source of learning.

Most other activities/sports have the advantage of providing an essential and tangible third entity — for example, in tennis, a racquet; in football, the ball; in cricket, the bat and ball, etc. — which provide some immediate feedback as to the success of the player’s execution of a particular skill. Obviously, martial arts only provides the human body and, even when using equipment such as striking bags or pads in place of a sparring partner, physical feedback is limited to what you feel (unless you have the advantage of video playback).

Clever use of equipment and other props means we need not rely solely on verbal explanations and mimicking. Utilising martial arts equipment in a more versatile way will assist in improving the techniques of not only junior students but all trainees, including instructors.

ON THE MAT | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 73

You’re Too Young, Son Peer to Peer | Jason Sigler

Many modern martial arts schools rely on their intake of juniors to stay afloat financially — and, in turn, parents and society at large see a need for kids to engage in the discipline-focused activities that dojos and kwoons provide. So, it might seem a strange decision for a professional instructor to refuse tuition to students under the age of 15, as does American karate instructor Sensei Jason Sigler. Here, he explains why…

74 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | The Cool-down

I

was once asked what would my rates for children’s classes be, should I begin teaching full time. My response came as surprise when I said, “I won’t have any children’s classes. I decided that I would not be taking on any students below the age of 15.”

Having taught karate for more than 15 years now, I have had the unique opportunity to associate, teach and train with a vast spectrum of people from all walks of life, including children. I have always enjoyed working with children and quite honestly believe that if you can get children involved in the martial ways early enough, the possibilities are endless. In fact, I began teaching my daughter when she was only two years old. And, thinking back to when I first began learning the martial ways, I only wish I had started earlier.

So, please don’t misunderstand my stance around enforcing restrictions when it comes to my own teaching. It has nothing to do with the child’s age per se; it has everything to do with modern society and the current trend in how we raise our children. Too many times have I been told, “I’d like for you to teach my son/daughter karate.” From there, it goes like this: Me: “Why do you want him/her to learn karate?”

Parent: “I want them to learn discipline.”

Me: “I can’t teach your child karate.”

Parent: “Why not?”

Me: “Because discipline starts at home. If the child isn’t disciplined at home, how can I be expected to teach the principles of my craft to them for one-to-three hours per week?”

To be clear, when I was a child, my sister and I rarely stepped out of line in school, public or at home, because we knew that our parents would destroy us! The rules were very clear with what was expected by our parents with home manners, public conduct, school, church, family outings, etc. There were rules in place for just about every facet of our lives and with those rules came consequences for breaking them. Sometimes the consequences were being restricted to our rooms, or having to stand in the corner or having any number of privileges taken away — but, more often than not, we got our tail ends warmed up.

Without a solid foundation of discipline instilled at home, I would have never had the focus or respect for my elders necessary to properly conduct myself in a martial arts class.

Twenty years ago, children went to a martial arts school to learn the martial arts.

We children would line up when directed to do so and we would get to our position as fast as our little feet would carry us. We stood at attention and awaited our instructor to issue

“It has everything to do with modern society and the current trend in how we raise our children. The vast majority of parents in our Western societies no longer instill proper manners or discipline…” our task directions. When told to stand ready, that’s exactly what we did. If by chance our attention began to wander and we looked elsewhere or even moved, we got popped and quickly found our focus again. To me, it wasn’t abuse or even painful; it was merely a quick correction reminding us that while we were in the dojo there were certain mandatory standards of excellence to which we had to adhere. Unfortunately, times have changed.

The vast majority of parents in our Western societies no longer instill proper manners or discipline in the home. Children today are permitted to be disrespectful to their parents, siblings and extended family members, and sadly this spills over into their conduct outside of the home. I have seen children utter phrases like, “Shut up Mommy, you’re stupid,” with no consequences other then a warning.

I’ve also witnessed a mother reprimanding her child by saying, “One more time and I’ll beat your butt” — seven or eight times!

My question there is, how many one more times will there be before you make good on your word?

That being said, the most important reason for my apprehension toward teaching students under the age of 15 are parents’ perceptions of what karate is supposed to be in the world today. Too often have I seen a children’s class operated more like a daycare centre than a real martial arts class. Sure, everyone is wearing a uniform (although kids often only wear part of it), but the classes seem to involve little-to-no actual martial arts instruction. Instead, the class activities consist of what seems to me are little more than preschool games. Perhaps I’m being a bit of an elitist, but my stance is quite clear. I’m not completely opposed to the idea of teaching

young children but before I even entertain the idea, I need to have the parents onboard in regard to my expectations of the children’s conduct in my classes.

Furthermore, I believe parents need to stop making excuses for their kids. If your child is old enough to go to school, then your child is old enough to remember to bring their entire uniform, including the belt. It’s their uniform, so make them responsible for it! When your child loses focus during class or can’t seem to calm down, don’t simply put it down to ‘ADD’ or some possible behavioural disorder — work to instill some manners and discipline at home. If the child does need to take medication for a diagnosed condition, then keep them on it. You have to understand that the safety of all students in the class is paramount, and students who will not or cannot focus and pay attention are at risk of injuring themselves or a classmate. They are there to learn a combat art, after all.

Over the course of my teaching career, I have noticed that focus starts to come more easily to students, as a general rule, between the ages of 13 and 15. By the age of 15, the student is mature enough to make the decision of joining and will be better able to understand what the martial art is really about. Karate is not about creating ‘little ninja’, but unfortunately many children and parents alike believe that what they see on TV’s Power Rangers is what the martial arts are like, and that could not be further from the truth. The martial arts are about learning to survive a real assault from an aggressor (to gain an opportunity to flee), the development of character, and sharing a bit of yourself with others.

My policy comes down to this: we are professional martial arts instructors, not professional babysitters. So, if you are a martial arts instructor dealing with any of the issues I have outlined here, I encourage you to sit down with each parent who has a child enrolled in your martial arts school to give them a clear insight into what the training is all about. Ask them what they want their child to get out of training, then let them know how they can help make it happen.

Jason Sigler has been involved in the martial arts since 1982. He holds a 5th Dan rank in both Budokan karate and tang soo do, 3rd Dan in Shotokan and 1st Dan in Kukkiwon/ Jido Kwan taekwondo. He lived and trained in Japan from 1997 through 2012 and now teaches his “own flavour” of karate, Isoshikai, focusing on pragmatic kata and bunkai (combative applications), as well as helping out at his wife’s taekwondo school.

The cool-Down | www.martialartsbusiness.com.au • 75

From Little Things…

Budo in Business | Ricardo Vargas

Have you ever assessed how much — or perhaps how much more — your martial arts organisation can contribute to the community? Here, martial arts instructor and business ethics lecturer Professor Ricardo Vargas discusses how martial arts groups can contribute to the sustainable development, health and welfare of our communities.

I

n a world where the apocalyptic news headlines are filled with death, crime, abuse, war, natural disasters, tragedy and scandals, it is soothing to hear good news about people who have served as positive role models. Stories of people who have done something constructive for their communities, donated their time or money, performed random acts of kindness, or even saved lives. More so than from the news media, real human beings that I know through martial arts: my instructors, teachers and mentors. Their stories inspire us and offer hope that the human spirit can still conquer. They also remind us that each of us can make a positive difference in the world by doing our part.

As martial arts instructors we build relationships with the communities in which we operate our schools. This relationship should be based on community involvement so we can contribute to the community’s development — and the community to ours. Martial arts instructors and schools that engage in a respectful manner with the community and its organisations help to strengthen civil society by reflecting and reinforcing our important democratic and civic values.

Community involvement goes beyond identifying and engaging stakeholders in the martial arts academy’s activities, though; it also encompasses support for the community. Our organisations’ community involvement should arise out of recognition that we are stakeholders in the community, sharing common interests with others around us. A martial arts academy’s contribution to community development may be to promote higher levels of wellbeing in the community and, on a larger scale, help improve the quality of life of its population.

Community development is not a linear process; moreover, it is a long-term effort. Development happens as a result of a community’s combined social, political, economic, cultural and historical influences, which make each community unique and influence the possibilities for its future. Stakeholders in the community may have different — even conflicting — interests, so shared responsibility is needed if we’re to promote the community’s wellbeing as a common objective.

Our martial arts academies can contribute to community development in many ways, including by creating employment through expanding and diversifying activities and programs. We can also contribute through social investments in local economic development initiatives; expanding education and skills development programmes; promoting and preserving culture and arts; and providing and/ or promoting community health services. We can also contribute to strengthening other important institutions of the community by working with schools, community centres, non-profit social and environmental groups, and so on.

Positive community development is advanced when the social forces in a community — such as our academies — strive to promote public participation, equal rights and dignified standards of living for all citizens. This process is internal to the community and if we’re

76 • www.martialartsbusiness.com.au | The Cool-down

Volunteering can foster camaraderie and connections with the community

to participate we must take into account of existing relations and overcome barriers between elements within it. In short, community development is enhanced by socially responsible behaviour.

Social investments that contribute to community development can sustain and enhance a martial arts academy’s relationships with its communities, but they don’t necessarily need to be associated with its core operational activity of teaching the arts. For example, a martial arts academy might lead a campaign to clean up a local reserve where they train, or organise a group to plant shade trees there on National Tree Day. They may offer free instruction to groups of disadvantaged people, or institute a community service requirement in concert with an NGO as part of their senior grading syllabus. These are all valuable initiatives that martial arts schools Down Under are doing already.

Let us aim to put self-interest aside so that we can better understand and focus on the interests of our community. We as martial arts instructors are social leaders, so we need to consider our community’s needs as well as our own, keeping the focus outward instead of inward. When we strive to be selfless, we do not think less of ourselves, we just think about ourselves less.

Born and raised in Colombia, Ricardo Vargas became a philosophy lecturer at the country’s top university and a leading Jeet Kune Do instructor under USA’s Grandmaster Richard Bustillo before immigrating to Adelaide, SA. Vargas now resides in Melbourne and oversees several Adelaide JKD clubs.

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