The Martial Arts Enrollment Process

Arts blogger

In the 1980s, Educational Funding Company (EFC) was the first to have success creating systems to support an agreement-based school. Our industry owes a debt of gratitude to Nick Cokinos and his ability to teach, motivate, and inspire some of the most successful school owners today. Guys like Dave Kovar, Steve Lavallee, and Keith Hafner all learned the business from being clients of Nick Cokinos.

Mr. Cokinos was an early partner with Jhoon Rhee, and together they created many of the business elements we take for granted today. From the Black Belt Club to musical forms and safety equipment, the ideas that came out of the powerful combination of Jhoon Rhees drive to make a difference and Nick Cokinos business savvy created probably the most successful family tree of martial arts school owners. Jeff Smith, Stephen Oliver, John and Pat Worley, and Regina and Angel Gonzalez may not all have been EFC clients, but they cut their teeth as students and then instructors under Jhoon Rhee while Nick was running the businesses.

EFC emphasized having systems for every aspect of your school and building your receivables base as the way to build wealth and value for your school. As self-serving as this may seem coming from a billing company, they are absolutely correct. Thats not to say many cash out kings and month-to-month schools have not built wealth, but its tough to build value in your business if the majority of students have already paid or are free to leave at anytime.

If your exit strategy is to sell your business, then this is something to consider very seriously.

Not many people are in the market for a school full of students who require lessons but have already paid. Month-to-month schools can be sold but will usually not get the same price as a school with a portfolio of agreements and a history of high collections.

Having an agreement is also good for retention. Thats not to say students on agreements dont drop out; they certainly do. However, the very nature of making a contractual commitment to train for a period of time helps students stay longer than those who can cancel at any time. Some school owners dread presenting an agreement to be signed by a new student. Conversely, the instructor who understands the Core Dynamic of Valuing What You Do feels it is a waste of everyones time for someone to enroll for less than 100 classes or about one year. What would someone get out of three or six months of martial arts? If you are a top instructor, you want to work with students who appreciate that and will be in class.

Remember, in almost all markets, the largest schools with the most students and highest tuition typically require agreements. Often these are surrounded by smaller mom-and-pop schools or dungeon dojos with signs in the window reading No Contracts. The sign should say No Confidence. Not that every school that doesnt use contracts lacks confidence. I mean that a school that uses that as its unique selling position is selling from a weak place.

Using an agreement tells prospects that you have expectations about your relationship. It communicates that you value what you do, and that is a positive element in helping the student gain confidence in your school. Certainly, an agreement can complicate the enrollment process, but not as much as many might think.

Like all sales (and any financial presentation is a sales presentation) the most successful ones start with an attitude of positive self expectancy. The successful salesperson believes in what he does, and he believes everyone will enroll. This is much bigger than you may think. People who are nervous about contracts will often convey that to the prospect, who will then contract the virus of concern.

Proficient salespeople are very well rehearsed, and they understand people. They dont make light of the agreement; they also dont concern themselves with it. Its just the final step in the enrollment process. They simply present it as an opportunity for the student to get involved in the school. On the other hand, the struggling salesperson will present it as though the student were signing her life away.

It makes sense, though, in a business like martial arts where there is still confusion and concern about money mixing with arts, that the promise of high enrollments without agreements would be very attractive, and it is.

Express Your Thoughts Through Art

Arts blogger

Gallery is defined as a building or a series of rooms devoted to the exhibition and often the sale of work of arts. Among the innumerable art: sculpture, photographs, illustrations, installation art and applied arts are exhibited in art gallery; and painting is commonly displayed medium. It is a way of promoting the unexhibited art and fresh artist. The art galleries let artists to display and promote their work in these venues with zeal.

Contemporary art is in vogue. The term contemporary art gallery refers to a commercial gallery intended for private-profit-motive. These galleries are usually spotted agglomerate in large urban areas. For instance: the Saatchi gallery of London is a well known hub of contemporary art world. Contemporary art gallery are also open to the general public without any cost where they can purchase art. Non-for-profit galleries and art-collective galleries are also to be found that directly create opportunities to put on show regularly. Moreover, the artist-run-centre gallery exists on government funds. Art gallery can also be interpreted as the springboard for launching careers for fresh and young artist.

Here is a short list of notable contemporary galleries:
Mumbai: The Arts Trust Institute Of Contemporary Indian Art
London : Saatchi Gallery, Victoria Miro Gallery
Los Angeles : Paragon Fine Art
Madrid : Museo De Arte Contemporaneo
Mexico city : Galleria OMR

Umpteen well-known art galleries exhibit art from all over the continents. Selected and matchless works of African art, American art, Indian art, European are preserved in the art galleries for the coming generations. To promote Art, many art galleries adopt the online mechanism letting people to view their work by sitting at home. Such innovative steps provide opportunities for art aficionados to purchase outstanding the works.

Finding Bruce Lee’s Martial Art Jeet Kune Do In India Without Being Ripped Off

Arts blogger

Jeet Kune Do is the famous art of Bruce Lee, and many think that he showcased the art in his films such as Enter The Dragon which he in fact did not. In his many films Lee used more of his Tae Kwon Do kicking that he found suited films as they were flashy, yet impractical for the street defense system that he devised.

You will see many of these high flashy kicks in India from “instructors” claiming to teach the real Jeet Kune Do. Some of these little known instructors notably Ritesh Reddy,Deepak Rao and Seema Rao are all from jkdindia.com which is a not authorized by the Bruce Lee Foundation in any way, nor does the Foundation condone their activities and use of Bruce Lee images and logos. Just so you know jkdmumbai.tripod.com is the same group.
So now you know of what to look out for, how do you find the legitimate teachers located throughout India. This task has become harder in the past few years as more and more un authorized teachers and schools have popped up throughout India.

One good thing is that the Government of India is cracking down on all the false claims and fake schools.
For a school to teach Jeet Kune Do in India legally it has to be organized and or associated with a legitimate Jeet Kune Do group in the United States authorized to teach and recognized as legitimate such as the largest JKD group the World Jeet Kune Do Federation. The World Jeet Kune Do Federation website http://jeetkunedo.org lists instructors who are certified to teach real JKD and has a listing at the bottom of those to watch out for, a couple are from India.

At this time the Bruce Lee Foundation does not have an instructor list like the World Jeet Kune Do but apparently plans to in the future. The World Jeet Kune Do Federation according to sources is the only JKD group to have a formal agreement with the Bruce Lee Foundation.

Another good site to check out is http://jeetkunedoindia.com/ as they are recognized by the Unites States Associations.
One clear sign of an instructor who knows less than nothing is one who goes around talking trash about other teachers. Run far away when you encounter this trait. The philosophy behind these “bad behavior” tactics is to draw attention away from the instructors abilities by changing the focus to someone else. A good instructor does not need to say anything. High quality training and skills speak for themselves. Real JKD teachers don’t drag others down in an attempt to make themselves look competent or important. Still your best bet when checking out a school outside the United States, is to go to a United States based website as this is where all Jeet Kune Do began.

Enjoy your search for authentic Jeet Kune Do in India. Its supposed to be a fun and rewarding experience, just try to stay clear of all the politics and bickering and you will do just fine. If there are no instructors in your area there are some good Jeet Kune Do DVD’s out there you can train with as well.
Be like water my friend… I couldn’t resist.

What are the Martial Arts Styles Used in MMA

Arts blogger

The combat sport known as mixed martial arts or MMA employs many forms of fighting techniques. Consisting mostly of grappling and striking techniques, MMA borrows so much from different traditional forms of martial arts that have been in existence since the ancient times.

Some of the most commonly used martial arts in MMA include kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu, and muay thai. Most professionals argue that jiu jitsu, particularly Brazilian jiu jitsu, is the spine of mixed martial arts. However, there are those who contend that each of the fighting styles contribute to the whole expertise of an MMA practitioner. To understand, listed below are some of the martial arts forms from which mixed martial arts often borrow.

Kickboxing

Gathering from its name, one will easily get that this martial arts form consists of various boxing and kicking techniques. Professional fighters say that this field is very much related to another martial arts form called Muay Thai. Kickboxing is well known in MMA. In fact, the audience can easily discern once a player starts to use kickboxing techniques. As most professionals say, it is said that kickboxing accounts for almost 90% of the striking techniques used in the field of mixed martial arts.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is the national sport of the country Thailand. It is a martial arts form and at the same time combat sport that uses punches, kicks, as well as knee jerks. Techniques used in Muay Thai are considered as assets of every MMA fighter. Moves such as the flying knee and the superman punch are known for their effectiveness and brutality in every mixed martial arts match.

Wrestling

Another popular form used in the mixed martial arts arena is the sport known as wrestling. For those of you who are not yet familiar with the MMA industry, dominant fighters are those who are wrestlers by profession. Some of the great MMA fighters with background on wrestling include Brock Lesnar, Cain Vasquez, Matt Hughes, Sean Sherk, Josh Kosheck, Ryan Badder, Randy Couture, Mark Kerr, Kevin Randleman, Vladimir Matushenko, and Mark Coleman among many others. Indeed, wrestling, as a martial arts form, is the number one source of techniques used in grappling resulting to as many takedowns and submissions in every mixed martial art fight.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is very popular in mixed martial arts matches because practitioners of this style makes their opponents lose via submission. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is focused mostly on grappling and ground fighting techniques. It is in demand for players who want to learn proper submission methods.

Boxing

Last but not the least is boxing. Boxing is a very familiar sport to everyone but only a few people know of its contribution to the world of mixed martial arts. Boxing makes use of jabs, hooks, body blows, and uppercuts to strike an opponent. It is the ultimate source of hand strikes in MMA. Boxing techniques can bring about fatal hand strikes and knock outs in an MMA match.

Evolution Martial Arts 14436 N Dale Mabry Hwy Tampa, FL 33618 (813) 961-5245 http://www.graciebarraevolution.com

Martial Arts Workouts For Men Over 40

Arts blogger

Almost every person living on the planet knows that exercise is necessary to keep a body healthy and active. Taekwondo is one of the most dynamic and highly physical forms of martial arts training. Taekwondo has a number of training levels and it becomes more physical and demanding as a person advances to the higher levels. A young adult can go through all the levels because of his flexible body but men over 40 years can’t cross a certain level of training because of their age. Age is the main determining factor of the extent of physical training. It isn’t likely to say that a person having an age of more than 40 can’t train himself with heavy exercise, surely he can but it will put his body under an immense danger of getting damage due to heavy exercise.

Body of a person starts getting weakened once he crosses the age of 40. Whole body workout is necessary to develop and maintain muscles of all the body parts. Flexibility along with agility is achieved in this way. Mental training is also very important along with strength training. All these factors are equally important for a person to have a healthy body. Adults with age of more than 40 years can have a healthy body through martial arts training but there are certain classes for them to do so. Very heavy exercise can cause damage to the already weak musculature.

Training for adults over 40 essentially demands proper knowledge and usually these people don’t have it. They think that training too hard is the best way to maintain and strengthen their body, which isn’t correct. Adults over 40 years start very hard exercises and they don’t listen to the demands of their body. There are some people who feel enormous amount of pain because of heavy exercises but they consider it a necessary evil for a strong body. This isn’t correct as this pain is usually an indication of muscle damage.

If you are an adult with an age of more than 40 years then the most suitable way for you is to find a training centre where instructors have knowledge to deal with adults. It will be better if at that training center, you find a chance to train with adults of your age group.

Markku Parviainen
Taekwondo coach