Starting A Martial Art Dojo
Learning a martial art seem to be a fad these days because of the need for physical fitness or simply because the average male watches the Ultimate Fighting Championship too much and want to become fighters themselves. Whatever the reason is, a martial art dojo has a potential of becoming a good business.
Things You Need Love of martial arts and good connections. Anyone can start a dojo even those without any love for martial arts but it's better for those who love martial arts because they most likely know people who can help them out. Keep in mind that you'll need teachers of various styles, fitness and conditioning instructors, and even nutritionists. While you can always post an advertisement to find people, keep in mind that anyone can fake a resume and claim that he knows this style and that style. If you belong in the martial arts world, you know who to approach. A location with a big space. There will be a lot of jumping, hitting, and running around so a wide space is a must. Equipment. You can teach martial arts without equipment like in old kung fu movies but those are only in the movies. If they're true, the secret is gone forever. You'll be needing punching bags, gloves, body armors, face masks, pads, and helmets to minimize injuries. Some rubber for the floor is also needed for grappling styles like judo and jiu-jitsu.These are basically the things that you need. There's no need to emphasize on a good location because good means in a commercial area. When you're starting out, you won't be able to afford the posh places and you'll probably end up renting a place whose entrance can only be accessed through a back alley. Don't worry about this. If you have a good set up, martial artists will come to you. If you're really good, you can even set it up in your backyard.
PromotionThe social networking sites are the obvious choice. You can invite friends through Facebook and Google Plus and you can send press releases and podcasts through DatSyn. Sometimes even the traditional methods of printing shirts and banners work especially if you have a friend who's a well-known martial artist wear the shirt.
Another effective way I found to be quiet effective is posting videos on Youtube. No, these are not videos of a tour showing off your place. These are instructional videos showing a particular technique in escaping a rear naked choke, for example, or how to disarm a knife-wielding assailant. The guys in the video could wear shirts with the dojo's logo or you can flash the logo at the end of the video. The videos should be posted on Youtube since there are a lot of wannabe martial artists out there there who want to learn a particular technique.
Martial arts might be seen as a violent recreation but it's really not. There are so many misconceptions that can only be erased if one tries it for himself.
Link to Source:
http://www.datsyn.com/article/716/2012/07/17/Starting-A-Martial-Art-Dojo
