Help on opening a new school, advice wanted please?!

[JadecloudAlchemist]

If you are part of an organization you should have a stamp.

Every person in Japan has a stamp it is for everything. So a Menkyo with out a stamp is odd.

Fine whatever let those who can read and speak Japanese see it for themselves.

 

[HeisaaReborn]

Referring to our basic stance as Kehon no kamae. the "no" is because it is a fixed non-moving stance and not a movement. would that mean saying kehon kamae as a description from a fixed stance into a movement such as when doing the happo subaki would be incorrect language? no it wouldn't because t's about the context of how it is used..just like english and every other language in the world.



The Japanese language has different methods of writing including Kanji, Katakana and Hiragama as the most practiced methods. Just as in America we have different ways of writing and speaking english between city and country so does Japan depending on region and method of writing.


Some people say the only way to write a menkyo for a Gaijin is in Katakana; some say it has to be Hiragama. It comes down to the writer of the Menkyo, their region and what they decide to use. We in america can choose to write in manuscript, cursive or abbreviations. This is the same situation. However any true student of the budo ways would never question a student about their teacher. That is not proper also.
I will not reply as I will not allow for more disruption than this has already caused. I will take it as a learning lesson - as far as my master's master's name that is not of your concern. He is retired and wishes to stay at peace.
Peace,

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

Kehon no kamae

You mean Kihon no kamae as in kamae of basics or basic kamae?

happo subaki

You mean Happo sabaki? Eight movments?

Usually Katakana is used to write foreign names in Japanese formally.So example my wedding certificate is in Katakana because it an important document. Hiragana is used in a nonformal way and would not be put on a document like a Menkyo however Katakana most likely would for a nonJapanese.

This is the same situation. However any true student of the budo ways would never question a student about their teacher. That is not proper also.

Bah if your teacher has sloppy handwriting and questionable things then ya I would ask about a teacher. And we live in modern times were crooks and conartist and fake madeup schools are everywhere so of course we should question things!!

 

[HeisaaReborn]

do the smart thing, start in a garage or YMCA/Rec center where you dont have any rent to pay, then when you have enough students to pay the rent, you can go get yourself a nice fancy commercial space.

We did the same thing. We started in a local gym that was very happy to have us. So far the arrangement has been good. It also cuts down on a lot of the need for marketing as the gym is already doing their own marketing and bringing in a group of physically people. On top of that we have other outlets such as we are part of Police Tactics Instructors of America and can also can help to certify people through that organization. This has helped as well. We also do combat techniques only which has brought us to much of the military community. Any of the seminars we do - well we're in the Keys nothing better than a beach. Even comes with its own mat. %-}

Take care and I wish you luck. Good night and I apologize again both publicly and privately for the slight detour this thread took.

Oh and one other thing - my husband didn't have to do it on his own. My full time job can cover our expenses at home so the school had time to build. It is always good to do things as a family when one can. It is part of that balance that life and the martial code teaches us. :highfive:

 

[lulflo]

If you can find an aerobics location or the like, it is possible to sublet if they have off times, or a separate room that is not used all of the time. That way you will have much less rent initially while building up your student base. Just kind of echoing some of the suggestions I guess, but look for a business that does any kind of fitness, maybe talk to the local gym and offer to do class there to get your name out as a building block.

Good luck and remember, show the people that you love what you are doing, not that you are good at advertising, there is a BIG difference. A good teacher is someone you can learn from, right?

Farang - Larry

 

[QIGONG]

I own and operate a small business not related to the martial arts, It's a retail store that caters to the medical community... when I began I had no money for a commercial location, and tons of inventory, let alone advertising. So I attacked my target market with flyers. Hospitals, doctors offices, dental offices, clinics, etc... word of mouth within' those communities spread quickly and luckily, I didn't have to dump money into the news paper, and telephone books. (In which case, you're spending money hoping somebody will find you, with flyers, you can target anybody you want directly via their mailbox, posting in schools, churches, windshield wipers etc.)

I DO however agree with the comment that you do need a website though - in this age of technology, more people will be looking there before a TV ad, radio ad or flashy newspaper ad will jump out at them.

Also, you may be sitting right on your location and not even know it... A church gymnasium that's not being used during the week, your child's middle school multi purpose room, or you may know of a local gymnastics academy or dance studio, who has an extra room or a few nights a week that they're closed where they'll let you use their facility - you could compliment each other greatly, the child who isn't good at tumbling may find martial arts more appealing, or students might take both. You'd also have an entire crowd of parents and siblings who would see you and say -

"Hey, what's going on in that other room?" or "What's that sword on the wall?"

"Oh it's a martial arts class that practices here tuesdays and thursdays, talk to Jade Cloud, he's an awesome teacher, many of gymnasts and parents take self defense classes with him."

or in the case of a church "Our entire men's bible study group and teen group is thinking about joining and taking your class on tuesdays and fridays when our women group meets up, because we don't have anything scheduled for them."

Just some ideas, hope it helps! When you do get kids to enroll - encourage mom and dad to take class too! Sometimes they might need that extra motivation to transform from a Karate mom/dad who sits on the bench to an active student who is working with their kids, it'll strengthen the fabric your MA family and theirs as well.