Martial Arts Open Day

[Damien]

I've been asked to hold a kung fu open day where people can drop in and get a taste for kung fu and encourage them to sign up for future classes.

Have any of you ever done anything like this? Any thoughts on how to structure it? I've done plenty of trial classes in my time, but nothing where you're basically there waiting to see who comes along.

The studio opens right out onto a relatively frequented road (beach, cafe's, restaurants and ferry wharf down the road), so I imagine there will be a fair amount of foot fall going past. How do you entice people in? How do you juggle people coming and going?

My initial thought was a cycle of 10 minute topics. One thing covered in 10 minutes, then move onto the next and repeat a few times through the day. You could have stances, kicks, basic pad work etc. things that wouldn't require any pre-requisite knowledge, such as forms. Someone could stick around for a few topics, or just come in for one. If someone shows up halfway through they only have a short wait to get in on the action.

I'll be teaching by myself, but can probably rope someone else in to lure potential trainees and answer questions whilst I'm busy.

Another option would be 30 minute classes that people have to book for, either before the day, or ahead of time as they walk by; the studio isn't very big, so you'd want to make sure you didn't ahve lots of people trying to come to the same time.

Any thoughts welcome.

 

[Instructor]

It's an interesting idea, I don't think I've come across it before, at least not for martial arts. I guess I would hang fliers out so people know and put a breadboard sign out front for folks walking by and obviously social media. Like Johnny says on Cobra Kai "put a hash brown on it and send it to the internet!"

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Something similar to this is open-mats, where people come in for a free-style sparring/grappling rounds. And they're able to come along regardless of the style they study or if they're a student.

A similar idea might work: Advertise it as an open-mat and demo: First half hour you do sanshou, second half you have your students perform forms or do traditional drills with the guests so they cna see what it's like.

 

[jayoliver00]

I've been asked to hold a kung fu open day where people can drop in and get a taste for kung fu and encourage them to sign up for future classes.

Have any of you ever done anything like this? Any thoughts on how to structure it? I've done plenty of trial classes in my time, but nothing where you're basically there waiting to see who comes along.

The studio opens right out onto a relatively frequented road (beach, cafe's, restaurants and ferry wharf down the road), so I imagine there will be a fair amount of foot fall going past. How do you entice people in? How do you juggle people coming and going?

My initial thought was a cycle of 10 minute topics. One thing covered in 10 minutes, then move onto the next and repeat a few times through the day. You could have stances, kicks, basic pad work etc. things that wouldn't require any pre-requisite knowledge, such as forms. Someone could stick around for a few topics, or just come in for one. If someone shows up halfway through they only have a short wait to get in on the action.

I'll be teaching by myself, but can probably rope someone else in to lure potential trainees and answer questions whilst I'm busy.

Another option would be 30 minute classes that people have to book for, either before the day, or ahead of time as they walk by; the studio isn't very big, so you'd want to make sure you didn't ahve lots of people trying to come to the same time.

Any thoughts welcome.

You have to get onto social media and ramp it up. If you haven't or don't have enough influence, you'd want to pay for the boosts and such from FB, IG, etc.

Hire a DJ, some cute girls handing out flyers, etc. Promote more than anything, Cardio Kickboxing.

This was how these guys who owned 6 LA Boxing franchises did it, and 5 of their gyms were always ranked #1 though #5, nationwide (once in a while they'd lose the #5 spot, only); this was around 2010 when FB wasn't that big yet, IIRC. I think above all, have a good sales person who can close + a 6-12mo. contract. These guys had a monster of a Closer; trust me, he was good. His current car is a brand new 2021 Corvette that he started modding with $20k of parts right away; w/a family w/kids.

I bet the guy that owns your gym won't want to spend the $$$$ for all of this. Your next best bet is probably Groupon, where you can make a crazy deal like 5 classes for $15 and bring in some of the cheapest of the cheapskates, but that's way better than an empty gym.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I've been asked to hold a kung fu open day where people can drop in and get a taste for kung fu and encourage them to sign up for future classes.

Have any of you ever done anything like this? Any thoughts on how to structure it? I've done plenty of trial classes in my time, but nothing where you're basically there waiting to see who comes along.

The studio opens right out onto a relatively frequented road (beach, cafe's, restaurants and ferry wharf down the road), so I imagine there will be a fair amount of foot fall going past. How do you entice people in? How do you juggle people coming and going?

My initial thought was a cycle of 10 minute topics. One thing covered in 10 minutes, then move onto the next and repeat a few times through the day. You could have stances, kicks, basic pad work etc. things that wouldn't require any pre-requisite knowledge, such as forms. Someone could stick around for a few topics, or just come in for one. If someone shows up halfway through they only have a short wait to get in on the action.

I'll be teaching by myself, but can probably rope someone else in to lure potential trainees and answer questions whilst I'm busy.

Another option would be 30 minute classes that people have to book for, either before the day, or ahead of time as they walk by; the studio isn't very big, so you'd want to make sure you didn't have lots of people trying to come to the same time.

Any thoughts welcome.

I'll give you my professional recreation advice.

1. Don't think of it as Kung Fu think of it as recreational exercise with functionality. This will help to get you in the right mind set for attracting people. Don't think of it so much as you trying to get people to sign up. Step it down enough and think of it as getting people to join your for a fun functional exercise.

2. Stick to it. Don't give up. People like consistency. "Same time, Same Bat channel." People like knowing that you'll be there at a specific time or date.

3. Get a partner to join you. A friend or family member will do. People are like lemmings and you only need two people to start a following. Two people will allow you to play off each other's enjoyment for the exercise. When people see that you are having a good time, then they will want to have a good time too.

4. Don't get lost in the details of Martial Art. The first couple of people who join you won't care much about that.

5. Plan what you'll be doing on which days. This will give people an opportunity to come back later in the even that they aren't interested in what you are doing on the current day.

Most important. No your area and the type of people that frequent there. Shape martial arts to the needs of the people in that area. If people stop to watch ask them would like to try a little bit of it. Get your bags grappling escape tricks and wow them.

Think of Martial Arts as something that will grow on the people walking by and that it may take a few times for them to see it in order to take part in it. People enjoy being around other people who are fun to be around. You definitely have a challenging task ahead of you.

Edit: A lot of people are either intimidated by martial arts or think that it's a fantasy thing. Keep it practical and things will be easier.

 

[Damien]

Thanks for all the ideas.

Not sure the budget quite stretches to a DJ and ring babes, but I'll see what I can do with my phone and some skimpy y-fronts. Bound to draw in the crowds right?

You've convinced me that I probably need at least two people assisting to draw people in, answer questions and help demo. Definitely clarified my thoughts a bit.

Unfortunately it being a brand new class there's only a handful of fresh students, so the student demo thing doesn't work. It's an age old classic though. Used to do performances etc. back when I taught in the UK.

I can see two crowds being interested, those actually interested in martial arts (there's nothing in the immediate area, but a lot of places around the city) and those just interested in health and well being. It's that kind of place. I think the "it's good for your body and mind, and if you want you can kick sh*t" line might be the one to take.

Maybe cardio kickboxing would be the money maker, but to be honest, it's not something I'm interested in doing. I know plenty of people want to do it, and some people love teaching it, but it's just not for me. I could never muster the enthusiasm of a Body Combat instructor flailing knees in time to the music. As my wife would gladly tell anyone, I have no rhythm when dancing, so I'm sure that would be the same!

At the moment I'm thinking maybe six 10 minute sessions each with a different theme, rolling through an hour cycle. People can drop in for one or more of them as they walk by, or come back later. If they arrive half way through one, it's only a few minutes to wait whilst someone talks to them/answers their questions.

Session ideas:
Pad work (punches and kicks)
Kicking drills
Stances and the first few moves of a form
Qi gong
Meditation
A demonstration of a form (different one each hour) and a break/opportunity to talk to people

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Maybe cardio kickboxing would be the money maker, but to be honest, it's not something I'm interested in doing. I know plenty of people want to do it, and some people love teaching it, but it's just not for me. I could never muster the enthusiasm of a Body Combat instructor flailing knees in time to the music. As my wife would gladly tell anyone, I have no rhythm when dancing, so I'm sure that would be the same!

There's at least two gyms near me that have cardio kickboxing as one of the main sources of income. You basically have to do either those or have an extensive kids program when you're starting up, in order to afford teaching adults (if you're renting a place and need teaching as a source of income).

 

[JowGaWolf]

Unfortunately it being a brand new class there's only a handful of fresh students, so the student demo thing doesn't work.

All you really need is just someone who can punch to help with the demo. MMA and the MMA vs Kung Fu Masters videos has pretty much changed the interests of people. If it doesn't look practical then people will have second thoughts about it. I think the days of the Fantastic Demo are gone. The competition for Martial Arts has also grown. The demo should look more like "I can do that" than "It must take many years to do that." You just need to get people in the front door so that you can hit them up with other benefits of training with you.

"it's good for your body and mind, and if you want you can kick sh*t" line might be the one to take.

People actually like this. I discovered that ladies like to punch stuff more than guys. I can only assume that it's an outlet for their everyday stress. I used to sell the benefit of training as a good way to release stress and how training makes it easier to clear the mind and release the everyday stress.

Maybe cardio kickboxing would be the money maker, but to be honest, it's not something I'm interested in doing. I know plenty of people want to do it, and some people love teaching it, but it's just not for me.

Teach martial arts for function and they will get cardio. In my old school there was one lady who participated in sparring classes simply because we trained hard. She tried Taekwondo and was disappointed and came back to our school. She said the Taekwondo class wasn't active enough for her. When I do the conditioning I change from Martial Artist to Fitness Coach (mentally). I'm keeping them pumped and telling to dig down, push harder. don't give up. Tons of encouragement. They like that more than the music. They like the feel of doing something when they thought they couldn't do it. They also like the encouragement.

Session ideas:
Pad work (punches and kicks)
Kicking drills
Stances and the first few moves of a form
Qi gong
Meditation
A demonstration of a form (different one each hour) and a break/opportunity to talk to people

I like this. It has something for different groups of people who might be interested.

 

[JowGaWolf]

You basically have to do either those or have an extensive kids program when you're starting up, in order to afford teaching adults (if you're renting a place and need teaching as a source of income).

At one time we had a Kung Fu fit class where we would sneak in some kung fu in the cardio exercises, so the people end up learning some kung fu without knowing it. The biggest difference is that we didn't correct a technique unless it posed a safety issue. The women enjoyed that class a lot. The downside is that it's good to start with at least 2 women. It could be a family member, friend, etc. Women here were hesitant if there aren't other women in the classes.

My guess is that the logic may be "why aren't there other women here. There must be something wrong with this guy."

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I've been asked to hold a kung fu open day where people can drop in and get a taste for kung fu and encourage them to sign up for future classes.

Have any of you ever done anything like this? Any thoughts on how to structure it? I've done plenty of trial classes in my time, but nothing where you're basically there waiting to see who comes along.

The studio opens right out onto a relatively frequented road (beach, cafe's, restaurants and ferry wharf down the road), so I imagine there will be a fair amount of foot fall going past. How do you entice people in? How do you juggle people coming and going?

My initial thought was a cycle of 10 minute topics. One thing covered in 10 minutes, then move onto the next and repeat a few times through the day. You could have stances, kicks, basic pad work etc. things that wouldn't require any pre-requisite knowledge, such as forms. Someone could stick around for a few topics, or just come in for one. If someone shows up halfway through they only have a short wait to get in on the action.

I'll be teaching by myself, but can probably rope someone else in to lure potential trainees and answer questions whilst I'm busy.

Another option would be 30 minute classes that people have to book for, either before the day, or ahead of time as they walk by; the studio isn't very big, so you'd want to make sure you didn't ahve lots of people trying to come to the same time.

Any thoughts welcome.

Where in the wide world are you? I would check out this kind of thing for sure.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Thanks for all the ideas.

Not sure the budget quite stretches to a DJ and ring babes, but I'll see what I can do with my phone and some skimpy y-fronts. Bound to draw in the crowds right?

You've convinced me that I probably need at least two people assisting to draw people in, answer questions and help demo. Definitely clarified my thoughts a bit.

Unfortunately it being a brand new class there's only a handful of fresh students, so the student demo thing doesn't work. It's an age old classic though. Used to do performances etc. back when I taught in the UK.

I can see two crowds being interested, those actually interested in martial arts (there's nothing in the immediate area, but a lot of places around the city) and those just interested in health and well being. It's that kind of place. I think the "it's good for your body and mind, and if you want you can kick sh*t" line might be the one to take.

Maybe cardio kickboxing would be the money maker, but to be honest, it's not something I'm interested in doing. I know plenty of people want to do it, and some people love teaching it, but it's just not for me. I could never muster the enthusiasm of a Body Combat instructor flailing knees in time to the music. As my wife would gladly tell anyone, I have no rhythm when dancing, so I'm sure that would be the same!

At the moment I'm thinking maybe six 10 minute sessions each with a different theme, rolling through an hour cycle. People can drop in for one or more of them as they walk by, or come back later. If they arrive half way through one, it's only a few minutes to wait whilst someone talks to them/answers their questions.

Session ideas:
Pad work (punches and kicks)
Kicking drills
Stances and the first few moves of a form
Qi gong
Meditation
A demonstration of a form (different one each hour) and a break/opportunity to talk to people

Good luck to you!

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

At one time we had a Kung Fu fit class where we would sneak in some kung fu in the cardio exercises, so the people end up learning some kung fu without knowing it. The biggest difference is that we didn't correct a technique unless it posed a safety issue. The women enjoyed that class a lot. The downside is that it's good to start with at least 2 women. It could be a family member, friend, etc. Women here were hesitant if there aren't other women in the classes.

My guess is that the logic may be "why aren't there other women here. There must be something wrong with this guy."

There is something to this. My school had a 60/40 male/female ratio when I began in 97. They were almost all at a advanced level. I learned my first form from a female student. My Sifu would say “when teaching a new student at first, remember that men can’t let go of the muscle, and women can’t find it.”

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I've been asked to hold a kung fu open day where people can drop in and get a taste for kung fu and encourage them to sign up for future classes.

Any thoughts welcome.

I may show them the following:

1. Rhino guard - how to use linear to deal with non-linear.
2. Double hooks - how to use non-linear to deal with linear.
3. Circle dragging - force your opponent to play your favor game.
4. Use pull to set up push - how to borrow force.
5. Attack one leg, when your opponent steps back, you then attack his other leg - always think 1 step ahead.
6. When your opponent punches you, you kick him - leg is longer than the arm.
7. When your opponent switches sides, you roundhouse kick him - attack his centerline.
8. Line up your back foot with your opponent's both feet - attack through the best angle, and force your opponent's leading arm to jam his own back arm.
9....

New students can pick up those simple idea quickly. When they test it against their opponents, and it works. This will give them confidence in MA.

 

[Damien]

All you really need is just someone who can punch to help with the demo. MMA and the MMA vs Kung Fu Masters videos has pretty much changed the interests of people. If it doesn't look practical then people will have second thoughts about it. I think the days of the Fantastic Demo are gone. The competition for Martial Arts has also grown. The demo should look more like "I can do that" than "It must take many years to do that." You just need to get people in the front door so that you can hit them up with other benefits of training with you.


People actually like this. I discovered that ladies like to punch stuff more than guys. I can only assume that it's an outlet for their everyday stress. I used to sell the benefit of training as a good way to release stress and how training makes it easier to clear the mind and release the everyday stress.


Teach martial arts for function and they will get cardio. In my old school there was one lady who participated in sparring classes simply because we trained hard. She tried Taekwondo and was disappointed and came back to our school. She said the Taekwondo class wasn't active enough for her. When I do the conditioning I change from Martial Artist to Fitness Coach (mentally). I'm keeping them pumped and telling to dig down, push harder. don't give up. Tons of encouragement. They like that more than the music. They like the feel of doing something when they thought they couldn't do it. They also like the encouragement.


I like this. It has something for different groups of people who might be interested.

Yeah the long bitter path used to be considered a feather in the cap of traditional styles. These days, people don't have time for that! I agree, much better to show them how they can learn some basic stuff and improve quickly.

I've pivoted massively away from things like acrobatics and jumping kicks over the last 5 years or so. Super flashy and used to get a lot of people in the door, but I don't think it's the right thing to teach beginners. I've seen too many training partners get injured over the years. People get into it too early, don't properly prepare their joints for the strains, and really, it's not like most of them are that useful compared to the time spent learning them! Plus they're only going to get harder to demonstrate as I get older and training mostly in a small space for a few years (thanks Covid) means I've not done much of that stuff in a while. I tried a butterfly kick for the first time in I don't know how long yesterday. My wife said I looked like a dead spider in the air! Won't be rolling that one out in public any time soon!

I agree that martial arts is plenty enough conditioning if you do it right. Just got to sell that to people, rather than turning it into boxercise.

 

[Damien]

Good luck to you!

Thanks!

I'm in Sydney these days, over on the North Shore.

 

[Damien]

I may show them the following:

1. Rhino guard - how to use linear to deal with non-linear.
2. Double hooks - how to use non-linear to deal with linear.
3. Circle dragging - force your opponent to play your favor game.
4. Use pull to set up push - how to borrow force.
5. Attack one leg, when your opponent steps back, you then attack his other leg - always think 1 step ahead.
6. When your opponent punches you, you kick him - leg is longer than the arm.
7. When your opponent switches sides, you roundhouse kick him - attack his centerline.
8. Line up your back foot with your opponent's both feet - attack through the best angle, and force your opponent's leading arm to jam his own back arm.
9....

New students can pick up those simple idea quickly. When they test it against their opponents, and it works. This will give them confidence in MA.

That's some good ideas, thanks

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Most people want to learn MA to solve some problems.

Problems can be:

- punch to the head.
- kick to the body.
- single leg take down.
- foot sweep.
- head lock.
- MT double collars tie knee strike.
- ...

If you show them how to solve those problems, they will have confidence in you.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I tried a butterfly kick for the first time in I don't know how long yesterday. My wife said I looked like a dead spider in the air! Won't be rolling that one out in public any time soon!

ha ha ha.. That sounds like the same boat I'm in. Which isn't totally bad. You can use that beginner training to help knock off some of that rust lol.

 

[jergar]

I've been asked to hold a kung fu open day where people can drop in and get a taste for kung fu and encourage them to sign up for future classes.

Have any of you ever done anything like this? Any thoughts on how to structure it? I've done plenty of trial classes in my time, but nothing where you're basically there waiting to see who comes along.

The studio opens right out onto a relatively frequented road (beach, cafe's, restaurants and ferry wharf down the road), so I imagine there will be a fair amount of foot fall going past. How do you entice people in? How do you juggle people coming and going?

My initial thought was a cycle of 10 minute topics. One thing covered in 10 minutes, then move onto the next and repeat a few times through the day. You could have stances, kicks, basic pad work etc. things that wouldn't require any pre-requisite knowledge, such as forms. Someone could stick around for a few topics, or just come in for one. If someone shows up halfway through they only have a short wait to get in on the action.

I'll be teaching by myself, but can probably rope someone else in to lure potential trainees and answer questions whilst I'm busy.

Another option would be 30 minute classes that people have to book for, either before the day, or ahead of time as they walk by; the studio isn't very big, so you'd want to make sure you didn't ahve lots of people trying to come to the same time.

Any thoughts welcome.

Hi what I used to do was to bill it as a free self defense class, let them know to bring a partner if they can male or female this will double the amount of interested persons responding .You can show basic technique and this will help you keep everything under control and get your message across .Now days you have social media so make sure and use it to reach as many as you can . Good Luck!

 

[Gyakuto]

How about a demonstration rather than a complex cycle of drop-in taster classes? The organisation may well fall-apart making you look unprofessional and haphazard!

The most impressive demos I’ve seen have been ‘unplanned’. You pick out a couple of your students and ask them to perform their favourite ‘forms’. Then ask a different couple to show applications of some of the techniques. Allow them to think about their moves, work together, etc and let them make mistakes, laugh and show you have a nice manner with them. Perhaps ask a couple more to show self-defence techniques too, since this is what muggles like to see! Then, finish with you, the teacher, performing something a bit flashy. You know, triple spinning back kicks while disarming a gorilla wielding a machete as he spits Novichok at you.

This shows that your students are valued, they are competent and are able to cooperate and think ‘on-the-fly’. It can take as long as you like and you are in control.