Name Taken

[Gyakuto]

It’s nice to be different by being unique but virtually impossible. Being culturally appropriate is good to so avoiding things like ‘Ronin Dragon Dojo’ (ronin implies being ‘unemployed’ in a slightly pejorative sense rather than a ‘lone wolf’ idea as beloved in the West). You also have to be careful of the mental image your name might conjure. I wanted to call my home dojo ‘Myoren-an’ which means ‘exquisite lotus hermitage’ as I liked the Buddhist connotations of the lotus, germinating in the mud (delusion) and growing up into the light above the water (awakening). Then a friend suggested it sounded like the female pudenda! (|)

When my old dojo needed a name change, the very matter-of-fact teacher didn’t want anything fancy or Japanese so simply called it ‘Sheffield Iaido Club’. Maybe something obvious like would be appropriate.

You could ask you ‘patron teacher’ to name your dojang, especially if they’re Korean.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

This was also before the internet, no?

Yep. It would have been around 1980-1981.

 

[JowGaWolf]

It’s nice to be different by being unique but virtually impossible. Being culturally appropriate is good to so avoiding things like ‘Ronin Dragon Dojo’ (ronin implies being ‘unemployed’ in a slightly pejorative sense rather than a ‘lone wolf’ idea as beloved in the West). You also have to be careful of the mental image your name might conjure. I wanted to call my home dojo ‘Myoren-an’ which means ‘exquisite lotus hermitage’ as I liked the Buddhist connotations of the lotus, germinating in the mud (delusion) and growing up into the light above the water (awakening). Then a friend suggested it sounded like the female pudenda! (|)

When my old dojo needed a name change, the very matter-of-fact teacher didn’t want anything fancy or Japanese so simply called it ‘Sheffield Iaido Club’. Maybe something obvious like would be appropriate.

You could ask you ‘patron teacher’ to name your dojang, especially if they’re Korean.

From a marketing standpoint. It's probably better to just have a name followed by the name of system than the world school, dojo, academy. Whichever fits best for the system. This will make it easier for you to market your school through online methods and it helps people do know what is being taught at the school... Today businesses have to factor SEO.

 

[Buka]

What @MadMartigan just said is the kind of thing I'm talking about. For example, I was planning on going with "Wolf Pack Taekwondo", but there's a high school 30 minutes from me on Wolf Pack Drive with the mascot of the Wolves. It's likely this would confuse people. Alternatively, "Advantage Taekwondo" is a school in Pennsylvania, where I'm in Texas. So if I were to use that (and it's a decent name) according to him I'd be fine.

I like Wolfpack TKD. I understand your hesitation, I know how many things go into opening a dojo (it’s a royal pain the the butt)
but I think you’ll be fine.

You’ve got experience and love the Arts. That counts for a lot.

 

[Xue Sheng]

How important is it for a martial arts school to have a unique name?

Every name I can think of for when I open a TKD school, if I google it, it's taken. Sometimes by something nearby (but maybe a different art), sometimes by something far away (in other regions of the US or even other countries).

I do have some ideas that are truly unique, but only because there isn't really a connection between the name and martial arts, but rather to online personas that I've used.

How important is it that my school has a unique name?

I imagine it would need a somewhat unique name to stand out. I am not sure how many people with show up to "Acme Karate" or "Generic Dojo" or "Judo r Us"

 

[skribs]

I like Wolfpack TKD. I understand your hesitation, I know how many things go into opening a dojo (it’s a royal pain the the butt)
but I think you’ll be fine.

You’ve got experience and love the Arts. That counts for a lot.

This is Texas, I'm not messing with local high school football.

 

[Hot Lunch]

Most martial art's schools I've seen are named after the owner (Bill Johnson's Karate Studio) or the area they live in (Pleasantville Taekwondo Academy). Of course, the latter might require you to pay more in taxes to the city, so some get around it by using the city's nickname, or a name of the region that does not have a corresponding municipality (Tampa Bay and Delaware Valley are two notable examples).

 

[JowGaWolf]

I imagine it would need a somewhat unique name to stand out. I am not sure how many people with show up to "Acme Karate" or "Generic Dojo" or "Judo r Us"

Skribs TKD
Strike TKD
Integrated TKD
Practical TKD Academy.

 

[frank raud]

How many Skribs TKD and BJJ conservatories can there be?

 

[isshinryuronin]

Skribs' Shaolin Secrets, Simplified Street Savvy Self-defense. Besides being a good example of alliteration, this hits many hot buttons, except for "Skribs" who's not that famous.

 

[Hot Lunch]

Skribs' Shaolin Secrets, Simplified Street Savvy Self-defense. Besides being a good example of alliteration, this hits many hot buttons, except for "Skribs" who's not that famous.

Key word is "secrets." When people see that word on the sign, they'll get curious and start walking through the front door. Everybody wants to be in on secrets that no one else knows.

 

[skribs]

How many Skribs TKD and BJJ conservatories can there be?

My given name is generic enough that there would be a lot. My family name is unique enough that people spelling it properly to put into Google Maps is going to be an issue.

Lots of people spell my online name "Scribs" and that's much easier than my actual surname.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

- Skribs TKD institute.
- Skribs TKD academy.
- Skribs TKD research center.
- Skribs TKD research lab.
- Skribs TKD university.
- Skribs TKD combat center.
- ...

 

[Xue Sheng]

Skribs TKD
Strike TKD
Integrated TKD
Practical TKD Academy.

Wonderbread TKD academy
No name TKD kwoon

 

[Gyakuto]

‘Men’s Fighting Establishment’

 

[_Simon_]

If the name doesn't have dragon, claw, fist, elite, samurai or "Mike's" in it it's probably not worth starting up.

 

[drop bear]

Dragon Slayer Fist

 

[Rich Parsons]

** I am not a lawyer - nor an IP Expert just a person with some Local knowledge so take with a grain of salt **

DBA - Doing Business As it usually a local County registration.
LLC is state level and can be recognized outside the state

C and & S Corps are also done at the state level and then file for operation in other states.

Some people incorporate ( not usually martial artist as the volume of cash flow may not be there ) in special states that make it easier for tax reasons.

If the name is in the same country I would worry ( a little ).
If in the same state, you might be able to have a different form e.g. XYZ LLC versus XYZ Inc.

Check out your local state government for these types of entities.
Reach out to a lawyer if you have any serious questions.

 

[Hot Lunch]

Dragon Slayer Fist

Here's cool one: try to come up with a name that sounds like a strip club at first, but is actually a martial arts reference. The logo can even have what looks like, at first glance, a stripper working a pole but is actually a woman kicking and holding a bo. You can even cover up the windows so that you can't see what's inside from the outside - just like strip clubs do. You'll get plenty of people coming through the front door. You'll even have plausible deniability when a parent looking to sign their kid up asks about it.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Dragon Slayer Fist

ha ha ha.. I will leave that one alone. Kind of reminds me of larping. Do people still do larping?