Name Taken

ha ha ha.. I will leave that one alone. Kind of reminds me of larping. Do people still do larlarping
I just went to a medievil larping festival about a month ago.

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If the name doesn't have dragon, claw, fist, elite, samurai or "Mike's" in it it's probably not worth starting up.
Having a semi- local chain formerly known as Mike's Full Contact Karate, now Mike's Contact Karate, this made me chuckle. That the photo on the main page of their website is " Mike" with Sensei John Kreese makes it real.
 
How was it?
Really good fun.
There was a bunch of cool stuff on. Larp, hema, a strong man comp, archery on horse back. Scottish dancing. And then they just jammed all this pop culture random stuff. Including a custom knife guy that I bought a ridiculous murder knife off.
 
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 never felt the name for a
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 can definitely see synergy in using Wolfpack TKD. It is common to the community and has ties with at least one of the schools in the area. This would go a Long way in building your marketing plan. Since I assume you do not have direct ties to the high school, promote it from a booster/supporter perspective, not as you alma-mater.
Creating ties to the school system was the most effective and lasting program we ever had with our schools. It is still going strong after 30-years. Tons and tons of options.

But if you truly want build a great martial arts school, it is all about the product. Marketability is hugely important, but at some point people figure out if a product is crap.
There is always at least an essence of compromise at times, especially when it comes to the owner/chief instructor. What I mean is when you take on the mantle of school owner, not all your time can be spent training or on the floor. This was one of the hardest transitions for me. Especially when you are in the peak of your fitness.

Still, what is most important it to just start with a good, Rough plan. Things will change as the ball get rolling.
 
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?
Not too much. And historically, brands and catchy nicknames have been developed After a product has been out for a while.

Think about branding rules. Simple is Always better and more effective. This is true across products and spectrums. For example, think of signage visibility and readability. I cannot count the signs where someone tried to put everything they did or sold on one sign. The result is a mostly useless sign that can be barely read, especially at speed going down the road.

Color contrast if hugely important also. Even when the wording is of a realistic font and amount, if there is not enough color contrast, the wording gets washed out and hard to see. Too often people want to use their brand colors and it just doesn't work on road signage.

The same is true for fonts. Simple print fonts are Much more readable than a font like Blackadder ITC (look at it in Word, MT could not translate). You want to use an elaborate font or color scheme on your letterhead, that should be fine, maybe even on your walk-in signage within reason.

Drive around and look at as much signage/info on the other schools in the area. Figure out what will make the name/wording on your signage pop more than theirs. Hint: it is about more than just some jazzy name.

A modern example I can think of to emphasize simple is usually better is the ONE letter social media platform that all of know. Not much creativity there, but one hell of a marketing platform.
 
I can definitely see synergy in using Wolfpack TKD.
Don’t you think it’s a bit corny? ‘We’re all scary like a lack of wolves’. It’s almost up there with Cobra Kai! Imagine the President/King/Emperor asking the name of your martial arts establishment and you having to reply, ‘It’s er…Wolfpack…TDK sir’. It’s childish!
 
I think that if I were to open my own dojo, I'd have a Japanese word in the name. "____________ Karate Studio." Words that can go in the blank are "Furinkazan," "Ikken Hissatsu," "Shu Ha Ri," etc. In the case of TKD, maybe a Korean word would be appropriate. I think it would communicate a sense of authenticity and tradition that would be appealing to most people seeking to learn a martial art. "Wolfpack" might sound more appealing to pre-teens, but I don't think a name appealing to pre-teens is necessary.
 
Although this is a guide to naming japanese establishments, there may be parallels with Korea.

 
I never felt the name for a

I can definitely see synergy in using Wolfpack TKD. It is common to the community and has ties with at least one of the schools in the area. This would go a Long way in building your marketing plan. Since I assume you do not have direct ties to the high school, promote it from a booster/supporter perspective, not as you alma-mater.
Creating ties to the school system was the most effective and lasting program we ever had with our schools. It is still going strong after 30-years. Tons and tons of options.

But if you truly want build a great martial arts school, it is all about the product. Marketability is hugely important, but at some point people figure out if a product is crap.
There is always at least an essence of compromise at times, especially when it comes to the owner/chief instructor. What I mean is when you take on the mantle of school owner, not all your time can be spent training or on the floor. This was one of the hardest transitions for me. Especially when you are in the peak of your fitness.

Still, what is most important it to just start with a good, Rough plan. Things will change as the ball get rolling.
What do you disagree with?
 
Don’t you think it’s a bit corny? ‘We’re all scary like a lack of wolves’. It’s almost up there with Cobra Kai! Imagine the President/King/Emperor asking the name of your martial arts establishment and you having to reply, ‘It’s er…Wolfpack…TDK sir’. It’s childish!
I disagree. If one of the local schools has a 'Wolfpack' name or sports mascot, it would be an instant association with a pool of students that are historically hard to recruit (teens). It has an instant link to the city/town so brand recognition would be easier to create.
There is a Ton of brand opportunity, and no I see nothing silly about the name. Maybe you do not have wolves in your area, but they are certainly considered a dangerous predator around here.

I am not certain what @skribs disagreed with in my previous post, but hopefully he/she will clarify.
 
Although this is a guide to naming japanese establishments, there may be parallels with Korea.

Meaningless, senseless article.
 
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