I don’t need to tell you that there’s a downturn in the martial arts industry. Even the most optimistic martial arts business leaders admit that times are tough.
One solution is to add new programming, but many school owners counter that idea with the argument that it will distract from their core business or that they don’t want to offer a program that is of less value than their martial arts programs. If your core program isn’t generating enough revenue (no matter how much you advertise or improve your program), then the first new program you should consider is martial arts fitness, a proven revenue stream.
Let’s look at martial arts fitness in a different light. I have a marketing idea that is guaranteed to make your phone ring, and the callers will be the “hard-to-attract” adult market. Are you interested? The beauty of a martial arts fitness program is that it can attract a completely different market to your school.
A good martial arts fitness program can generate more income than any other martial arts program, and requires the least amount of time, staff and cost to you. The adult market is begging for the same attention you give your juvenile martial arts students, but those adults want to learn how to fight fat, not each other.
I am confident that the biggest future growth in the martial arts industry will be fitness programming. Unlike earlier fitness trends, this time adults won’t walk into your school expecting to take an aerobic-styled class that you or your staff can’t teach well. Now, adults are ready to walk in the door to hit the heavy bags, work the mitts, set goals and work with a team.
Another argument against adding martial arts fitness is that it doesn’t generate enough revenue to justify the deck space. Martial arts fitness programming is like any program you offer; you’re paid for what you produce. The challenge for many school owners is that they put little or no effort into a fitness program. They’ll hire or assign a fitness instructor to teach a glorified aerobics-style kickboxing class or put the class in the hands of a good martial arts instructor that is apt to have no training to interact and work with the adult-fitness market. The lack of quality dictates the lack of revenue generated.
The key is consistency. Fitness students want a workout that they know will be consistent. With consistency comes simplicity. Because the class must be consistent, you don’t need three years of material to make the class effective. In fact, the goal of my UBC programming is to present exciting and effective fitness training in ten weeks. In reality, the first five weeks are the most important because, after five weeks, I present my additional programming.
I know if I can make those first five weeks special, then I have them for the long term. Students either choose my traditionally structured Elite Martial Arts system or my maintenance program, where they experience the same consistent classes as the UBC.
The point is that if I focus on just 10 weeks of fitness programming, then I can sell a product that the public wants, and will pay a high price for its proven results.
Martial arts fitness training is low cost, easy to develop and a new source of revenue-and complements almost all styles-which could easily lead to an upturn at your school.
“A good martial arts fitness program can generate more income than any other martial arts program…”
