You became a martial arts instructor because you believed in a personal philosophy or vision. Your grandfather, aunts, uncles and parents didn’t push you into this career. If your relatives and friends did, then your experience is unique. Most of us believed in “something” that we wanted to pass to a younger generation.
Some of us thought we could create some of the best warriors on the planet. Some of us thought we could help people help themselves. Other instructors just loved their art so much that they wanted to share it with the world. Most of us fall into one or more of these categories, or others unknown.
When I look at how our school is structured, how we teach our classes and what we emphasize, I’m constantly reminding my instructors about the importance of the ABCs. The ABCs are the three groups that naturally exist in any school-that is, if you haven’t driven some of them off the mat.
“The A group is the naturally athletic, aggressive and assertive people.”
The A group is the naturally athletic, aggressive and assertive people. These are the kind of people my best teachers love. My Black Belt instructors are like the math and science teachers who thrive on motivated students with high IQs. Who wants to interact with the students who struggle? After all, these naturally “athletic, aggressive and assertive” people would provide you with bragging rights.
The second group (B) is “okay” with most instructors. They are the “Believers,” who believe in your program, and they are the “Becomers” (as in, works-in-progress). You can recognize regular growth in these students.
The C group is composed of the “Catch-Up” students. They are always trying to train and grow at the same rate as other students. Most concepts and techniques come harder, many of them don’t understand your corrections and some of them even have lousy attitudes. Who wants to work with them? C students are twice as hard to teach, take twice as much time and effort and make you tired just thinking about how you will ever prepare them for the next big test.
Unless I miss my guess, your students are very similar to the students in our schools. How do you serve these different groups of students? Do you work with just those you like the most and let the others just quietly slip away?
As a school owner, businessman and dedicated teacher, I look at these groups in a couple of different ways.
The first is financial.
I’ve estimated, from experience, that most student bodies can be divided 10% A, 70% B and 20% C. That’s based on the assumption that you run a full-service school, with children and adults and males and females. That means if you pursue A prospects, give them good service and pay no attention to your other students, then your school is only 10% of the size it should be! You are losing 90% of your business.
Even if you build your school around B students-decrease the intensity a bit, but still expect some quality, then you’ve turned your back on 30% of your business. Ten percent is the A group that is becoming bored and 20% from the C group who can’t maintain the pace of the class.
When I look at this grouping concept from the viewpoint of a dedicated teacher, several things come to my mind. I tell my Black Belt teachers that there are two kinds of students-those who impact the art, because they are so talented, and those for whom the art has great impact.
Of course, there are many more of the latter than there are of the former. I also remind my instructors that we will probably impact the life of a C student much more than the life of an A student; and this is great value to both you as a teacher and to them as students.
Look at your school. Is it organized and operated in a manner that allows your “A” students to stretch and excel, or are they restrained? They won’t last long if you do. Then, look at your “C” students, those who understand at a slower pace. What systems do you have in place to enable them to succeed?
Your ability to address your A, B and C students will greatly enhance your pocketbook-and your reputation as a school and a teacher.
