The Crisis Threatening Traditional Values In The Martial Arts

…And What I Plan To Do About It

For nearly all my adult life, I've taught martial arts professionally and operated full-time martial arts schools... so I know EXACTLY what challenges you face, day in and day out.

Yesterday, I told you that the only way to preserve traditional martial arts values in this industry is for like-minded instructors band together.

I’d like you to know, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do through the Martial Art School Alliance International.

But before I tell you how we’re doing that, I feel it’s important to explain to you how I ended up launching this huge project (which has taken me the better part of a year to realize) and how exactly that can benefit you as a school owner.

“Oh No… Not Another Damn Consulting Company!”

Sorry for the strong language, but back when I was just running my schools, do you know how tired I got of people in the industry trying to get into my wallet?

Sure you do – because you probably feel the same way. And that’s why, ten years ago, I could have never, ever imagined myself doing what I do now… running a popular martial arts business blog, providing online coaching to hundreds of school owners, and helping new school owners find their way through a minefield of conflicting information and advice.

The thing is, I didn’t get in this for the money… in fact, I never meant to get in this thing at all. This all started out with me writing a martial arts business manual about doing business honestly and with common-sense fiscal values. But, it ended up with me becoming a weekly advice columnist for thousands of martial arts school owners and instructors.

Why The Martial Art School Alliance?

Not that I’m complaining… and to tell you the truth, I really don’t mind it at all. While I never intended to become a business coach, I have to say I enjoy helping school owners succeed.

But I never intended to do this full-time, even after it took off. So once I started getting a lot of requests for advice and business guidance, I knew I’d have to find a way to deliver information on a mass scale soon… else I’d be spending all my time working with individual clients and I’d never have a life.

Funny thing about that… did you know that there’s a lot more money in doing one-on-one consulting?

Sure, I could make a killing charging people for “consulting packages” (what I call prolonging your pain – consultants make a lot more money when they take a roundabout route to helping you solve your problems).

So, why don’t I do that?

Number one – and I’m being perfectly honest here – I don’t believe that it’s an efficient use of my time. Second, I value my time dearly, and quite frankly most school owners who need solid business advice can’t afford to pay my hourly rates.

So, I figure it’s better for both me and the school owners I help each month to deliver information on a mass scale at a very reasonable price. They get what is very nearly personalized coaching at a fraction of the cost, and I get to go hang out at the bookstore or with my wife any day and time of the week I please. It’s a win-win, all the way around.

So, now you can see why I created the MASAI site, and why I felt it was worth investing the last nine months of my life to realize.

Was It Worth It?

Heck yes. I’d have to say that this project has been as rewarding as promoting one of my students to black belt, if not more so.

And truthfully, I am darn proud of the results. As of today we have nearly 100 information-packed articles and dozens upon dozens of ad templates and resource documents on the site. In addition, I spend considerable time answering questions on our forums, and frequently respond with new content that specifically answers questions our members have posted on the boards.

The great thing is, our members are also more than willing to help each other out by sharing advice and information on the boards. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to answer a member’s request for advice only to find three or four of our members have beat me to the punch.

They’re a great group of people, and it just goes to show what a strong community we’re building through this organization.

Future Plans – Where MASAI Is Headed

One of the issues that’s been bothering me for the last few years is my concern with where the martial arts industry is headed. It seems like every year, we get further and further away from our traditional values, and move more and more toward becoming an industry without a soul or conscience.

“It seems like every year, we get further and further away from our traditional values, and move more and more toward becoming an industry without a soul or conscience.”

Well, I’m not okay with that – at all. And, after reading your responses from last week’s poll, I can’t just stand idly by without doing something about it.

That’s why I’m making it a point to make MASAI a haven for instructors who want to preserve their traditional values while still embracing the future.

You see, there’s just no way we can ignore the sweeping social, economic, and technological trends that are going on around us at breakneck speeds each day. To do that would kill the industry just as surely as abandoning our traditional values would.

Even so, I still strongly believe we need to preserve the heritage of traditional values in the martial arts. And, I believe that the best way to do that is to help like-minded martial arts instructors to be financially successful by providing the highest quality of martial arts business advice possible.

“The best way to do (preserve traditional martial arts values) is to help like-minded martial arts instructors to be financially successful by providing the highest quality of martial arts business advice possible.”

And that’s where MASAI is headed.

We’re Not “Anti-MMA” – We’re Just “Pro-Tradition”

Don’t be mistaken, we’re not trying to “fight” MMA. In fact, I there’s a lot I like about it and I openly encourage MMA instructors to join MASAI. Besides, like it or not, MMA is here to stay.

Moreover, there are a lot of instructors out there who actually want to teach MMA with traditional values; if anything, I want to see more of that, and to support those instructors.

On the other hand, we’re not going to be abandoning our member’s core values just to make a buck; that’s because we’re here to serve our members and to help them preserve the integrity of the industry.

My ultimate goal is to run an organization that is progressive enough to stay ahead of trends, while still staying true to the martial arts industry’s traditional roots.

Of course, I don’t have any delusions about how big this thing can get… I believe that 400 or 500 members is all we’ll ever see as far as growth and membership is concerned.

However, 400 – 500 like-minded martial artists banded together can accomplish a great deal with regards to preserving a legacy for generations to come. That’s my vision, and if you’d like to be a part of it I invite you to join us to be a part of that vision.

Now That You Know How MASAI Came About…

Does it sound like something that you can get behind? I hope so, because with every school that joins we grow stronger, and better able to serve our members.

And in case you’re curious, I’m not asking for much with regards to membership fees (less than the cost of a cup of coffee from your local convenience store each day). And that’s despite the fact that I’ve been told over and over again to raise the membership fees to double, triple, or more that what we’re charging.

But, I want the site to be accessible to all martial arts instructors, even those who are just starting out. And let me be honest about this – we can still deliver quite a lot with regards to business guidance and information, marketing and advertising assistance, and ongoing daily support without charging an arm and a leg for membership.

The Bottom Line…

The bottom line is, this isn’t about me – it’s about you and what your values are. So, I hope you become involved, and also invite others to join in order to help us grow.

Because one thing is certain; if martial arts instructors don’t band together to preserve the traditional values of the martial arts, this industry is going to look entirely different in five or ten years…

…and I have a strong suspicion neither one of us will like how it looks.