GJEC
Member
LOUGHBOROUGH ENSHIN
Posts: 3,218
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Post by GJEC on Dec 14, 2011 4:36:29 GMT -5
My lad brought a leaflet home from school the other day. Lots of information about local sports clubs. One in particular caught my eye. It promised:
Fitness & co-ordination
Self-Confidence
Self-defence (beat the bullies)
Improved grades at school
Make friends
Olympic recognitionA fairly extensive lists of benefits for primary school children in one hour a week.  So I thought I'd put the counter argument. In my opinion, we should only advertise and sell what we know we can deliver. In my club some of the senior members were a bit dismayed when I informed them that from now I will be promoting what I teach as a combat sport rather than Budo, Confidence, Self-Defence etc., but I stand by that. We have a proven history of training people to compete and win in all manner of competitions. Points, Clicker, Kata, Knockdown and Sabaki Challenge. Combat sports, particularly the full contact ones, require a range of physical attributes and a certain degree of courage to get on the mat and challenge ourselves. To be successful requires hard training. Through that hard training other benefits usually come along as a bonus. Even if students don't wish to compete, working hard on the core skills still gives a broad range of fitness benefits. But since things like 'improved confidence' are difficult to measure and impossible to prove, I'd rather not include them in the sales pitch. I'm happiest doing that. For their part students obviously need to train regularly, sweat and listen to advice, but for mine I don't promise things I can't be sure to deliver. Gary |
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Post by senshido on Dec 14, 2011 5:14:02 GMT -5
I agree... you cant GUARANTEE some (or any) of these things, no promises but an offer to help improve things is the safest way I think after all a lazy or unwilling student knocks all these promises on the head, you cant help some people no matter how much you try |
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Post by powerof0ne on Dec 14, 2011 5:25:58 GMT -5
Years ago, I had an instructor make some far outlandish promises to me. I was stupid enough to believe his promises..it's a crazy long story, and makes me sound like a jack ass for believing him...but I did, because he was my instructor, and I was foolish enough to believe him. He even went as far to have long discussions with my Father and I, to make me get "serious" and focus...instead of chasing girls as much as I was as a teenager  After almost all that he promised me didn't happen, and I started to see the truth I slowly left him and almost left martial arts completely. Was a period in my life that really made me re-examine everything but also how I should put martial arts as a realistic priority...and it forced me to go out on my own as an instructor. I applaud any instructor that takes the honest route and doesn't make crazy promises to their students. Osu! |
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Post by MMX on Dec 14, 2011 11:38:24 GMT -5
Yeah that is just silly.
Good for you Gary.
Our dojo makes no outlandish promises either.
Basically all we promise is to make you sweat and learn how to use your body to be effective if needed.
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Post by jcc on Dec 14, 2011 12:20:21 GMT -5
Fitness & co-ordination
Self-Confidence
Self-defence (beat the bullies)
Improved grades at school
Make friends
Olympic recognitionOsu! Gary, At first I thought this was going to be about a promotional leaflet for your 'new' dojo, but produced without your knowledge!  I reckon that we are definitely living in an age of blah, blah and spin. Companies will pay millions to have an 'image make-over', or find a new slogan, rather than spend the money on a better product or service. I heard a good one the other day about the Rt. Hon. T. Blair which I think sums it up: Tony Blair was full of foreplay, but no orgasm. I´d be willing to bet that those at your dojo get plenty of orgasm! Osu! |
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GJEC
Member
LOUGHBOROUGH ENSHIN
Posts: 3,218
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Post by GJEC on Dec 14, 2011 14:01:24 GMT -5
I´d be willing to bet that those at your dojo get plenty of orgasm! Not while they're training, I hope ... Gary |
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Post by powerof0ne on Dec 15, 2011 5:19:12 GMT -5
Honestly, this is one of the biggest problems I see with martial art instructors. Many of them try to "sell" some crazy claims, making empty promises, and so forth. I think most of us are lucky, because in knockdown karate, we have a bit more level headed approach..I'm sure there are some in knockdown karate that make empty promises but in my experience it's much more less then some other martial arts. What happened to me in the past, was years ago, it opens up some wounds to think about but it's time I move on and progress, not have a pity party for myself ..it was years ago. I don't have a pamphlet for my dojo, I just have a website and more or less go by word of mouth of my students. I'd be fine if I just had a dozen students...or 4, as long as they put in the damn effort! Osu! |
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Post by Ros on Dec 15, 2011 9:44:42 GMT -5
I´d be willing to bet that those at your dojo get plenty of orgasm! Not while they're training, I hope ... Gary Training's fun but it's not that fun! |
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Post by Kurisu on Dec 16, 2011 1:39:10 GMT -5
The only thing we promise - hard training. OSU! hahaha
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Post by powerof0ne on Dec 16, 2011 2:27:48 GMT -5
The only thing we promise - hard training. OSU! hahaha Osu! |
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GJEC
Member
LOUGHBOROUGH ENSHIN
Posts: 3,218
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Post by GJEC on Dec 16, 2011 3:02:08 GMT -5
Or to quote the greatest ever Englishman:
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat"
(Not forgetting nausea, panting and some heavy bruising)
Gary
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Post by powerof0ne on Dec 16, 2011 23:12:59 GMT -5
By coincidence, yesterday morning, an old training partner got back in touch through facebook and told me the same instructor that burned me by making empty promises really screwed up. Many people didn't believe me but I think they do now, because apparently, he got addicted to alcohol & drugs..became very undependable to show up to teach..would often show up drunk & high and the individual I got back in touch with loaned him tens of thousands of dollars and he still lost his dojo & house. Part of me wants to feel good, that karma paid him back for me but I honestly feel sad for him, but at least people now believe what I told them almost ten years earlier. At least some of the former students I trained with kept going strong, and a couple of them have their own dojo going on and are starting to through their own MMA/Muay Thai cards to which I'm going to in a couple of months . Osu! |
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Post by hokuto12 on Jan 8, 2012 20:37:41 GMT -5
It is just like everything in life nowadays, if you don't go in with open eyes and a clear mind otherwise you will get sucked in with the hype. You also have to do you own research on the topics.
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Post by powerof0ne on Jan 8, 2012 21:15:05 GMT -5
It is just like everything in life nowadays, if you don't go in with open eyes and a clear mind otherwise you will get sucked in with the hype. You also have to do you own research on the topics. Very true! Most of the time when I see people that get sucked into a BS instructor, it's because they did no research. With that being said, I can't fault them for that, but what ticks me off are the ones that start putting two and two together, but are whatever dan grade and try to defend it...because they don't want to give up being a black belt. In the past I helped one person earn a legitimate black belt after finding out they wasted almost six years with someone. I had them join where I was training and explained to the instructor (I was the assistant) what happened and we "re-taught" him what he needed to know...in some ways, it really was almost harder then teaching a brand new student but this individual was "hungry" enough to do it. Osu! |
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Post by hokuto12 on Jan 8, 2012 23:42:03 GMT -5
I had this friend of mine who had a blackbelt in ITF TKD from one school. He then most states and started training with another mob and the busted him back to brown belt which he took it personal and then went to another dojo. He got his blackbelt again. After awhile he went to the instructor and asked about 2nd dan. The instuctor told him that 2nd dan is about what you do for the dojo in teaching and other things. So due to work commitments he designed and organised their new web page for them.
The next thing he changed schools again and got his 2nd dan. Less than 12 months he got his 3rd dan. Then last year he told us that his new instructor told him he is going for 4th dan but this was the last fast paced dan grading for him. This guy doesn't teach and he doesn't go to training anymore. Another mate of mine and me hit him up one night about accepting dan grades without respecting them or earninh them. didn't work as the BS his instructor had told was too much. Not sure if he got the 4th dan stopped talking to him about it.
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