Friday, January 31, 2020

Announcement

It is with great humility and gratitude that I announce my retirement from the active teaching of martial arts. It's been a great ride.


Thursday, January 30, 2020

What You Can Do

Women -
You have to be at least 6 feet tall, be ripped, make a 6 figure salary and be charming, raise my 3 children, and work to get with this.


Remember guys, women aren't capable of living you for who you are.  Women love you for what you can do. 


Friday, January 24, 2020

Cite Sources

On this blog, and on social media, I occasionally make a statement to which some gamma will inevitably ask me to cite my sources. I have long since given up on falling victim to the Trap. In fact, for the past three or four years, if I even give a reply (which is rare) I will say, "if you are suggesting to the contrary then you will need to cite your sources."

And, yes, it is my firm opinion that only gammas demand someone to cite their sources.

Vox Day  writes about his experience, and also that of Mike Cernovich on Twitter. This quote was perfect -
Only gammas assume that a lack of citation is equivalent to an absence of sourcing. This is because they project their own tendency to simply invent "facts" out of thin air.

So, if you write in to demand I cite sources, then you may rest assured your comment never gets published. 


Thursday, January 23, 2020

Wise Investment?

If you own a martial arts school, should you invest in one of those companies that helps you with marketing?

Short answer - possibly.

If you own a martial arts school, and you list that as your employer on Facebook, you will see ads daily from different companies that offer help with marketing strategies. Can they help you?
Possibly.

These companies usually will have a few pre-screening questions that you must answer in order to get information. They will promise to give you a free case study, or some of the document. That document will either be worthless, or will never come.

It's very important to take note of the screening questions. This is true in every other endeavor in life, as well. People who ask a question, are giving away their intent within the question.

Most of these companies will ask you if you have your own place, or if you sublease. This is very critical. If you do not have your own martial arts studio in a prominent location - that people pass by on a daily basis during regular activities - then they really cannot help you. Most people who buy martial arts do so out of a degree of impulse.

Some in the industry refer to this as the two hit system. The consumer sees the martial arts studio during their regular daily life. Then they targeted social media or Google ad will get their attention. This is the second hit - the ad. Seeing the physical location, remembering it, and seeing the ad build the degree of rapport. The consumer will buy from someone they trust, and that rapport is critical.

But you cannot have one without the other.

A visible commercial place, with no social media advertising, is doomed to certain failure. Similarly, a great social media presence, coupled with an out-of-the-way location, is also doomed to certain failure. Heck, even if you have a great commercial facility, and wonderful social media advertising, the studio will likely still fail.

That's the dirty secret of martial arts - a 95% failure rate among martial arts studios. While I would never discourage someone from opening up a martial arts studio, no intelligent businessman would ever invest money into a business model that has a 95% failure rate. And while there are most certainly exception to this rule; as always, the exception proves the rule.

The days of the club martial arts studio are waning. Examples of a good Studio that has between 20 and 50 participants and gets enough new blood to keep the numbers up are becoming scarce.  The Paradigm has shifted in the United States, and martial arts are viewed at completely differently these days. But this is how all things should be.


Monday, January 20, 2020

Sentence Served

 Hitman receives clemency.

I knew Jeremy - we were in the same graduating class. My high school will tell you he didn't graduate.  Yet he walked the aisle right behind me. Yes, he finished up coursework over the summer. 

During high school I went to his place several times.  We played Sega Genesis. I still have that same device.  There was a party at his place after graduation - I was there. 

I hope former Governor Haslam got this one right. 

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Dojo Storm

From this YouTube video.

A man issues a challenge at an MMA gym.  It goes about as expected. 

Several key points that tell you this guy is not a significantly skilled martial artist -
- He states more than 4 or 5 arts that he has trained in.
- He claims "death arts."
- He doesn't want to wear protective gear.  
- Out of shape. 
- Terrible footwork and movement. 
- Never trained jiu-jitsu, but had "done some ground stuff."


Monday, January 6, 2020

More On Honesty In Sales

A while back, someone from  Yelp called me in an attempt to sell me advertising. This wasn't the first time they'd called me.  It was the first time I had spoken with them long enough to catch them in a lie. 

Well, it would appear that  I am not alone. do read the article.  It details several instances of Yelp selling ads to businesses that were not helped at all. Also detailed are several unscrupulous actions taken by the company. 

Makes it simple for me - I won't do business with them.