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How to Choose a Self-Defense System

by | Instructor Certification and Training

Setting Expectations for Martial Arts Students Upfront

Authority is highly influenced by emotion.

While your staff and students may intellectually understand that you are the boss and master instructor, they have to feel it, not think it.

It’s the emotional connection that anchors your authority on a deep level.

If there is one powerful moment in your role as a professional martial arts instructor, it’s in the enrollment conference.

While the parents may see you as the master black belt, they usually don’t have an authoritative reverence at this early stage.

The enrollment conference is a seminal moment for you to establish your authority and gain the respect and gratitude of the family you’re dealing with.

Presenting the programs and their cost to parents can be tense at times. Some parents want to negotiate. Others might object to the agreement. Some want a safety net in case their child wants to quit.

While it’s important that you are prepared to overcome any objections, it’s when the bottom line is signed and the initial investment is completed that you have a critical window to demonstrate your authority.

Many owners complete the transaction and gush with statements like, “Awesome. It’s great to have you on board. Johnny, you did an awesome job tonight. High five! Thanks Mrs. Jones it’s great to have Johnny as part of our family. Let me know if I can help with anything.”

Barf.

Who has the role of authority here? Mrs. Jones and her credit card. That was a missed opportunity.

Let’s try again. You would adjust this script to the age and circumstance, but here is an authority template for the enrollment conference.

Mom has just enrolled Johnny into the program.

You, “Johnny. You want to learn Empower Kickboxing, right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. I want you to understand that your mom just enrolled you into a six month program. You are going to learn a lot of great skills and lessons. It’s going to be fun and sometimes it’s going to be hard. That’s the good part because that means you’re learning. So you have to pay attention and practice at home 20-minutes a day when you don’t have class.

Are you going to work hard and practice?”

“Yes sir.”

“I’m glad. Your classes are Monday and Wednesday at 5pm. When are your classes?”

“Monday and Wednesday at 5pm.”

“Good. You’re a smart guy. That means that you have to be ready to come to class by 4:30 on Monday and Wednesdays so that you’re not late. Will you do that?”

“Yes sir.”

“No matter what you are doing, you will be ready by 4:30, right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. The first lesson is integrity. Integrity means that you do what you say you are going to do. You keep your promises. You promise to work hard and be ready for class, right?”

“Yes sir.”

“No matter what you’re doing. Right?”

“Yes sir.”

“Great. We’re going to be so proud of you. Your mom just enrolled you, so please turn to her and say, ‘Thank you mom.”

“Thank you mom.”

“Alright. When someone does something good for you, you always say thank you. That’s called gratitude. What’s it called?”

“Gratitude.”

“Correct. So you’ve learned two important lessons today. Integrity and gratitude. What does integrity mean?

“Keeping your promises.”

“Yes. What does gratitude mean?”

“Saying thank you.”

“You got it! You are going to do great, I can tell already.”

“Remember, your class is…”

“Monday and Wednesday at 5pm.”

“When will you be ready to come to class?”

“4:30pm.”

“You have a good head on your shoulders Johnny. You’re going to be good at this.”

“Because you’ve showed your mom gratitude and you’re going to keep your promises, here is a school t-shirt for you to wear. Every time you put it on, I want you to think of integrity and gratitude. Will you do that?”

“Yes sir.”

“I just gave you a shirt. How do you show gratitude?”

“Thank you sir.”

As taught in the MATA Certification program, it’s also a good idea to let mom know that it’s important that she control what Johnny is doing around 4:30 which is the agreed upon to be ready for class.

If Johnny is playing with his friends or deep in a video game, it’s going to be harder to get him to get ready than if he is cleaning his bedroom or something he’d like to leave to go to class.

Keep in mind that mom is watching this happen before her eyes. What have you done to establish your authority?

  1. You’ve provided her with a language pattern that both her and Johnny understand. This is huge.
  2. You’ve given mom the “integrity” framework to deal with any reluctance to go to class.
  3. You’ve provided her with a strategy to engage Johnny in less fun activities so that going to class is an easy decision.
  4. You’ve laid out when Johnny should get ready for class without complaint.
  5. Before her eyes, you taught her son important lessons with real world examples. No doubt, your authority sky-rocketed in her eyes and in her heart.

Look for places where you can make these kinds of strong emotional connections.

Demonstrate true authority and leadership. That will last much longer than a trite, shallow compliments like “Awesome! Good job.”

This will help your students to understand how and why they are training with the best school.

How often have you heard comments like these? “I teach military based self-defense!” “I teach police based self-defense!” “I teach kung fu based self-defense!”

A ton, I’m sure.

How often have you ever heard a comment like this? “I will show you have to make a six-figure income from teaching self-defense.”

Never, I’m sure.

It’s not hard to find a good self-defense system. Any brown belt can teach how to get out of a headlock or a gun defense. It’s really difficult to find a good self-defense BUSINESS SYSTEM. There is a huge difference. Self-defense is much easier to teach than kata or a traditional system. But, can you make money at it?

Less than 1% of professional martial artists know how to generate six-figures annually from teaching self-defense.  If you want to be part of that elite group, here are some good questions to ask any self-defense system you’re considering.

1. As the organization leader, do you make your money from teaching self-defense or do you make your money off of certifying guys like me to teach your system?

  • How much focus is there on making money vs technical skills?

2. What is your background as it relates to creating income as a self-defense instructor?

  • Not who you trained with. Income.
  • Not what system you teach. Income.

3. How many A-Z curriculum programs do you offer?

  • Active Shooter?
  • Teen Safety?
  • Real Estate Safety?
  • Anti-Bully?
  • Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Training?
  • Self-Defense for Kids?
  • Self-Defense for Adults?
  • Ten Week Academies?
  • How are these programs supported?

4. How are these programs supported?

  • Full curriculum manuals?
  • Videos of the program classes so I can model the program?
  • Program-specific marketing materials?

5. How will I market my self-defense programs?

  • Do you have marketing ads?
  • Do you have marketing videos?
  • Do you have scripts for presentations?
  • Do you have an upsell strategy?

6. What kind of support can I expect?

  • Do you provide Executive Coaching Videos?
  • Do you provide Facebook Live Coaching Videos?
  • Do you provide Phone call support?

7. Do you help me to elevate my business above the local competition?

  • Do you provide a stand-alone, branded website?
  • Do you have branded apparel, so I can look professional when I teach?
  • Do you have branded manuals and student handouts I can provide my students?

As far as I know, there is only one self-defense system that can answer each one of these important questions with a resounding, YES! COBRA-Defense is the Official Self-Defense Business System of the Martial Arts Teachers’ Association (MATA) for a very good reason. It is proven to work.

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