Info for Martial Arts School Owners and Instructors

The Martial Arts Teachers’ Association (MATA) is a professional organization that helps martial arts school owners and instructors improve their teaching skills and grow their schools with proven marketing, management, and curriculum design.

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Martial Arts Instructors: The Coronavirus and Your Rent

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Get Certified as a Martial Arts Instructor Online

MATA Martial Arts Instructor Certification Course

Module 21-The Proper Use of Student Instructors

by Scot Conway, Esquire

The $25,000 Volunteers

Excerpt from the Martial Arts Instructor Certification Course:

Using upper ranks to teach classes has been a long-standing martial arts tradition. But, is it legal?

A California instructor had his black belts teaching under-rank classes at his studio. In exchange, he no longer charged them tuition.

This continued until one fateful day when the owner and a black belt student had a disagreement.

The vindictive student contacted the California Labor Board and reported that his instructor had been employing assistants by requiring that they teach classes each week.

This can constitute an Employer – Worker relationship. The only thing missing was payment for the workers and the taxes the government would collect if they were being paid.

The State of California investigators concluded that the owner, over the years, had a total of 25 black belts teach classes.

They defined them as uncompensated employees, which is illegal under the laws of California, and fined the instructor $1,000 per incident.

The final bill: $25,000 for the volunteers.

Lesson: Know your state laws regarding utilizing assistant instructors.

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Emergency Episode: The Coronavirus and Your Rent

With the coronavirus pandemic blanketing the world, many martial arts school owners can’t conduct group classes for at least the next month or two. This creates beehive of complexity and questions. Our guest, The Lease Coach, gives us the answers.

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE on your favorite podcast platform

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Proud to host some of the greatest teachers and leaders in and outside the martial arts world.

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The Martial Arts Teacher of Teachers John Graden is the host of The Truth About the Martial Arts Business and founder of NAPMA and the Martial Arts Teachers’ Association (MATA).

Featured Guests

Tony Robbins
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Tony Robbins

Master Motivator

A black belt under the late Jhoon Rhee, Tony Robbins views martial arts as an excellent way to improve your life or a poor excuse not to.

Joe Lewis
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Joe Lewis

Master Martial Artist

Dubbed the “Muhammad Ali” of sport karateJoe Lewis won more titles in his 17-year fighting career than any other tournament fighter. 

Brian Tracy
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Brian Tracy

Master Teacher

Brian Tracy is a mentor of John Graden’s. Brian credits much of his self-discipline and drive to the principles he learned as a martial arts student and instructor.

Bernard Kerik
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Bernard Kerik

Master Leadership

The police commissioner during the 9/11 attacks, Bernard Kerik began his taekwondo training at 14 and has traveled the world to improve his skills.

The Truth About the Martial Arts Business Podcast

Learn the hard truth about the martial arts business from the man who led the industry into the modern era.

Join the martial arts Teacher of Teachers, John Graden as he explores important and controversial questions about martial arts instructors, schools and the business.

In this hard hitting podcast, he pulls back the curtain to reveal The Truth About the Martial Arts Business.

John Graden challenges conventional tradition and the mindless acceptance of some of the outlandish theories associated with the martial arts.

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John Graden

Widely credited with leading the martial arts school business into the modern age, John Graden was first called a visionary by MASuccess editor, John Corcoran. Also a world champion kickboxer, John was dubbed the martial arts Teacher of Teachers by Martial Arts World magazine.

John is also the author of many of the best selling books on martial arts business and personal development.

Now the Executive Director of the Martial Arts Teachers’ Association (MATA), John’s bold leadership has landed him on the Dr. Oz Show, the Wall Street Journal, the A&E Network and many more international media platforms along with many small podcasts that only his wife listened to.

A Tampa Bay, FL resident, John Graden is married with two children.

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The Martial Arts Teachers Association (MATA)

MATA is a professional association for martial arts school owners and instructors. It offers the leading course on martial arts instructor certification (MATACertification) and rank advancement (MATARank).

Members have access to a massive library of professionally designed marketing materials in the Marketing Downloads section.

Other sections include:

  • Martial Arts Summer Camp
  • Martial Arts After School
  • Planning Your Martial Arts School
  • Staffing Your Martial Arts School
  • Financial Control 
  • Interviews & Courses
  • Facebook Marketing for Your Martial Arts School
  • Online Marketing for Your Martial Arts School
  • Pro-shop Sales for Your Martial Arts School
  • Curriculum Concepts Your Martial Arts School

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