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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.
Brian Tracy
Master Teacher
A mentor of John Graden’s. Brian Tracy credits much of his success to his martial arts training.
Bernard Kerik
Master Leadership
The police commissioner during the 9/11 attacks, 5th-degree black belt Bernard Kerik has traveled the world to improve his skills.
Click to open Show Notes for Episode 23
Show 23 Notes
The Truth About the Martial Arts Business book
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The Truth About the Martial Arts Business Podcast
Episode 23
Why I Replaced Taekwondo with Empower Kickboxing
Geno Guevara
Alamo Ranch Martial Arts
San Antonio, TX
Show 23 Notes
8:30 Empower Kickboxing is ahead of its time. PREVIEW
9:20 I was hooked deep gets FKA
11:50 smoke and mirrors
12:05 What prompted the decision to join Empower Kickboxing?
12:40 My black belt student could not defend himself
13:13 I was being hypocritical
14:32 What was your strategy to transition the students
15:20 traditional martial arts reminds me of the renaissance festivals
15:50 What are the reaction to removing uniforms
16:20 I started with the self-defense module
16:20 The parents loved it.The kids loved it. Because it makes sense.
16:40 I could see the parents heads nodding “YES!”
17:00 Self defense was first, what was next? The Warm up.
18:20 If Mike Tyson taught class he would….
18:30 what have done with testing and rank?
18:40 Graduation is fight night
19:50 How close do you follow the Empower Kickboxing lesson plans?
21:40 What would you say to a school owner thinking about upgrading to Empower Kickboxing?
21:00 Perfect for a small school
21:45 How many classes are you teaching now vs prior to Empower Kickboxing?
23:00 New sales process
23:58 The keyword today is simplicity
24:30 Does your curriculum match what is out there and what the public wants?
Martial Arts Instructor Certification Course
Module One-The Principles of an Authoritative Instructor
Lesson 4: No Rescues!
Previous Episodes and Show Notes
22. Martial Arts and Hip Hop: The Story of Willie “The Bam” Johnson part 2.
21. Martial Arts and Hip Hop: The Story of Willie “The Bam” Johnson part 1.
20. How to Avoid the Smoke and Mirrors of Traditional Martial Arts
19. Mark Moore: How to Grow Your School to 425 Students While Teaching Just 2 Classes a Night
18: Andrew Branca: What Every Martial Arts Instructor MUST Know About the Law of Self-Defense
17. Joe Robaina: How to Build a Six-Figure Self-Defense Business
16. Sam Horn: The Art of Tongue Fu, Martial Arts for the Mouth
15. John Graden: 7 Biggest Tax Deductions for Martial Arts Schools
14. John Graden: Ten Important Questions About Your Curriculum
13. Bernard Kerik: 5th Dan, Former NYC Police Commissioner on 9/11
12. Chris Sutton: How to Teach Martial Arts Professionally
11. John Graden: A Plan for Reopening Your Martial Arts School
10. Chris Sutton: Do Martial Arts Really Work for Law Enforcement?
9. Mike Anderson Part 1
8. Jim King: How to Run a Successful Martial Arts Summer Camp
7. Chris Sutton: What Qualifies You to Teach Self-Defense?
6. Dale Willerton: Rent Assistance During the Pandemic
5. Brian Tracy: Why Curriculum is Critical to Your Martial Arts School Success
4. Brian Tracy: What Adults Want in a Martial Arts School
3. Tony Robbins: The Five Strategies to Create a Happy and Successful Life
2. Tony Robbins: How Martial Arts Can Be Used To Combat Procrastination
1. Tony Robbins: How to Use Martial Arts to Create a More Successful Life
“I am an old school “tae kwon do” instructor. Everything Mr. Graden described about the complexity of multiple classes learning different kata’s was true.
I struggled for years trying to come up with a solution.
I tried a rotating curriculum with kata’s, but some students would still fall behind, and the truth is, kata’s did not help with real-world self-defense. My students would get in a traditional stance or point-fighting stance to defend themselves.
I knew deep down I wasn’t providing what I promised. I decided to switch over when COVID hit.
Teaching the basic skills in Empower Kickboxing helped me retain students over COVID and teach online.
I didn’t lose one student because of the transition. They all loved the new curriculum.
Plus, I didn’t need as much space since Kata’s required space. I cut my teaching hours in half since classes were all combined.
Not to mention I no longer have to do all the introductory lessons which make the sales process less reliant on me.
His methodology has allowed me to create a unique brand to separate against other schools.
Most of my competitors are all traditional schools and we have positioned our brand against what everyone else is doing. Differentiation.”
Mr. Geno Guevara
Alamo Ranch Martial Arts
Hosts & Guests
John Graden
Tony Robbins
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.
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
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.
Host
John Graden