Signs Your Martial Arts School is in Trouble

Nothing is constant except change. That old saying is especially true to the martial arts business world. We don’t know what the future holds, or how the economy will change and what trends might pop up. We cannot be entirely certain that we can save martial arts schools from closing, what we can do is spot the early red flags and do something about it. Here are signs your martial arts school is in trouble.

There is no Profit

The first sign is the most obvious one. Sure, you may have money coming in regularly, but how much is coming out? We here at Martial Arts Business Magazine stress the importance of making a profit. It’s a way to support yourself, protect your students, and spread martial arts throughout the world. There is no evil in profiting. What’s evil is prioritizing profiting over quality education. When you’re giving quality education, it’s okay to gain extra money.

Your Passion is Gone

How do you feel when you head to class? Do you feel tired, unmotivated? Then you’re in no shape to teach. Why? Because students can feel the lack of enthusiasm. If you’re not excited, chances are they’re not excited as well. The energy that you bring out transfers to your students. If you’re dragging your feet to work, you’re going to drag them down as well. I think this is pretty clear. Feel excited! Feel determined!

You Get Sensitive with Criticisms

I can remember one of my teachers back in high school that rounded up his students and asked us why we were doing so poorly in his subjects (yes plural). I, being the opinionated one told him that a change of teaching styles can be beneficial for the class. He then got angry and, to cut the story the short, our grades didn’t improve.

Then, I had another experience with my college professor who was really giving us a hard time in class. She got her sources from different books, didn’t discuss everything, and tasked us to read everything at home. Her exams we’re difficult and it reflected on the grades of all of her classes, not just ours. She, like my high school teacher, asked us what was wrong. I, repeating history, told her that her class was too difficult, that we had too many sources to read and not enough time to go through them all. She took the criticism well and our grades improved. From the two, who do you think is the better teacher?

Poor Referral Numbers

This stems from tips number 3 and 4. When your students aren’t excited, they will also be not excited to tell their friends how great your classes are, in fact, they will them how your classes stink. With number 4, students hate teachers that are egotistic and can’t take constructive criticisms. If you’re like my high school teacher, then you’re going to have a hard time raking in students. If you want to increase the chances of your martial arts business surviving, then increase your referrals.