The Hybrid Virtual Martial Arts Program

Drawing out your Virtual Arts Program is critical in today's day and age. Want some help? Grab the Virtual Martial Arts Program today.

By: Cris Rodriguez, Digital Marketing Specialist

Phase #1 - Offer Pre-Recorded Content

Probably the easiest phase is Pre-Recorded Content.

Gone are the days of needing to hire a videographer and purchase expensive equipment. New mobile devices come with amazing cameras that rival thousand dollar DSLR cameras.

Grab your mobile device and get recording.

What do you record? Anything that helps your students SOLVE PROBLEMS.

At the heart of your Virtual Martial Arts Program - and really our business in general - that’s what we are hired to do.

Solve people’s problems.

What are their problems?

They are stuck inside. They are bored. They aren’t moving as much as they usually do.

Pre-Record videos like…

• Curriculum Videos
• How to Create a Grappling Dummy
• How to create an at Home Mat
• How to make a Gi Backpack
• How to Tie Your Belt
• Kids / Parent Games
• Stretching Routines
• Life Skills & Manners Lessons

Just to get your idea list started.

You can upload these videos to YouTube as an “Unlisted” Video and give the LINK to your members so they can sit back, relax, and absorb your videos.

Phase #2 - Facebook Live

Facebook Live is one of my favorite platforms.

It allows you to connect with your audience live.

Your followers will get a notification when you go live, which helps with engagement.

One of the best parts? It’s free.

While not ALL of your members will be on Facebook, the majority will be. And it’s really a non-negotiable in today’s world.

I want you for a minute to stop thinking of yourself as Martial Arts Instructor and start thinking of yourself as an Online Life Coach.

I know, I know, stay with me for a minute.

Remember what your ultimate goal is - to solve people’s problems.

Let’s think of some of the problems that your students and prospects are going through.

Let’s use your children students as an example:

-They are stuck at home.
-They are no longer going to school.
-No more play dates with their friends.
-Their parents are their new school teachers.
-And they are probably bouncing off of the walls.

So what type of content can you put out that SOLVES those problems?

How about Interviewing Teachers for Homeschool Tips for their parents?

Or what about Story Time with Sensei where you read a book to the kids one night
a week?

Both of these examples help to solve problems.

And if you continue to do that - your members will stay.

I love using the Facebook Live Platform for many of these examples.

You can go live in your Groups or on your Business Page.

I would do a healthy mix of both.

Phase #3 - Live Classes & Live Events

Unless you have been living under a rock, I am sure you have heard of a company called Peloton.

The Peloton bike is “a high-end indoor bicycle rigged with a Wi-Fi–enabled, 22-inch touchscreen tablet that streams live and on-demand classes and allows the rider to compete with other participants (by way of a live leader board that ranks riders based on “output,” or the total wattage of energy expended) and get a strenuous cardio workout in the process.”

The key phrase in that sentence was “streams live and on-demand classes”.

This is what you have to be doing.

Pre-Recorded Content and going Live on Facebook is not enough.

Your goal should be to mimic (as close as you can) to your normal schedule as class experience.

Two platforms that will help you do this are Zoom and Google Meet.

Depending on the style that you teach, you are going to have to get those creative juices flowing.

But there is “always a way.”

Regardless if you are lock-down or not.

If you have an internet connection and a mobile device - you can make this work. You don’t just have to be doing “live classes” - you can also be doing “live events”.

Do you run Parent Night Out Events?

How about offering a “Virtual Kids Night In” - a spin on a Parents Night Out where you could have a scavenger hunt, dance party, and play fun games like charades or hangman.

Do you offer Parent Coaching Orientations? Do them Live on Zoom.

Or how about you offer a FREE live session for your community (and then pitch them our Virtual Martial Arts Program after!)

The options are limitless - if you just simply think outside of the box.

Phase #4 - On Demand Classes

The final stage of my Hybrid Model is to offer On-Demand Classes. Meaning that your students can watch your classes at any time.

The EASIEST way to do this is simply record your Live Classes.

You can then take your live classes, upload them to YouTube as unlisted videos and
then provide the links to your members.

BOOM - you now offer On Demand Classes.

When this all blows over, my goal for every Martial Arts School Owner (aka -Entrepreneur) is to be able to look back and say, “You know what - I gave it my best shot.”

And I truly believe that if you work hard (and smart) that you CAN get through these times.

Are people going to cancel? Yes.

Are people also going to stick by your side? Yes.

The ones that ARE going to stick by your side are the ones that you continue to solve problems for.

So what do you do next?

Map out your Hybrid Virtual Martial Arts Program by starting at Phase 1 and writing down all of your ideas. Then do the same for the Phase 2, and so on.

Once you have this mapped out - it’s time to take massive action. And if you need help with the action taking part, we put together The Virtual Martial Arts Blueprint - a video course and guide on getting through this unprecedented times.

You can grab your copy here: www.VirtualMartialArtsBlueprint.com