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MASuccess Magazine

The Martial Arts Industry Association's MASuccess Magazine exists to help grow martial arts participation by helping school owners succeed.

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Something good from 2020??

While 2020 wasn’t the year we asked for, we have to lean in on the positives that came out of it.

I can think of 5 really great things that came out of 2020 that I’d like to share with you.

First, as an Industry, we became more tech savvy.

Prior to COVID shutting down our schools, many school owners weren’t the most “tech savvy” individuals.

Having our brick and mortar businesses shut down forced us to think outside of the box and learn new skills.

Most schools pivoted to online classes which required them to learn new technologies such as Zoom.

We had to figure out what types of web cams, mics, and lighting would help us best offer our services.

And I look at those items as an investment - because without them, many of us
would have had to permanently close our doors.

Second, we all became better instructors.

As a whole, as Instructors, most of us prefer to teach our students on the mats in
our academies. But COVID changed...

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Holding a Holiday Event with Century Direct

Let’s face it: winter is never the “busy season” for our martial arts schools. This year more than ever, all of our schools could benefit from a little extra revenue. Our students, too, would benefit from having gear and equipment for at-home training. Pandemic aside, weather conditions and holiday travel plans can make it difficult for students to come to class as regularly as they’d like, but having gear at home will keep them up to speed.

 

Want to create a win-win scenario where your students can train and you can make money? It’s not a sugarplum-induced holiday fantasy: Invest just 30 minutes of your time, and you can make up to $10,000 for your school while stocking your students up on equipment. Here’s how:

 

1) First, set up a Century Direct account.

Once you see the benefits, you’ll be surprised you didn’t do it sooner! We’re living in the age of online shopping. If you don’t offer that option,...

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It's Officially Holiday Season!

Walk into Wal-Mart, Target, or Home Depot, and the Holiday decorations are front and center (and have been for weeks).

So what does this mean for you and your academy?

It means it’s time to put together your Holiday Specials — specifically your Black Friday special.

Black Friday may look business-driven, but it’s the consumers who actually started
this shopping event. It was first observed in Philadelphia where there was always
high traffic the day after Thanksgiving.

SaleCycle reported that in 2019, Black Friday online sales surpassed all previous
records, reaching $7.4 billion, up by $1.2 billion from 2018’s $6.2 billion record.

That’s huge!

This is a serious holiday that every merchant with an online or brick and mortar
store should observe.

Our holiday tips will help you to get a cut of the Black Friday sales so you can
settle in for a prosperous holiday season.

Step 1 - Choose Your Offer(s)

Black Friday is really a great time to be selling ...

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How to Host a Successful Glo-Chuck Seminar

 

With COVID, and the less-than-stable return to school situation in some states, it’s understandable if your youngest martial arts students are a little stressed right now. On top of that, Halloween is right around the corner and many places are cancelling Trick-or-Treating, parades, and other holiday celebrations. Halloween is widely anticipated and beloved by youngsters, and is something they look forward to all year. To be fair, now probably isn’t the best time for communal candy touched by who-knows-how-many hands – but it still looks like we’re in for a dark and gloomy October.

Martial arts schools to the rescue! You can light up your young students’ Halloween – literally and figuratively – by offering an awesome Glo-Chuck seminar! These training events were popularized by MAIA and our very own Frank Silverman, and have been successful student retention and revenue-boosting events for schools for years.

Whether you hold it on...

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New Program Will Help You Fight COVID

by MAIA Division Manager Melissa Torres

 

It was difficult to sit down to write this column because I knew that no matter what topic I chose to cover, I would have to mention COVID-19 in some capacity. Unfortunately, the pandemic is still part of our daily lives, and it continues to affect martial arts schools in countless ways. Our curriculums, instructor training, marketing and best retention practices all hinge on what happens with regard to the pandemic.

Since no one can predict when we finally will be out of the COVID woods, it’s essential to continue to adjust and “roll with the punches.” Recall Bruce Lee’s well-known quote: “Be like water, my friend.” We must be adaptable in these uncertain times in order to get to the other side. We’ve got to keep pressing forward!

No doubt you all have had time to take a step back to reevaluate your businesses and plan your next move. Well, MAIA has done the same. After the SuperShow Virtual...

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Kelly Cox: Following Keith Yateโ€™s Example

mentor motivation Oct 01, 2020

by Herb Borkland

 

Although he’s acknowledged by his peers to be a ninth-degree grandmaster, Kelly Cox prefers not to use the title. Even more rare among notable American martial artists is that online searches for either Cox or his Rendokan Dojo return nothing. This lifelong student of karate and sword fighting inherited one of the first martial arts schools in the United States and has formed his life around its tradition of severe humility and a ceaseless work ethic. He is currently writing a book that explores the boundless wisdom of original scrolls from the 1800s that he inherited from Christine and Ken Carson, who founded Rendokan in 1946.

 

MASuccess: Where did you grow up, and what did your dad do?

Kelly Cox: I grew up on a farm in East Texas. Dad was a farmer. We toiled in the dirt. I grew up picking vegetables, riding horses and herding cattle.

 

MAS: How did you first hear about karate?

Cox: I was 9 years old, and I heard about it on Steve...

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The Mountain of Clothes

mentor motivation Oct 01, 2020

by Karen Eden

 

This is a true story about too much of a good thing. When Hurricane Katrina hit with such devastation, the entire nation would have to come to New Orleans’ rescue. I was just coming out of a TV contract and teaching martial arts through The Salvation Army. I was asked if I could help TSA by acting as the division’s Public Information Officer. No problem, since I knew most of the media members on a first-name basis anyway.

When the now-homeless victims of the hurricane were bused into Denver, they literally had no possessions to bring with them. They needed everything — from basics such as shampoo and toothpaste to food and especially clothes. I made the executive decision, along with the Corps Officer of the thrift-stores division, to put out a public plea for donated clothing items.

The city of Denver generously responded, like it so often does. Seventy-two hours later, I got a call from the officer: “Karen, you got to stop with the...

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Have You Ever Given Up Too Soon?

masuccess motivation Oct 01, 2020

by Dave Kovar

 

I am an outdoor enthusiast. Hiking, biking, climbing, training — it doesn’t matter. If it takes place outside, I love it. Some time ago, I went on an intense mountain-bike ride with two friends. We picked a challenging course near Forest Hill, California. I do a decent bit of cycling on the road, but it had been years since I pushed myself on a mountain bike on a hard trail.

Both my friends had better bikes and a lot more trail experience than I, but I did my best to keep up, and we had a great time. The ride illustrated to me one of the wonderful things about martial arts training: The attributes of balance, timing, strength, flexibility and focus carry over to other activities. (Another bonus became evident that day: I had only one crash but managed to avoid injury.)

The highlight of the day was swimming in the American River after the ride. We picked the perfect spot for it. The water was deep, calm and cool. One of my friends mentioned that when...

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To Be Successful, Look Forward!

maia Oct 01, 2020

by Frank Silverman

 

 

As I write this column, I reflect on the past year: where we started, where we came from and where we are now. For most of us, the year began second to none. Business was booming, and the future looked bright. Then the world stopped turning. In March, we witnessed the fragility of the world’s economy, not to mention life itself, as the pandemic took hold and forced a shutdown the likes of which we have never seen.

Today, we’re looking better than we did at the onset of COVID-19 — at least, things are looking that way as I write this column. (Who knows what tomorrow will bring?) However, we are by no means out of the woods. Many schools are still struggling, and business is nowhere close to where it was at the beginning of the year. And then there are the casualties: the schools that closed their doors for a final time.

I don’t want this column to be a message of doom and gloom. I’ve said it before and it’s worth...

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