Kid Kung Fu Birthday parties

[Tainan Mantis]

I noticed that some schools have a Birthday party at their schools.
One student can invite his non MA friends to a B-day party at his school.

Then, the shifu entertains all the kids, makes some money and maybe gets a sign up.


I used to think this was against some sort of unnamed MA creed when I first heard about it.
But, a friend of mine who does this all the time told me how fun it was to be the host of a Birthday party.

Now, my son is going to be nine and I will be hosting the B-day party.

So, people at this forum who have done this or seen it...can you share some ideas?

This might be good party-fu training for me!

His ideas are to have a water gun fight and a water balloon fight.

Eat vanilla ice cream cake.

[Reverend Tap]

My sifu had a mini knife-throwing lesson for all attendees at our most recent party.

But, that might not be the best idea for a nine-year-old. :eek:

[Oso]

Give at least one, if not two, free 1-month or 3-month memberships away at the party.


RT: naw, man. knives and kids go together like vodka and orange juice. ;)



but, seriously, board breaking is easy to set up for kids to do and be succesfull at...you can get 1/2 inch stock at most Lowes or HD...or whatever you have in your neck of the woods.

or, pinyata's w/ ninja swords or something

[TenTigers]

I used to have a great time doing birthday parties.
I had a 12 yr old student, who was with me for several years, so he had some good skills.
I would first talk about how Kung-Fu was different than Karate, and obviously demonstrate much cooler looking stuff.
Then I would talk about the five animals. I woulds ask the kids,"How does a Tiger fight?"Then I would demonstrate a tiger technique. Then I would ask leopard, crane, etc,
Then I would discuss what is self defense. Who do we protect ourselves from?
And we are now on the topic of bullies.
Then I go into the whole thing about bullies not being brave but being cowards, because they prey on the weak, etc.
THEN...I ask them, "How does a bully pick on you?" This is the fun part.
I play the part of the bully-because I am much bigger than my a$sistant, and as each child calls out a technique,"He grabs your hair!" etc
I use that attack on my guy, who proceeds to beat the bejeezus out of me.
-much to the delight of the kids.

it takes some planning, and you need to work out good demo stuff with your partner/helper.
I always tossed the kid a twenty and took him to Chinatown for lunch afterwards.
I ham it up,acting all tough, and then allowing him to make good body contact, and adding some "oof!" and "Arrggh" as I get pummled. Every technique of course ends with some takedown and a stomp or something.
laughter, giggles, and now they are so excited, that they can't wait to call out another attack.
Then...I take them through a mini class, and-
I stress attention, "Yes Sir!" learning focus, concentration, positive attitude, discipline
The kids might be taking part in the party, but Mom and Dad are in the lobby watching. THEY are the ones who decide.I have them hit soft square hand targets, and kicking shields, and x-ray paper, which makes a hecuvalot of noise-always good.

If you want to end with board breaking-use something that is not hard wood-a karate instructor just got sued because a parent claimed the kid got hurt breaking a board at a party. Might want to toss that one.

Then we sit down for pizza, birthday cake, (I pay for the pizza-you buy the cake)and have the parents arrive to pick the kids up while they are still eatinng cake, so they are out of your school before the sugar kicks in. Trust me, the LAST thing you want is kids running around kicking and screaming in your school.
While they are eating pizza, you can talk to the parents a little, and turn on your charm.
As each kid leaves-give them a goodie bag with a set of rubber stars, rubber nunchucks, and a free offer-with an expiration date.
Get a list of the guests from the birthday boy's Mom and do follow up calls.

[taai gihk yahn]

you forgot the part about cutting the cake with a Gwan Dao...

[TenTigers]

don't forget the Murphy Factor;
that one kid. The one with ADHD, or is just plain out there, the kid who is making the party difficult, the one who won't shut up, or calls things out, or won't sit still, or wahtever, he will be the one who's Mom calls to sign up,
and the wunderkund, the cute little Asian kid, sent from Kung-Fu Heaven,with the big eyes and the determined look, who hangs on your every word, and just seems to do everything right...not a chance.
His Mom is signing him up for Taekwondo.

[TenTigers]

to make things worse...
the kid from h3ll?...you completely forgot his name, so when the mom calls up you immediately go into your sales mode, and sign the kid up.
"Suuurre, we'd LOVE to have little Beelzebastid come in for his free week..."

weeks later, as you are driving to your therapist, you stop at a light and you chance to be in front of a Taekwondo school. And inside, you see...this wonderful little child, in a pure white uniform, and there is a moment of recognition...and as the light turns green, and you wipe a tear from your eye, you realize that you'd better step on it. You don't want to be late for lil' BB's class.

the suicide rate for Martial Arts teachers who do birthday parties is among the highest recorded.

[bawang]

do u guys feel no shame
lol

[Oso]

do u guys feel no shame

naw, TT was right on target. most parents bring little johnny rotten to you because they effed up and created a little monster that they want you to teach how to punch and kick more effectively when the little bast@rd really just needs his butt blistered one good time to learn there are consequences to inappropriate behavior....or, well, there used to be :rolleyes:

[bawang]

im talking about the kid classes and kung fu birthday parties
it doesnt make you cringe a little? i mean people still wonder why kung fu doesnt work? youre training little fun hobbyist cash dispensers
i can hear the barney music in the background now
do you guys have a conscience? do your sifus come back haunt you in your dreams?

i know nothings gonna change but this makes me a sad panda

[David Jamieson]

TT that is some funny stuff man. worthy of a short film. lol

[TenTigers]

Bawang-sometimes ya do what ya gotta do to keep the lights on, so the serious students have a place to train. Kids who come in at 7 stay and grow up to be good students at 17. Nothing is being compromised, our students train hard. My rep in the Mo-Lum-TCMA community speaks for itself.

[yu shan]

I use to rent space at a TKD school to teach kung fu, believe it or not it worked out well for me. Anyway, the TKD teacher had what he called "parent night out". This was held I think every Friday night. The parents dropped off their kid(s) early in the evening and came back later that night to pick them up. A great date night for them and a very good money maker for the TKD school. He would show movies, have pizza and pop brought in and of course fun games. A win win for everybody. The TKD teacher even asked me one Saturday morning when I showed up to teach my kf class, how much money did you make last month teaching your kung fu Mr. Jim? After telling him he let out with a huge Santa Claus laugh, and told me he made $2M in one night just babysitting kids. Sure he had to purchase pizza and pop etc, but the fellow made on an average $8000 a month just throwing these parties. He also did the birthday parties so throw that income in on top of the parent night out gig. Then there was all of his testing fees and high tuition, the man made good money. Good luck with your parties, maybe get your wife involved.

[BoulderDawg]

If it's all about the money why make MA the central focus of the "School"? You could have a wide variety of activities: Dance, Gymnastics, MA, arts and crafts. If you're going to go that route why even bother with adults at all? Just contact with a local Kung Fu/Karate/whatever school to provide a instructor who's good with kids to come in 3-4 days a week.

I mean, why not have the guy dress up as a clown to teach class?:D

[bawang]

Bawang-sometimes ya do what ya gotta do to keep the lights on, so the serious students have a place to train. Kids who come in at 7 stay and grow up to be good students at 17. Nothing is being compromised, our students train hard. My rep in the Mo-Lum-TCMA community speaks for itself.

i understand you needs to make a living, but in my own opinion, doing this maybe perpetuates the problem of focus on money in martial arts
sure mall karate tkd make a lot of money but thats nothing to be proud of.

[Shaolinlueb]

i did a couple. once i did 2 in one day. hory **** was that a lot.

they would last for two hours. i had up to ten kids be in the price. and every kid after that was 10.

would be 2 hours long.

we would play games or so for a hour or so. do some kung fu. then we would eat (pizza), cake, and do the gifts.

the parents thought they were great.

[Lucas]

in an old school i used to train at, here is what we did for birthdays (excluding children.) after class, the entire class would turn on the birthday culprit and proceed to pummel them into the ground. unless they could get away, or to the weapons. :D

[TenTigers]

It could be worse-they used to have Teenage Ninja Turtle Birthday Parties as well as Power Ranger parties-I never did these-and with good reason;

My Sifu told me if I ever did a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Birthday Party, he would burn my school to the ground-with me in it!
good incentive.

[Oso]

im talking about the kid classes and kung fu birthday parties
it doesnt make you cringe a little? i mean people still wonder why kung fu doesnt work? youre training little fun hobbyist cash dispensers
i can hear the barney music in the background now
do you guys have a conscience? do your sifus come back haunt you in your dreams?

i know nothings gonna change but this makes me a sad panda

yea, it does make me cringe.

but, if the kung fu world at large doesn't figure out a way to be successful at the business end of things then it will always be looked at the same anyways.

and, you know, I really don't know how the whole 'traditional' thing with not making money from teaching got started anyway...the way I hear tell of it, all the old chinese masters were mad about money.

trust me, I don't like the methods and I've decided that it's not worth it for me to do things i really don't believe in to have a succesful 'business' that is a MA school.

It's also why my boss at my day job and I clash so much...he's a salesman through and through and I'm a service guy...I don't care what anyone says...the art of salesmanship comes down to bending the truth to fit the perceptions of the buyer. Not saying the whole truth about something and BS'ing people into believing they want something is just not me. If they want it, they'll buy it...whether it's a hot tub or martial arts classes.

but, that's why I have to face the closure of what little I do have left as a school every month about this time.:rolleyes:

[zhugeliang]

TenTigers is #$@*& funny

I think the Shi Xinghao school in Houston does kungfu birthday parties but I've never seen one in action. Would love to see it though.

[bawang]

but, if the kung fu world at large doesn't figure out a way to be successful at the business end of things then it will always be looked at the same anyways
but then we can be true to ourselves and have honor, not to sound corny. isnt honor what is supposed to separate cma from "modern" arts


and, you know, I really don't know how the whole 'traditional' thing with not making money from teaching got started anyway...
dood lol its the concept of xia the wandering knight you make a friend teach each other some moves then part ways where have u been the last thousand years



the way I hear tell of it, all the old chinese masters were mad about money.

yes, after the qing lifted the ban on martial arts about 100 years ago, before that martial arts was banned, how do sifus make the monehs?


trust me, I don't like the methods and I've decided that it's not worth it for me to do things i really don't believe in to have a succesful 'business' that is a MA school.

woohoo high five

i dont judge people, you guys have better kung fu than me, but you know, we should do the right thing, instead of complaining about the state of kung fu be the one to change it and make a difference, stop the cycle of greed

[TenTigers]

when i hear the lion dance drum water come out of my mouth i see red i start shaking and i want to punch random guy in the face and throw chairs
what do u hear?

I hear, "Cha-Ching!" :D:eek::D

[BoulderDawg]

Forget the kids! I want to go for the adult market. Let's have Kung Fu strip/S&M bar with weapons and everything. Chain whip me baby!!!!!:p

[TenTigers]

I DO try to make a change and a difference. I teach my stsudents to use their Gung-Fu, and not simply point-fighting/kickbox.
I teach traditional Lion Dancing, and not tournament style.
I de-emphasize forms, and the "Forms collector mentality" and emphasize conditioning, and technique.
I meet and exchange with other Sifus and am in a constant state of evolution, making my art, and my teaching the best it can be.

I teach for a living.
I want my school to grow.
I would like to have more locations, and share my Gung-Fu with more people.
This way, more people will be exposed to real Gung-Fu, not crap.
I work very hard, and I deserve to be compensated.
I have studied longer than any lawyer, or doctor, and I continue to study, train, grow and learn. How much am I worth?

[bawang]

hey man u got my respect u know that, i understand money is hard to come by and u need to keep the school running, i was talking about the future consequences, i think we all prefer not to do this if we didnt have to right
but i hope in the future, some day we wont have to compromise you know what im trying to saying

[TenTigers]

well, there will always be schools that cheapen the art we hold so dear.
Just as the gourmet chef understands that there will always be fast food joints, Maserati knows there will always people who buy Hyndais, Gibson knows there will be people who will play Epiphones, Romeo et Jullietta knows people will smoke White Owls, and Chateau Lafite Rothschild knows there will always be boxed wine. What we do is not for everyone. And not everyone wants what we do. Some people just want to wear the uniform and belt. Some people just want to wear Tapout t-shirts.
It's just part of the world we live in.

BTW-I have two great Epiphones-a Les Paul Jr., and a 57 Gold Top with p-90's, and they crank! (I also have four Gibson Les Pauls-but I still love the Epi's):cool:

[Oso]

but then we can be true to ourselves and have honor, not to sound corny. isnt honor what is supposed to separate cma from "modern" arts

I disagree completely with that. Honor can, and should, be anywhere. There are dishonorable TMA people just as there are dishonorable modern MA people


dood lol its the concept of xia the wandering knight you make a friend teach each other some moves then part ways where have u been the last thousand years

in the most recent 40...



yes, after the qing lifted the ban on martial arts about 100 years ago, before that martial arts was banned, how do sifus make the monehs?

i dunno...making bean paste i reckon


woohoo high five

lol, okay :)

i dont judge people, you guys have better kung fu than me, but you know, we should do the right thing, instead of complaining about the state of kung fu be the one to change it and make a difference, stop the cycle of greed

agreed...but, to me, it actually comes down to fighting...if you don't fight, how the hell can you even begin to represent a martial art? too many kung fu people who don't fight.

i started to edit to say 'but that's another debate' but, it's not really...'modern' or 'mixed' martial arts really have brought us back to the beginning where how well you fought and honestly how well you beat the crap out of your opponent mattered to how well you were regarded and consequently how many students you might get. TMA of many persuasions have lost their way through delusion and hoopajoo mysticism.

however, mma/bjj schools still need to rely on the same marketing/retention strategies that strip mall karate schools or 2nd floor walkup kung fu schools need to make the money to pay the bills and hopefully keep the teacher above poverty level.

[Lama Pai Sifu]

FIRST...let's separate MARKETING from TEACHING.

Birthday Parties are a great way to meet new prospective kids. Some of you have the wrong idea about what a kids birthday party should be like.

Kids Kung-Fu Birthday Parties are a 'Prospecting +' technique.

They provide several things for a Kung-Fu School;

1) source of revenue - my parties are $349 for the first 15 kids, $10 each additional kid. The only thing you provide for them is $1.50 worth of Pizza each, and a bottle of water which you can buy by the case for $.29 each. On good months we book 6-8 parties. They average 18-24 kids. Do the math.

2) new prospective students - those 18-24 kids have never been in my academy before. I know have an opportunity to 'wow' them with my quality of instruction, the professionalism of my facility and the friendliness of my staff. If I can compel their child into wanting to take lessons with me - I have done my job. And so has the party.

3) retention - the kids who book their party through you will have a terrific time and love your school that much more. They will feel like a super-hero for a day. They will talk about their party for weeks to come. Do you think that this is a formula for a student quitting anytime soon?

4) referrals - Their kids are happy, then the parents are happy. The odds of them referring you to another parent just increased. You're stock has risen.


If you don't know how to do a party, LEARN FROM SOMEONE WHO DOES A SUCCESSFUL ONE. You are an idiot if you just want to wing it. You will get a poor result and scratch your head as to why you did it in the first place.

I've been reading this thread for a week and most of you are complete idiots. You constantly talk out of your ass about things that you obviously know nothing about. You're not 'seeking' or 'sharing' information, you're just taking the time to try to say something quippy about a topic you have no business giving advice about.

Save the advice threads for the experts and professionals. Some people are actually seeking solutions to better themselves and their schools. You are an irresponsible ******* to state your opinions like facts and condemn what you know nothing about.

You talk about your 'dedication' to your art...you make me laugh.

Dedication is doing 'whatever it takes' to become successful. Just like fighting is about doing 'whatever it takes to survive.' It doesn't mean 'cheapening' your art...the people who use lines like that....you are merely cowards who are afraid of being successful and want to 'hide' behind some invisible martial arts codes. Like some religious fanatic who is afraid to move on a decision, until he gets a 'sign' from god.

A few of you have the right idea. The rest of you should go out and get vasectomies and pray to all that is holy that the kids that you have spawned get their intellect from their Mother's side of the family.

As far as those afore mentioned that actually teach...well, I feel sorry for your students. Truly.

[MasterKiller]

LamaPaiSifu is chasing the paper instead of the hoes, which is pimp.

[David Jamieson]

I always thought a kids birthday party was about having fun and celebrating a birthday!

some pretty shrewd stuff going on here. lol :p

[Lama Pai Sifu]

I always thought a kids birthday party was about having fun and celebrating a birthday!

some pretty shrewd stuff going on here. lol :p

Are you kidding?

I know you have a quirky sense of humor DJ, so I'll assume 'yes'.

[Lama Pai Sifu]

LamaPaiSifu is chasing the paper instead of the hoes, which is pimp.

It's all 'bout the Benj'mins!

[BoulderDawg]

I've never really considered the teaching of MA as a full time profession. I always thought it was a labor of love. I know a few school owners who have full time jobs or other businesses and do this at night. They usually just try to break even.

There is advantages to this. There is less of a chance you'll do to the school one day and without warning the door is locked and all the furniture is gone. Also, when your main focus is kids program the liability goes way up...so much more can happen.

[TenTigers]

LPS-yes, and no. Yes, I agree with alot of what you said about doing what you can to
become successful.
But I do dissagree with one thing. There certainly are teachers and schools that cheapen the art. We have all seen them. There are people out there that teach total crap, and have no regard for the quality of their "product." You've seen it. We've all seen it.
You and I both know we have had kids (and adults) who have come in from another school, and have achieved some sort of rank, and have zero skill. They weren't even taught how to make a proper fist.
What is good about it is, I get to turn a student around, and get even more referrals.
but it happens.

What I think has occurred on this thread is, there are many who have not had as much experience, and do not make the distinction between professional, and commercial.

Because I or LPS do birthday parties-has absolutely nothng to do with what is taught on the floor at our schools. It just means we are aware of (as he said) a marketing tool, that is highly successful. Granted, I do not use it nearly as much as I should-those are quite impressive numbers, LPS. Now I am now even more aware. (yeah, I know. You told me that years ago.)

Because a school is in a strip mall, doesn't mean it is now a McKwoon. It just means that the teacher was smart enough to position himself where there would be people, visability, and high traffic.

If a school has a ranking system, with stripes, belts, colored sashes, whatever, and has many levels. It does not mean he is giving away rank for nothing. It means he has a body of materiel to teach, a well thought-out curriculum, and has divided it into smaller, easy to digest pieces. Take a pizza, cut it into two pieces, four, eight, or sixteen slices, you are still eating the same amount of pizza.

exciting classes, a well thought out curriculum, and periodic testing, as well as excellent student service are the keys to retention.

If a school has his students line up sharp, wear uniforms, say,"Yes Sir!" and recite a student creed, it doesn't mean they are playing Martial Arts, it means they are developing students who take pride in their appearance, are mentally alert, and are all on the same page-which fosters group morale. I have seen some schools, where the students have their sashes tied losely around their waists, dangling limp, shirts hanging out, or worse still, their teachers let the younger students wear overly large t-shirts, which although may be fashionable in their high school, is not appropriate, and makes the school look like a rag-tag bunch of nobodys. I know people like to say they wear workout clothes, and perhaps their school is more of a gym, and has a gym-like attitude, but to me, a Martial Arts school should look sharp, the students should look and feel sharp, and proud of their Sifu, their school, and who they are. This will show up in other parts of their lives as well.

[Shaolinlueb]

It could be worse-they used to have Teenage Ninja Turtle Birthday Parties as well as Power Ranger parties-I never did these-and with good reason;

My Sifu told me if I ever did a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Birthday Party, he would burn my school to the ground-with me in it!
good incentive.

funny you mention that. cuse the local school other then me, has those cardboard cut outs of them. now kung fu panda is the hot stuff so they have cutouts of them.

[TenTigers]

funny you mention that. cuse the local school other then me, has those cardboard cut outs of them. now kung fu panda is the hot stuff so they have cutouts of them.
have you looked in their window? How many kids do they have in their school?
If they had the ninja turtlle cut outs, then later had the power rangers cut outs, and now have the Kung-Fu Panda cut outs, it might be because it worked for them. They might have a Lil Dragons class, or something similar.

I know some people cringe when they see those, but two things occur here;
one-if they start young, and have a great experience, they could be with you for a long time.
two-if you don't sign them up, they will only go down the block to the guy that will.
You just gave him your student. And his friends, btw. And perhaps his older siblings, and maybe even his parents.
At this time, I don't have the energy to run classes for children that young.So I will do what most schools do-hire a part timer, usually an elementary school teacher to teach the classes.

but yeah, no cut-outs for me.

[BoulderDawg]

I assume that if a school has cuts outs of Power Rangers and Kung Fu Panda stuck up in their windows then they have zero interest in any adult training. I know I when I first started I would not have even entered the school that from the outside looked like a nursery pre-school.

[Shaolinlueb]

have you looked in their window? How many kids do they have in their school?
If they had the ninja turtlle cut outs, then later had the power rangers cut outs, and now have the Kung-Fu Panda cut outs, it might be because it worked for them. They might have a Lil Dragons class, or something similar.

I know some people cringe when they see those, but two things occur here;
one-if they start young, and have a great experience, they could be with you for a long time.
two-if you don't sign them up, they will only go down the block to the guy that will.
You just gave him your student. And his friends, btw. And perhaps his older siblings, and maybe even his parents.
At this time, I don't have the energy to run classes for children that young.So I will do what most schools do-hire a part timer, usually an elementary school teacher to teach the classes.

but yeah, no cut-outs for me.

oh they have a decent size program. BUT is more jsut like baby sitting. the kids don't learn much and hardly work. the lady teaching is more liek a cheerleader.

my kids learn and work hard. and still have fun. and yeah no cardboard cut outs. the most i ever did was dress up like a naruto character for the halloween part.

[TenTigers]

my kids learn and work hard. and still have fun. and yeah no cardboard cut outs. the most i ever did was dress up like a naruto character for the halloween part.

yeah, same here. Only I dressed up like a Biker.
Not much of a stretch, I undid my ponytail and wore shades, bandanna,and a leather vest.

[Lama Pai Sifu]

But I do dissagree with one thing. There certainly are teachers and schools that cheapen the art. We have all seen them. There are people out there that teach total crap, and have no regard for the quality of their "product." You've seen it. We've all seen it.


What exactly are you disagreeing with?

I didn't say that No One Cheapens Their Art. Did I?
Never said it, don't know what you are disagreeing about.

What I am pointing out for those who are too short-sighted to see it, is that how you market does not equate to how you teach. Period.

Those are too completely different topics.

I needed give an example, but I will for everyone in the cheap seats.

- You can teach well and market poorly (although in my experience, it's not too common) Instructors who are broke, like to think that this is them and it comforts them like a hobo's dirty blanket!

- You can market well and teach poorly (I've seen this quite a bit)

- You can market poorly and teach poorly (very common - more so than any other)

- You can teach well and market well (less common but the most rewarding financially and spiritually)

Now, when I give you this example, it comes from MY experience in the MA Biz world. I have literally visited at least 200 schools (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Eclectic) and chatted with over 1000 school owners in my time.

Usually people that experience a level of excellence, do so in many if not all areas of their life.

Here's a quick story;

I just enrolled a pair of twins last week. The Mom walked in during the day without an appointment, so we were not expecting her. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon. She proceeded to tell me, after I asked her "how she heard about us," "What would she like her kids to achieve from my Kung-Fu program," etc., she tells me that she already visited 5 schools in the area. (schools are so close together in Long Island that you could hit one with a rock from anywhere that you stand).

She commented on how neat and organized my desk and office were. I chuckled and thought it was a mess as their was a neat stack of papers that was not in a folder or drawer. She said I had the neatest office and school of all the schools she visited. She went on further to say that she could not understand how all these schools were going to teach her two kids 'discipline' when they obviously lacked it themselves!

Needless to say, we had a good conversations, to which she followed up by bringing her kids back at 3:30 and enrolling them. She put down $395 and purchased 90 classes for each one of them and is making 10 payments of $280 per month. She will also purchase their equipment for $398 next week, after the kids attend their 5th class (that's when they need it)


Don't start asking me about my pricing structure of programs, I'm not getting into on the forums. Priority information.

I'm not telling you all this to impress you; but to impress upon you how important ACTING like a PROFESSIONAL on and off the training floor and in all areas of your business.

Kids Birthday Parties? They terrific. I've never had a party where the parent's expectations weren't exceeded. It's a good feeling.

[MasterKiller]

She will also purchase their equipment for $398 next week, .

Holy sh1t. What kind of equipment costs each kid $200? Gold-plated numchuks?

[lkfmdc]

From what I understand, Mike throws a great B-Day party! Of course, he has experiemented a few times with new games. "Lock the kids in the closet with Laurette" didn't turn out to well. Nor did "deconstruction story time with Uncle Chris"... but, live and learn ;)

[TenTigers]

Having met Laurette...
once again I am reminded why people put those plastic covers on their keyboards. It protects it from coffee being spat out all over it.
now on top of a front desk to clean, I also have a keyboard...

[MasterKiller]

From what I understand, Mike throws a great B-Day party! Of course, he has experiemented a few times with new games. "Lock the kids in the closet with Laurette" didn't turn out to well. Nor did "deconstruction story time with Uncle Chris"... but, live and learn ;)

Isn't Chris a little old to be discussing deconstructionists? Unless you are a literary critic or a professional writer, it's a tad pretentious.

[lkfmdc]

Isn't Chris a little old to be discussing deconstructionists? Unless you are a literary critic or a professional writer, it's a tad pretentious.

Ah, you haven't met Chris!

[Lama Pai Sifu]

H

Holy sh1t. What kind of equipment costs each kid $200? Gold-plated numchuks?

Gold plating is for cheap schools. We go adamantium!

[Shaolinlueb]

H


Gold plating is for cheap schools. We go adamantium!

horychit ADAMANTIUM?

where do i sign up? ;)

[Lama Pai Sifu]

horychit ADAMANTIUM?

where do i sign up? ;)

In Westchester, and Xavier's school for giften children. We start your training there.

[taai gihk yahn]

From what I understand, Mike throws a great B-Day party! Of course, he has experiemented a few times with new games. "Lock the kids in the closet with Laurette" didn't turn out to well.
ROFLMFAO!


Nor did "deconstruction story time with Uncle Chris"... but, live and learn ;)
and let's not forget the fingers lost during the "snatch the ha gow from hungry Dave" debacle...:eek:


Isn't Chris a little old to be discussing deconstructionists? Unless you are a literary critic or a professional writer, it's a tad pretentious.
and besides, I've become a dialectic syncretist in my old age anyway...


Ah, you haven't met Chris!
it's an experience I personally try to avoid on a regular basis...

[David Jamieson]

you gotta get those kids working. Install treadmills that keep the lights and heat on while charging batteries and you'll really be ahead. ;D

[Lama Pai Sifu]

and let's not forget the fingers lost during the "snatch the ha gow from hungry Dave" debacle...:eek:


**** You to Hell! You promised NEVER to speak of that incident again!

[TenTigers]

nothing beats Korean Karaoke Parties at the local TKD school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXxvsShaAoA

[Oso]

**** you...i can't decide what's bleeding more...

[taai gihk yahn]

**** You to Hell! You promised NEVER to speak of that incident again!

easy for you to say - your new nickname after that wasn't "Stubby"...

[Lama Pai Sifu]

easy for you to say - your new nickname after that wasn't "Stubby"...

Yeah, but not for the reason you think...

[Ray Pina]

There are lots of ways to make money. Anything can be bought and then sold for a profit.

I would never sell my time as a martial artists playing pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey -- like a jacka$$ -- with a bunch of nine year olds. I don't want to cut cake and sing happy birthday for my own nieces, the forced routine of it all makes me nuts. Never mind a bunch of brats I don't know.

I have taught a couple kids in the past. I trained them just like the adults, with the adults. I started training at 4 years old and was hooked. I needed no gimmicks.

I'm old fashioned in that I look at martial arts as warrior training for those who would not fight in today's unjust wars. Throwing kids parties is not much unlike prostitution in the shame for money relationship.

I don't mean to be harsh. Because life if tough and hey, it's an honest living. But I don't think it would be easy to be a traditional martial arts instructor today and remain true to oneself, if one is of the warrior tradition.

Sure, lots of these guys spar with similar folks, abuse dried out boards, perforated ice cubes and various forms of fruit ... but it all seems like a combination of costume party, gym class, church and now day care.

Ideally a teacher would be well off enough so as not to have to teach. Then he can take a couple students with potential and form them. Now grown men who have trained for over 12 months still fear punches. That is not martial arts training. After 12 months they should be foaming at the mouth to get their hands on somebody. Another 30 months and then they'll be calm and secure, aware of the dangers of fighting.

[BoulderDawg]

There are lots of ways to make money. Anything can be bought and then sold for a profit.

I would never sell my time as a martial artists playing pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey -- like a jacka$$ -- with a bunch of nine year olds. I don't want to cut cake and sing happy birthday for my own nieces, the forced routine of it all makes me nuts. Never mind a bunch of brats I don't know.

I have taught a couple kids in the past. I trained them just like the adults, with the adults. I started training at 4 years old and was hooked. I needed no gimmicks.

I'm old fashioned in that I look at martial arts as warrior training for those who would not fight in today's unjust wars. Throwing kids parties is not much unlike prostitution in the shame for money relationship.

I don't mean to be harsh. Because life if tough and hey, it's an honest living. But I don't think it would be easy to be a traditional martial arts instructor today and remain true to oneself, if one is of the warrior tradition.

Sure, lots of these guys spar with similar folks, abuse dried out boards, perforated ice cubes and various forms of fruit ... but it all seems like a combination of costume party, gym class, church and now day care.

Ideally a teacher would be well off enough so as not to have to teach. Then he can take a couple students with potential and form them. Now grown men who have trained for over 12 months still fear punches. That is not martial arts training. After 12 months they should be foaming at the mouth to get their hands on somebody. Another 30 months and then they'll be calm and secure, aware of the dangers of fighting.

Seems like money effects us all. With a lot of school owners its gone past the "I have to make money to feed my family" stage to the "I have to make money to drive a new car every year and keep paying the mortgage on that 750K house".

I have nothing against a kids program. But there would be no birthday parties, no clowns, no power rangers...just a good honest program for kids where they could learn MA and progress at their own speed.

[taai gihk yahn]

nothing beats Korean Karaoke Parties at the local TKD school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXxvsShaAoA

the horror, the horror...

[Tainan Mantis]

There is enough information here for a lot of threads on the pros and cons of having birthday parties at schools.

LPF and 10 T had some pretty good stuff to say on the pros I thought.

I don't have Bday parties at my school. I don't have kids there either.
Not that I have a strong feeling against that, I just don't have that kind of place.

I was hoping that people who do school parties would give more info on how to have a party.

KNIVES
The funniest idea was having a knife throwing class.
First post I got.
Told that idea to my son and he thought it was too good to be true.

I told him that it might end up in someone getting accidentally killed at his party.

But it did get me thinking.

MAGIC TRICKS
Today we took a picnic and I watched as son(8) and daughter(4) played magic tricks.

Yeah, I can do some magic tricks. I know one trick and I can do that at a party and fake the rest.

So I got up to try it out.

I made a ball of crumpled alumunim dissappear (tossed it over their head and behind them). That was a lot of fun. Maybe not something that would happen at a MA school B Day party.

But it did make a lot of laughter and doesn't laughter make life a little better?

I think there can be a lot of fun at a kids party that doesn't involve video games and TV. So, before tha final day approaches any one have any actual party plans that might be able to utilize kung fu?

Thanks to all for taking the time to write their feelings, experiences and opinions.

[TenTigers]

hey, I do the crumpled bal lover their head trick too, but with a twist-
I use paper, and I have an a$$istant gather them up. Then I tell the subject to say something like, Abracadabra, let it rain paper, or something silly, and have the A$$istant then from behind him, throw it all over his head so it falls in front of him,.
Everyone in the audience is in on the trick except for him, and if you pull it off, it's alot of fun.