Keeping students long term as opposed to the short term

[MysteriousPower]

I would like to argue here that tcma teachers teach the way they do because they can keep students longer. Some have argued that this is because they want to test the integrity of the student before teaching them the 'real' stuff. Some have argued that this is the way they get money out of students to pay the bills while teaching some students the so called real deal. I do not personally feel the exact reasons matter.

Schools that are combat oriented teach students to do things under pressure early on. TCMA schools have students drill basics for months(years in some cases) telling them they are training for street defense. Pressure testing will weed out many students early on due to mental fatigue, physical fatigue, scaring people, and injury. Having students drill basics in the air, do forms, two man forms, one step sparring, patterned footwork drills, sensitivity drills, rooting, etc, is safer than having them spar. Also so called traditional training is better for older people who do not have the stamina and healing power of their younger counterparts.

Do teachers here that teach combat(sport, whatever) oriented martial arts have issues with keeping students long term? I have seen people quit tcma schools due to boredom, repetitive curriculums, and not feeling they are getting better which is probably due more to lack of pressure testing than anything else.

Should a school have separate classes for students who want to train in either?

Should a school teach both kinds of curriculums side by side? The only issue with this is time management. How much can you fit into one class? Personally, I believe this is the best option because it will wet everyones' appetites and you can personally tailor routines for people.

Are there huge insurance risks in schools that have medium to full contact sparring?

Do you find that students get scared away by the 'tough' training or does it draw them?

[HumbleWCGuy]

Some teach that way because they want to keep students and others teach that way because that is all that they know. It is hard to run a school for money and basically tell people that they have no hope of becoming an instructor or moving up in the ranks without getting their heads knocked.

[HumbleWCGuy]

IMO Ip Man is a good example of somebody who did both. He gave people the real deal like Duncan Leung and probably a few others and then their are guys who really didn't get much and it shows on down the line.

[MysteriousPower]

Some teach that way because they want to keep students and others teach that way because that is all that they know. It is hard to run a school for money and basically tell people that they have no hope of becoming an instructor or moving up in the ranks without getting their heads knocked.

This is a good point. Teachers teach how they were taught but not necessarily how they acquired their skills. Some traditional teachers are against cross training or rather training at other schools. Students might like the other stuff so much they stop doing what Teacher A is teaching. Then the student starts talking about techniques drills from the other school to students of the first school causing all kinds of commotion. But often, Teacher A trained at many schools and with many different people to get where he is. Now the threat of lost income or the threat of students doing the other school's practices eats away at Teacher A's mind in a way he did not consider when he was younger.

[MysteriousPower]

You are a wing chun guy. Go back to the wing chun forum!









Just kidding. It is just funny because you have wc in your name.

[bawang]

dont teach for greed and all of this wouldnt matter. if u wanna make money open a restarurant

[MysteriousPower]

dont teach for greed and all of this wouldnt matter. if u wanna make money open a restarurant

I do not think that most tcma teachers make a good profit from teaching.

[bawang]

then why worry about keeping students? in the past 2 to 3 students is enough. of course its about money. no students no money.
u get 100 students form factory, they dont really know you, they dont care about you, you dnt care about them, they learn your forms get bored, theyll obviously move on.

you want a big school, you need to build a cult of personality. no charisma no success. you cant woo students by showing them how enlightened your martial art is.

[MysteriousPower]

then why worry about keeping students? in the past 2 to 3 students is enough.
u get 100 students form factory, they dont really know you, they dont care about you, you dnt care about them, they learn your forms get bored, theyll obviously move on.

If a teacher decides to rent a space he has to pay rent and utilities on it. He may want a lot of crappy students so he can get the few good ones. Some people teach out of parks or garages but honestly this is a little bit ghetto. In the parks people stare at you and the sun is always out. In the winter you cannot train in the park or the garage because it will be too darn cold. If you actually want students to come and train I believe you need a location or otherwise you are always searching for a place to work out.

This week: My kitchen. My little kids and dog will be running around interrupting us but atleast there is not overhead.

Next week: The park. Hopefully it does not rain. And anyway the fresh air will help build good qi.

Week after that: My kitchen again but my wife will be cooking many smelly dishes and making lots of noise. It will be good for your kung fu to ignore these obstacles and train. Please make sure to respectfully greet my wife so she will allow us back next week.



GHETTO

[MysteriousPower]

I mentioned that most tcma do not make a profit teaching kung fu...but that does not mean they are not trying to with what they have got. They all WANT to make a profit but I am not sure that it works out that way for most of them.

[bawang]

If a teacher decides to rent a space he has to pay rent and utilities on it. He may want a lot of crappy students so he can get the few good ones. Some people teach out of parks or garages but honestly this is a little bit ghetto. In the parks people stare at you and the sun is always out. In the winter you cannot train in the park or the garage because it will be too darn cold. If you actually want students to come and train I believe you need a location or otherwise you are always searching for a place to work out.

This week: My kitchen. My little kids and dog will be running around interrupting us but atleast there is not overhead.

Next week: The park. Hopefully it does not rain. And anyway the fresh air will help build good qi.

Week after that: My kitchen again but my wife will be cooking many smelly dishes and making lots of noise. It will be good for your kung fu to ignore these obstacles and train. Please make sure to respectfully greet my wife so she will allow us back next week.

GHETTO

why not give your students blowjobs? thatll make a lot of monies. increase school profit 1000%
you teach a poor mans art but make fun of poor people. im confuse.

you commit 1: betraying the teachers by making fun of kungfu's root in poverty 2: fraud by repackaging poor people culture as refined exotic eastern mystical culture 3. unpatriotism by looking down at fellow americans who have less money 4. ice cold white commercialism by looking down on the way kung fu has always been taught; on a personal level 5. cultural thief by trying to allign poor chinese culture into suburb middledclass culture 6. violate the wude/mo dak by mocking the poor 7. proving urself an outsider who does not understand immigrant culture

They all WANT to make a profit but I am not sure that it works out that way for most of them.

do some forms. spar and hit bags. some pushus.
you deserve how much money for that? 50k a year? 100k maybe? dream on

kung fu made money in the 70s because of bruce lee fad. that fad is over. if u want to make money teach mma.

[HumbleWCGuy]

This is a good point. Teachers teach how they were taught but not necessarily how they acquired their skills. Some traditional teachers are against cross training or rather training at other schools. Students might like the other stuff so much they stop doing what Teacher A is teaching. Then the student starts talking about techniques drills from the other school to students of the first school causing all kinds of commotion. But often, Teacher A trained at many schools and with many different people to get where he is. Now the threat of lost income or the threat of students doing the other school's practices eats away at Teacher A's mind in a way he did not consider when he was younger.

Resistance to cross-training is a clear sign that someone is about money.

[bawang]

real money today is in mma. go take some gracie seminars and get a certificate

[hskwarrior]

Originally Posted by MysteriousPower :

Some people teach out of parks or garages but honestly this is a little bit ghetto.

I love this type of mentality. It makes me laugh harder than i do most days. I teach now out of my garage and from time to time in the park. I don't have rent to pay, so when a commercial school has to close down due to having low attendance in their schools due to the financial crisis....i WILL NOT have to close down.

Now....GHETTO? is there something wrong with the GHETTO? please tell me you are not the type to look down on those who have to live and survive in the ghetto. one thing is for sure, if you never grew up in the ghetto, you'd be eaten up by the ghetto. the ghetto is where the STRONG are born.

either way....be it a park, garage, or back alley......i can still produce students equally as good as anyone's or even better.

NOT SORRY, but this is my opinion.

[MysteriousPower]

I was not talking about you or anyone in particular so you should not take offense.

I would not train in someone's garage and that is my preference.

Do I look down on people in the ghetto? I look up to the people who leave
the ghetto to make a better life for themselves. We are not really going to get into this are we? "Ghetto" is a slang for many negative things but the slang is not directly linked to ghettos or people living in them.