INDUSTRY NEWS ARCHIVES

Martial Arts is growing in popularity but nowhere near the rate of the Fitness Industry . Some might say, ‘ big deal that doesn't affect me'. However if you are a serious martial art instructor it means that not only are you competing against other sports, you also have the well resourced fitness industry taking potential students from you.

Consider why the average martial arts school only has around 150 students compared to the average gym with around 1500 members . As some of you will know I became a full time gym and martial arts instructor back in 1982 so I have developed insights into both industries over a period of many years. My job for the past 14 years has been steering the Martial Arts Alliance, researching the industry and responding to thousands of requests from members.

The Loss
The IMA has been working with the Fitness Expo people over the past 18 months in order to get more exposure and a position at their expos so we can increase the profile of our industry. The first year we were able to get several martial arts schools into the expo to demonstrate their arts without having to pay for a stand. Considering that around 17,000 fitness minded people turn up to these expos I believe it has been an awesome opportunity to showcase our industry, sadly only around 8 schools turned up. However this result had enough impact for us to get into the expo the following year with our own dedicated martial arts section which included our own demonstration area and conference facilities. A huge amount of work went into promotion of this opportunity for instructors and a lot of resources went into making it happen. A few smart operators jumped on board and got a lot out of it but unfortunately due to the generally poor response we have now lost all future opportunities to have our own expo.

I am aware that some instructors didn't attend for political reasons and some had other ligitimate commitments / priorities etc. I am also aware that there are martial artists who believe that they may be able to put together an industry expo using their own resources.

This has been attempted previously. A small group of people last year tried to get the Martial Arts Expo off the ground in Melbourne. A considerable amount of effort was put in and ultimately the expo was cancelled due to lack of support. These guys were independent with no affiliation to any association so we can't blame politics here, just simply a lack of support.

Last year we had the Martial Arts Super Show in Queensland promoted with the backing of large companies and supported by some big name overseas guests. This only pulled in around 150 people over two days with a paltry 12 exhibition stands three of which were from overseas businesses. It is clear that this was a political stand off in true martial arts tradition. I'm sure the cost of $300 to get in was a factor too but despite this many said they got value for money with the seminars being a particular highlight. The exhibitors of course, wanted more people. Will we see another Australian Martial Arts Super Show? I hope so.

As an industry we have been and continue to be very segregated and that will only serve to stunt our growth. Guys push politics aside, lets try working together to serve the industry but more importantly to serve ourselves!

The International Martial Arts Alliance serves as a facilitator and communicator to the industry representing hundreds of martial arts schools and styles. This means that even if you are a small independent school or a large association we can and are happy to help you grow. We would love to hear from more of you guys, so give us a call.

Fitness is Bigger
Back to the question above, why are there more people in gyms than martial arts schools?

*The industry works together
*They are professional
*There all have standard qualifications recognized/accepted by the public and government (creates consumer confidence)
*They have diversified, adding programs like: martial arts cardio, yoga, pilates, dance, boxercise and the list goes on.
*They advertise heavily in all areas of media.
*They make it trendy
*They have a lot of equipment
*Larger more equipped facilities
*Open longer hours
*The goals of a member's progress are very accurately measured (fitness testing)
*Marketing franchise back up

Should I go on or I have made my point! Now some of you are saying I do most of that now and I say, fantastic keep doing it . For those who say, can you help me to compete with the fitness industry, I say we can but once again we have to work together.

First of all for those who may not be aware we have just launched Interactive Martial Arts (IMA TV) , a new martial arts TV show to promote our industry. Our first season (7 shows) was a big hit by viewers and will be repeated through summer until our second season starts in March. More about that later or go to www.interactiveartialarts.com

Want to obtain more skills to run your martial arts school check out our Better Business Seminars LINK
*Online Marketing strategies
(cost effective ways to get new students in the door)
*Using the right equipment to make new programs
(fighting fire with fire)
*Using fitness appraisals to increase student retention
(more monitoring & motivation)
*Using the media to raise your profile and gain more students
(editorial impact)
More industry News

Here to serve, yours in martial arts

Graham Slater

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT US

28 September 2005 - Trade Night
Taste of the Arts DVD Launch at Village Cinemas Doncaster
REPORT
Check out the video, who was there?
Great turn out guys. It was really awesome to pull over 150 instructors out on a Wednesday night to hear our industry presentation.

Bulletin - Making your School more profitable by Jackson Raine
Got to Report

More news about what the IMA does for the industry Go to brief

Another handy tip for running your martial arts school / club
Not sure of how to fill out your martial arts insurance application form? Make sure the information you put down is true and correct to best of your ability. False or misleading information may make your policy null on void or worst the insurance company may reject your application altogether. This means if you can find another company you have to state your previous application was declined and this may prevent you from ever obtaining insurance. Always be honest but don’t volunteer too much information because that can make things too hard for Brokers. Confused, need help from someone who knows your business call:
Graham Slater (IMA Chairman) 03 9897 3213 Insurance Hotline