In some ways with new technology, it’s easier to get found and get more students, but we are in a much bigger ocean of businesses, so you need to stand out. Many of you know exactly what I’m talking about because you are already doing it well, but did you count how many skills sets you use to make it all happen. This article is not about marketing your school it’s about identifying what skills are required to run it.

Martial arts instructors come from all walks of life, some very intelligent, others not and many in between. Sometimes its just where your focus is, on the training or on the business or a bit of both. The thing is, it can be very hard to keep in control of everything. We tend to stick with things we know and don’t allocate enough time to further our knowledge in this constantly evolving industry.

What I’m alluding to is senior instructors should be upskilling to keep up with the new innovations. However, more importantly we should be providing our assistant instructors with the right business training as well.

Let’s form a quick list of some of the skills / knowledge an instructor needs to run a successful school or schools.

#Martial Arts: teaching techniques, basics, kata, kumite, self defence, impact bag drills etc.

#Sports Science: coaching, anatomy, physiology, stretching, acupressure points, first aid etc

#Business: law, company structures, OH&S, insurances, risk management, accounting, payroll, HR etc

 #Marketing: bulk E-blasts, print mail outs, social media Ads, web Ads, Directory listings, SEO etc

#Media: graphic design, video production, newsletter/ magazine printing (PDF), card, flyers etc

#Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin - video channels (Youtube / Vimeo) etc

#IT: website design/updating, management software, automating processes, web based forms

#Sales: over the counter, online, at schools, in the street, in malls, at community functions, after demonstrations etc

We can certainly expand these categories, but the point is to make it clear that running a martial arts business requires some knowledge from multiple industries and sectors. In many cases just basic knowledge will be sufficient to operate and help them identify specialist people for more detailed functions.

In most industries / sectors a person can study a certificate course, diploma, degree etc which is design to make a person job ready by just adding a bit of practical experience. Unfortunately, we don’t have a martial arts qualification in Australia nor I’m I aware of one in any other country that covers all the elements required.



We do have some great entrepreneurs / educators, that teach instructors many things that are helpful to grow their businesses and we will be asking them to contribute more to our members. Keep following to find more ways to improve your business and help the new generation of instructors become better teachers and club operators.

Graham Slater