Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 19 | Issue 3

MartialArtsWorldNews.com 

The #1 Business Resource for the Martial Arts Industry 

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 3 

Groundbreaking 

New Martial Arts 

Business Building 

Experience 

Surprise, Surprise! 

Facebook Changed Again! 

Shihan 

Allie Alberigo 

How a Modern Ninja Thrives 

in the 21st Century Running a 

Traditional School.

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CONTENTS 

FEATURES 

26 Surprise, Surprise! 


30 Groundbreaking New Martial 

Arts Business Building 

Experience 

36 How a Modern Ninja Thrives 

in the 21st Century Running a 

Traditional School 

99 FREE Tool of the Month 

DEPARTMENTS 

14 Industry Insights 

17 Birthdays 

20 Social 411 

22 Industry Innovations 

50 School Profiles 

61 Classified Ads 

97 Advertiser Index 

YOUR INPUT 

13 Share Your Story 

56 Seeking Writers and Stories 

74 Feature Your School, 

Organization, Accomplishment, 

or Event 

COLUMNS 

6 Editorial 

Why Do Some Schools Flounder 

while Others Flourish? 

Master Toby Milroy 

8 Martial Arts World News Faculty 

12 Teamwork 

10 Things I’ve Learned Owning 

a Martial Arts School 

Hanshi Dave Kovar 

54 The Warrior Way 

Confidence Part 2: 

Confidence is Born of Experience 

Grandmaster Bill Clark 

58 Growth Hacks 

What Would You Do with an Extra $50,000.00? 

Sean Lee 

60 Ninja Business Tactics 

First Impressions 

An-Shu Stephen Hayes 

64 Pillars of Success 

The Difference Between Culture 

and Principle 

Grandmaster Y. K. Kim 

68 Management Excellence 

3 Steps to Modernize Your Business 

Chief Master Kirk Pelt 

70 Extraordinary Marketing 

The X-Factor 

Grandmaster Stephen Oliver 

72 After School Excellence 

Gain the Secret to Skyrocket Your Enrollment 

Chief Master Mike Bugg 

4 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 3

STAFF 

76 Tactical Self-defense 


Grandmaster Tom Patire 

78 Complete Martial Arts Concepts 

How to be a COMPLETE MARTIAL ARTIST 

Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson 

80 The Millionaire Smarts Coach 

Think Big 

Lee Milteer 

84 Budo Philosophy 

The Dreggs 

Shidoshi Alfredo Tucci 

86 Pro Shop Power 

Back to School Fever 

Brandon Kim 

88 Mind Mastery 

How to Achieve Clarity 

Grandmaster Jessie Bowen 

90 Master the Basics 

I Have Good News and I Have Bad News: 

The Good News is that Success is Easy 

Master Tina Bane 

92 Instructional Excellence 

Use the Tangible to Reveal the Intangible 

Grandmaster Tim McCarthy 

94 Tools & Tactics 

Use the Basic Tenets of Self-Defense for 

your Business 

Amber Logan 

96 Martial Arts Philosophy 

The Tale of the Forty Brooms Part 2 

Sensei Gary Lee 

VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 3 

PUBLISHER 


EDITOR IN CHIEF 

Sean Lee 

MANAGING EDITOR 


ADVERTISING DIRECTOR 

Jeff Reulbach 

ART DIRECTOR 

Frank Meyer 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Amen Blue 

WEB DEVELOPERS 

Erin Pham 

Manuel Huerta 

COLUMNISTS & CONTRIBUTORS 


Sean Lee 

Shihan Allie Alberigo 

Supreme Grandmaster Y. K. Kim 




Professor Willie Johnson 

Amber Logan 


Brandon Kim 




Lee Milteer 




The mission of Martial Arts World 

News Magazine is to be the definitive 

source for information, news, education, 

ethical business practices, 

product reviews and innovative 

developments in the world of martial 

arts business. 

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MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 3 5

Editorial 

Why Do Some Schools Flounder 

while Others Flourish? 

MASTER 

TOBY MILROY 

is a 5th degree 

black belt. Known 

as “The Master 

Systemizer,” 


has positively 

influenced more 

martial arts schools 

than anyone in our 

industry. He has 

built a successful 

multi-school 

organization, 

lead the national 

trade association 

for the martial 

arts industry, and 

coached some of 

the most successful 

martial arts school 

operators in the 

world. 

➽Once again, I’m proud and humbled to have 

received so much positive feedback and words 

of encouragement since launching the new 

Martial Arts World News Magazine project! 

So for any school operator or instructor who has any 

feedback, thought, or comments, feel encouraged to send 

them to me at TobyMilroy@MartialArtsWorldNews.com or 

send to the editor at Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com. 

Today I’d like to ask you an important question. 

Why are some schools bursting at the seams with 

students, vibrant with energy, with plenty of revenue, 

a happy staff, and amazing growth, while other schools 

struggle to keep the doors open and the bills paid? 

This is a question I’ve spent nearly 30 years studying. 

Is it the demographics? Is it the “market”? Is it the style 

of martial art they teach? 

While these factors do play a role in the success of a 

school, I’ve worked with MANY schools that had terrible 

demographics (including a couple of my own), a horrible 

market, and bland curriculum, but still achieved amazing 

results. While I’ve also seen other schools with everything 

working in their favor but still struggle. 

So, what is the “formula” to build a fantastic martial 

arts business regardless of these external circumstances? 

Let’s explore one of the keys to the formula! 

Believe me, I know what your life is like! 

Not only have I run a hyper-successful chain of highquality 

martial arts schools, but I’ve also been fortunate 

enough to work with, and help grow more schools and 

organizations than virtually anyone in our industry. And 

in that experience, I’ve learned some pretty important 

lessons. 

When you turn the key in the door in the morning, 

you’re faced with HUNDREDS of things that command 

your attention. 

You’ve got to take the trash out. You have to make sure 

the restrooms are clean. You have to make sure the attendance 

cards are put away, and on, and on, and on. 

One of the BIG ‘differences’ between the school owners 

that kick serious butt (from a business standpoint) and 

those that struggle is the ability to focus on the things that 

are most important and valuable to the school, while those 

that struggle tend to get buried in the ‘minutiae’ of daily 

operations. 

I call it focusing on your “20% Time.” Typically, 80% of 

your results come from only 20% of your efforts/activities. 

So, what are our 20% activities? 

#1 - Marketing 

Whether we like it or not, the most financially impactful 

‘activity’ in your school is driving more students into 

your school. How much of your DAILY time is dedicated 

to generating new students? Focus more time there, and 

you’ll see a big difference in your business. 

#2 – Sales 

Next, is creating sales opportunities, enrolling students, 

selling higher level programs and other revenuegenerating 

activities. If you are personally enrolling students 

yourself, you owe it to yourself and your business to 

study and master the sales process. If your staff is handling 

this for you, you need to surround them with great tools 

and systems to maximize their effectiveness. 

#3 - Strategy 

YOU are the CEO of your company. You are the Steve 

Jobs of your school. Without Jobs’ vision and direction, 

Apple would never have accomplished what it has. Even 

with lots of other talented folks at Apple, without Jobs’ focus 

on the vision for the company and his intense focus on 

making it happen, Apple would be just another Compaq or 

Gateway instead of the game changing cultural phenomenon 

we see today. 

If you aren’t focusing on the macro ‘strategy’ of growing 

your school, no one else will. You should block out 

time each week to focus on what your business “should” 

look like. What the results ‘should’ be, and then reverse 

engineer those results to plot out what you need to do to 

achieve them. 

Spend more and more time on your 20% activities, and 

you’ll be able to create more than enough revenue to hire, 

outsource, delegate, systemize, or automate the less valuable 

activities. 


Check out our new 

MARTIAL ARTS BUSINESS 

DISCUSSION GROUP 

No Egos – No Politics – No Trolls 

Just News, Tips, Strategies, and Tools to Help You Grow Your School! 

facebook.com/groups/MartialArtsWorldNews

OUR EXPERT FACULTY 

6 


Is a 5th degree Black Belt, the CEO and 

Publisher of Martial Arts World News 

Magazine, and the Executive Vice 

President for AMS. In addition to building 

a successful multi school organization, 

Master Milroy has positively influenced 

more martial arts schools than virtually 

anyone in our industry. 

12 


is an 8th degree black belt and recognized 

as the “Trainer of Trainers.” Hanshi 

Kovar is an internationally acclaimed 

instructor with black belt degrees in ten 

different martial arts styles. His systems 

have been implemented in hundreds of 

schools around the US. 

54 


is a 9th degree black belt and a former 

PKA Fighter of the year. He is widely considered 

one of the top experts in martial 

arts business with over 30 years of 

leadership and innovation, having been 

inducted into almost every Hall of Fame 

in the industry. He is one of the largest 

multi-school owners in the world. 

60 


has authored 20 books, worked as a 

body guard for the Dali Lama, supervised 

over 30 school locations worldwide, 

and was named “A legend; one of the 10 

most influential living martial artists in the 

world” by Black Belt Magazine 

64 


is the most successful martial arts business 

leader in the US, having written 

over 30 books on martial arts, business, 

leadership, and success. He has won 

numerous public service awards and is 

the founder of the leading martial arts 

marketing and management company in 

the US. 

68 


is an 8th degree black belt and is the 

President of a multi-million dollar, multschool 

organization, has a 30 year track 

record of success, and is currently on the 

leading edge of martial arts curriculum 

and business innovation. 

58 

Sean Lee 

is the Executive Director of Sales and 

Marketing for hundreds of martial arts 

schools, who specializes in online and 

social media marketing using his extensive 

professional experience in sport and 

martial arts marketing, contract negotiation, 

and investment. 

70 


is a 9th degree black belt and is the 

founder and CEO of Mile High Karate 

schools and founder of the Martial Arts 

Wealth Mastery Program, formerly Extraordinary 

Marketing. 



72 


is an 8th degree black belt and the owner 

of a 1.5 million-dollar-a-year location, 

with one of the largest after school and 

summer camp programs in the country. 

76 


is known as “America’s Leading Personal 

Safety Expert” and has appeared on 

Good Morning America, The CBS Morning 

Show, The Colbert Report, Montel, 

plus in mainstream publications such as 

Family Circle, Redbook, Fortune Magazine, 

and The Wall Street Journal. 

84 


is the CEO and General Manager of the 

Budo International Publishing Company, 

a leading publisher in the martial arts with 

over 35 years in the Industry, including: 

Budo International Magazine and author 

of several books, The Immaterial Dimension, 

the Way of The Warrior and The 

Spirit. He currently lives in Valencia, Spain. 

86 

Brandon Kim 

is the President of Vision Martial Arts 

Supply, Los Angeles Branch, who helps 

school owners all over the U.S. maximize 

their retail sales and drive more revenue 

into their schools. 

78 

Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson 

is a 7th degree black belt and 7-time 

sport karate and kung-fu world champion. 

He has appeared in 4 movies, 16 stage 

plays, 11 television shows and two videos. 

He is also the national spokesperson for 

the Stronger than Drugs Foundation and 

the Champions Against Drugs. 

80 

Lee Milteer 

is an Intuitive Business Coach, Award- 

Winning Professional Speaker, and TV 

Personality who has counseled and 

trained over a million people throughout 

her career. Lee is Stephen Oliver’s Martial 

Arts Wealth Mastery’s Millionaire Smarts 

Coach and is also a best-selling author of 

educational resources. 

88 


is president of Karate International of Durham, 

Inc., a member of the American Martial 

Arts Association Sport Karate League 

and Hall of Fame, and has been a member 

of the Duke University P.E. Staff for over 25 

years. He is the author of Zen Mind-Body 

Mindfulness Meditation and Zen Mind-Body 

Mindfulness Meditation for Martial Arts. 

90 


is a 6th degree master instructor and 

owner of a Top Ten martial arts school 

with successful after school and summer 

camp programs. 



92 


is an 9th degree black belt and is a martial 

arts educator with a master’s degree 

in education. He has been instrumental 

in developing two industry-changing 

programs, plus has directed and been 

featured in hundreds of martial arts videos 

and webinars. 

96 


the American Samurai, is a 9th Dan 

black belt, a U.S.A. Karate Federation 

gold medalist, winner of 5 Super Grand 

National Titles, a featured actor in the 

movie Sidekicks, and is the founder of 

the National Sport Karate Museum. 

94 

Amber Logan 

is a martial arts business development 

consultant with a background in multiple 

sales disciplines, event promotion, and 

an active student of the martial arts. 

Thousands 

Of Martial Arts School Owners And Instructors 

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Teamwork 

10 Things I’ve Learned 

Owning A Martial Arts School 

HANSHI 

DAVE KOVAR 

is an 8th degree 

black belt and 

recognized as the 

“Trainer of Trainers.” 


is an internationally 

acclaimed instructor 

with black belt 

degrees in ten 

different martial 

arts styles. His 

systems have been 

implemented in 

hundreds of schools 

around the US. 

➽Recently I did a 16-day seminar trip to the 

United Kingdom. During that time, I interacted 

with literally over 100 martial arts school 

owners and close to 1000 students. It was an 

excellent way to see how far the martial arts 

industry has come and what a professional 

role the modern school owner has developed 

into over the years. Many times during my 

trip, I was reminded of what it really takes for 

success in this business. 

Below are 10 things I have learned while running my own 

school. Here we go… 

1. Don't quit doing what you know works. 

2. The difference between just surviving and thriving is 

in the details. 

3. Schools that are always closed, always close. 

4. It is never easy. But what is? All successful operators 

work hard. 

5. Our product is what happens on the mat. Always 

teach a great class every time. 

6. Leave your personal troubles at the door. Don't let a 

bad mood mess with your interaction with staff and 

students. 

7. Go to battle for your staff. Be the best instructor and 

leader you can be. 

8. There are people all around you that are just ONE 

conversation away from being your student. You just 

have to look at your surroundings. 

9. When you know the names of your students and their 

parents, they train with you longer. 

10. Be open to new ideas, but at the same time, be wary of 

the next new trend. If you are not excited by it, and 

you don't believe strongly in it . . . it is not going to 

work for you anyway. 

For more tips and education on running your own 

school, visit our proven Kovar Systems website. Over 35 

years of accumulated experience both on and off the mat 

gives Kovar Systems a unique position of understanding 

that can help teach you how to leverage yourself in the 

school owner business. Be introduced to the principles, 

processes, and tools used in 8 of our own successful and 

active martial arts schools. 


Be recognized in future editions of 

Martial Arts World News Magazine. 

Our goal at Martial Arts World News Magazine 

is to support our industry and help you grow 

your martial arts school. It’s very useful 

for our readers to hear about YOUR specific 

experiences and results. 

You are part of a wonderful industry and 

community with Martial Arts World News 

Magazine, and now, you’ll be able to share and 

contribute to that community in a more rich 

and meaningful way than ever before! 

Here are some ideas on stories 

you could share: 

• New Rank Achieved 

• Opened a New Location 

• Award Won 

• Discovered a Successful Marketing Strategy 

• Built a Retention System that Works Well 

• Tournament Results 

• Anything else that our readers might find 

valuable! 

MartialArtsWorldNews.com/Ureport 

Send your story ideas to Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 

Meet Mindy Kelly, the World Champion 

Martial Artist Behind The Art of Self-Defense 

Mindy Kelly has lived and 

breathed martial arts since the 

age of 4, when she first began her 

training. She’s since earned over 

a dozen world titles and became 

the first female judge on ESPN for 

martial arts tricking. Since 2005, 

Kelly has been a stunt coordinator 

and fight choreographer in Hollywood, 

coordinating music videos 

for Lady Gaga, Childish Gambino, 

and Metallica, as well as commercials 

for Under Armour and 

Sketchers. Her latest stunt coordinating 

project, the feature film The 

Art of Self-Defense starring Jesse 

Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, and 

Alessandro Nivola, and directed 

by Riley Stearns, currently boasts a 

95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes— 

and it couldn’t have been done 

without her. 

Kelly was tasked with training 

the film’s stars, none of whom 

had any prior martial arts training. 

Eisenberg found the training sessions 

with Kelly especially essential. 

“It was really helpful because, 

on set, the fight choreography 

changed based on the scenes 

we were shooting. So everyone 

needed to have a really good 

background in it to keep up with 

those changes,” he explains. “Of 

course, I didn’t have to be as good 

as Alessandro and Imogen, both of 

whom picked it up quite naturally. 

I just had to make sure I looked 

believable doing it.” 

Co-star Poots adds, “Mindy 

pushed me hard, which I’m grateful 

for. She managed to make everything 

look raw and real, and once I 

got the hang of fighting, the moves 

felt like a dance and I absolutely 

loved it. Karate is such a beautiful 

martial art and to watch Mindy do 

the moves was startling.” 

The film’s director Riley Stearns, a 

martial artist himself, says, “Imogen’s 

big fight scene in the movie is all her on 

screen. We used a stunt double for one 

specific jiu-jitsu move, but other than 

that, Imogen did everything else you 

see in the film. There’s no way we would 

have been able to do that without Mindy 

making it happen safely.” 

Nivola agrees. “Mindy was instrumental 

in helping me understand how Sensei 

would assert his authority over everyone 

around him without actually speaking a 

word,” he says. “A lot of the time I would 

simply study her on set. She’s an amazing 

woman, but also kind of terrifying 

because of her extreme poise and the 

intensity of her gaze.” 

“The Art of Self-Defense” hits select 

theaters July 12. 


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Karate Helps Ease Symptoms 

of Parkinson’s, Study Shows 

A karate school in Chicago 

has joined a team of neurologists 

to aid patients suffering from 

symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. 

Fonseca Martial Arts, which has 

five locations in Chicago, is 

working with Rush University 

Medical Center 

in the fight against 

Parkinson’s with a 

program aimed 

mainly at elderly 

patients. The 19 

patients, who are 

in the early-tomiddle-stages 

of Parkinson’s, 

were 

first tested 

physically 

and cognitively 

before 

attending classes. 

The patients were 

then tested again after ten 

weeks, attending class 

twice a week. Students 

and researchers alike have 

reported improvements in 

patients’ symptoms. Parkinson’s 

disease, a central 

nervous system disorder, 

can cause symptoms like 

tremors, slowed movement, 

rigid muscles, impaired posture 

and balance, loss of automatic 

movements like blinking 

or smiling, and speech 

changes, according to 

the Mayo Clinic. 

Patient Brad Schlicting 

was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 

three years ago. He tells 

The Chicago Tribune that he has 

“noticed a significant improvement 

of his mobility and balance since 

[joining] the class.” Schlicting, now an orange 

belt at age 70, also tells the Tribune that he is 

falling less often, feels more limber, stronger, 

and confident. RUMC neurologist and lead 

investigator of the study, Dr. Jori Fleisher, was 

inspired to conduct the study by one 

of her Parkinson’s patients, who 

had the idea to use karate 

for symptom management. 

Dr. Fleisher partnered 

with the owner 

of Fonseca Martial 

Arts, John Fonseca, 

to create the class 

curriculum, which 

incorporates drills 

and training aimed 

“to improve balance, 

stride length, 

strength, and posture,” 

Fonseca tells 

The Chicago Tribune. 

Because of the promising 

results initially shown in the 

study, RUMC has green lit its second 

phase, which is slated to end in 2020. 

Fleisher attributes the program’s success 

to tangible results. “They felt instead of going 

to a support group and sitting around talking 

about their problems, they were able to see 

each other improve and achieve,” Fleisher tells 

WGN9 in Chicago. “And that was really powerful 

for them.” She emphasizes that all forms of 

exercise—not just karate—is beneficial to Parkinson’s 

patients. For Fleisher and Fonseca, 

the end goal, aside from helping those suffering 

from Parkinson’s, is making the curriculum 

available for all karate instructors worldwide. 


Martial Arts 

Celebrity Birthdays 

July 

Bolo Yeung Happy Birthday on July 3 

Dan Inosanto Happy Birthday on July 24 

Jason Statham Happy Birthday on July 26 

Donnie Yen Happy Birthday on July 27 

August 

Michelle Yeoh Happy Birthday on August 6 

Joe Rogan Happy Birthday on August 11 

Ti Lung Happy Birthday on August 19 

Gordon Liu Happy Birthday on August 22 




The Martial Arts History Museum 

Celebrates its 20th Year 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Martial Arts 

History Museum, the first and purportedly only one of its 

kind in the world. Michael Matsuda, a former magazine publisher, 

50-year martial arts veteran, and 10th-degree black 

belt in Monkey Kung Fu, founded the museum in 1999, and 

it has since been his dream to keep the history of the martial 

arts alive for this and future generations. The museum 

is unique in that it exhibits the history of a variety of martial 

arts styles, rather than 

just one discipline, and is 

aimed towards martial arts 

fanatics and non-martial 

artists alike. 

First beginning as a 

traveling exhibit, the museum 

toured across the nation 

as a 1,000 square-foot 

exhibit, traveling as far as 

New Jersey, and opened 

as a brick and mortar 

facility in the city of Santa 

Clarita, CA in 2006. It was relocated to the city of Burbank, 

CA, which has been its home for the past 10 years. The 

museum features countless relics from famous martial arts 

movies like “The Karate Kid” and “Revenge of the Ninja,” 

and even videos of auditions and press junkets. 

Describing the museum, Matsuda says, “It’s not a who’s 

who, even though there are obviously key figures that you 

need to put up to represent the history 

of martial arts. These people are 

a part of Asian culture and show 

how it connects and is a part of 

American history as well. It’s a 

blending of the two.” 

Through coordinated efforts 

and working closely with a 

number of entities, there 

are plans to relocate this 

year to significantly 

larger facility. 

“The martial arts 

have done so 

much for many 

of us. For some 

it has given 

confidence, for 

Museum Founder, Michael Matsuda 

The museum features countless relics from martial arts history. 

others, helped 

them establish a 

goal-setting mindset, for others, it has made a career, it 

has helped them open a studio or protect them against 

bullies; and for the select few, made them movie stars and 

household names,” adds Matsuda. “The least we can do 

is give back to the arts that did so much for us by having a 

museum that tells the story of the martial arts.” 

Although the martial arts are relatively young in American 

history, it’s important to look back to where the arts 

came from: their history, 

traditions, and how they 

made their way to the 

United States and across 

the world. “We have had 

many great pioneers in 

the arts, many who sacrificed 

so much to come to 

America, many who faced 

racism and prejudice, and 

still brought their arts here. 

People like Ark Y. Wong, 

Bong Soo Han,” stresses 

Matsuda. “There are many great people who also made 

a name for themselves here in the West such as Chuck 

Norris, Joe Lewis, Benny Urquidez, Eric Lee, and so many 

more. Without a museum, without this museum, nearly everything 

that they did, what they brought, everything would 

not only be lost, but worse, forgotten forever.” 

“Books will come and go, students will change from one 

generation to the next, magazines are nearly all gone. Let me 

say this: in the 300-plus tours we have given at the museum, 

there is not one single kid who has ever raised their hand 

when we asked, ‘Does anyone know who Bruce Lee is?’” 

says Matsuda. “That’s pretty sad. Our most popular figure in 

the arts is no longer remembered by this current generation.” 

Matsuda, who can often be seen spending time at the 

museum, points out, “It is by your donations, your support, 

your help that keeps the Martial Arts History Museum alive 

and our history alive. It’s only by your support that we can 

continue to keep your, my, and everyone’s legacy and 

history alive for many generations to come. Please make a 

generous donation to support this great effort and to help 

us celebrate year 20.” 

The Martial Arts History Museum is currently located 

at 2319 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91506, and often 

holds events open to the public. The Martial Arts History 

Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are 

accepted and encouraged. Visit martialartsmuseum.com 

for more info. 


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Google knows that diligent 

consumers do some research 

first before committing to, say, a 

certain martial arts school. With 

Google’s new local campaigns, 

school owners now have the 

option to increase the likelihood 

that potential students will 

actually visit the school. Google 

Ads will enhance your ad with 

a user-provided school location, 

ad copy, images, a budget, 

and a bid. In other words, you can write your own listing 

in Google and they choose how much to spend promoting 

it. We recommend using a small budget at first, to test 

the effectiveness, and then maybe changing to text and 

pictures each month to see how to improve your results. 

Your investment in the exact place where prospective students 

search for martial arts in your area (Google) should 

increase the number of visitors to your school—and once 

they are in your school and take a dynamic intro lesson, 

they should become your new students. 

Video Ads are 

Taking Over Facebook 

Amid Facebook’s roll out of new advertising features, 

they revealed that they’ll be putting more emphasis on video 

content. This is probably because by 2021, it is expected 

that over 80% of all internet traffic will be video content 

(https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-much-iptrafficwill-be-video-by-2021-2017-6). 

But you can’t just post 

a quick spiel on 

your Page and 

expect that to 

work; in fact, 

Facebook’s 

new video ad 

optimization 

requires videos 

be at least three 

minutes long 

and uploaded by the Page rather than linked from an outside 

site. Use this new feature to your advantage by posting 

eye-catching videos of exciting demos and thoughtprovoking 

lessons, featuring you, your staff, and especially 

your students so that they will be shared with their friends. 

Facebook Messenger 

Now Allows Ads 

As we reported last 

month, Facebook announced 

an overhaul of 

their Messenger service: 

Part of that overhaul 

includes allowing users to 

create Messenger ads, which 

let school owners advertise 

directly to the 1.3 billion people 

on Facebook messenger (https:// 

www.facebook.com/business/ads/messenger-ads). As 

part of their emphasis on the video ad format, Facebook 

will also implement video ads in Messenger, albeit with 

different technical requirements than those posted on 

your Page, which can be found at https://www.facebook. 

com/business/ads-guide/image/messenger-home/messages. 

Facebook also provides an “automatic placements” 

feature, which delivers ad impressions at the lowest cost 

while still delivering results. Try taking some of the demo 

and lesson videos you created, editing them down to the 

shortest time with the highest impact, and promoting them 

as a messenger ad. 

The Power of Hashtags 

Hashtags are the unsung 

heroes of social media advertising. 

They’re free to use 

and reach upwards of hundreds 

of millions of different 

users, depending on which 

ones you use. Instagram is 

now the third most popular 

site in the entire world, with 

1 billion users, behind only 

Facebook and YouTube. With hashtags, you’ll gain countless 

more likes, followers, and hopefully, more students. 

But you shouldn’t use just any general hashtag, make sure 

you’re using some specific to your school as well. #martialarts 

will reach millions of people, but how many of them 

are actually local? #yourmartialarts[schoolname] is good, 

but unless they’re already a student or parent of a student, 

potential customers aren’t likely following that hashtag. 

Now, if you use #martialarts[yourtownname] or #[yourtownname]martialartsschool, 

you’ll have a much better chance 

of reaching local martial arts fans. Don’t forget to also update 

your school’s profile with updated contact information 

so that if someone clicks on your profile, they know exactly 

how to reach you. 


Join a Winning Team! 

W Want a Truly Inspiring Career? 

W Want to Join a Growing, Creative, Vibrant Organization? 

W Want to Help Make the World a Better Place 

by Expanding the Reach of the Martial Arts? 

If so, We Want to Meet You! 

We’re Expanding Our Teams! Seeking… 

• Account Representatives 

• Sales Professionals 

• Administrative Professionals 

• Marketing Representatives 

• Data Entry Experts 

• Designers 

• Pre-Collection Agents 

• Collections Professionals 

• Web Designers 

• Web Developers 

• Software Engineers 

• I.T. Professionals 

Benefits 

• Competitive Pay 

• Holiday Pay 

• Paid Sick Time 

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• Insurance Options 

• 401K + Company Contribution 

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OurAMS.com/Careers

INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS 

AMSkids After School Martial Arts 

Program can Increase your Income 

$100,000 in a Year 

After school students have better technique and better etiquette than other students because the after school students spend more time in martial arts class. 

If you aren’t familiar with after school martial arts, the 

idea is simple: Working parents are working, so they can’t 

pick up their children at school and drive them to your 

martial arts school. If you can provide transportation from 

local elementary schools to your martial arts school, the 

parents can pick up their kids on the way home from work 

and get not only a safe place for their children to be after 

school, but also the benefits of a martial arts education. 

Working parents often have to choose between day 

care facilities at day care prices just to keep their kids safe. 

The good news is that your martial arts school can provide 

a better value because you provide transportation, safety, 

and the benefits of discipline, respect, and self-confidence. 

Even better news is that day cares charge 3 to 5 times 

what most martial arts schools do, so you can increase 

your income dramatically with just a few students. In fact, 

most schools can increase their income $100,000 a year 

with only 25 after school students. 

Some school owners have resisted the program, thinking 

it is just a babysitting service, when it is actually a way 

to provide a valuable martial arts education to kids who 

need it most: Those whose parents are working long 

hours and can’t spend adequate time with them, especially 

single parents. School owners who have an after school 

program say that their after school students have better 

technique and better etiquette than their evening students 

because the after school students spend more time in 

martial arts class and more time in the martial arts school. 

Many school owners are somewhat hesitant because 

they don’t know how to do the program. We have heard 

from several schools that tried it on their own and failed 

miserably. However, those same schools, when they joined 

the AMSkids program, have earned $10,000, $25,000, 

even over $100,000 a month in extra income the first 

month. The key difference is the Starter Kit, which explains 

what to do and what NOT to do to avoid the most common 

pitfalls. Trial and error can be expensive. Following a 

proven leader is a much more direct way to success. 

If you would like to learn more about starting an afterschool 

martial arts program, click on this link to see a 

short video and to see some of the materials you could 

be getting monthly to make your program run smoothly 

and easily. 

ourAMS.com/afterschool 


INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS 

Make America Safe Again Qualifies for a 

3-Year Funded Grant 

Grandmaster Tom Patire has secured a privatized grant 

to train 100 qualified martial arts school 

owners to be part of this exciting new 

program. The grant provides free 

training for instruction and certification, 

free business and marketing 

advice, and free ad slicks to implement 

the program in communities all 

across the country. 

The program will kick 

off in 2020 as a community 

outreach program 

intended to provide 

mainstream-based 

personalized safety 

courses for children, 

women, and families 

who cannot afford 

the time or money 

to enroll in a martial 

arts school full-time. The goal is to provide anyone in the 

Personal Protection Community who qualifies to join the 

movement to train everyday people to Make America Safe 

Again. This program doesn’t affect your existing programs 

because the training is vastly different, and you will have 

the ability to charge for participation in the program and 

keep the profits. 

You can apply by sending your name, school name, 

email, and phone 

number to tompatire@tompatire.com 

in early to mid July. 

Once you get the 

list, you will be notified 

about an upcoming 

conference call that will 

explain everything in detail. 

You can also follow Tom to 

get updates on Facebook at 

facebook.com/TomPatireMASA/. 

Kovar Systems 

Hanshi Dave Kovar is an internationally acclaimed 

instructor with black belts in ten different styles of martial 

arts. He is known as the “trainer of trainers” and his 

methods have been implemented in hundreds of schools 

across the country. 

He started coaching other schools in the early 1990s, 

and then formalized the training in the early 2000s. His basic 

concept is “Martial arts first, teaching second, business 

third.” He focuses on putting the student experience first. 

His Satori Business Community is a resource of likeminded 

individuals who share with each other and learn 

from each other. Members have described benefits like 

doubling retention and learning about martial arts marketing. 

The Satori Alliance focuses more on instructional knowledge 

and technique. They provide an instructional curriculum 

online that you can learn at your own pace. It’s an 

amazing resource for school owners and staff members 

alike to improve their classroom instructional skills. 

Check out this powerful resource for your own personal 

development and the development of your staff 

at kovarsystems.com/success. 


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Marketing 

Surprise, Surprise! 


One of the greatest advantages of Facebook is that it is constantly changing. One of 

the biggest problems with Facebook is also that it’s constantly changing. 

As a martial artist, do you want to complain about the changes, or adapt and overcome? 


Of course it takes time and energy to keep 

up, but that’s why you’ve got us. At Martial 

Arts World News Magazine, our goal is to 

keep you up to date on the tech that matters 

to you, so you can focus more attention on 

your students and your classes. 

Here are a few updates that can help your 

school’s advertising: 

1. New 3-D images 

Just recently Facebook made available a 

new option for 3-D images. They are not easy 

to produce, so you won’t see them very often, 

but they are certainly eye-catching. For those 

of you who are members of ATLAS Pro and 

the MA Biz Academy, they provide you with these scroll-stopping 

posts. Once designed, they are easy to use. You just upload 2 photos, 

one with a regular name and another with a name that ends in 

“_depth”, which is the signal for Facebook to automatically create 

the 3-D image. 

Right now they are only available for posts, not ads or promoted 

posts, and cannot be combined into a video or slide show. Of 

course, that could change in the near future. 

Please check out the Child, Adult, and AMSkids ads on 

mabizacademy.com for the past two months to see these amazing 

ads and put them to work on your school’s Facebook Page. 

2. Facebook and Instagram Stories 

In recent months, Facebook has begun allowing users to create 

stories with up to ten pictures. These are more eye-catching and 

personal than regular posts, so they are a great way to get the attention 

of your prospective students. Facebook also now includes 

a section at the top of your newsfeed that highlights any stories, so 

you get premium position without paying for it. Facebook prioritizes 

stories on users’ newsfeeds, so don’t miss out on this powerful 

feature. 

You can also post the same story on Instagram. To make life 

easy, when you post a story on Instagram, you can also post it on 

Facebook with just a single click, without having to go through the 

entire posting process all over again. Just keep in mind that these 

posts expire in 24 hours unless you also save the story as a Highlight 

on your Instagram account, which we highly recommend doing. 

It’s a quick, simple tool to create content for potential students 

to see what your school has to offer. More and more advertisers are 

moving to Instagram as more and more buyers are shopping there, 

so this is a viable resource for new students. Some schools may also 

even find more success on Instagram than Facebook, depending on 

your demographic, as Instagram tends to skew younger. 

Check out mabizacademy.com for Stories and for instructions 

on how to post them. 


Marketing 

3. Facebook Offers 

You can create offers right on your Facebook page quickly and 

easily. You can offer discounts on your classes, on your enrollment 

fees, or create custom offers like 2 Weeks of Self-Defense Classes for 

$19.95. You can link the offer to your Amazing Martial Arts Website, 

or you can ask them to call the school. 

4. Video Updates 

Facebook has made major changes for videos, particularly how 

they are ranked in user’s newsfeeds and search results, which can be 

an incredible advantage for your school. The video qualities Facebook 

now prioritizes are: 

users’ feeds rather than a quick 30-second sales pitch. 

Originality. Facebook is cracking down on videos shared from 

other sources with what they deem as having “limited value.” This 

is great news because it means that videos uploaded straight to your 

Page are seen as more “valuable” than posts that were copied from 

another page or outside websites. 

These video updates can drum up serious interest in your school, 

so be sure to post videos from Demos or lessons as often as you can. 

Also be sure to include a link to your Amazing Martial Arts Website, 

as well as your school’s phone number, so they know where to 

reach you! 

5. Page Recommendations 

Loyalty and intent. Videos that users specifically search for will 

be weighted more heavily in users’ search results. Meaning that if Joe 

from Waukesha regularly searches for martial arts videos on Facebook, 

a video posted by your martial arts school located in Waukesha 

will be more likely to appear in Joe’s search results. 

Video and viewing duration. Videos that keep people engaged and 

are at least three minutes in length are also weighted more heavily. 

So your five-minute Demo video will be more likely to show up in 

Facebook no longer uses Page Reviews. 

Instead, they have replaced the feature with 

Recommendations. A user will now be able to 

add tags, text, and photos to their comments, 

similar to Yelp. This allows your school to 

receive more authentic, engaging recommendations 

from students, which future students 

(or their parents) will see when they visit 

your Page. In order to utilize this feature, you 

must add the “Recommendation Box” to your 

Facebook Page. Encourage current students 

and parents to post their experiences to your Page so that prospective 

students can see how much they love your school. 

The internet is the most cost-effective way to advertise your 

school, using a combination of free posts and paid advertising. Please 

take advantage of these five methods of free posts. If you need help 

with your paid posts, don’t hesitate to call an AMS marketing consultant 

at 1-800-275-1600 to take advantage of one of their advanced 

marketing programs. 


Think Tank 


Think Tank 

Groundbreaking 

New Martial Arts 

Business Seminar 

The THINK TANK is a totally new concept for a 

martial arts business building experience: 

If you’ve got an idea that will rock the industry, register today to become 

one of the contestant presenters at the seminar and win up to $1,000.00 

cash and $3,000.00 in prizes! 

It’s a Contest 

that You Could 

WIN! 

Prizes: 

1st Place: $1,000.00 cash & 

$3,000.00 prize package. 

2nd Place: $500.00 cash & 


3rd Place: $300.00 cash & 


4th Place: $150.00 cash & 

$500.00 prize package. 


Think Tank 

It’s a contest among seminar presenters to present the most interesting, 

most practical, most valuable seminar to the other attendees! 

It’s an amazing opportunity where anyone can become a seminar 

presenter with the right idea and presentation. If you’ve been looking 

for a chance to become a seminar presenter, this is it! 

For attendees who are not competing, you will see all of these 

creative new presentations in addition to some more established, 

extremely experienced and highly successful industry leaders who 

will share the latest and greatest strategies they are using in the top 

schools across the country. With this rare combination of new ideas 

and proven programs, you’re sure to find something to inspire you to 

take action right away to launch your school into even greater levels 

of success. 

The Think Tank will be held on October 11-12, 2019, in Raleigh, 

NC. It is sponsored by the USTC, so all presentations should be for 

Taekwondo schools. Here are some other guidelines: 

• Your presentation should contain the reasoning or 

purpose for your program; 

• You can enter one of two divisions: 

• Classroom Teaching, or 

• School Management; 

• All presentations must be made in English (possibly 

through a translator); 

• Presentations should be 20 – 25 minutes, 

allowing for up to 10 minutes of questions, but 

total time limit is 30 minutes; 

• Presenters must wear a clean dobok or 

professional business attire and any assistants 

must wear a clean dobok; 

• All presentations and content must be preapproved; 

• Video recording and still photography are 

prohibited during the event. 

Apply with a video and accompanying support materials 

described at www.thinktankseminar.com in the Contest section 

under To Apply, Submit the following. Submit your application to 

bbwjunlee@gmail.com before midnight September 26, 2019. The top 

seven applicants will be eligible to participate in the contest. You can 

also see the judging criteria on the website. 

There will be a USTC General Assembly Meeting (open to USTC 

members only), so if you are a USTC member, be sure to register for 

the event and attend the meeting. 

There will also be a golf tournament on Thursday, October 10, so 

if you are an avid golfer, be sure to register for that event separately 

on the website. 

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to attend this unique event. You 

will gain some surprising new insights that you won’t see anywhere 

else, and if you enter the contest, you might even win $1,000.00! 

Go to www.thinktankseminar.com to register or 

call 1-800-275-1600 for more information. 

October 11-12, 2019 in Raleigh, NC 

Thursday 

Oct. 10 th 

Friday 

Oct. 11 th 

Saturday 

Oct. 12 th 

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS 

• Master’s Golf Tournament fundraiser 

• USTC Council organization only meeting 

• Martial Arts Business Seminar Sessions 

• Think Tank finalist presentations 

• Martial Arts Business Seminar Sessions 

• Hall of Honors Dinner 

Grandmaster Y. K. Kim who is responsible 

for many innovations and initially 

raised the awareness of good business 

practices in the industry. 

Master Toby Milroy who has become a 

force in the industry in presenting successful 

business growth models and 

systems that get results. 

Grandmaster Tom Patire is known as 

“America’s Leading Personal Safety Expert” 

and has appeared on Good Morning 

America, The CBS Morning Show, and in 

Family Circle, Redbook, Fortune Magazine, 

and The Wall Street Journal. 

Grandmaster Jun Lee who has championed 

the importance of maintaining 

martial arts tradition along with innovation 

and is the mind behind the Think Tank. 

Shihan Allie Alberigo is the founder 

of one of the largest Ninjutsu schools in 

the world, the author of 4 books, and an 

entrepreneur with one of the first online 

coaching companies. 

Mr. Sean Lee who has several years 

of experience in advising hundreds of 

martial arts school owners to achieve 

business success. 

And Many More To Be Announced! 


Exclusive Interview 


Transform Your School 

with Grandmaster Y. K. Kim 

The most successful martial arts 

business leader in the world 

Y. K. Kim 

• Author of a best seller 

and 14 other books 

• Producer, writer, director, 

and star of the action 

film Miami Connection 

• Publisher of Martial Arts 

World Magazine 

• Motivational Speaker 

• Recipient of Y. K. Kim 

Day in Central Florida 

• Founder of Martial Arts 

World 

• Chairman of a consulting 

company on marketing 

and software 

Meet Modern Educator and 

Contemporary Philosopher 


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I Love to Promote the Martial Arts -- I will not 

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Grandmaster Jun Lee giving some personal instruction

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Cover Story 

Shihan 

Allie Alberigo 


Cover Story 

How a 

Modern Ninja 

Thrives in the 21st Century 

Running a Traditional School 


Cover Story 

Adult Ninjutsu classes keep the traditions and philosophy of the real ninja alive. 

Shihan Allie Alberigo is the owner of two successful martial arts schools, the author 

of five books, a public speaker who has spoken all over the world, and runs a highly 

successful personal and business coaching firm. 

MAW: Thanks so much for taking this 

time out of your busy schedule to speak with 

us today. You’ve been running martial arts 

schools for 28 years. You’re running three 

martial arts schools and a club in Bermuda 

right now, and have been a very successful 

operator in our industry for many years, so 

we really appreciate you helping all of our 

folks out with some strategy. 

AA: I’m honored; thank you very much. I 

appreciate that. 

MAW: You’ve spent a lot of time helping 

school operators with TakingItToTheNextLevel.com 

and other coaching arrangements, 

helping them focus on the basics, so 

let’s start there. What are the core elements 

that you find to be so critical? 

AA: Let me tell you a story about a trip 

that I was brought in to go do. I think it was 

one of the super shows in Australia. They 

flew me into Australia, and I had a booth; 

this is going back probably 15 years now. 

The school owners over there were talking 

like they were struggling, and they were like, 

“We don’t have these things that you guys 

have in the United States,” and were talking 

about all these systems, but they had just the 

basic minimal stuff. Of course, I’m really 

proud, so I would say, “Hey, you’re only doing 

a little, how many students do you have?” 

And they’d go, “Yeah, I’m really struggling, 

I’m at like, 475 or 675,” and I’m like, that’s 

not struggling! 

With the advancement of technology all 

these coaches come on board and everyone 

has a different get-rich-quick scheme, or 

some shiny bell and whistle that they could 

be selling, and I found that the people in 

Australia didn’t have all this stuff; what that 

means is they were buckling down on the 

basics. And they were doing it so well that 

they had this massive following. I think that 

a lot of times we have our hands in too many 

things and I fell for this, too, in the past. 

I had a system for every system that had 

a system for another system. My program 

managers were just spending all day trying 

to dot the “I”s and cross the “T”s and get 

things done, when their only real goal was to 

check boxes so that I was satisfied, but they 

weren’t getting results. They were making 

phone calls, but were they getting the people, 

getting in touch with them, setting up 

appointments? No, because I wanted to see 

everything was being done. So you’re right: 

The basics are the most important, and I 

think most martial arts schools are missing 

them. 

There’s probably only four components 

to running a martial arts school: It’s new 

students, existing students (keeping those 

people active and excited, and creating 

those relationships with the students and 

the parents), then the third thing, of course, 

is a big, misunderstood part of the school: 

Retail. People are not retailing on a regular 

basis, supplying their students with what 

they need. And the fourth thing is upgrades. 

If we just focused on those things the schools 

would be unstoppable. 

MAW: I think my definition for that, for 

years, is enrollments, renewals, retention, 

and quality. 

AA: Yep, that! 

MAW: There’s a lot in there to unpack 


Cover Story 

that you just described, but maybe the first 

bit is this: systems versus results, right? We 

know that learning a side kick once isn’t 

enough—you’ve got to practice it eight million 

times—well, how many times is your 

staff practicing it? Or do they get pretty 

good at it and you send them along their 

merry way? How do you deal with that in the 

school now? Now that you have a much more 

results-oriented approach, what does that 

look like? 

AA: I’ve realized now after many years of 

coaching that I can only fix certain people. 

No matter how much I talk to a specific 

person and give them great ideas and stepby-steps, 

if they don’t want to wake up in the 

morning and get down to business, they’re 

going to fail and I cannot change that. I 

can’t change who they are unless they are 

willing to work on what they need, which is 

themselves. We have to really understand 

that sometimes it’s about stripping down 

negative anchors, getting rid of what we 

perceive to be ‘real’ martial arts, or this, or 

that, and getting down to what we need to do 

to improve as a business owner. That’s very, 

very important and that’s my hardest part 

when it comes to coaching. 

MAW: You can wrap the best systems 

around somebody who has a flawed belief 

system about abundance versus scarcity, or 

they just feel like they shouldn’t be making 

money because they’re in a martial arts 

school. And I think the two have to go hand 

in hand. You can teach great martial arts and 

be poor, and you can teach great martial arts 

and be rich. 

AA: Right, and there are those people 

that feel like, “Hey, if I’m making a lot of 

money and doing well financially I’m a sellout.” 

People have said that to me, thinking 

that just because I’m doing well that I must 

have sold out somewhere along the line and 

they’re trying to find that crack in what I do, 

right? 

The other thing is that sometimes people 

don’t even know what they don’t know. 

That’s a saying I use all the time: you don’t 

know what you don’t know. So, if they don’t 

realize that they’re counterproductive or 

self-sabotaging, they are just going to keep 

repeating that process over and over again. 

Why do martial artists feel like they can’t 

make money? Why do they feel like they’re— 

I hate this term, I really do—the “McDojo” 

Shihan delivers a “mat chat” to his eager students. 

Shihan Alberigo owns two school locations, 

East and West Islip, in Suffolk County, NY. The 

first school has been open for 29 years and is 

6,100 square feet with 300 students. The second 

school has been open for 21 years and is 4,100 

square feet with 150 students. 

He hosts the largest tournament circuit in the 

state of New York with 5 events annually and 

over 1,500 participants throughout the year. In 

addition, he also hosts an annual awards banquet 

that ranges between 300 and 400 attendees. 

Shihan Alberigo also hosts a Facebook Live vlog called “Lunchtime 

with Allie” every Thursday at 12:30 EST. Although controversial subjects 

are occasionally addressed, the main aim of the show is to create a platform 

for positivity as he shares topics relevant to living a happy, fulfilled 

life. About 3 years ago, Shihan Alberigo wrote a book entitled “The 5 

Gateways to Happiness,” and the ideas of his positive message on the 

vlog coincides with the book’s theme. That message is also being used 

to help women abused in foreign countries. 

Additionally, Shihan Alberigo has a social presence on Instagram 

and Facebook through a page called the Vegan Ninja Chef. His page 

creates awareness about plant-based meals and health-related issues 

in a person’s diet. The page is designed to spread the word about plant 

based diets so people might be encouraged to limit their consumption 

of animal-based products. 

Beyond “The 5 Gateways to Happiness,” Shihan Alberigo has written 

4 other books: “21st Century Ninjutsu. A Warriors Mindset,” “The Three 

Kings,” “Martial Arts Business 101 – Hooyah Living the Dream,” and 

“Beginner’s Guide to Ninpo.” He currently has 2 additional books in the 

works: a novel and a children’s book. 


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Cover Story 

term. Why even use that? 

You might be a sellout if all you care 

about is money and you’re throwing people 

through the rank system that don’t know 

anything, and they’re not learning anything, 

but I rarely see martial artists doing that. 

Most martial artists are out there trying 

to change lives one day at a time; they just 

might not be as trained, as skilled in the 

martial arts themselves, but they’re still 

out there doing the right thing. I would say 

95% of them have the right goal. But, sadly, 

they don’t know how to actually apply those 

things, the techniques of martial arts and 

how to teach it. You know many fighters 

that could fight in the ring but they’re the 

worst teachers in the world, or some teachers 

that are phenomenal teachers and coaches 

but they’re terrible martial artists, so it’s a 

give-and-take. That’s where the struggle is 

sometimes with what we do in our industry. 

MAW: What I’ve seen, what you’re describing, 

is the higher we push quality standards—quality 

of technique for the students, 

quality of curriculum for the students, quality 

of the instructors—the more successful 

the schools are, the higher the tuition rate 

could be, the more referrals you get. 

AA: Yeah. 

MAW: You were describing part of what 

you were doing in your locations as getting 

back to basics; stripping away some of the 

inessentials and getting the team, and yourself, 

and everybody focused on the things 

that really make a difference. There are an 

The future of the art of Ninjutsu is alive and growing. 

awful lot of bright, shiny objects 

out there, and now there are so 

many technological solutions 

to almost every problem. But 

culture certainly seems to be 

the thing that has to be in place 

first and, in most cases, fills in 

the gaps. You’re working a lot 

on that with your locations and 

with your staff. What about the 

traditional part of this? 

AA: I’m very lucky in regards 

to the art that I teach because it 

really separates and segregates 

me from any other styles, because 

I’m a ninjutsu school. Not 

a lot of people can say that. I’m 

really a classical, traditional ninjutsu school. 

I learned from one of two ninja masters. So, I 

use that brand; whether it be Ninja Warrior 

or whatever, everybody is a ninja something, 

ninja marketer, ninja ballet; everybody is 

a ninja. I get annoyed; I’m like, that’s not a 

ninja! Just because they’re running an obstacle 

course doesn’t mean they are a ninja. 

But I’m lucky to have that brand. Quite often 

people don’t even know what their culture is; 

they don’t know what their brand is. How do 

you build a culture if you don’t know what a 

culture is? I’ve asked people in my seminars, 

“What is your brand?” And people raise their 

hand and go, taekwondo, hapkido, karate, 

judo—no, that’s not your brand, that’s your 

style. What does your school represent? 

Everything is all about ‘self-esteem,’ and ‘we 

is Proud to present 

Martial Arts Business Leader of the Year 

to Shihan Allie Alberigo 

at the 2019 Think Tank 

October 11-12, 2019 

Raleigh, NC 27612 

ThinkTankSeminar.com 

help kids with ADD.’ 

I think every school in the country probably 

thinks they do the same, exact thing. So, 

what separates you from the rest? Who are 

you? What makes your school special? Why 

would someone go to you when, two blocks 

down the road, someone else is there? That’s 

the real question we have to ask ourselves: 

what is the culture that you’ve built? Why 

are they there? And that’s important; that’s 

about tooting your own horn, sometimes 

selling the Grandmaster, or the head instructor, 

as part of the brand or that experience. 

And then you have to ask the question, 

“Why does that benefit someone?” Who 

cares if you’re the UFC fighter and you’ve 

won 27 fights if you can’t teach? But if you 

could teach those skills and change my 

child’s life, now I’m listening. And what 

is the culture when I walk into the school? 

What is it that I do when I walk in? Do I feel 

like the website says? There are so many websites 

that are incongruent with what’s going 

on. Red, white, and blue flashing lights, and 

all this stuff, then they walk into this school 

that’s a tiny, little hole-in-the-wall and 

smells like bad socks. People are like, “Wow, 

I’m excited to go,” and then they get there 

and are disappointed. How does our message 

transfer from social media, to Facebook, to 

the school, and what you’re selling? 

MAW: Culture is critical, right? Systemization 

is critically important; but as you 

described, this over-systemization of the 

system for a system can sometimes becomes 

a burden in and of itself. You’re sort of bundling 

that together with your brand as well. 

Describe what that looks like in your schools, 


Cover Story 

what’s your unique message, and how do you 

craft that for yourself? 

AA: I will answer that but I wanted to add 

that my daughter, when she was younger, 

had to have surgery and we went to Sloan- 

Kettering because she has this thing called 

MF—which is like these little fibromas under 

her skin—and I had an experience where, 

from the elevator guy to the garage attendant, 

these people were so caring and loving, 

and me, as a business owner, I’m wanting to 

know what system they’ve done. Everyone is 

treating me and my daughter so amazingly 

and I said to the one janitor, “Do you guys go 

to training?” He said, “No, we just love what 

we do so much and we care about our clients 

so much, and we’re empowered.” That’s the 

key word: We’re empowered to make decisions 

without repercussion. 

There have to be parameters set where 

there are guidelines that we follow, but if 

everyone has the same desire as the ultimate 

in customer service, then that’s going to be 

an unstoppable experience. For example, I 

did testing on Saturday and after I was all 

done I texted everyone a little special message 

about each kid, and one of the parents 

said something like, “It was just an unbelievable 

experience; the spiritual connection you 

have to the process of the promotion and 

what you did.” 

I was like, “Wow, that was really cool,” 

because that actually is what I’m striving 

for. Every instructor wants their students 

to be amazing. They want them to be able 

to defend themselves, they want them to 

be productive citizens, right? We just find 

sometimes we can’t find the connection to 

do that, and I think it’s about treating every 

individual as an individual. You have to try 

to treat that person for whatever their needs 

are. If a mom comes and their kid has ADD, 

you’re going to work with that child because 

his ADD may be different than the other 

child’s ADD. As instructors, as school owners, 

we have to start looking deeper and connecting 

more with those people. It doesn’t 

matter if you have 100 or 400, you just have 

to take the time via software or whatever, 

send them out a text message; it takes you 

two seconds. Or send them an email and 

communicate that they are the most important 

person. That’s the kind of thing that 

makes us feel like we’re a part of the culture. 

It makes me want to stay. It makes me want 

Shihan Allie Alberigo teaches a dynamic curriculum, including many eclectic and traditional weapons. 

to buy into it. It makes me want to be a part 

of that feeling. 

You want to feel proud about your 

school; you want your students to feel proud 

about it, right? That’s something that we 

are missing sometimes when it comes to 

social media. And when I say social media, 

it doesn’t mean the internet. It means the 

group of social interaction. Real, live, faceto-face 

interaction. 

MAW: That was the original deal. The 

original deal was a lobby -- that was Facebook 

-- those little touches. 

AA: Right. 

MAW: Every instructor needs to know 

the unique circumstances for each individual 

student. When you’re looking at 

developing staff for multiple locations, 

describe what types of systems you have in 

place and what kinds of tactics you use to 

make sure that you’ve got people that might 

be ten miles away, or a state away, or a couple 

of states away, to anchor in those cultural 

norms. How do you work on that? 

AA: I just had that experience with my 

Florida location. My partner in that business 

has everything that I have, every system, 

everything that I do, but there were still gaps 

and no matter what I was saying, he was only 

doing portions of it. I would say, “How come 

you didn’t do X, Y and Z when I told you to?” 

And he would say, “Well, I didn’t really see 

it as being that essential.” Until he really 

started to open up his mind and started to 

see the reasons for these processes, and see 

how they work, did he buy in one thousand 

percent. 

That was the biggest issue. I find that, at 

certain times, we may do things as owners, 

even as an instructor, like, “Do this move 

because you need to do it for the future,” and 

if they don’t see the relevance to it they’re 


Cover Story 

not going to put as much value on that 

movement. I see everything as a piece of the 

puzzle. When some people are just trying 

to throw puzzle pieces away, getting rid of 

them because they don’t understand, it’s not 

that they don’t see; it’s that they’ve never 

been taught or they don’t have the proper instruction, 

or they have never seen it through 

those eyes. 

We have to also see it from that parent’s 

perspective. If a parent wants their kid to 

develop self-confidence, what do they really 

mean? We have to be clear and understand 

what their verbiage is -- what the parent’s 

words mean to them. 

MAW: One of the scenarios you see in the 

technology business, and in helping martial 

arts school operators with pieces of technology 

and applications, we can become a victim 

of the “bright, shiny object syndrome.” 

What’s your experience been in that arena? 

AA: That’s what I always hated about 

going to those business seminars. I got asked 

a few times, “What would you like to speak 

about this year?” I’d say, “How about we 

speak about the basics?” “Oh, that’s not shiny 

enough.” People don’t need new and bright; 

let’s make the old systems, the basics, brand 

new and shiny because that’s what they need. 

Just buying a seminar-in-a-box or a system 

and teaching, that’s not what’s going to 

make you successful. I have not strayed from 

my roots for 28 years. I’ve lived the martial 

arts; that’s all I’ve done for the last 28 years. 

I don’t have other jobs. I’ve made millions 

and millions of dollars, and I don’t mean to 

say that in a braggadocios way because it’s 

not like I’ve pocketed it all, but my schools 

have had millions of gross dollars coming 

through the doors. 

So, how do you do that? Well, you have 

to have your stuff together. I didn’t do that 

by buying the new seminar, the new Tae 

Bo or whatever was out at the time. I stuck 

to the basics; stayed with what I did right, 

what I knew to do, and I kept on going with 

that. This is what people are missing. They 

are selling themselves out for that chance 

to make money and they are losing out on 

what they’re good at. They’re good at what 

they do; now they just have to find the right 

clients that love what they do. 

MAW: Why did you get into the business 

to begin with? The great thing about martial 

arts is that it’s such a highly profitable, 

Shihan Alberigo’s program focuses on martial arts training that begins with discipline and self-control. 

highly scalable business that you can make 

a great living teaching whatever style you 

want to. 

AA: We’re always looking to buy that 

“bag of nothing,” I always say. We want 

that next thing. We want a coach to give us 

all the answers, but we’re not willing to put 

the time in. Or we want to buy that system. 

What happens is we don’t need 5,000 

people, we only need 150 to 200 members 

that are paying a good fee. If you’re 

charging $150 to $200 a month, and you 

have 200 to 300 students, you’re making 

$40,000 a month. 

I spoke at one of the conventions and 

I talked about this martial arts calculator. 

I’m like, “Here’s the martial arts calculator, 

people: it’s $100 times 100 students, 

so I could make $10,000. If I want to make 

$20,000, I have to have 200. If I want to make 

$30,000, I have to have 300.” I said, “That’s 

not the real martial arts calculator. The 

martial arts calculator is about one student 

and how to maximize profitability, get them 

in an upgrade program, sell them some 

retail.” Well, when I was done teaching that 

seminar, I swear to God, people flooded my 

booth wanting to buy the calculator. They 

actually thought I had a calculator! It was so 

confusing to people. What I was trying to get 

people to understand is that you don’t need a 

million people in your school, or a thousand 

people, to make a super large living. Most 

people buy into that idea: “Hey, I’m going to 

have a 22,000 square-foot facility with rings, 

and this, and that” when, in reality, they can 

have a little 2,500 square-foot—and that’s 

a decent-sized school—and make $50,000 

a month, or $40,000 a month, and make 

$30,000 profit. Profitability is king. Profit 

is king. 

MAW: You have some interesting ways 

to maximize retail in your locations. What 

are some strategies, or tactics, or some belief 

systems you have about retail that might be 

useful for a school? 

AA: The first strategy is to change the 

thought pattern that retail is a hindrance 

or an annoyance. I used to train the brother 

and the family of Criss Angel, the magician— 

J.D., a great guy—and he would say, “Shihan, 

everything you do on the floor is amazing, 

but this lobby area just isn’t cutting it.” And I 

have a gorgeous lobby, but it wasn’t neat, and 

I’m going, “What do you mean?” 

He said, “It just doesn’t have the feel.” I 

was actually going to speak at a show in Vegas 

and he says, “When you come out, we’ll 

hang out, we’ll go to the show, and I want to 

take you to all of our retail outlets.” When 

I did, he’d say, “Well, what do you think?” 

I’d say, “It’s amazing.” He goes, “This is our 

world.” The minute people step in, they’re 

in the world of this feeling, the Criss Angel 


Cover Story 

Traditional training focuses on the basics to develop strength. 

experience: His logo, the smell, the sales, 

the DVDs, the music that’s playing. They 

created an environment where I didn’t think 

about anything but his products while I was 

in there. 

We don’t do that in our schools enough. 

It goes back to that stigma, like, “Oh my 

god, if I retail I feel bad about it.” I’ll give 

you another quick story I have. Years ago, 

for Christmas, we had all these little action 

figures that a parent could buy and stuff in 

a stocking. Why shouldn’t I sell it if they’re 

going to go to a Toys ‘R Us down the road 

and buy it? 

I kind of still had a little bit in my head 

that worried me: am I a sellout? So, one time, 

this kid is crying hysterically, “I want this 

Hulk doll!” and I walk up to the mom and 

apologize, and she goes, “For what?” I said, 

“If I didn’t have that here, he wouldn’t be 

bothering you to get it.” She goes, “Yeah, 

but then I’d have to drive to Toys ‘R Us. He’s 

been wanting that and you just happen to 

have it. I’m thankful now I can buy it; maybe 

not now, but I’m going to buy it from you. 

Why wouldn’t I? You’re saving me the trip, 

the time.” 

It opened up my mind to say, “Why are 

we all afraid to sell certain things?” Why 

are we afraid to actually have a retail outlet? 

Why are we afraid to add in some tchotchke 

items for Christmas or do some specialorder 

items on a regular basis? I think that 

we have to change our mindset in regards to 

that when it comes to what retail is all about. 

MAW: Howard Schultz (the former 

CEO for Starbucks) -- one of his concepts 

about Starbucks is that it becomes the 

“third place.” You’ve got work and you’ve 

got home, or school and home, but then 

you have this place in the middle, this 

“third place.” And the idea of Starbucks is 

to become that place where you hang out. I 

guess the previous generation’s version of 

that would be the corner pub. We’d go sit 

at the bar and have a couple of drinks with 

friends. It becomes that thing. The martial 

arts school very much has that opportunity 

to really be the “third place” that’s incredibly 

positive to the outcome of the student and 

the family. So, by tying in the parts of retail 

that support what you’re teaching, that now 

helps penetrate the “second place” . . . the 

home. We get those messages to go home 

with the student. 

AA: I’ve had kids that wanted to quit and 

parents would turn to them and go, “I’m not 

giving up my time with my friends,” because 

they made so many friends sitting in my 

lobby every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. 

So, again, building that culture where everyone 

feels like the old TV show Cheers, where 

everyone knows your name—that’s what we 

need to build that culture. That is the culture 

that I’m talking about; that Starbucks experience. 

MAW: That ties into another item that 

you guys do really well, which is bridging 

the gap home. Bridging the gap with communication 

-- describe that a little bit more. 

How are you reinforcing communication 

processes with the family and student? 

AA: Like on that testing that I just did, 

immediately afterwards I reached out on 

text message because it seems like emails will 

get to them eventually but a text message 

they’re going to open up within seconds. So, 

I sent a quick, real, genuine text about how 

happy I was to have them involved and all of 

them really seemed very happy to hear from 

me. I think sometimes school owners feel 

like they’re very invasive. I have a few people 

that I coach and they go, “You know I’ve 

sent out three or four emails and one of the 

people said to me, ‘I get so many emails from 

you!’” I’m like, “Listen, don’t let that person 

change how you think about everyone else. 

They’re just one person that’s annoyed by 

your emails. So tell them to opt out. But the 

50, or 60, or 80, or 100 other people love 

hearing from you.” They can always hit 

delete; they can always read the message and 

not respond. It’s not like you’re bombarding 

them in the middle of the night at 2 AM. If 

people feel you’re genuine and it’s for their 

benefit, they’re willing to listen. 


Cover Story 

This is where I get annoyed at some of 

my clients, where they feel marketing is 

about being online, especially Facebook 

marketing. You can pay for ads but when 

you’re doing social media posts it shouldn’t 

end with, “Hey, $14.99 special and here’s 

my number.” It should just be a post about 

what you do, who you are, what makes you 

special. If they are interested, they’re going 

to reach out to you, they’re going to click on 

your website, and they’re going to find you. 

You don’t have to end every message and 

make it sound like a sale because, if it does, 

it becomes disingenuous at that point and 

people don’t believe the message is real. You 

have to be genuine about the messaging and 

show true care. Not so that you can eventually 

upsell them—it will happen—but that’s 

not why you’re doing it, right? 

MAW: It’s about us sitting together, and 

I’m helping you down the path to be able 

to help you create a better life. We’re in the 

perfect business model for that; we’re in the 

perfect career for that kind of environment. 

But still, some are fearful of that. 

AA: I think the majority of school owners 

really do believe that they’re there to help 

people. We all believe we have the magic pill; 

we think martial arts will change people’s 

lives. We’re afraid to get people to buy it because 

we think that we’ll be seen as these sellouts, 

as a salesman. I realized that the more I 

think positively, the more positive energy I 

push out into the environment, even in my 

lobby when I’m talking with parents. Parents 

are connected to it. There’s really no negativity. 

About eight or nine months ago I had a 

few negative parents. No matter what, they 

would complain; they’d always find the bad 

stuff. Once I got rid of them everyone was 

just so positive and I love being there much 

more, too. Sometimes we have to get rid of 

the rotting apples to have that really positive 

environment. 

MAW: A little cancer kills the whole 

body. Some might argue that, well, when 

you’ve got 340 students in a school it’s easy 

to fire one or two because you’re not that 

worried about the income difference, or 

you’re not that worried about losing the two 

students. But you better have the discipline 

to be able to make those decisions when you 

only have nine students or you’re going to 

have those problems as you grow up. 

AA: And you might not ever get past 

nine students. For example, someone says, 

“Oh, that’s expensive. It’s $130 a month,” 

and then they go, “Well, I’ll give you two 

for $100.” I just had this happen to a friend, 

where someone was really down on their 

luck, a single mom, blah, blah, and my buddy 

went out of his way and said, “I’ll cut you 

a deal,” and she went right back to her two 

friends and told them that she was getting 

a deal. Now the friends all wanted the deal, 

too, and they don’t have any financial issues. 

So, he had to not sign up the one and 

threaten to kick the others out as well. You 

don’t give a deal; you could scholarship 

someone, maybe, but don’t ever say you’re 

giving it away for cheaper. Never, ever let 

people get deals. It’s not fair having this person 

paying $150 with the other paying $100 

because they’ve got a better song-and-dance, 

right? So, the minute I cleared that toxicity 

out of my school, people are going home like, 

“Oh my god, you’ve got to join, this is the 

best place to be, we love it, my friends love 

it.” Now the environment is changing. It’s 

important for us to get rid of that one toxic 

person because you’ll have everyone else quit 

and you’ll never get new people. 

MAW: It feels like it’s hard to make those 

decisions because you really care about your 

students and you don’t want to affect that 

student negatively, but you’re in charge of 

the entire organization. You have to make 

Creating a positive school culture goes a long way in developing successful students. 


Cover Story 

Shihan Alberigo focuses on the basics to achieve amazing 

student outcomes and business success. 

sure the whole organization is healthy and 

cancer is a sure way to kill almost anything. 

AA: I always say that if you have a kid 

in your class and there’s ten kids in the 

class, and the only name you keep yelling 

out is, “Joey, stop it! Joey stand up! Joey!”all 

the other parents are watching and they’re 

saying to themselves, “Why aren’t my kids 

getting the attention that Joe the troublemaker 

is getting?” They’re going to be like, 

“Maybe we’ll just go somewhere else because 

I don’t want him involved with that kid.” So, 

we have to be careful that we’re not throwing 

out the baby with the bathwater, so to speak. 

MAW: This all goes back to understanding 

what your culture should be. 

Being disciplined about focusing on 

the basics, focusing on empowering 

teams to make the right decisions as 

is appropriate in that culture, and 

making sure that that follows all the 

way through to the customer—the 

student has to be an example of that. 

As you’re looking at staff development, 

if you want to scale, if you want 

to work on lifestyle things and pursue 

other activities you’ve got to figure 

out how to develop a great staff, and 

your team is really exceptional. What 

are the two or three things that you’re 

really focused on in developing highquality 

staff members? 

AA: The first thing I would say is that 

you have to not expand prematurely. I’ve 

talked so many school owners out of opening 

a second location. You have to be careful 

that you don’t bite off more than you can 

chew because sometimes you can make more 

money having one really good school, versus 

three or four that are mediocre, right? So 

we always say it’s mastery, not mediocrity. 

That’s the big thing. Years ago there was a 

guy standing in my lobby. He’s an ex-biker, 

single dad, his wife left him, his hair is really 

long and greasy, he’s leaning up against the 

wall, he’s like, “I’m depressed. I’m out of 

work. I can’t handle life. I’m nearly going to 

commit suicide.” I’m like, “Hey, do you need 

a job?” I hire the guy. 

MAW: We can fix that! We can fix you! 

AA: Right. What the heck? If he had a 

resume that said all that stuff, I would shred 

it as fast as I could and run from it, but as 

instructors we tend to hire people because 

we’re compassionate for them or we want to 

fill seats. We’re not like a CEO or a company 

that is looking for a great manager or a head 

person -- they’re looking at the resume, the 

qualifications, their experience. We need 

to do better vetting of our people. It’s about 

hiring correctly for the job. We can try to 

take a kid who wants to learn martial arts 

and eventually turn him into an instructor, 

and then eventually try to turn him into a 

manager when, in reality, he just doesn’t 

have that personality trait. We have to be 

really careful what position we put people in. 

We don’t want to overburden them as well, 

because they may be a great instructor, but 

is Proud to present 

Martial Arts Business Leader of the Year 

to Shihan Allie Alberigo 

at the 2019 Think Tank 

October 11-12, 2019 

Raleigh, NC 27612 


they might not be good at recordkeeping, 

organization, sales; so we have to make sure 

that we take that quality and we put them in 

there. 

My good friend John Gaysten from Illinois 

trains with the Gracies. He said to me 

that one of the Gracie brothers, Royce, who 

he trains under, said to John, “When I teach 

you the choke, or you teach the choke, do 

you do it once? Do you do it five times?” 

He goes, “No, we keep on working on it.” 

“And do you correct him along the way?” 

“Yes.” 

“And how many times have you done this 

choke?” 

“Oh, maybe a thousand times, ten thousand 

times.” 

“Well, why don’t you do that with your 

staff?” 

Why aren’t we correcting them, and 

teaching them, and re-correcting them? 

I just got rid of a few people recently that 

don’t have what it takes to be the program 

manager. I’d rather have no one than have 

someone that’s doing a bad job. It’s scaring 

away more people than anything. So, it’s 

finding the right people and training them 

regularly, but also finding the right person 

for that actual job. 

MAW: Whether it’s martial arts or any 

other activity, if it’s not a good fit, then the 

longer you stay in it, the more time you 

waste not the more opportunity you find. 

High-performing martial artists do not always 

equal great teachers. Just because I won 

a gold medal in the Olympics doesn’t mean 

that I can communicate with a seven-yearold, 

or I can articulate that to a 19-year-old 

adult, or a 45-year-old man who had 

back surgery two months ago. 

AA: I just recently tried a new model 

over the last two years where I’m hiring 

people from outside my system because 

it’s pretty hard. Ninjutsu is very 

specific but I hired some people who 

were strikers or grapplers because we 

do all of that. One guy that works for 

me now, his real expertise is in striking 

and grappling, so he takes that portion 

of the class and runs those drills; 

people love that with him. But they’re 

not coming to him for all of the really 

antiquated martial arts techniques 

that I teach. I’ve hired other people that 

were from my system, they knew my 


Cover Story 

martial art, and they were terrible. Their 

attitudes were terrible. They taught terribly. 

They just scared more people away or turned 

more people off than they were worth. And 

I was like, “Everyone starts somewhere,” but 

I’m not thinking of it the right way. I was 

hurting my business by being kind to him, 

and you have to be very careful that you 

don’t do that. 

MAW: We have to be as granular and as 

pedantic at the teaching skills that we are 

teaching our instructors as we are about the 

nuances of the style that they’re learning. 

AA: It’s also about storytelling. You can 

learn the systems and go through the drills 

and teach them, but you still also have to 

have a certain charisma and personality. 

Not everyone is born with that. They have 

to have some dynamic to them that makes 

people drawn to them. My only recommendation 

is to hire an instructor that’s twice as 

dynamic as you. You can still be the owner 

and teach the high ranks, but you’re not 

going to be able to grow your school because 

you don’t have that personality, you don’t 

have that attitude; people are not going to be 

drawn to you. 

MAW: As the martial arts school operator, 

your role is equal to that of the CEO. So 

the whole “Grandmaster: It’s my art, and 

I’m the guy” thing is great for technical, but 

really bad for everything else. What’s been 

your experience in that? You’ve worked 

with a lot of clients that have fallen into that 

category. 

AA: I remember training with Steven 

Seagal and he said to me that the biggest 

problem with the martial arts is you can’t 

have an organization if you’re not organized. 

Another reason I hate the fact that people 

call things “McDojos” is because if anyone 

ran their school like McDonald’s ran their 

business, they would be the biggest business 

in the world. Thinking about Hamburger 

University, how they make their hamburgers 

and then move it from one section to 

the next section so nothing is ever missed; 

so they can replicate the same taste, feel, 

no matter what country they’re in; so that 

someone knows they’re getting the same 

quality. Why would that be a bad thing if 

you were a McDojo? Because it means you’d 

be teaching and everyone would come out 

quality black belts. 

But I get it. It’s fast food, it’s quick and 

easy; that’s the side that most of these martial 

artists are seeing. But I love the systemization 

and that’s so very important. If we 

were a brand-new college and, let’s say, we 

were around for ten years and people came 

to our college and we said only one percent 

of the people graduate, I don’t think I’d want 

to be in your college. I want to go to a college 

that has a higher rate of graduation; that has 

a higher rate of job fulfillment, a higher rate 

of education. But yet, in our schools, some of 

these people brag, “Yeah, I’ve only promoted 

four black belts.” How long have you been 

open? “Oh, like 40 years.” Well, maybe 

you’re not doing a good job at this, are you? 

What are you doing wrong? What is it that 

you’re missing? I’m not asking you to sell 

out, I just want to know what your sticking 

points are, your problems, your issues that 

these people are not coming through your 

door. 

MAW: Harvard’s graduation rate is 87% 

over four years. That means they drop out 

3.25% a year. Most martial arts drop out 

more than double that per month. Who has 

higher quality standards? Does Harvard have 

low quality standards? No. Are their teachers 

really crappy? No. Are their outcomes kind 

of not-great? No. 

AA: And what are they charging? 

MAW: $64,780 a year right now. 

AA: Exactly, and we’re charging $130 a 

month and people are like, “I don’t know if 

it’s worth it.” Sometimes we’re the best-kept 

secret in our own school. I’ve had a school, 

maybe about a year-and-a-half ago, some 

guy says, “You’re not the only guy in town. I 

could go to anyone in town.” 

I said, “If you want to go to any other 

martial arts school, you’re correct, but I 

am the only guy in town that teaches what 

I teach.” There’s no one, in fact, on Long 

Island, unless they were my student, that 

teaches this style. So you’re wrong in that 

respect, but you may think that I’m the only 

one in town. Maybe I didn’t do my job to explain 

it to him enough how special we really 

are and that’s a big problem many schools 

fall into as well. 

MAW: Your role as a CEO, as it was Steve 

Jobs’ role, is you’re the mouthpiece for the 

company. You’re the figurehead. You’re the 

face of the company. If you’re not going to 

be out there tooting your own horn, who 

will? Nobody is going to do it for you. 

Shihan Alberigo with his proudest accomplishment: 

his daughter Kiara. 

AA: And if you feel embarrassed, then do 

something with your staff and educate them 

on how to do it for you; or the parents that 

love you -- have them help you with that. I’m 

not saying I brag about who I am, I just talk 

about our school and why it’s so awesome. 

I’m only a small component of that. The 

parents are a component, the students are 

a component, my instructors are a component, 

my staff; this is something that we 

forget. Sometimes we are afraid to talk about 

who we are, and what we do, and why it’s so 

special. 

MAW: If you’re truly invested and 

interested in the long-term outcome of your 

students, then financial success in this is 

a direct result of that. It’s not about learning 

shady sales tactics and some bright, 

shiny pieces of technology to help do all 

this stuff. Your time with us today helped 

to underscore that quite a bit. If you are 

interested in having Shihan Allie take a look 

at your operation and shed light on some 

dark corners that might need it, TakingIt- 

ToTheNextLevel.com is a good place to get 

started. Believe me, it’s valuable time to 

spend; you need somebody in your ear who 

can see what’s really going on and help you 

overcome obstacles. And I think that one of 

the things that you’re accomplishing with 

clients is giving them that level of perspective 

that they might not have. 

AA: Absolutely. 


School Profile 

Korea Taekwondo is Part of the 

New York City School System 

Master Regina Im’s Korea Taekwondo is the only one among thousands of martial arts schools 

in New York City with a contract as an educational vendor with the New York Department of 

Education. She leveraged that influence to establish strong and growing school. 

Master Im teaches Taekwondo as an enrichment program to students in the New York City School System. 

MAW: Master Im, would you mind filling us in on the history of 

this program? 

RI: There was a big opportunity given by the Korean Consulate 

– like maybe 2005 – when Taekwondo got accepted as physical 

education in Massachusetts. In 2008 they opened that information 

to the public through the Korean Consulate, so I attended a workshop 

and I realized that this would be a great opportunity for Taekwondo 

masters and the public schools. 

I collected the information from the Korean Consulate. . . . I was 

told that the grandmasters were trying to get into the New York 

City public school system for decades. When I eventually connected 

with a principal, no one else wanted to teach the course, so I ended up 

teaching the course myself with my two colleagues. 

We offered the program for free for one 

semester, in order to build the reputation 

and relationship. The next school 

year we taught in 5 schools to prove that 

Taekwondo would work for New York 

City kids: Two of them were high schools, 

one of them was middle school, and two of 

them were elementary schools. The 

next semester we started getting 

paid from the principals. 

MAW: And this is for 

teaching one time a week for a 

Master Regina Im 

15-week course? 

RI: Yes. This school year we taught in 17 different public schools. . 

. . we average about 7 schools per month. 

MAW: What advantages has this program had for your professional 

martial arts school? 

RI: In 2008 we really didn’t have anything . . . we didn’t have 

money for a school, but teaching in the public schools didn’t cost us 

anything (only time). After 2 years of teaching in the school system, 

we opened our Taekwondo dojang in 2010. Until 2015 our focus was 

only the public schools, so our dojang was very small – I had less than 

100 students, maybe 900 square feet. 

MAW: And in 2015 you moved. How quickly did you grow after 

that? 

RI: When we moved, we had 70 students, because not everyone 

was able to come with us. We went from 900 square feet to 2,500 

square feet and we have over 300 members now, and about 270 of 

them are active. 

MAW: What would you say is the key ingredient that separates 

your school from other schools and enabled you to become an educational 

vendor with the Department of Education? 

RI: We know what the school wants, we know what the principal 

wants, and we know what the kids need. We teach P.E. in charter 

schools where they don’t have a full-time P.E. Teacher. In regular 

schools we don’t call it P.E., we call it an enrichment program. If you 

visit our school website at http://ktkd.nyc there is a media kit that 

explains what we do for our New York City public schools. 

MAW: Thank you, Ma’am, for sharing your experience with us. 


School Profile 

Martial Arts World of Lake Mary 

Chief Instructor Juan Villamizar opened his 2,400 square foot school a few years ago in 

a prime location, teaching seven classes a day. Like many schools, he struggled at first, 

but then had two major breakthroughs. 

Martial Arts World of Lake Mary had maxed out their after school program and needed to find a bigger location. 

AMS: How was it going the first year you opened, Sir? 

JV: It was rough, Sir, we were just making the bills . . . not a lot 

of profit, so everything was focused on how we could make a solid 

profit and keep it stable. 

AMS: And then about a year into it you opened the after school 

program? 

JV: Yes, Sir, once we opened up the after school program, that totally 

gave us less stress because that covered our bills, so the evening 

program was pure profit. 

AMS: So, a struggling school, even in a prime location, started an 

after school program and jumped into profit fairly quickly. 

JV: Yes, Sir. 

AMS: So let’s set up where you were a year ago today: roughly how 

much were you making a month? 

JV: We were making about $14,000 a 

month. 

AMS: So that’s your baseline, and then 

you jumped into the iENROLL System 

in ATLAS Pro. How quickly did it make a 

difference? 

JV: It took about 1 month before it 

really started kicking in, but then I was 

getting opt ins at 1:00 in the morning, 

2:00 in the morning, 6:00 in the 

morning. It was really an exciting 

Chief Instructor Juan Villamizar time because the next day of business 

we were just focused on getting them in and teaching a quality 

class. 

AMS: So . . . that much difference: By the second month, you were 

getting daily referrals – at least one person every day. 

JV: At least one person every day, Sir. Some days we’d have 5 or 6, 

but minimum one a day. 

AMS: Fantastic. Now, what difference does that make as far as 

your income? 

JV: We ramped up another $6,000.00 a month and maxed out our 

after school program – but because of the space we could only handle 

about 45 after schoolers in that location. 

AMS: So you literally filled your school and you had to start looking 

for another place to move? 

JV: Yes, Sir. Because the system was working really well for us, I 

didn’t really need a prime location. So I found a secondary location 

just about 1 mile down the road, $4000 cheaper (half the rent) and 

the space was almost double the size at 3,400 square feet. 

AMS: Wow! That’s quite a difference! You earned an extra 

$6,000, saved an extra $4,000, got a bigger space and maxed out your 

after school program! 

JV: Yes. I feel very lucky, Sir. 

AMS: Thank you, Sir, for sharing that with us. We look forward to 

your continued success and getting an update in the future. 

To learn more about the ATLAS Pro system that made such a 

dramatic difference in Instructor Villamizar’s school, go to 

AtlasMartialArtsSoftware.com. 


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The Warrior Way 

Confidence 

Part 2: Confidence is Born of Experience 

GRANDMASTER 

BILL CLARK is a 

9th-degree black 

belt and a former 

PKA Fighter of 

the Year. He is 

widely considered 

one of the top 

experts in martial 

arts business with 

over 30 years of 

leadership and 

innovation, having 

been inducted 

into almost every 

Hall of Fame in the 

industry. He is one 

of the largest multischool 

owners in 

the world. 

➽Experience is the second factor 

in building self-confidence. Selfconfidence, 

like any other ability, 

is learned. Through repeated and 

educated risk taking, you gain 

experience and your confidence 

in your own judgment grows. 

Eventually, you are guided by the 

desire for achievement, rather than 

the avoidance of what you fear. This 

increase in confidence is the product 

of practice and experience. 

You can gain experience easily: 

• Involve yourself in your industry’s trade 

association, 

• Coach a local soccer, baseball, or football 

team, 

• Volunteer your services to a local charity 

organization, 

• Join a local Toastmasters, Rotary Club, or 

fraternal organization, 

• Get on the homeowners committee, PTA 

board, or Save the Trees committee. 

Opportunities to take a leadership position 

and gain experience are all around you. All 

you have to do is pick one, then lift up the phone, and take 

action. The experience you gain in the politics, processes, 

and problems of leadership will form the groundwork for 

dealing with situations you will face on a grander scale as a 

leader in your organization. 

As Lee Iacocca, the famed CEO who brought Chrysler 

back from the brink in the late 1980’s once said, “My overnight 

success, like most overnight success, was 20 years 

in the making.” Indeed, there can be no long-term success 

without practice and experience. Once success is achieved 

on one level, it cannot be maintained or surpassed without 

more practice. 

Become an Expert 

The third factor in building confidence is not just to 

acquire knowledge and experience, but to become really 

good at something. Demonstrate a measure of achievement 

in some field. Everyone can be good at something. 

For example, when I was told I was good at Taekwondo, 

when I first began to train as an adult, this was the first 

time in my life I had been told I was good at something, 

and that changed my life. 

Use the confidence you derive from things you do 

well to carry over to other aspects of your life. Focus your 

thoughts on a hobby or pastime at which you excel. 

Now consider what conditions or circumstances allow 

you to excel at this particular pursuit. How could you recreate 

some of these conditions to help you excel in other 

areas of your life? As the great scientist Marie Curie said, 

“Life is not easy for any of us, but what of that? We must 

above all have confidence in ourselves. We must believe 

that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at 

whatever cost, must be attained.” 

For more information 

visit TheEvolutionOfKrav.com 


Do You Serve Martial Arts Professionals? 

Share Your Message in 

For Sponsorship Options & Packages 

Visit: MartialArtsWorldNews.com or Call Jeff @ 407-895-1996 

Seeking Stories! 

Martial Arts World News Magazine is the definitive 

source for information, news, education, ethical 

business practices, product reviews and innovative 

developments in the world of martial arts business. 

We are always on the look out for notable, engaging 

and valuable stories for our readers! 

If you, your school, organization, event, product, or service has a 

story that might be of value to our readers, we’d love to hear 

about it! 


Contact us at: 407-895-1996 

or Email Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com

Growth Hacks 

What Would You Do with an 

Extra $50,000.00? 

SEAN LEE is the 

Executive Director 

of Sales and 

Marketing working 

with hundreds of 

martial arts schools, 

who specializes in 

online and social 

media marketing 

using his extensive 

professional 

experience in sport 

and martial arts 

marketing, contract 

negotiation, and 

investment. 

➽Would you get a bigger school? New floors or new 

equipment for your students? Maybe buy a new car? 

Spending $50,000 isn’t really hard. Most people already 

know what they would do with the money. The main problem 

for most of us is earning 

that extra $50,000. 

Fortunately, you are a 

martial arts school owner, so 

making an extra $50,000 is not 

that hard. All you need to do is 

start an AMSkids program that 

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you can do it this year. 

It’s not magic. It takes work, but most martial artists I 

know aren’t afraid of work. The difference is that with the 

AMSkids program you get paid well for your work. With 

only 12 new students in your After School Program and 

Summer Camp, you could earn an extra $50,000 this year. 

Of course, if you get more than 12 new students, you can 

earn more income. 

‘‘Fortunately, you are a martial arts 

school owner, so making an extra 

$50,000 is not that hard.’’ 

Schools who already have an AMSkids program will tell 

you that their students behave better and have better technique 

than their night-time students because they spend 

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The best part is that we have 

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We can tell you step-by-step 

how to get it started, and how to 

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Ninja Business Tactics 


AN-SHU 

STEPHEN HAYES 

has authored 20 

books, served 

as the personal 

security attaché 

for the Dali Lama, 

is responsible 

for over 30 

school locations 

worldwide, and 

was named “A 

legend; one of the 

10 most influential 

living martial artists 

in the world” 

by Black Belt 

Magazine 

➽I think certainly the decor is a crucial 

element. If you’re aiming at upper income 

people, these are people who maybe go to 

a country club, their dentist office that they 

go to is beautiful, where they work may be 

nice, and then they come to your martial arts 

school and it’s just an empty room with a 

couple of mats and white walls and a couple 

of slogans painted on the walls… Whoa! This 

is not what I’m used to! And so it can set up 

a disconnect already with the person. So 

our training hall is very colorful – we have 

it painted in maroon and a deep gold, with 

green walls in certain areas, and lots of wood. 

And by all means, get rid of the folding chairs! That’s 

an expectation thing, you know. “Well, we had folding 

chairs in my place when I was learning.” Yeah, but you 

learned in a crummy little basement from a hobbyist. 

Get rid of the folding chairs. It doesn’t cost that much 

more money to buy nice padded chairs. Put up other 

inspiring things… but that’s just my opinion. 

A lot of us are so familiar with our martial art, and if we 

have an Asian background, we’re familiar with that Asian 

background and the language. Then a new person comes 

in (they know nothing), so they can be intimidated by all 

of that. We wear different clothes, they are bowing before 

they go on the mat, they’re using strange words, they don’t 

know what that means, but everybody else seems to know. 

People can kind of shrink back from that. 

Now that’s in an Asian-oriented martial art. I think 

there are a lot of Americans, younger (much younger than 

me) running schools where it’s run as an American operation, 

they use English, they might have a suit that they 

wear, they might have certain practices, but I think two 

things: I think number one if we can reduce that impression 

on people when they first come in, make it accessible, 

and this relates back to who you have greeting people. You 

have real people making real greetings to individuals. So 

in our schools we borrowed from some of the more liberal 

fundamentalist churches in our area, and they recruit 

people from the church to be greeters — they might do it 

for three months and they even wear a little pin. A real person 

looks around and just greets everybody that comes in. 

So I think that’s one way to start: A warm, cheerful person 

greets you. 

So there are going to be two people who come in: 

Somebody who is just coming in with somebody, and we 

can say, “Are you with somebody here?” They’ll say, “Yeah, 

I brought Becky in — she’s my granddaughter.” The greeter 

will just start a conversation like that, or it will be a new 

person who says, “No I just came in for some information.” 

The greeter will say, “Oh, wonderful!” So you've right 

away found out who they are, and you’ve gotten over that 

awkward kind of thing. 

The second thing that I think is important when people 

are coming in is that people are doing martial arts these 

days for all kinds of reasons. Obviously, there’s a fitness 

crowd who think, “Hey, I’m bored at the gym, and I just 

want to lose some weight.” We don’t really deal with that 

a lot in our school. We’re qualified, we’ve tried fitness programs 

with very personable instructors, and our people are 

interested in something a little deeper. If you want to go 

lose weight go to the gym. And even self-defense, as obvious 

as that is, you know with all the laws these days regarding 

self-defense and getting into fights — just carry a little 

shocker thing, and you’ve got self-defense handled. So we 

ask, “Why are you really here?” There’s a deeper level of 

what people are experiencing, but this could be my schools 

and the emphasis that I put on personal development using 

the martial arts curriculum as a way to set up parallels for 

conflicts people have at home, or at work, or at school, or 

wherever they go — that may be unique to our schools. 


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Pillars of Success 

The Difference Between 

Culture and Principle 

GRANDMASTER 

Y. K. KIM Is the 

most successful 

martial arts 

business leader 

in the US, having 

written over 30 

books on martial 

arts, business, 

leadership, and 

success. He has 

won numerous 

public service 

awards and is the 

founder of the 

leading martial 

arts marketing 

and management 

company in the U.S. 

For more 

information visit 

YKKim.com 

➽Unfortunately many people have a misconception 

of the difference between culture and 

principle, which causes pain in their lives and 

prevents them from achieving true success. 

The principles of life are the rules of nature. I cannot, 

you cannot, and nobody can change nature. For a clear 

example, the sun rises in the East and will never rise in 

the West. More personally, whether you are white, yellow, 

or black, you must breathe for survival. Therefore, 

all 7.5 billion people on earth must follow nature to 

survive and succeed. 

Culture is personal or group (organization, ethnicity, 

or country) lifestyle based on what they believe in. 

However, beliefs can change, and cultures can change 

any time. Therefore, if you want to change your life, you 

can change your beliefs and your lifestyle to improve 

yourself for a successful life. 

No matter who you are (white, black, or yellow), without 

harmony and balance -- which is a principle of life 

-- it is like you are disabled. With harmony and balance, 

you can be optimistic about the future! 

Since I found what I was missing, I have worked tirelessly 

to build a balance between physical, mental, moral, 

financial, and life success -- The 5 Pillars of True Success— 

that changed my life. Since then, I felt free from 

mental anguish, and I started to feel healthier, wiser, 

more confident, wealthier, and happier. Now I can say 

that I am truly successful. 

I realized that only achieving the old American 

Dream in the modern world cannot lead to a truly successful 

life. 

The 5 Pillars of True Success empowered me and revolutionized 

my life. It helped thousands of my students, 

and I am sure it will help you: You can be whatever you 

want to be; you can have whatever you want to have; you 

can do whatever you want to do; and you can change your 

lifestyle. You can change your life, you can help change 

others, and if you can help change others, you can change 

the world to make it a better place to live. 

In future columns, I will show you how to build The 5 

Pillars of True Success: Physical, Mental, Moral, Financial, 

and Life Success. If you would like to gain access 

right away, order the book at ykkim.com. 

You will have harmony and balance and an unforgettable 

experience that will transform your life and create 

a successful future. 


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can be whatever you want to be. 

3rd Pillar: Fight for your heart – believe in yourself 

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CHIEF MASTER 

KIRK PELT 



is the President 

of a multi-million 

dollar, multi-school 

organization, has 

a 30 year track 

record of success, 

and is currently 

on the leading 

edge of martial 

arts curriculum 

and business 

innovation. 

➽A modern martial 

arts school needs 

three things to be 

successful: Exceptional 

Curriculum, Exceptional 

Leadership, 

and an Exceptional 

Business System. 

First, an exceptional 

curriculum is easy, exciting, 

and meaningful to 

teach, plus easy, exciting, 

and beneficial to learn. 

Martial arts training 

requires two things: Physical training and a philosophy 

of discipline. Martial arts training without philosophy is 

no different than organized street fighting. But without 

physical training, you have no martial arts because 

without action nothing happens. Action requires a quality 

body, and a quality body requires physical fitness. An exceptional 

curriculum will make your students physically 

fit and mentally strong, so they will stick with you for life. 

Second, exceptional leadership is modern leadership. 

Traditional leadership was positional power; modern 

leadership is personal power. Positional power was based 

on a hierarchy, similar to a master and slave relationship. 

Personal power is based on the individual’s ability to motivate, 

inspire, and assist others to maximize their potential. 

For example, an instructor who relies on positional 

power teaches all students equally by showing the correct 

technique and expecting students to imitate that 

technique as closely as possible, whether they are tall, 

short, thin, fat, old, or young. Positional leaders are strict, 

with little of the flexibility they expect their students to 

develop. 

An instructor who is also a leader, who relies on personal 

power, teaches students fairly, not equally, which means 

he shows the purpose of the technique, how to adapt the 

technique to the individual’s needs, and the benefits of 

training. An instructor who develops his personal power 

will motivate, inspire, and encourage each one of his students 

to maximize their potential, but according to their 

own needs and abilities. He does not expect a 6 year-old 

and a 60 year-old to perform the technique the exact same 

way. He understands their different needs and abilities, 

and helps the student understand there is more to the art 

than the physical expression. 

Third, an exceptional business system must be simple, 

practical, and beneficial, so you can make more, spend less, 

and increase profit. 

The best modern martial arts business systems include 

outstanding software, like ATLAS Pro, that not only save 

time by keeping records and organizing data, but also 

save money by empowering your staff to do more in less 

time. You also need a powerful school website that helps 

you dominate search results and generate positive local 

reviews, and a social media plan that brands your school 

with the benefits your prospective students are looking 

for. Truly exceptional business systems provide all these 

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business systems are constantly evolving, and require a 

relentless pursuit of excellence. To become and remain 

exceptional, you must continually improve your methods 

and expand your options, to take advantage of technological 

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Extraordinary Marketing 

The X-Factor 

GRANDMASTER 

STEPHEN OLIVER, 


black belt and is 

the founder and 

CEO of Mile High 

Karate schools 

and founder of 

the Martial Arts 

Wealth Mastery 

Program, formerly 

Extraordinary 

Marketing. 

➽I’ve been pondering…. What’s the X-Factor 

that makes some school owners wildly successful 

and others failures? It’s a difficult question. 

For some of the answer I’ve looked back to my many 

years running schools. For my own organization, if the 

truth be told, more branch managers failed than succeeded. 

It wasn’t for lack of “Pre-Screening” the new hires. It 

certainly wasn’t a lack of training and training opportunities. 

It wasn’t for a lack of effective systems. 

Most in our industry fail by default. They never really 

look for education. Never get an opportunity to learn 

about all of the many details that are involved with really 

running a business. They think that their Martial Arts 

Skill and Knowledge will be enough. Really, it’s only a 

meager beginning. Some of the most skilled and knowledgeable 

martial artists of our generation have died broke, 

or were forced to make their living doing something else 

-- forever doomed to be an amateur at their first love and 

to be a professional at something else. 

But that basic ignorance that most unfortunately never 

get beyond isn’t what I’m trying to figure out. The harder 

issue is, “What makes otherwise intelligent people with 

access to all of the necessary systems and training fail 

anyway?” 

In my own company I was the “Turn-Around” guy. 

Jeff Smith did it for most of his years with the Jhoon Rhee 

Institute: The #1 Location was always the one that he was 

directly running or supervising. I would periodically put 

myself in my worst location and get it going. When I had it 

run up to #1 by a pretty good distance, I’d turn it back over 

to a staff member with the admonition that there would 

be hell to pay if it fell more than 10-15%. It was both the 

“Lead-Dog” theory of management (everyone will pace the 

leader), and proof that all of the excuses used by the previous 

manager were only that: excuses. It wasn’t the location. 

It wasn’t the community. It was the staff. 

What was startling was how quickly most of the 

turnarounds happened. Often it was clean house of the bad 

attitudes and all of the unnecessary stuff (well organized 

files, collections of marketing materials never distributed, 

etc.) and then almost a vertical rise to huge numbers. 

But back to the “X-Factor.” What is it that most are 

missing that only a few have? 

I can tell you that it’s NOT I.Q. Certainly to be successful 

you must be fairly intelligent, but some of the most 

intelligent and educated (not, the same thing, by the way) 

school owners that I’ve known have failed. 

It’s not Charisma. While it’s nice to have that trait – 

naturally or learned – it’s not the key. I’ve hired A LOT 

of highly charismatic instructors over the years. I’ve seen 

very low-key school owners and staff be very successful, 

even though some of them were rather severe introverts. 

It’s also not training. Although it’s NECESSARY to 

learn all of the skills of running a business, I’ve had staff 

members who could teach someone else everything but 

just couldn’t execute themselves. I’ve worked with owners 

who could “write the book” but couldn’t run their business. 

Honesty. This is A Key. But, it’s not enough. If you 

don’t CONSTANTLY LEARN, then you fall behind. Keep 

Learning. Keep Relearning. 

What’s the key? 

To really expand a school you need a high level of 

“Esprit De Corps.” 

Among the student body, among the leadership in the 

school, and among the staff. Some think that’s high energy 

classes. It’s not. Some think it’s success in tournaments. 

It’s not. Some think it’s about high levels of athletic talent 

among the students. It’s not. 

What is VERY important is a genuine team atmosphere 

in your school. It’s about each individual being 

recognized as an individual. It’s about high levels of rapport 

between staff and students – AND – among students 

and parents. It’s about the entire school being a family and 

a series of “small families” among different belt levels or 

“teams.” It’s also about a family environment throughout 

the school. 

Often in turning around a failing school the first 

thing I did was fire 10-20% of the student body. Well, actually 

first I’d fire the Branch Manager and/or the balance of 

the staff. Then I’d go about very quickly and aggressively 

weeding out the “cancer” in the school. See, really in a 

failing school often the “WRONG” students stay and the 

“RIGHT ONES” drop out. Many who would have been fine 

with the right leadership become cancerous. Some of them 

can be fixed (you’d be amazed at the positive benefits of 

100 new white belts on everyone’s attitude), while others 

must go away before they infect any of the new people. 

Staff’s the same thing. You can’t hire great new people if 

you let the old ones with bad attitudes or low expectations 

“infect them.” 

For a Free Copy of Two of Stephen’s Books, goto: 

www.MartialArtsWealth.com 


After School Excellence 

Gain the Secret to Skyrocket 

Your Enrollment 

CHIEF MASTER 

MIKE BUGG is 

an 8th degree 


the owner of a 1.5 

million-dollar-a-year 

location, with one 

of the largest after 

school and summer 

camp programs in 

the country. 

➽The best place for you to find students 

to join your school is in school . . . academic 

schools, that is. Academic schools are the best 

places to find potential students for your kids 

program: Thousands of potential students in 

your neighborhood, all in one place. 

What gives your martial arts school a secret advantage 

over other businesses when it comes to getting into 

academic schools? You also run a school and you are also 

an educator! Your 

goals are in line with 

those of your local 

academic schools: To 

help children learn 

and grow in a positive 

environment, and to 

equip them with the 

skills to be the leaders 

of the future. You 

are not selling video 

games or junk food. 

You are selling a better 

way of life, better 

behavior, and the hope with schools and other local businesses. 

of a successful life. 

The best-kept secret for you to “break into” the school 

system is the Partners in Education program. The Partners 

in Education program is designed to connect businesses 

that care about the education of children in their community 

with schools. The type of relationships and opportunities 

are limited only by your imagination. You can go to 

the academic school and teach a gym class or be a judge at 

the science fair. You can teach a class on how to Stop the 

Bully or donate athletic equipment to the physical education 

program. You buy an ad in their school newsletter 

(online or printed) or offer prizes for school contests and 

competitions. You can even sponsor a fundraiser for the 

school or the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). 

The secret advantage of being a Partner in Education 

is that it gives you an opportunity to get to know the children 

in your community, the teachers, and the parents. 

You can gain great exposure for your school without ever 

distributing a single flyer or hanging even one poster. 

While other schools struggle to make a name in their communities 

with expensive radio buys, you are building real 

relationships with prospective students. Then, when you 

circulate flyers, hang posters, or post on social media concerning 

a special event or to make a special offer at your 

school, you’re likely to see a much better response. 

Being a Partner in Education also opens doors to you 

with other local businesses for joint promotions and partnerships. 

You can 

exchange coupons 

and offers, trade flyers, 

hang posters, and 

share posts on each 

other’s social media 

pages. You can copromote 

the release 

of new films, work 

with family restaurants, 

and even work 

with other martial 

arts schools. 

Getting involved 

in the Partners in Education 

program is easy. Just call each school in your immediate 

community and ask about their program. If they don’t 

have one, perhaps you can start one and become their new 

favorite community supporter. The key to any communication 

with public (and private) schools is to begin with 

what YOU can offer THEM. They are not particularly 

interested in helping you get rich. They are interested in 

their own goals and events, so the quicker you can provide 

something of value for them, the quicker you will earn 

their trust and cooperation. Then, after you have done 

enough for them to feel indebted to you, you can ask for 

something in return. 

I personally have a great relationship with my local 

schools from being a partner in education and from 

teaching P.E. classes. It has been so successful for my after 

school martial arts program that teachers and guidance 

counselors often refer students (and their parents) to my 

program. 

Being a Partner in Education opens doors for joint promotions and partnerships 


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Have Your School, Organization, 

Accomplishment or Event Featured in 

Martial Arts World News Magazine! 

As professional martial arts school owners and 

instructors, it’s important that we stay up to date with 

the latest tools, tactics, and strategies for operating a 

successful martial arts school or organization. 

We here at Martial Arts World News Magazine are 

on an unstoppable mission to help our industry grow, 

and one of the best ways to do that is by sharing 

“what’s working” and what’s not! 

So, we want to feature schools, school owners, 

instructors, organizations, students, and industry 

contributors that might have a story our readers would 

find valuable. 

No story is too small or to big for consideration so 

long as there is value to our readers! 

• One of your students 

overcame great obstacles 

to achieve their Black Belt? 

Awesome! 

• You’ve opened a new 

location? Great! We’d love to 

hear about it! 

• Your martial arts association 

just set a new record? Great! 

Send us some information! 


Send your Story Idea to us Email Editor@MartialArtsWorldNews.com 

Or Contact us at: 407-895-1996

the 

like a champ 

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breaking 

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leadership 

C H I P T O W N S E N D 

14x ISKA World Champion, Multiple World Record Holder 

"I knew Break Like a Champ could really help our school. We 

had been doing several things incorrectly in regards to 

breaking, with material selection and holding techniques. 

BLAC has made such a huge difference in our school! In a few 

months, we will have made back what we spent just by being 

associated with BLAC! I really believe BLAC will add 

tremendous value to any school!" 

-Chance Burleson, owner Chance Legends Dojo 

h a m p i o n p a c k a g e 

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Message me for booking 

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"It doesn't matter the size of your school, the demographics or 

ranks of your students, Chip Townsend helps with all aspects 

of running a successful martial arts school!" 

-Justin Cuellar, Owner of Atalla County Martial Arts

Tactical Self-defense 

First Impressions! 

GRANDMASTER 

TOM PATIRE, 

is known as 

“America’s Leading 

Personal Safety 

Expert” and has 

appeared on Good 

Morning America, 

The CBS Morning 

Show, The Colbert 

Report, Montel, 

plus in mainstream 

publications such 

as Family Circle, 

Redbook, Fortune 

Magazine, and The 

Wall Street Journal. 

He has written 

several books 

and has personal 

safety programs 

that can be 

incorporated into 

your martial arts 

school, available at 

TomPatire.com. 

➽ When I took on one of the biggest challenges in my 

life, which was writing a book on Personal Protection for 

the mainstream (Personal Protection Handbook), my 

research, interviews, and exploration of human nature 

lead me to some unique discoveries that not only made my 

book better, but also allowed me to grow as a person and 

a published writer. One of my main discoveries was the 

proof that a picture is worth a thousand words, and those 

words can become good press or bad press in the world of 

advertisement depending on the photo itself. Here is what 

I mean: 

Since this publication is in the world of growing martial 

arts businesses, we all need to realize that the majority 

of the everyday people are not attracted to ads that focus 

on fear factors, combat, or annihilation. Why? Simply 

because good people avoid ads or TV commercials like that 

for many different reasons. Now that doesn’t mean that 

systems with combative techniques, which many in the 

martial arts are based on, should not be taught. What this 

means is that you must approach advertisement in a more 

civilized, diplomatic manner, in a way to intrigue your 

customer base and not scare them or turn them off. 

Here’s my proof: I selected a group of moms and dads 

from an organization my wife belongs to in order to 

gather some feedback on advertising for my book. I asked 

them to review three different types of ads that all focused 

on different martial arts based programs. The reason why 

I did this is I needed to see what goes through everyday, 

non-trained people’s minds when they view ads from the 

martial arts community. I used photos already out in the 

mainstream through different publications, except I left 

the systems out and just let the picture do the talking. 

The first photo was a well-groomed guy in a very plain 

white martial arts uniform, wearing a black belt with four 

stripes. The photo was non-aggressive and the person 

wearing the uniform was in his mid 50’s. The feedback on 

the photo was as follows: 

1. Wow look at the stripes on the belt. 

2. He must have started as a youngster in order to 

become that high of a black belt. 

3. That’s some accomplishment, but takes too much 

time. 

The second photo was another guy about the same age 

in street clothing grabbing someone’s throat and eyes, and 

screaming as he was doing it. His eyes were wide open and 

his face was full of aggressiveness. The photo represented 

the complete look at combative arts. The feedback on the 

photo was as follows: 

1. That guy is insane. 

2. There is no way I can ever do that to another person. 

3. Which one is the bad guy? 

The third photo was a man wearing a plain black belt 

in a white uniform, helping a child kick who was a white 

belt wearing a white uniform. The man, again, was similar 

in age to the other photos. His demeanor came across as 

gentle and helpful, and the child (who was about 9 years of 

age) had a genuine smile on his face as he was executing his 

kick. This photo represented the warmer side of martial 

arts. The feedback on the photo was as follows: 

1. I would like to learn more about this school. 

2. The child looks like he is really having fun. 

3. Finally something that is non-aggressive for my 

child. 

The lesson that I learned from these comments and 

others like them is that in order to broaden our market, 

we need to broaden our vision. To do that you need to get 

out in the community and make martial arts more people 

friendly. Right now many of us either cater to children or 

to young adults, but we all know or should know that the 

adult market is seriously lacking. For this to change we 

need to educate ourselves on the adult market, which takes 

more community interaction by opening more direct 

lines. The key to your success will be to listen and adapt 

and become that chameleon that can change colors according 

to environments. Remember: Success is not given; it’s 

achieved. 

Until next time - Be Safe! 


Complete Martial Arts Concepts 

How to be a COMPLETE 

MARTIAL ARTIST 

as you develop the mind, body and SPIRIT of a CHAMPION 

PROFESSOR 

WILLIE “THE 

BAM” JOHNSON 



7-time sport karate 

and kung-fu world 

champion. He has 

appeared in 4 

movies, 16 stage 

plays, 11 television 

shows and two 

videos. He is 

also the national 

spokesperson for 

the Stronger than 

Drugs Foundation 

and the Champions 

Against Drugs. 

➽It took a 6’ by 8’ jail cell for me to realize that I had the 

qualities of a complete martial artist. I struggled with the 

thought of the inside being like a tunnel and losing my 

breath from being claustrophobic. I had to go three inches 

below my belly button and realize that the true teacher was 

inside of me. Through the screams, emotions, pain, and 

tears, I began to become one with my movement, and that 

allowed me to make it through twelve months of incarceration 

in a maximum-security prison without a fight, sex, 

drugs, or any of the old behavior that got me there. 

Because of the foundation I came from, all of the 

tools I needed were inside of me because my Kung-Fu 

journey was always about becoming a Complete Martial 

Artist, which is 360 degrees of knowledge. Yes, a person 

that understands the blending of hard and soft, and soft 

and hard, must be an individual that strives to be a great 

person, a great technician, a great student, a great parent, 

a great husband, and a great teacher. 

As my movement supported my next level of growth, 

fighting (yes, fighting wisely and training proficiently), 

each day I focused on combat and fitness. At this point of 

my training, it was more about the attributes I needed to 

have to bring a mindful flow to all I do. This was the part 

of being ready to express myself, telling my story, and 

being true to myself. There is a saying that goes like this: 

“Who we are is God’s gift to us, and what we do with this 

gift is our gift back to God.” 

This approach to my transformation showed me how to 

live in the seconds of each minute, making sure the small, 

unseen things empower me. A transformation of such magnitude 

was a struggle because I had to surrender in order to 

win. Yes, I had to let go of all I thought I knew, as I became 

more effective in all aspects of my life; cutting out all wasted 

time. My daily journey included praying, writing, meditation, 

listening to music, studying people skills, communication 

development, business planning, practicing UMAC 

(Universal Martial Arts Concepts), and script writing. Yes, I 

created two plans for success: My negative lifestyle plan and 

my positive lifestyle plan. Through all of this, I learned to 

love myself and became my own best friend. 

I began to discover the holistic universal approach 

to martial arts rather than a simple egotistical selfgratifying 

approach. I began to like the benefits of 

martial arts and how they would help me to live the life 

of a complete martial artist in this fast-paced world. It’s 

about universal principles and traditional values, with a 

modern approach. Regardless of which martial art you 

practice or your level of experience, this story will help 

you to dig deep within yourself to find the inner harmony 

of self-expression and the ability to flow in harmony 

with the universe. You will see that Mixed Martial Arts 

is nothing new, and that all we have is a stylish display of 

our own interpretation that is burst upon the ABCs of the 

entire martial arts family. You begin to understand that 

martial arts, with a philosophy, do help develop you into a 

complete martial artist with the mind, body, and spirit of 

a champion. Remember, champions do what they have to 

do and not what they want to do. 

This journey of being complete is never-ending, and 

the value of it all is priceless and limitless. We are on a 

never-ending journey of personal mastery, learning to be 

as one with all things good and bad. We will use these personal 

discoveries as stepping-stones to personal greatness. 

I was once asked who mentors the mentor. The answer is 

the mentor, and this is a must, especially when the time 

comes for you to stand for something or fall or anything. 

It’s going to be between you and God. 

You see, we all need to successfully express ourselves 

and all that is within us. The teacher, coach, parent, or 

leader is only there to help you discover this creative 

spirit that provides solutions to all problems. You 

just have to get out of your own way and trust in the 

process. Essentially, they are not the motivator, they 

are an extension of that intense unstoppable force or 

the urban spirit. 

So on this selfish quest to be your best, you will 

become selfless and a great leader that teaches people to 

find themselves. Once again, like me, you will realize that 

when the student is ready, the teacher will appear, and 

that spiritual teacher is the God within us all. 


The Millionaire Smarts Coach 

Think Big 

LEE MILTEER 

is an Intuitive 

Business Coach, 

Award-Winning 

Professional 

Speaker, and TV 

Personality who 

has counseled 

and trained over 

a million people 

throughout her 

career. Lee is 

Stephen Oliver’s 

Martial Arts 

Wealth Mastery’s 

Millionaire Smarts 

Coach and is also a 

best-selling author 

of educational 

resources 

like Success is An 

Inside Job and 

Overcoming 

Unproductive 

Behaviors. 

➽To really get to the next level in life, you 

have to THINK BIG. Your success, or lack 

of it, reflects what is in your mind. Your 

current reality and success is the sum of 

all the thoughts you have had about going 

to the next level. If your life seems small, 

it’s probably because your dominant visual 

picture of your life has been small. If 

you think big, you will get big results. 

I want to share with you a personal story. At a 

very young age my father told me that if I did not 

know what to do in a social environment, I was to 

look around for the most successful person in the 

room and copy her or him. This advice has served me very 

well both personally and in business. 

My first real grownup job after being a Radio DJ was 

to sell advertising for a Radio station in Norfolk, Virginia. 

When I first got into sales, I did what most salespeople do: 

call on an account, sell them, and then service the account 

well, hoping for repeat business. I was always trying to find 

new accounts and going through the entire process again 

and again. 

I started to notice that the most successful salespeople 

seemed to work on big accounts, not a hundred small ones. 

Now, I’m not a person who believes you should put all your 

eggs in one basket, but I did start to see the cumulative effect 

of working on big accounts with multiple locations. It 

was a more effective and efficient way of doing business. 

After I left selling radio advertising, I started working 

for and eventually owned part of a company that sold 

electronic sound systems, commercial phone systems, 

and paging systems for commercial buildings. In the past, 

the salespeople had always called on the mom-and-pop 

businesses, small retail shops and business offices. When 

I came on board, I decided to dream really big and go for 

chains of supermarkets, drugstores, entire shopping 

centers, and office buildings. I will admit to you that it 

took longer to make a sale, and there was more red tape, 

more gatekeepers to get past, and more hoops to jump 

through, but the result was a much bigger sale. I found that 

once I did all the work to sell one location and they liked 

my work, I was then in line for multiple sales. I created relationships 

with large companies that could bring in much 

more revenue than with the small accounts. 

Every day, I visualized myself working with really 

big names in the chain store business. I imagined myself 

flying to the corporate headquarters of big businesses and 

saw them sign contracts for several locations at once. I 

began to see my commission checks in my mind, and they 

were huge! Some of these accounts took a bit of time to 

sell, but I stayed with the visions of working with the big 

boys until I made it happen. Once I was in with these big 

accounts I made triple the money than I had earned before, 

and now I was actually doing less service work. 

I will share with you that this MINDSET of Thinking 

Big helped me create the success I’ve enjoyed my entire 

career. When I decided to become a speaker I didn’t think 

about doing it on a local level. I envisioned myself speaking 

internationally and to huge audiences! Since we’re all 

self-fulfilling prophecies, having those big thoughts and 

taking action made that a reality in my life then and still 

today. 

Thinking Big leads to taking more risks, asking for 

what you want, and laying a foundation of future success. 

The old saying “you can’t win if you don’t play” is so true. 

You must leverage your time, experience, and knowledge 

in the best way possible. Don’t let anyone tell you it can’t 

be done. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

Life is Short – Go For It NOW! 

Lee Milteer is an Intuitive Business Coach, Award- 

Winning Professional Speaker, and TV Personality who 

has counseled and trained over a million people throughout 

her career. Lee is Stephen Oliver’s Martial Arts Wealth 

Mastery’s Millionaire Smarts Coach and is also a bestselling 

author of educational resources like Success is An 

Inside Job and Overcoming Unproductive Behaviors. Find 

out more and receive Lee’s 90 Minute Successfully Grow 

your Martial Arts School Seminar – register at: 

www.MartialArtsWealth.com 


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Budo Philosophy 

The Dregs 

SHIDOSHI 

ALFREDO TUCCI 

is the CEO and 

General Manager 

of the Budo 

International 

Publishing 

Company, a 

leading publisher 

in the martial arts 

with over 35 years 

in the Industry, 

including: Budo 

International 

Magazine 

and author of 

several books, 

The Immaterial 

Dimension, the 

Way of the Warrior 

and The Spirit. He 

currently lives in 

Valencia, Spain. 

➽ “What matters are 

not the low blows we 

receive, but the print 

they leave on us.” 

– Yasmina Khadra 

What is left, what 

remains at the very end, 

is often all there is in reality. 

Our personal history 

programs us; facts are forgotten 

but the marks stay. 

We can forget about the 

facts themselves, but the 

ruts by which water flowed 

one day remain printed in 

our personal and unique 

orography. What makes 

up our own landscape are often those paths; what makes us 

act in one way or another are not so much our highly valued 

knowledge and different skills that overlap like small 

highways drawn in a cyclopean landscape of immense 

marked canyons, tilled by emotions, patterns, and quite 

often by situations unconsciously lived. 

Thoughts, reasoning, reflections, our esteemed modern 

brain in a word, perhaps is not as important as it itself 

thinks. How many times have we acted in a way completely 

opposite to what it tells us? 

In this sense we are all bipolar, we are all sailing in 

contradiction, because we live immersed in a world of opposites, 

where perceiving the value of the complementary 

is not always easy to appreciate. The best example: Tastes, 

that usually whimsical decision that decants us in front of 

any person or situation in the first seconds of the meeting. 

If we can be so categorical in the small things, why can't 

we see that we are so also in the big things? 

Reason, logic, even what we call morality, much too 

often have the same value as that of a fart to fend off a lion. 

The lion, the mighty lion, is much more basic, older, and 

less malleable than our prefrontal cortex. 

The roads started on the eve of our existence established 

primitive guidelines that sanction the territory of 

our truths with immense power. Roads for synapses to 

pass precisely thereabouts and not right next; to decide the 

opposite to what we think that is good, or to what others 

have agreed in the form of rules. 

Knowing yourself starts with knowing that we are 

sailing in a continuous sea of doubts; certainty is just 

an illusion, a decision that perhaps comes from another 

place and another hidden will that it would displease us 

to accept if we came face to face with it. But we like to feel 

important, scanning the horizon from the command deck, 

sailing the storm of life, because accepting our smallness 

and the scarce maneuverability of our choices, and of the 

one that takes them, would be even worse. Who is really on 

the command deck? 

In the end, that is at every moment, the remainder, the 

dregs, are all we have to face our present, to decide about 

the future, that monster we face from the self-imposed 

certainty in a sea of considerations chosen much more 

arbitrarily than the way we would like to accept. 

The Being itself, what pulsates and flows behind all that 

is what the ancients called the spirit, the breath that fills 

every corner of this complex biological gear, this network 

of roads, synapses, and electric shocks that is the brain. 

Without it, the empty shell is only a pretense; death is the 

certainty that teaches us that truth, the price we have to 

pay to see beyond the obvious, the evident. 

The brain is not what we are... it's the mechanism, and 

its roads are the dregs of past experiences, and you know: 

Water that has passed by can't move the mill... but it sure 

sets out a path! 

“Thoughts, reasoning, reflections, our esteemed 

modern brain in a word, perhaps is not as important as 

it itself thinks. How many times have we acted in a way 

completely opposite to what it tells us?” 


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Pro Shop Power 

Back to School Fever 

Pro-Shop sales are an effective way to generate income! 

BRANDON KIM 

is the President 

of Vision Martial 

Arts Supply, Los 

Angeles Branch, 

who helps school 

owners all over the 

U.S. maximize their 

retail sales and 

drive more revenue 

into their schools. 

➽The new school year is about to begin 

for all of your students. Just like any 

other school, they need to have 

the supplies and gear to participate 

in all the fun activities. Help 

your students prepare for your 

classes with the gear they will 

need by having a pro-shop 

sale. One option is to hold 

the sale before school starts 

so that they buy from you 

before they spend all their 

money at the mall. The 

other option is to wait 

until after school has 

started and you have 

a fairly large group of 

new students. 

In order to get them 

thinking about the things 

they will need for class, you will 

need to make a detailed list of 

items for each class, each art, or 

each belt level. Make a checklist 

that is available to each person 

with the prices of each item, 

both regular and sale price, so 

they can see how much they’re saving. 

This way, they can create a budget 

for themselves and know how much 

they will be spending. For those who 

can’t pay for everything at one time, set 

up an automatic payment in ATLAS so 

they get their supplies right away and get 

them at the sale price. 

Be sure to hang a poster in the lobby 

promoting the pro-shop sale to get 

everyone excited about all the new 

things they can get for class while saving 

money. 

Have each staff member start promoting 

items in the pro-shop at the beginning 

or end of every class, maybe even both. As it 

gets closer to the pro-shop sale, have the staff members 

wear and suggest items from the pro-shop to as many 

students as possible. 

Your pro-shop sale will have even better 

results if you give your staff incentives. Let them 

know that they will receive a bonus based on 

the number of sales for that month compared 

to the rest of the months. You will 

surely see a significant difference for 

this promotion if you use this method. 

Another way to use incentives is to 

offer coupons and discounts to the 

students. Give discount certificates 

away as a sign of recognition for 

hard work like the student of 

the month, classroom hero, 

most improved student, honor 

roll, or any other positive form 

of reinforcement. You may also 

choose to do an extra percentage off 

on their next purchase. Another suggestion is 

to play certain games or have a specific contest, 

like a VIP promotion where the winners 

get a gift certificate or an extra discount on 

the pro-shop sale. 

The only thing missing is your inventory 

list. You may want to double up on your 

inventory for this promotion, so go through 

your inventory checklist to make sure you 

have more than enough supplies for your 

students. You can lose many sales by being under 

stocked, and there is no guarantee that they will 

come back to get the item they wish to purchase 

at a later date, so whenever possible take a deposit 

on the order with the understanding they 

will pay the rest when the product arrives. 

The main focus in a pro-shop sale is to increase 

revenue in your school while getting your students more 

involved in their training with supplies and equipment. 

By having your students and staff use or wear your products, 

they create the perfect marketing tool without 

even knowing it. So, start planning your pro-shop sale 

with your staff now. 


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MIND MASTERY 

How To Achieve Clarity 

GRANDMASTER 

JESSIE BOWEN 

is president of 

Karate International 

of Durham, Inc., 

a member of the 

American Martial 

Arts Association 

Sport Karate 

League and Hall 

of Fame, and has 

been a member of 

the Duke University 

P.E. Staff for over 

25 years. He is the 

author of Zen Mind- 

Body Mindfulness 

Meditation and 

Zen Mind-Body 

Mindfulness 

Meditation for 

Martial Arts, as well 

as several other 

books, programs, 

and audio CDs on 

meditation and 

success training. 

➽Clarity is a crucial step in where we end up 

in life. Just like the GPS system used in your 

mobile phone to direct you to any place you desire 

to travel, clarity is a programmable step for 

a successful journey. For a martial arts student 

it will mean the difference between achieving 

the next belt rank or quitting. Whether or 

not you make the most of your life or not, this 

article will touch on some of the variables for 

success and some of the things that maybe 

holding you up or blocking you from achieving 

your destiny. Let's check in on the scientific 

reality. 

Before we get started let's clarify the definition of 

clarity. Clarity is "clearness or lucidity as to perception or 

understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity; 

the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the 

eye.” 

So, for a moment I don't want you to think about the 

physical eye of seeing. I want you to think about the inner 

eye, the Mind's Eye of clarity: These are the visions that 

you hold in your head, by your belief, your desires, and 

your expectation. Your navigation system is based on the 

G in GPS: The G = your goals, the P = your purpose and the 

S = your steps creating a systematic three-step process that 

works as a roadmap to guide you on direct routes to plan 

and achieve goals. 

Achieving clarity in all areas of your life is important. 

Some people assume that just sitting and starting on a 

list of goals will give them clarity on what they want. It’s 

not that simple. You must first realize that you alone are 

responsible for clarity in your life and your significant 

other, and that friends or co-workers cannot give it to you. 

It’s an internal thing. There are several ways to change not 

only your clarity, but your overall mental and physical 

health. 

You may not realize just how much stuff you carry 

around in your head that doesn’t need to be there: Your 

“to-do” list. Your reminders. Unfinished business. Experts 

estimate that the mind thinks between 60,000 – 80,000 

thoughts a day. That's an average of 2,500 – 3,300 thoughts 

per hour. That's incredible! Without some type of system 

through meditation, it's almost impossible for the mind to 

focus on any one task. 

All of that is using up your mental RAM, leaving little 

working memory for complex problems and clear thinking! 

Visualization and clarity go hand in hand. When you 

take time to visualize the life you desire, everything will 

come into focus. Take time each day to sit quietly and 

begin to visualize everything in your life as the way you 

want it to be right at that moment. Really feel it throughout 

your body. As you do this each day, you are building 

the muscle of clarity. Your clarity will get stronger and 

stronger each day, and those 90-day goals will be very clear 

and attainable to you. 


Master the Basics 

I Have Good News 

and I Have Bad News: 

The Good News is that Success is Easy 

MASTER 

TINA BANE 


master instructor 

and owner of a 

Top Ten martial 

arts school with 

successful after 

school and summer 

camp programs. 

➽Success in the martial arts business is easy, when you 

have the right tools – but that depends on your goal. The 

bad news is that too many martial arts school owners 

think they have the right tools, but they do not. 

Let me give you an example: The Samurai sword is a 

great tool for learning principles like discipline, balance, 

timing, and accuracy. It was a great weapon of war for 

thousands of years, but nowadays it can’t hold a candle to 

an AK-47. The final battle in the movie The Last Samurai 

showed beyond a shadow of a doubt 

why they were the last samurais. 

Of course you don’t need particularly 

great discipline, balance, 

timing, or accuracy to kill someone 

with an AK-47, as evidenced by far too 

many mass shooting deaths in cities all 

across our country. 

Am I saying that there is no 

value to sword training? Absolutely not! 

The sword is a great tool for learning the 

principles of the martial arts, and the principles 

of a successful life. As I said earlier, 

it all depends upon your goal. 

If success in a martial arts school is easy 

when you have the right tools, then what are 

the right tools? First you need a good curriculum, 

and second you need a good business 

system. 

What is a good curriculum? That, 

too, depends on your goals. If you want 

a financially successful school with 

lots of students, then a curriculum 

that you learned in the armed forces 

is not the right tool. The curriculum 

that was developed by feudal warriors 

hundreds of years ago is as obsolete 

for a modern martial arts school as 

the samurai sword is as a weapon 

of war. Times have changed. Goals 

have changed. Martial arts schools that don’t change will 

be slaughtered like the last samurais. 

I’m not saying the techniques don’t work or that the 

principles are no longer valid. I am just saying the teaching 

methods had a different goal, so many are not appropriate. 

Seriously think a moment about the legends of the great 

masters. How many students did they have in those stories? 

One? Two? Some had maybe twenty-five long-term 

students. Can you run your school on 25 loyal students? 

Once again, it depends on your goal. If you want 

to spread the values of the martial arts to as many 

people as possible, then you want thousands of 

students. Of those thousands, you may have only 

a few who will eventually become masters as 

they did in the legends, but why sacrifice the 

benefits to the thousands? 

In order to reach out to those thousands, 

you need a good business system to market 

what you have to offer, to maintain a 

big enough school for them to practice 

comfortably, and to manage your money 

to stay open. 

The even better news is that a modern 

curriculum and modern business systems 

are currently available from other successful 

schools, and many successful school owners 

are willing to share their knowledge with 

you. Anyone who wants to be part of this 

wave of the future can contact my friends 

at AMS. 

It’s time to face reality: The movement 

is happening, whether you 

agree with it or not, so you have to 

decide whether you will be one of 

the warriors of the new martial 

arts, that brings the traditional 

values and principles 

into the 21st Century, or one 

of the last samurais. 


Join Our New 

Martial Arts Professional 

Facebook Group 

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and Ideas 

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Instructional Excellence 

Use the Tangible to Reveal 

the Intangible 

GRANDMASTER 

TIM MCCARTHY 



is a martial arts 

educator with a 

master’s degree in 

education. He has 

been instrumental 

in developing two 

industry-changing 

programs, plus 

has directed and 

been featured in 

hundreds of martial 

arts videos and 

webinars. 

➽A friend of mine was walking into a convenience 

store when a group of young kids 

recognized her. “Hey, you’re that martial arts 

teacher! Show us something!” 

My friend replied, “OK. I’m going to show you the most 

important skill I teach.” She then bowed to them. 

Of course, the kids wanted to see a flying-spinning kick 

or something visually exciting. Instead, he showed them 

the outward expression of discipline and respect, two 

skills that would take them a lot farther in life than the 

fanciest flying-spinning kick. 

To me, that story sums up the challenge (and the 

benefit) of teaching the martial arts. We enjoy the benefit 

of the tangible, visually exciting skills that require the 

intangible, internal improvements to achieve. 

Make no mistake: Student retention depends on perceived 

benefits. As long as students see and feel benefits, 

they will continue to train. When they stop seeing and 

feeling any benefits, they will quit. 

It is our job as instructors to lead them along the path 

of benefits. Like the children who recognized my friend, 

most beginning students want to see tangible benefits. 

However, in my opinion, the 

most important benefits 

of martial arts training 

in modern society are 

the internal, intangible 

changes we make. 

Fortunately for us, 

the means of attaining 

the intangible benefits 

are the tangible goals 

we present to bring 

about those changes. 

A skillful instructor 

can gradually move 

the student’s attention 

from the external 

improvements to the 

internal improvements 

by helping him set the 

appropriate goals. 

So lets focus on one example: weight loss. Because two 

out of three people in this country are overweight, that 

means that two out of three of your new students will 

perceive an immediate benefit of taking your classes if 

they lose weight. Weight loss is tangible and measurable 

– better yet, it is visible. If your new student loses twenty 

pounds, she is not the only one who will notice. All her 

friends will notice, and she will become a walking, talking 

billboard advertising your school, eternally grateful for 

the change you made in her life. 

How can you bring about that kind of change? As most 

of you already know, just attending class three times a 

week will usually not cause a significant weight loss. The 

students need to make some bigger internal changes. They 

need to take the lessons of discipline and self-control out 

of the classroom and into the dining room. 

We must also do our part by taking an active role in 

helping our students achieve their goals with additional 

instruction in the principles of nutrition, perhaps information 

on supplements or weight control programs, and 

tools to help them measure their progress. 

As your students achieve their goals, 

help them move their attention inward 

by understanding that their loss of 

physical fat is a result of losing mental 

fat, and their gain of physical 

strength and skills is a result of 

gaining mental strength and 

confidence. 

As time goes by, the 

physical, tangible changes 

will appear smaller and less 

important, but if you have 

done your job right, your 

students will be more aware 

of the intangible mental and 

emotional changes they are 

making and continue their 

training, because (like physical 

strength) mental strength 

takes regular exercise to maintain 

. . . or increase. 


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schedule any of the 

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MARKETING 

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• Generate new 

leads with a 

website that 

will find new 

prospects, 

capture their 

information, and 

funnel them into 

your school. 

• Guide new 

prospects and 

appointments 

into your door 

with automated 

sequential email 

and sms text 

messages. 

FORMER STUDENT 

AUTOMATION 

• Reactivate lost 

and former 

students with 

regular automated 

communications 

about special 

events and special 

offers at your 

school. 

SOCIAL MEDIA AUTOMATION 

• Automagically push, pre-scheduled 

posts to Facebook, Twitter and other 

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Tools & Tactics 

Use the Basic Tenets of 

Self-Defense in Your Business 

AMBER LOGAN 

is a martial 

arts business 

development 

consultant with 

a background 

in multiple sales 

disciplines, event 

promotion, and an 

active student of 

the martial arts. 

➽One of the most basic tenets of self-defense is to use 

your strong points and cover your weak points. If you 

want to survive, you don’t attack an assailant’s fist with 

your face . . . 

Your business should follow the same model: use your 

strong points, and cover your weak points. 

What are your strong points? 

If you have a professional martial arts school, you are 

probably a great teacher. Your students love your classes. 

They respect you and cherish the time you spend with 

them. You should spend most of your time teaching and 

mentoring, to keep your student retention high and 

encourage word-of-mouth advertising. 

If you love the martial arts, chances are also good that 

you love to tell people about the benefits of martial arts 

training. That makes you a great promoter. The more 

people you can talk to, the more people you can convince 

to take your classes, and the more students you will have. 

You should also spend a large part of your time promoting, 

to recruit more students and help your school grow. 

What are your weak points? 

I know I don’t know you, 

but I’m going to guess that you 

didn’t become a banker or an 

accountant because 

you enjoy teaching 

more than you 

enjoy business. For 

most martial arts 

instructors, collecting 

money from students is 

not a strong point. My 

experience with talking 

to martial 

arts masters 

all 

across the country is that they love teaching the martial 

arts and hate asking for money. 

In fact, most masters love their students, so if the 

student comes with a financial problem, the master’s first 

inclination is to say, “Don’t worry about the money. Just 

keep training, and pay me when you can.” That response 

sounds noble, but is not a great business plan. If you are 

nice to enough students, you will eventually have to close 

your school, and punish all your students – even those who 

paid faithfully. 

What can you do? 

Be professional. Hire other professionals to cover your 

weak points. If the toilet breaks, call a plumber. If you are 

not particularly good at sales, hire a program manager 

who is. If you are not good at keeping accurate records, use 

a management software program that specializes in the 

martial arts, like ATLAS Pro. If you are not an expert in 

tax law, pay someone like H & R Block 

to help you prepare your tax return. 

If you are not a good bill collector (or 

even if you are good at it, but don’t 

like to do it), hire a professional 

billing company like AMS to 

handle your tuition. 

In order to defend your 

business from a variety 

of threats, use your strong 

points to grow your business 

and cover your weak points by 

hiring professionals with the 

knowledge and experience to 

help you. It’s not only sound 

business, it’s also basic selfdefense. 


Martial Arts Philosophy 

The Tale of the Forty Brooms 

part 2 (Continued story from last issue) 

SENSEI 

GARY LEE, 

the American 

Samurai, is a 9th 

degree black belt, 

a U.S.A. Karate 

Federation gold 

medalist, winner 

of 5 Super Grand 

National Titles, 

a featured actor 

in the movie 

Sidekicks, and 

is the founder of 

the National Sport 

Karate Museum. 

I finally got to the hardware store, soaking wet and 

scared because I didn’t know what to expect. Mr. Williams 

had received a phone call and was expecting me when I 

walked in the store. He had put duct tape around both ends 

of the handles of the brooms so I could drag them back to 

the dojo. 

I could see Mr. Williams felt sorry for me. I was a big 

kid, but I was only nine years old and a major storm had hit 

Honolulu. Mr. Williams said, “Kid, I will let you take the 

wheel barrow. Just bring it back. I don’t know what you did 

to make Sensei Kishi so upset!” 

Well, it helped a little, but not a lot. Sand, rain, hard 

rain, a wheel barrow and a kid pushing it for ten miles . . 

. well, you can imagine. I was tired and mentally wasted. I 

cried a lot that day. I learned the lesson: Never talk back 

and always respect your peers, but most importantly, 

never question or raise my voice to Sensei, for he is the 

teacher. Osu! 

I finally got back to the dojo and was met by Sensei 

at the door. He looked at me and I broke down and cried 

again. I said I was sorry for my attitude and it would never 

happen again. 

I believe that day changed my life. I can’t remember 

ever getting upset since that walk in the rain. Sensei Kishi 

and I bonded that stormy day like father and son. Oh, by 

the way, what happened to the forty brooms? 

That night Sensei Kishi demonstrated Kyoshi-Jujitsu. 

He gave the brooms one at a time to each black belt present. 

Then he instructed each black belt to attack him with 

an overhead or thrusting strike, broom handle forward. 

What I saw next I have never seen again in all my world 

travels: He broke the brooms in half. The punch from the 

arm symbolized the attacking blow. He was so precise that 

he would break it low symbolizing the wrist and then high 

which would be the elbow breaking. 

He stopped at thirty-nine and said, “Gary, get the last 

broom and bring it to me now!” I was so scared, and it was 

so silent you could hear a pin drop on the sand. Remember 

there were over thirty black belts there plus all the students. 

No one knew what my day had been like or the lesson 

that I had learned, but that was okay because I did learn. 

So, I took the last broom, got into attack position 

and waited for Sensei to Kia for my attack. I waited and 

waited. It seemed like forever. He moved, I screamed and 

thrust the broom forward as hard as I could with my body 

and soul. He caught the handle, flipped it over, swept me 

to the floor and was sweeping my face and body in about 

three seconds from the time I had thrust the broom at 

him. Wow! He could have broken my arm and taken me 

out of the picture. He helped me up, hugged me, and we 

both said, “Osu.” For the very first time, I realized what 

“osu” meant: RESPECT, RESPECT, RESPECT! 

Then he gave me the unbroken broom and said, “Gary 

you will not forget this day for I would like for you to 

sweep the front area of the dojo every day after school or 

until you leave.” 

The front of the dojo area was sand! 

I took the broom and said, “Yes, Sir, Sensei.” I swept the 

front area every day until I was fourteen and left for the 

mainland. 


57 

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Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 19 | Issue 3

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