I haven't yet set up a club; but I offer private tuition for physical security professionals around the UK, and I may be holding an open, local seminar in the near future.
Most people need to earn a living, myself included, and martial art is one of my skills. I live in Birmingham – the UK's Second City – so surely there are some good quality martial arts schools looking for skilled and experienced teachers in all kinds of different styles of martial art? There is clearly a demand for genuine martial arts and self defence classes in Birmingham. From April 2008 to March 2009, there was a monthly average of:
So when I searched the Job Centre Plus website in April 2009 for all vacancies matching martial within 100 miles of Birmingham, I was not surprised to see 100 job vacancies found. But what exactly are these job vacancies about? Are they suitable for a genuine martial artist who wants to teach real martial art? Here are some clipped versions of what these employers were recruiting for:
TRAINEE FITNESS/MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR. Motivated people to be trained, with enthusiasm of learning the sport. Experience not essential, sales experience advantageous. Duties include promoting club, managerial aspects, ready to take over manager's position. — X Karate
TRAINEE MARTIAL ARTS COACH. No experience required. Looking for ambitious people to canvass for new clients. Earn an unbelievable income from bonuses and commission. — X Black Belts
TRAINEE MARTIAL ARTS FITNESS INSTRUCTOR. No experience necessary. Keen interest in sports essential. Recruit new members, teach children martial arts fitness. Applicants must undertake first aid training for which applicants must pay. — X Martial Arts
Does this sporty, fitness-based image compensate for lack of real martial art quality? Athletic fitness may be a positive side-effect of practicing good martial arts; but practicing bad martial arts can be harmful to your athletic health by building lob-sided muscle ratios. In a heated situation, ill tensions can be exploited by unskillful, sharp-eyed thugs.
And fitness fanatics tend to fart a lot.
Most people don't care about real martial art quality, just need to burn some energy, and are the classic salesman-type candidates for the jobs above. But I actually want to assist with teaching Real martial arts classes; in Birmingham, because that's where I live; and it's not easy finding a school to work for. I can't be bothered to handle the administrative duties, which is why I'd rather just teach on behalf of an established local school.
If you're thinking of setting up or expanding your own martial arts school in or near to Birmingham UK, and would like help in ensuring that the quality of martial art taught in your school is of an excellent standard... If you're no less interested, in basing your school's classes on honesty, than in making money, I'd be happy to help.
Who wants to spend years teaching show-off routines, for their senior students to later discover how a more realistic martial arts class can be so much better?
Who wants to spend 5 years training a student in strict traditions, when their student could always stumble across a better class to teach them in 5 minutes what they hadn't yet learnt in 5 years, or in 1 hour what they thought was impossible?
If you run or are setting up a martial arts training club in or not far from Birmingham UK, and are interested in getting help with directing the way in which your classes are taught, for maximum benefit to the students; drop me an email at dan@birminghampr.co.uk to see if we can't work together.