aikido in jogjakarta

by Kip Brockett

In some circles, running your martial arts school or class like a business is considered “selling out”, so-to-speak. Using advertising techniques, sales techniques, and such are considered distasteful to many. But if you don’t have anyone in the class to teach, then you certainly don’t have a class!

It would benefit every school owner at the very least, to purchase a few sales books, audio lessons, or attend a seminar. A cursory knowledge of sales techniques will help you in many areas of your life, not just your business life.

With that being said, I would like to offer 7 tips to help boost your student base. I hope they at least spark some ideas in you to help bring in more students.

Tip No. 1: Give a Demonstration
There are many places to give demonstrations of your martial art. Local malls, schools, and cultural organizations are a great place to start. You should give plenty of time to schedule one for a school as most schools have their activities scheduled months in advance.

Tip No. 2: Yellow Page Ads
I don’t know about you, but the first place I look for local martial arts schools is in the Yellow Pages. I know these are expensive, but they will pay for themselves in business brought in.

Tip No. 3: Press Release
There are many sources out there to show you how to write a Press Release. Make sure it is news worthy! Examples are:
Starting a new business
Student who successfully used martial arts skills in a self-defense situation
Sponsoring an event (See Tip No. 4)
Hosting a Tournament

Tip No. 4: Sponsor an Event
Get involved with local events by sponsoring through your school. Examples could be:
Local Golf Tournament
Sponsor a team in a run or walk-a-thon
Get involved with a local Tele-thon

Tip No. 5: Brochures
Brochures are a great way to advertise your school. You can include information about your school, your programs, your style, or just about anything you think is of interest to prospective students.

Tip No. 6: Write an Article
For Martial Direct!
That’s right! Martial Direct is looking for good articles. If you have an article or an idea for an article, e-mail us at webmaster@martialdirect.com with the subject to see if it’s of interest to us.

Tip No. 7: Give Something Away!
I’m talking about Specialty Advertising here. Don’t just give any old thing away. Give something away with your school name or slogan on it. Specialty Advertising is one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising there is- not to mention successful!

http://www.martialdirect.com/articles/seventips.shtml

Aikido (合気道, aikidō^?) is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as “the Way of unifying (with) life energy“^[1] or as “the Way of harmonious spirit.”^[2] Ueshiba’s goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury.

Aikido is performed by blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. This requires very little physical energy, as the aikidōka (aikido practitioner) “leads” the attacker’s momentum using entering and turning movements. The techniques are completed with various throws or joint locks.^[3] Aikido can be categorized under the general umbrella of grappling arts.

Aikido derives mainly from the martial art of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, but began to diverge from it in the late 1920s, partly due to Ueshiba’s involvement with the Ōmoto-kyō religion. Ueshiba’s early students’ documents bear the term aiki-jūjutsu.^[4] Many of Ueshiba’s senior students have different approaches to aikido, depending on when they studied with him. Today aikido is found all over the world in a number of styles, with broad ranges of interpretation and emphasis. However, they all share techniques learned from Ueshiba and most have concern for the well-being of the attacker. This attitude has been at the core of criticisms of aikido and related arts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido