What's the MA scene in your area?

[Dylan Ehrnreiter]

There's only one other "school" in our town, and they just got some new black belts. No wonder my business is so slow. What's the scene like where you're from?


http://www.martialartsmadison.com/ne...ison-location/

[Bill Keeling]

Are these the guys that came to your gym wearing their belts over their street clothes? LMMFAO!

[Dylan Ehrnreiter]

Are these the guys that came to your gym wearing their belts over their street clothes? LMMFAO!

Same school, but those black belts were 15-16. These kids might be good upstanding representatives of the high level martial arts.

[Tony "The Goods" Garcia]

I have 3 other local schools. One is run by a 12 or 14th degree black belt (serious), another who teaches tkd free running (23 year old brown belt girl), and 1 who claims to have never lost an mma match but has no ground game instructions. Meanwhile, they're full and I have around 8-10 students.

[ScottRay]

2 other, all gi, bjj gyms and 1 meat-head Mma gym in our area besides us. First day we opened we had numerous students from these other gyms join us.

[Chris Herzog]

I have 3 other local schools. One is run by a 12 or 14th degree black belt (serious), another who teaches tkd free running (23 year old brown belt girl), and 1 who claims to have never lost an mma match but has no ground game instructions. Meanwhile, they're full and I have around 8-10 students.

And your gym will never fill if you have that mindset. You make your own destiny, if you want more students, put in more work!

I always knew we had the best coaching staff and instruction in our area. But I always let it bug me that the others schools had big better facilities and more students, even though my guys smashed all of them in competition. The day I stopped worrying about what everyone else had or was doing and realized I wasn't deserving of anything other than what I actually had and not what I "should have" things changed, mainly me. I focused all my efforts into bettering myself, my students and my school. Now, we have the largest, best cleanist facility (from the smallest in the area), still the best coaches and students and now more of them. We also absorbed a good chunck from other schools, many of which have now closed.

It's YOU, look inward not outward if you want more!

[ScottRay]

And your gym will never fill if you have that mindset. You make your own destiny, if you want more students, put in more work!

I always knew we had the best coaching staff and instruction in our area. But I always let it bug me that the others schools had big better facilities and more students, even though my guys smashed all of them in competition. The day I stopped worrying about what everyone else had or was doing and realized I wasn't deserving of anything other than what I actually had and not what I "should have" things changed, mainly me. I focused all my efforts into bettering myself, my students and my school. Now, we have the largest, best cleanist facility (from the smallest in the area), still the best coaches and students and now more of them. We also absorbed a good chunck from other schools, many of which have now closed.

It's YOU, look inward not outward if you want more!

Wtf Lombardi? That was a Braveheart level of motivational speech! Damn herzog you got me wanting to go on a run or rep a move something..

[Chris Herzog]

It was a defining moment in both my personal growth and the history of my school. Its when Empire became an actual EMPIRE!

We are what we do, not what we desire. Make what you desire, what you do!

[Dylan Ehrnreiter]

And your gym will never fill if you have that mindset. You make your own destiny, if you want more students, put in more work!

I always knew we had the best coaching staff and instruction in our area. But I always let it bug me that the others schools had big better facilities and more students, even though my guys smashed all of them in competition. The day I stopped worrying about what everyone else had or was doing and realized I wasn't deserving of anything other than what I actually had and not what I "should have" things changed, mainly me. I focused all my efforts into bettering myself, my students and my school. Now, we have the largest, best cleanist facility (from the smallest in the area), still the best coaches and students and now more of them. We also absorbed a good chunck from other schools, many of which have now closed.

It's YOU, look inward not outward if you want more!

100% agree. For us, we're fighting ignorance. Why train with us when you can get a black belt in two years from the other guy? Things have picked up recently but it's hard to explain to small town minds that a blue belt in bjj can better prepare you for a real altercation than an 8th degree tkd black belt. For many people a black belt is a black belt, period. I kinda wish we ran in the same circles as those guys so that the work could speak for itself, but they're all too deadly for mma, or their art isn't meant for sport fighting.

[Chris Herzog]

100% agree. For us, we're fighting ignorance. Why train with us when you can get a black belt in two years from the other guy? Things have picked up recently but it's hard to explain to small town minds that a blue belt in bjj can better prepare you for a real altercation than an 8th degree tkd black belt. For many people a black belt is a black belt, period. I kinda wish we ran in the same circles as those guys so that the work could speak for itself, but they're all too deadly for mma, or their art isn't meant for sport fighting.

That is still fixiating on what others can do. It IS going to be hard to explain to those "small town minds", however that IS your job. That the points, let the TKD guy do him. If he is taking students from your school, he is doing it right for him, you failed! You have to change your mindset, out work the TKD school owner and it won't matter what or who he teaches, he is illrelevant to the success of your school and team.