Predictions for 2010
As a consultant for the National Promoters League I get to see deep inside the martial arts industry. Predictions are popular this time of year. I think you’ll be interested in where I think the martial arts industry is headed and what that means to you. Bottom line – there will be changes and those who are on the front end of them will be the ones to reap the rewards, so here’s what I think you can expect:
The Number of Martial Arts Schools Will Finally Level Off. There are already several thousand martial art schools in North America and that number isn’t going to increase substantially in 2010. What will happen is that the tire-kickers will go back to what they were doing before and the real martial arts professionals that are committed to making their art grow will thrive. So don’t expect to be able to open a dojo and have people instantly flock to you – there’s enough competition now that you’ll have to be on top of your marketing and have real martial arts skills to succeed.
The Youth Market, like Lil’ Dragons and Tiny Tigers Will Continue To Grow. It grew during the toughest economy we’ve faced in my life and it is poised to only keep growing. Smart martial arts school owners will act on this movement and add create programs that teach life skills that will turn these little warriors into life long martial artists.
There Will Be Just As Many Dojos and Dojangs That Fail In 2010 as in 2009. The thinning of the herd will continue for at least one more year as many schools that were weakened in 2009 will finally suffer their slow death in 2010. Those with the most to worry about:
•Studios only offering 1 type of martial art.
•Rec center classes taught by fly-by-night black belts.
•Schools that have poor rention because of a lack of real curriculumn that focus entirely on trying to get new members.
•A lot of the knock off franchises that have popped up just trying to turn a quick buck by poorly imitating what the real first-movers created.
•Warehouse dojos that fail to recognize that they are businesses. Landlords begging for tenants means that a lot of people have been able to get space without solid business plans, and this will lead to some people opening businesses that weren’t prepared.
EFT Billing Will Finally Take Hold In The Martial Arts Industry. Slowly but surely, EFT billing has been gaining traction in the martial arts world – but 2010 will be the point that the schools not using EFT will fall behind those that do.
Specialists Will Surpass Generalists. The martial art professionals that take a quantum leap in their businesses will be specialists. The internet will continue to educate consumers and they’ll seek instructors with real education and credentials. Having won some sport Karate world title won’t mean squat. (Because it don’t mean squat).
Multiple Streams of Income Will Be All The Rage. As the industry shakes itself out, the successful martial arts school will almost all include these as the core of their business model:
•Results oriented approach – instructors that do a half-assed job will fail.
•Pricing will allow more than just the affluent to be students – possibly multiple levels of offerings
•Specialists or specialty based offerings
•EFT Based Billing
•Offer more than just classes as a means of generating income
A New Trend Will Emerge. Over the last decade we’ve seen ‘Xtreme training’, Tae-bo, MMA, etc. become popular ‘trends’ in the martial arts industry. While I’m not trying to suggest that these are fads – they all gained popularity pretty quickly. Some will stand the test of time and others may not – but something else will almost certainly be the new ‘trend’ in 2010.
I can’t say for sure what it will be but I’m hoping that through life skills training and providing the total mind, body, spirit workout our industry will attract a better class of clients. By that I mean people who are serious about martial arts as a lifestyle, not just curious because they saw it on Spike TV.
Those are my predictions for 2010. I’d love to hear your feedback and also get your thoughts on what you think the big trend of 2010 will be. Be sure to leave your comments in the forum at www.martialarts-discussion.worldmartialartsmagazine.com
About the author: Master Fred Parks is the US Representative for the Korea TangSooDo MooDukKwan Society www.koreatangsoodo.org and a senior consultant for the National Promoters League www.nationalpromotersleague.com. He can be reached through his school website site at www.americandragononline.com . Add him to your friends at www.worldmartialartsnetwork.ning.com or listen to him on the Action Martial Arts Magazine show at www.actionradio.net .
