Did you do research to find out what would be the best martial art for you or did you just join the school that was closest and/or cheapest or your friend attended?

I called every school around.

Only one invited me in to watch a class.

That invitation changed my life.

Did you accept, without question, that what your instructor taught was fact?

I certainly did.

As a 14-year white belt I was in a highly receptive mental  state while listening  and accepting everything my instructors said as the gospel of the martial arts.

I suspect we have this in common…

My instructors.

What they taught me about karate became my belief system for martial arts.

After all, they were master black belt instructors.

What did I know?

Sound familiar?

Me at 15.

I chose my school only because they let me clean the school for lessons.

That was the only way for me to pay for classes.

I was completly immersed from class one.

I bet you were too.

Did you feel an obligation to your instructors to teach the same curriculum that they taught you?

I did. That’s all I needed because it was the best. Right?

Besides, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

I was keeping traditions instead of questioning them.

Were you directly or indirectly taught that a school that has a lot of students must be a McDojo?

Unless they did it our way, they must be in it just for the money.

They must be giving belts away!

The market weeds out under-performers.

How do you explain that to your family? 

“I won’t dishonor the ancient traditional ways even if it’s better for my students and for our family’s future.”

In the first half of class we march up and down the floor doing these traditional blocks and punches that don’t make any sense.

We have to keep our hand on our hip, aim a punch, hold it out, and be rigid as an oak tree. Why?

In the second half, we get yelled at for not keeping our hands UP and snapping our punches back.  “Move around more!”

Which is it? Where’s the value in doing that?

A confused student is soon to be an ex-student.

As a martial arts instructor are you treading water while still teaching 3-6 classes each night?

How much longer can you keep this up?

1. Easier to manage with fewer classes.

2. Generating more income.

3. Attracting and keeping students for longer.

Do you want to be on the cutting edge or the dull edge?

Have you noticed that the adult market see martial arts as a kids activity?

Many women will not put on a karate gi top because it makes them look bigger.

How attractive is your school?

While they may want the benefits of martial arts, many teens today are not going to wear the full karate uniform aka pajamas or have to do the many skills that look weird.

Why do we still do these things?

Have you noticed that kids are easily bored with complex kata and traditional blocks, punches, and deep stances?

Why try to teach kids skills that were designed by highly disciplined adults for other highly disciplined adults? 

Why even go there?

1. Let me teach you something simple and spend the rest of the class on how to apply it in different drills and scenarios.

2. Let me spend class teaching complex skills with only imaginary real-world applications.

This is not rocket science.

Do you want to retire sooner rather than later?

Remember 20-years ago when all your friends hated their  jobs while you loved yours?

Many are retiring with pensions while you’re still teaching preschoolers four nights a week.

The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and hoping for different outcome.

Imagine that you only have  or two classes a night to teach with better student retention and higher income.

What difference would that make in your life?

“Thank you for waking me up to this concept! Love the material that is included in the Empower Kickboxing curriculum and I am using it daily.”

— Brock Brown Brown’s Karate Studio Angleton, TX

Empower Kickboxing is a full white to black belt curriculum that is easy to teach and easy to learn.

Lesson plans are emailed weekly to members with video demos of what to teach and how to teach it.

This puts all instructors on the same page speaking the same language. So curriculum consistency is no long an issue.

It’s on the video. 

“When I want some help with my school, John Graden is the guy I turned to.”

— Frank Shamrock, MMA Legend and MATA Board of Advisors Member

“You will not find a more knowledgeable person within the martial arts industry than Mr. John Graden.

His Empower Kickboxing program teaches students martial arts and self-defense in a logical, step-by-step progression.

I have been teaching for over 25 years and I am impressed with the depth of knowledge and quality of the Empower Kickboxing curriculum.”

“Teaching Empower Kickboxing helped me retain students over COVID and teaching online. I didn’t lose one student because of the transition. They all love the new curriculum.”

“I’ve had my school for 26-years and coming into COVID, I realized I needed to simplify what I was teaching. John Graden has a proven record of innovation and leadership for martial arts school owners. Empower Kickboxing works.”