Daily blog #16
Who is our Jiu Jitsu academy’s biggest competitor?
As a Jiu Jitsu academy owner I’m sometimes asked, “who is your academy’s biggest competitor?” You would probably guess the most successful Martial Arts academy in the area but you would be mistaken. Martial arts has stood the test of time as a way to physically develop oneself through hard training and practicing of values such as discipline, respect and compassion. The end product most often is a confident man or woman with skills to defend themselves or what they love and the values to keep them from abusing their power. A true Martial Artist’s mission should be to spread martial arts as far as possible. What or how other academies are doing is none of your business and there will come moments in time where you a direct a student to another academy so they can get started. We are blessed to have beautiful academy in La Quinta with a fully equipped gym inside of it so our rates are not the cheapest. On occasion, during the student’s free introductory lesson I have directed them to a school with cheaper rates just so they can begin their Martial Arts journey.
Every school has the same competitor which is organized sports. People pay big money for travel teams, coaching, athletic performance training and anything that might give their kid an edge in sports. The failure is that sports can be a great way to develop a child physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually but due to the desire to win and play professional sports, it is hardly and rarely used as a vehicle for self development. If parents understood the investment of selecting a Martial Art, not a BS one, and viewing it as an education program you would see much different attitudes and actions today among our society. At a Jiu Jitsu school you will learn to become very effective at self defense without having to throw a strike which can help you avoid legal difficulties or getting expelled. More confident kids are less likely to be bullied and also tend to get into less trouble. When school-shopping, make sure the instructor understands why you’re there and don’t be afraid to communicate with them and switch schools if you have to. When you find a good program, it will be one of the greatest blessings you’ve ever had. You will notice improved listening, confidence, posture and social skills that will set your child up for success and improve your relationship. You will worry less, knowing that your child is capable of making good decisions and can protect themselves.