For those of us who can measure our time in the martial arts world in decades, we can sometimes lose sight of what it’s like to begin training in martial arts for the very first time. It can be thrilling, exciting and also a little nerve-wracking. To ensure they have the best experience and train with you for years to come, here’s the perfect formula I recommend to help new students begin training in martial arts. This formula will get your students off to a great start:
- Find out what they’re hoping for and what their concerns are in your introduction. Develop a plan to give them more than what they’re hoping for. Be sure to address their concerns quickly and thoroughly.
- Orchestrate their first class so that they LOVE the experience and can’t wait to come back.
- By the end of their second week, they should feel completely comfortable with the instructor and the other students in the class.
- Make sure that they feel that their efforts and accomplishments are acknowledged.
- Find just the right moment to tell them that you can look ahead and see them as an awesome black belt in your program. They’ll start sharing that vision and get excited about the prospect of actually earning that black belt. Students realize that they love training at your school and parents are thrilled because you gave them exactly what they were hoping for and more. This didn’t happen by accident (see the first bullet point).
- Communication in their first several weeks is vital. The only way to know for sure if they’re getting off to a great start is to get feedback. It’s easy to make course corrections early before small concerns become major issues, but only if you know what they’re thinking.
- Get them over their first obstacle. This can come in many different forms, but it’s going to come. So be ready. And after they’ve overcome it, be sure to make them feel great about it. The next time they encounter an obstacle, they’ll be ready to perserere through it.
And finally…
Be sure to invest similar energy into the satisfaction of your students’ parents. Go out of your way to engage with them. Compliment and appreciate their child. Every parent loves this! This is how you help new students to begin training in the martial arts.
Want more? Attend one of Dave Kovar’s workshops.
Need more advice on how to bring in new students? Check out Dave Kovar’s free guide: Rethinking New Student Acquisition
