A martial arts association should be a resource for martial arts school owners, teachers, and students; many people, many resources, many tools, and many ideas. It should have a collective power used to inform, educate, and inspire its martial arts members. It should educate the general public about the positive aspects of the martial arts.

There are four areas a martial arts student should be coached in — and likewise, a martial arts association should be promoting development in the same areas. They are:
* Self
* Family
* Community
* World

The first area relates to the individual. The second, obviously, is about the people that an individual considers family. After self and family comes one’s community - and after community comes a consciousness and involvement with global, large-scale issues.

A martial arts association should gather and supply resources that help the individual members, promote the healthiest relationships among members and their families, build a strong sense of community, and most of all, because the martial arts association is an entity in the world, it should operate on a level that recognizes its responsibility not just to its members, but to all people.

Imagine having a martial arts association with 50 member schools and each school had 250 students - and each of those students had three “significant others” who would be interested in participating in a simple “Kindness is Self-Defense” program. Let’s also say that the objective of this program was to have each participant perform and log 100 acts of kindness over a 50 day period. So, 50 association members with 250 members each would equal 12,500 participants; add to that number three friends for each member and we would have 50,000 people involved. If 50,000 people each did 100 acts of kindness, the martial arts association would have achieved 5 million acts of kindness in 50 days.

What kind of message would a project like this send to the general public; how many people would be moved by such an undertaking?

That is the power that a martial arts association brings to the table. It’s more than the simple collection of resources or educational materials, a martial arts association should use the power of its position, the strength of its numbers to make a difference in the world. This is done in little pieces in the various communities that members reside in. It is achieved because every member inspires family and friends to enjoy the benefits they themselves are enjoying; and it happens because the association gives back value to each of its members.

For school-growth assistance, martial arts school owners have several options - but, the most powerful is being a member of a great martial arts association. Check out our FREE online newsletter titled “The Power of Ideas” with specific tips and strategies to help you promote your school. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips.

[tags]martial arts association, martial arts business, martial arts marketing, martial arts school[/tags]