How do you open your own martial arts dojo?

Question

hello. as u can see from all the questions i have been asking, most of them deal with learning a martial arts. well i do want to do this and then, after many years of trainign and trying to perfect my skills, i would like to open up my own MA dojo. how do u do this? do u have to get a business degree in college? and do people who run their own MA school get paid well? money isnt that important but i would like to have enough to have a nice house, raise a family, get by the bills and all that.. thanks guys!

Answer 1

Opening a dojo is a big deal. Not in a business sense, all you need is insurance, equipment and a proper location to teach (and of course a student base and proper training). A business degree will help you with many things, but running a school is not a business. Instead it is about a love of the art.
My Sensei has studied the art for 30 years under a family that had direct lineage to our Okinawa beginnings. Osensei's ancestors actually trained with our arts founders. They studied in secret at the master's house. There was no fee but you had to know someone to get in on the secret training. In return for training you pay respects to the master. These were poor people so the respectful gestures were services more than anything else.
He makes no money running the dojo. By day he is an accountant. There have been years where he confided in me that he paid the insurance out of his own pocket because he loves teaching his students.

I am not telling you that you can't do it. I am just saying that it is a very long path. There is no certification which means if you wish to open some craptastic McDojo nothing can stop you.
If you really want to take the quick path, buy some instructional DVD's and then claim to have created your new style. The public at large is none the wiser. Just don't be surprised when that day comes that someone walks into your school and challenges you.

If you are looking to make a living in the martial arts running a good school is not the best idea. The schools that have "professional" owner/operators do many shady things to make their money. If you wish to make money in the martial arts there are other ways such as being a martial arts gear supplier, journalist for a martial arts magazine or web site, or get involved in the UFC/Pride/K1 business. Please do not open a crapshack school, endanger students’ lives and sell them some half-baked style. It is a disservice to true practitioners everywhere.

Answer 2

You don't Have to be a GrandMaster in the Martial Art you are studying in, but most time s being a 3rd degree black belt in the discipline is often a good start. plus being endorsed by a national club or association doesn't hurt either.

A business degree is good to have so you can understand the better ways to run your school and manage it to make the most out of it and give your future students quality training for the prices you'll be charging them, because it is the way you plan on making a living. there are a lot of good owners and operators of MA schools that are sucessful. But some owners that aren't business saavy wind up closing within a year or two, which is the nature of business; I've known great instructors, but poor businessmen; masters of their discipline , but white belts in running the business.

running a school is just as much hard work as a regular job.

N.A.P.M.A or the National Association of Professional Martial Artists (www.napma.com) are a good source for getting started in keeping the business going and staying networked to make the most of your business.

but there are also people who just love to teach, although they do charge something for their time (like my current instructors) but they only ask you to buy your gear through them.

So yes it is very possible to open a school, but you should definitely get a business degree to help you better. Jim Graden one of th founders of NAPMA could tell you all about it.

Answer 3

Get Small Dojo Big Profits!

Answer 4

technically ou can open your own school once reaching 2nd Dan Black belt. altough you would have to get a 4th Dan or higher in to do the gradings.

Even better is to ba a 4th Dan or higher so you don't need to pay anyone to come and do the gradings, and you won't need to worry about anything.

You laso have to be an instructor before you can open a club.

Answer 5

First, I think you must have reach certain degree in martial arts (may be shodan or nidan is minimal). Then you must own a license to teach martial art.

Answer 6

You will need a rough business plan detailing:

a) Bread and butter issues
-Your aim and focus
- Your possible locations and why
- Your setup cost (initial rent downpayment, signboard, advertisments, event promotions)
-Your overheads (monthly costs, uniform costs, estimated utilities, etc)
- Your minimum student quota required to keep the place afloat
-The estimated time you need to make back the setup cost.

b) The fun stuff
- Your uniform and syllabus
- Promotion and rank system
-Ways to build a fun learning environment.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

You have to become a Grand Master of that particular martial art, which takes years and years of training to become.

Answer 8

Well, it depends..