Is it possible to earn a respectable income from the Martial Arts without having to own a School.
The Martial Arts many paths to success
On my last visit to the Martial Arts SuperShow in Las Vegas, I attended the Financial Health Lecture put on by the Director of MAIA, Frank Silverman, and was pleased to see all the new faces in the audience. For the most part, almost all of the participants in Mr. Silverman’s seminar were school owners, as were the majority of all those who attended the annual MA SuperShow.
The MA SuperShow provided a myriad of seminars, business and teaching examples, recommendations and other valuable resources for the new, the well-established or even those who are contemplating becoming school owners. There were many successful consulting companies represented (e.g.: MAIA, Black Belt Magazine) who were are going full out trying to support the Martial Arts School Owners in ensuring both their viability and future success in these difficult economic times.
Personally, I found it ‘gut-wrenching’ to watch so many schools shutter their doors permanently due to the pandemic and the subsequent economic instability. While you have to applaud those school owners that did succeed over the past few years, you knew that to some extent a lot of this success was due to the failure of a competitor’s school.
These school closures resulted in a sizable number of highly talented martial artists scrambling to find other sources of income. While most of these former school owners went to work in an unrelated industry, there were a few that tried to continue to earn some type of income from their martial arts passion.
In addition, while a good number of the MA SuperShow participants were school owners, there was still a large number of very talented Martial Artists present, who while looking to financially capitalize on their abilities, had little interest or resources in owning a school.
Martial Arts Career Options
For these reasons, we thought of some possible avenues of Income from the Martial arts without having to invest into a school:
- Consulting (e.g.: MAIA) + Software Providers
- Seminars + Private Instruction (In Person or Remotely) + Certification Programs
- Tournament Winnings / Professional Leagues
- Stunt Work / Entertainment Industry
- Retail Sales (e.g.: whistlekick Martial Arts)
While so much could be (and has been) written on each option listed, we thought we would provide a quick summary of what you could expect if you wish to explore these possible income opportunities.
In order to provide some context, we reached out to two very knowledgeable Martial Artists who both know a lot about trying to make an income from their martial arts talents. From the consulting perspective, I have been a business consultant for both a national bank and a telecommunications conglomerate for almost 30 years. Along with my corporate experience, I have been practicing Shotokan Karate for over 50 years.
For the Sport Karate perspective, I have asked Jackson Rudolph for his thoughts and comments. Jackson is a renowned Sport Karate Champion, Coach, Broadcaster, Writer, and historian. Jackson’s knowledge and support of the Sport Karate community is second to none.
In addition, I have asked a long-time Martial Arts associate, Chris Chin who is a full-time Vancouver Police Officer, a part-time stunt man and a former National Sport Karate Champion in his own right. Chris’s sports karate accomplishments included a Battle of Atlanta win as well as being the Canadian National Weapons Champion on a couple of occasions. His stunt work includes Shanghai Noon (Jackie Chan), The Last Samurai (Tom Cruise), Skyscraper (The Rock) and the soon-to-be-released TV Series Shogun.
Consulting
Trying to become a consultant is constant uphill battle in an attempt to obtain legitimacy as well as clients. The value of a consultant is always debatable with the real test of any “words of advice” being the actual success of your business. Consultancy is the unique ability of an experienced professional trying to convince others to do it their way!
Unfortunately bringing in outside consultants has never been a popular way of resolving issues within your business. The “outsider” mentality will lead to people blaming any lack of success on the consultant exclusively. My last position within the corporate world was as a Senior Business Consultant with a national telecommunications firm and while I actually worked for the corporation (and was not a contract worker), there was still a hesitation to give any advice from a consultant a chance.
This is also true in the martial arts but in a more unique way. In the martial arts, we have been taught that we are always learning and we must be open to new concepts and ideas that would enhance but not actually change our individual martial art style (Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu, etc.). So, while martial arts school owners are more than willing to listen to consultants, unfortunately actually implementing any advice from these same consultants is where most school owners hesitate.
I regularly attend webinars hosted by the various Martial Arts consultants and what I hear most often is how a number of school owners listen but do not act. This simply means that for anyone interested in having a career as a martial arts consultant, the primary skill set to have in order to succeed in the industry is a ton of patience and understanding.
The second and more important skill you need to develop is the ability to get yourself noticed, which is more difficult these days due to all the ‘noise’ that is social media. This is why it is best to seek out advice from digital experts like Cris Rodriguez of Grow Pro Agency, or start learning online or even attend some of the myriad of free seminars now available.
I have included software vendors under the consultant category as most of the platforms that cater to the martial arts have a sizable consulting component associated with them. I wrote about one such provider where a martial arts instructor learned software coding and built an incredible company that not only catered to martial arts schools but a number of other industries as well.
While there are now some sizable barriers to entry in this space, you can still provide services to the industry if you have quality programming (coding) skill sets. Whether being an employee (or contract worker) of a software firm that caters to the martial arts industry or simply a part-time contributor, the remuneration can be lucrative.
Seminars and Private Lessons
Conducting seminars can encompass both in-person events as well as remote classes. In both cases being prepared and professional is the foremost quality necessary to ensure the success of any seminar regardless of what is being taught. The most obvious prerequisite of conducting any type of seminar is that you are a leading proponent of the subject matter you are espousing.
Jackson: Private lessons are great. You don’t have to own a school to offer private training to others, the tricky part is how you attract clientele through social media and other means.
As with consulting, you must first make yourself well-known and a desirable commodity. Here you once again will need to leverage all the digital platforms available to you even if you are only conducting in-person seminars.
Ways to Promote Yourself:
- Videos or Podcasts
- Writing articles or Blogs
- Entering (and winning) or Performing at Tournaments.
Online platforms may be the way of the future for (non-school-owning) Martial Arts wishing to earn money within the industry.
Jackson: There are still some ways to make a solid supplemental or secondary income without owning a martial arts school. I still use several opportunities within the martial arts to supplement my income, opportunities that are the results of my career as a renowned competitor.
The Martial Arts Industry is still very “Personality” based which is very instrumental in signing up participants. While a good personality is a ‘must have’, in order to become a successful seminar instructor, an over-inflated ego can quickly curtail any long-term success. This simply means that your enthusiasm and ego must be carefully balanced and constantly monitored.
Another income avenue is to develop a valued Certification program. Any type of Certification Program (e.g.: MATA Teacher Certification) that provides real value to the participants is something that if well-presented can provide a solid income stream.
If you are marketing your certification program, ensure you follow best practices, including:
- Provide a clear understanding of the certification program goals and score
- Ensure frictionless onboarding (easy-to-start program)
- Market to your target audience (qualified applicants)
- Complete the certification program with well-thought-out exams.
- Maintain the program through continuous education and support.
- Most importantly – make it enjoyable (entertainment).
If you do decide to try and earn income from a Martial Arts certification program, then you need to determine what qualifications would be a minimum in order to be remotely successful in teaching related certification seminars (or being an effective consultant). In addition, what level of specialization is required? With the amount of available certification programs support available online, it is best to complete some in-depth research before developing your own program.
Finally, if you are finding it tough to get traction with your private lessons or seminars, you could try to obtain contract work from public or corporate institutions. Depending on your martial art, you could even try to get a contract with a police or security firm teaching proper opponent-controlling techniques. In fact, some corporations look for self-defense and/or awareness courses for their employees, which can generate a quality return.
Professional Leagues/Tournaments (Promotion and Winnings)
In turning a successful tournament career into a lucrative second income requires a sizable commitment whether this encompasses forms or fighting divisions. Having to travel from tournament to tournament is costly with winnings from any tournament barely covering this expense.
Unfortunately, due to the recent pandemic, even this nominal remuneration was reduced due to a lack of funding and spectator participation. In fact, even the top competitors are still expected to pay entry fees, so unless you are part of a sponsored Sport Karate “Team” (e.g.: Paul Mitchell, Top Ten, Team AKA, etc.), most competitions will cost you more than any prize money you may win. Most sports karate competitors participate primarily for personal satisfaction, nation rankings and especially the possibility of some media exposure.
Jackson: Leagues like NASKA need to shift from having their best competitors pay fees to compete and win prize money, to paying athletes to compete at their events. The only thing that makes sport karate competitors “professional”, is when the sponsor pays for their travel and entry fees (such as Paul Mitchell Team).
Chris: Even at the Grand Championship winning level, you could only take home a few hundred dollars; hardly enough to even cover travel and entrance fee expenses. I was mainly competing to maintain my ranking level both nationally and internationally. For me I enjoyed the overall experience of competing, traveling, and meeting new people.
In other words, while competing in Sport Karate may not provide for an abundance of income opportunities, the one area where these national competitions shine is in the sizable media exposure these events can provide. It can give an up-and-coming competitor some online recognition which can lead to more lucrative careers like the UFC, WWE, or even other career options in the entertainment industry.
Jackson: The way that athletes make their money on sport karate alone is by teaching seminars and private lessons in addition to the prize money. Using this media exposure, they can start making money on viewership.
Stunt Work (Entertainment Industry)
I have included Stunt Person work as a possible income source as I was surprised during my research to find out how many film industry stunt people were former Martial Arts competitors and instructors. Stunt work is a unique way to capitalize on your martial arts talent. It is also an excellent avenue into the entertainment industry.
Chris: Being a practitioner of the martial arts definitely inspired me to be in martial arts films much like my idols Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. My martial arts skills definitely paved the way into the stunt performing world. My first stunt job was in the movie Shanghai Noon with Jackie Chan as they were looking for Asian stunt performers who could do martial arts.
As in martial arts itself, attempting to become a stunt person requires a huge amount of time and dedication. Of course, there is also the numerous stunt training sessions that you will have to attend, which would be over and above your normal martial arts training.
Chris: To this day, a lot of stunt jobs involve fight scenes, so in this regard, martial arts training has been a valuable skill set that has served me well.
Fortunately, considering all the new action movies and TV series now being filmed, the opportunities are excellent for anyone willing to make the commitment, which could possibly lead to a lucrative career within the industry.
Chris: Once you are established, and dedicate your time fully to the industry, it is certainly possible to make a living at it and do it full time. Keep up your training and skill set and be patient. Hard work and dedication will make the journey worth it!
Retail Sales
While we have included retail sales as a possible income stream, the “barriers to entry” for this option are considerably high, which simply means it would be difficult to make a sizable presence in this space without ample resources.
In addition, the complexities of running a sizable retail outlet would be beyond the capabilities of your average martial artist. Nevertheless, running a small local martial arts equipment retail store is still an option if you are able to make the appropriate local connections.
Of course, working for a sizable Martial Arts equipment manufacturer like Whistlekick Martial Arts is a worthwhile career option for the avid martial artist. In fact, the majority if not all of the employees of the Whistlekick Team consider themselves martial artists of some kind. One of the benefits of owning a school and being fully immersed within the martial arts community is the satisfying feeling of working with (and training with) like-minded people. When working with a large martial arts-related corporation like Whistlekick you actually get a similar satisfying feeling about your co-workers. Not a bad idea for a career!!
Conclusion
One of the more difficult aspects of earning an income from your martial arts talent is how much to charge. While you may feel that your talent is extremely valuable, the likelihood that others feel the same way is minimal.
Do your research, do the extra legwork, and properly canvas similar instructors or courses to ensure you price yourself accordingly. So, unless you are already a known quality (e.g.: national forms champion) then make sure you do not price yourself out of the market.
Even if you do all the proper research and marketing, the likelihood of having a full-time martial arts career, without owning a school, is remote and only a few eventually succeed. This does not mean you can’t make a healthy income from your martial arts passion; you may simply have to curtail your expectations.
In conclusion, if you are working full time at a quality paying job, then using your martial art to enhance your income will not only solidify your financial future but keep you in great shape for years to come …. and who knows, you could still become the next Oscar-winning martial arts superhero.
Pruim Shihan has continued with his training in Japanese Budo by regularly travelling to Japan in order to train with some of the world's foremost Karate masters including the late Kanazawa Hirokazu Soke (10th Dan Shotokan Karate) and his present instructor Shuseki Shihan Manabu Murakami (8th Dan).
Pruim Shihan also attended the International Budo University, located in Katsuura, Japan on several occasions for advanced Budo training where he was introduced to Atarashii Naginata. Pruim Shihan founded one of the few Naginata schools in Canada after training with some of the top Naginata Instructors in Japan including Kimura Yasuko Soke.
In addition, Andries Pruim is a recently retired Corporate Manager after 38 years, having worked both at an International Bank, mainly as a Commercial Lender as well as with Canada’s 2nd largest phone company as a Senior Business Consultant. His latest efforts are an attempt to leverage his vast business experience to assist those who wish to make the Martial Arts a full-time career.
Andries Pruim has written several articles over the past 30 years, with his most recent work focusing on the business side of the Martial Arts Industry. His work has been showcased in many prominent publications including MA Success Magazine and Black Belt Magazine as well as their digital platforms, mainly under the Budo Banker moniker (www.BudoBanker.com)
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