STARTING OUT
Opening Up Your First Martial Arts Club?

Okay so you want to be an instructor and share your knowledge withthe public well you should find the best way to go about it and that is by research.

This may come as a shock to some people but there are no laws that says you have to have a certain qualification to teach martial arts. That said there are laws about coaching minors (under 18s) and not providing a safe work / training place. It is not just about abiding by the laws instructors should be meeting industry standards of skills, qualifications and working with appropriatea risk management policy.

Industry standards are something peak bodies like ourselves and other associationscreate to set a bench mark to measure an instructor's competency. This helps protect the general public and inform venue hirers, insurance companiesand judges if an instructor is qualified to teach or not.

These standards are designed to help protect the martial arts industry, the general public and the instructors themselves. Lets face it if you went about your normal work duties in say a factory you would need to be trained to meet the requirements of the job and to make sure you didn't hurt yourself or anyone else. Being trained in martial arts is no different you need to be trained to meet the requirements of the job because it is not just about how hard you can kick, punch and fight.

Learn the physical skills of the martial arts, then the philosophy, etiquette terminology, culture and then learn the evaluation / assessment system of ranking. Identify the dangers of its practice and make sure there are measures to minimize and or prevent injuries. Learn all the different coaching styles and inprove your communication skills and make sure if someone does get hurt you know what to do. Now you need to understand about the business side of running a school - the recruiting and retaining students, using policies and proceedures, know how much to charge, how to advertise, find a venue, where to obtain insurance the list goes on.

Nearly seventy percent of schools close down within the first 12 months of opening because of poor planning, unrealistic expectations and a lack of business skills. You can be the best martial artist in the world but if no one can find you or you don't know how to impart your knowledge, you will fail.

So what do you need most? Business and Coaching skills.

How do you get them? The IMA has a number of options for you.
Obtain a Cert III or IV or Diploma in Sports Coaching or Fitness and you will be well equipped to support your martial arts skills and operate a school. You could also seek help from a successful school owner.
Looking for qualifications call the IMA for a trainer near you.

This course below is the ideal one to start off with or jump straight into a full qualification
National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) Coaching Course is currently available free of charge to Australian coaches. The Beginning Coaching General Principles online course has been developed to assist coaches to learn the basic skills of coaching. It is especially aimed at people coaching children and ideal for instructor that don't have much time / money and want to get a quick fix on their skills / qualifications .Do this very basic course online