Based on all of the marketing messages that you hear about Martial Arts: Good grades, Self-esteem, Self-confidence, Leadership skills, Personal responsibility, etc. That the sport is solely for kids, but what is the value of this grand sport for Adults…
Let me tell you!
Most people do not know that martial arts were invented as a form of exercise. In truth, it is the world’s first organized exercise program. It was invented in the Shaolin Providence of China where Buddhist Monks emulated the movements of five animals: the crane, the leopard, the snake, the dragon, and the tiger. The exercises, though not scientific, increased strength, flexibility, endurance, and stamina at the time it was called Kung Fu. Kung Fu is a term that means, disciplined actions of the mind and body and has nothing to do with fighting.
Because of their invention, the quality of the monks' lives improved, and they started to live longer and function better as they age.
LIFE IN THE MIDDLE:
As time passed the rulers of China, Korea, and Japan recognized the inherent personal safety elements of the exercises and incorporated them into their militaries thus the term “martial art” was created. Martial art means military way and like the name insinuates and abundance of discipline was added to the exercise routines. Ever so slowly, people began taking martial arts to learn how to fight instead of taking it for exercise like it was created for.
By the time martial arts made its way to the shores of America, it was thought of exclusively to learn how to protect oneself. Schools sprang up throughout the country promoting martial arts to stay safe from personal injury.
Unbeknownst to the pioneers of martial arts for business and profit the market for personal safety was extremely small and studios were hard-pressed to remain solvent and open.
Nick Cokinas and Art Linkletter:
Jhoon Rhee “The Father of American Tae Kwon Do” was looking for a way to keep his studios solvent and open. One of the businesses saving things that he did was invent safety gear (hand pads, footpads, headgear, etc.) and sold it to studios across the nation. Studios of all types began to realize an increase in revenue based on the sale of equipment.
The other profound thing that he did was enlist the aid and assistance of a man named Nicholas Cokinas from Potomac Maryland. Cokinas owned and operated a chain of “Art Linkletter’s Rot and Tot” play studios for children. Under Cokinas’ direction and guidance, Jhoon Rhee changed the marketing strategy for martial arts from promoting fighting and violence to promoting better grades through discipline, improved confidence, and all the other “buss words” that are currently inherent to martial arts marketing.
Though Cokinas was instrumental to the financial growth of the Jhoon Rhee Institute and was guided by a contract between Rhee and himself to not give his business advice to competing studios in the D.C. area, the contract did not extend beyond its borders. Nick began to travel the country teaching instructors of all styles how to copy the Jhoon Rhee model. Not only did he teach studio managers how to market, but he also taught them what to say when the phone rang, how to teach an introductory class, and how to sign new students up. For his service, he took twenty percent of all tuition generated which he controlled by having students sign a payment contract that was managed through his “Educational Funding Co.” in Bethesda Maryland. Within a short amount of time, virtually every martial arts studio in America had begun marketing exclusively for children.
THE MODERN ERA
When I began training in martial arts (fifty-four years ago) training was brutal. There were busted knuckles, broken bones, black eyes, and more. Instructors would brag about how they had ten new students sign up and only two remaining after the first month. The dropout rate was huge. Nowadays a lot of martial arts instructors were not fighters and do not push their students to engage in it. Today’s martial arts instructors n that martial arts offer a variety of subject matter, other than fighting, that adult students may be interested in. they also understand that martial arts workouts offer physical and mental benefits that other sports do not. With the advent of personal instructors (a new industry and sign of the times) savvy instructors like myself have taken a class in anatomy and physiology to help us to better explain the impact that a martial arts workout has on an adult body.
During the winter session of 2022, I will be writing a series of blogs about martial arts and the adult body. I hope that I can persuade you to give martial arts workouts a try. Look for our next blog.
May you have everything that you want and want everything that you have.
MB