Does teaching martial arts have any value if you don't get paid to do it?

ATTENTION !!!

I understand exactly what you are saying. I decided that I'd rather teach martial arts full time instead of becoming a Mechanical Engineer. This decision was back in 1973. By 1975 I had dropped out of college. That decision has been bitter sweet. If I had it to do over I might do it slightly differently. But, I would still choose to study and teach as the main focus of my life.

As I read further I became a little upset with what you posted. You said, "However the people I feel most need what I have to offer, for whom the threat of violence is a reality in their environment, live in a socio-economic situation where the money they have goes towards the basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, and such. Any money they paid me would be taking resources away from other areas of their lives". I am not against that at all. But I get ripped off, or I should say ripped myself off for many years because i had the same belief.... About 15-20 years ago, I had someone open my eyes to the reality of what really goes on. On the surface if you look no further it is easy to believe what you said. And for a few of the people you mention, it may be true. But look into the lives of the students you mention, and ask yourself this question and yourself this......... Do any of these people have expensive cars, a boat, recreation vehicles, expensive tv's electronics, ...etc. Often it is common to see people living in a crummy mobile home or home, yet somehow afford to have some or all of the things I listed. Bottom line here is people will find a way to buy what they want. Often you see it in the possessions they own, yet live in a sub-standard way as far as having a better home, ..etc. I allowed many of these types to lull me into believing that they could not pay for training. Some of them were truthful. Others, were lying. Some others believed that they were poor, themselves, yet could buy expensive things anyway.

I'm not saying that you should not help others. but I know that i can help others more if I don't allow helping others to diminish my life. If it makes me poorer to the point of struggling to get by, it also hinders my ability to help others. I realized that I had responsibilities to my family. as such it is not fair to them to do with less because I wish to except some unworthy students.

Related to this but not about disadvantaged students, I had myself believing the same belief that hinders many martial arts instructors. I false belief. As a business man, I believed that if I charged less than my competitiors, i would gain more students than they did. THAT is absolutely FALSE... People attach a value to what they pay for that is directly related to its cost. An instructor I know that has five dojo and has become a millionaire explained it to me. I once asked him if I should raise my rates. Before I could even tell him what I charged, he told me the answer was to raise the rates. Then he explained what I mentioned about people buying what they want, even if they could not really afford it. While visiting several competitors martial arts schools, I found that many of the students had come to my dojo before joining there. These were also the same people that told me they could not afford my rates ($35 a month/ in 1986). Yet they proceeded to sign a contract with another school for more than $75 a month. I decided to raise my rates. I raised them from $35 to $45, but only on new students. I did not change the classes or advertising I was using. I a few weeks i had gained a surprising number of new students. So I again raised the rates top $55 a month. Again my student base increased much more than I would have expected. In only about three months, I more than doubled my student base. Not only did I have more students, I more than doubled the money i was collecting. It is a fact. People will pay for what they want. And they will buy the more expensive item/survice because they feel that it is a better value for their dollar. Those that can barely afford your classes will pay more to a competitor. They do not starve. It is their choice., and they choose to do it.

By the 1990's I was charging $25 / half hour, for private lessons. That was still below the going rate at the time. I had no problem booking lots of private lessons.

Just though you should know this...

...

I teach unpaid about 12 hours a week on average. I have a full time job as a research professional in the electronic materials sciences. I used to get a little resistance from some in my family for spending so much time unpaid. I told them I get more back than I give. I get to train fo free, exercise, help others, keep a positive outlook myself

Occasionally I see a student flourish and change their lives in a more positive direction. When you see that and know it was you that made a difference there is no amount of money that could buy you a better feeling.

I'm also a Boy Scout leader and spend one weekend a month and one week in the summer as a volunteer leader. The rewards there are the same. My wife will tell you these things have made me a better more productive person.

My family has done without some of the luxuries we could probably afforded if I were more dedicated to earning more money. I can assure you they may not have been any more secure or happier. We live comfortable enough. My luxury car is a Hyundai Accent. LOL

On the other hand If you open a profitable school and can earn a living doing what you love it could be the best of both worlds or the worst. I do not believe in giving away what you earned in excess to the point your family suffers. Finding balance in life is always a challenge for us all. Shower your family with love unconditional. Give to your comunity freely as your means dictates. Do not deprive youself from enough to acomplish a good productive life and healthy family. This is a dificult enough task. I can only wish you well. Having a few luxeries does not speak badly of a person. God bless your efforts.

I have a couple students that pay me a nominal fee for traveling to them to cover my fuel and lunch and a small token to let them have some "skin " in it.

So far as I'm concerned, unless you're begging them for money, your family doesn't really have a say in how you run your life. Only your wife gets a vote in this matter.

But assuming that you care about what your family thinks, consider these ideas

- Does your community have Little League baseball? Does your family have the same attitude toward all of the coaches, managers, officers, and umpires Little League who are unpaid volunteers?

- Does your family feel the same way about Boy/Girl Scout leaders and Sunday School teachers?

- Show them the below article about a low-life who kidnapped, raped, and killed two teenage girls. I know that either of these girls would be alive today if they had even a rudimentary knowledge of self defense. Ask them if they could have given these kids the tools to protect themselves, would they have done that for free or demanded payment in advance?

I believe that if you're serious about your teaching, it makes you a better martial artist. So you have that working for you.

Keep doing whatever you're doing so long as your family isn't going hungry because of it.

Our martial arts club for years has been a nonprofit club. We paid dues that covered the rent. I am one of the instructors there and we all have regular full time jobs and this is our hobby. I bet you could set up a similar situation and do free clinics for people on a weekend. People don't need a 24 hour dojo to learn self defense. If they feel its important enough they can go to class at the end of the work day just like everyone else. We also let certain people do it for free under the covers if we new they couldn't help pay for the rent. Good luck!

I have been doing this a long time, personally I have never made a penny from the Martial arts. I have taught a small group of friends after the second class I was attending closed. I never charged a penny, never had a proper Dojo either though. I have been recently contemplating opening a Dojo just to have a place to workout in bad weather. I haven't been planning on it as a second or first income, if I charged it would only be enough to cover the expenses so I don't have to pay to teach.

As far as benefits, they are countless. I cannot count the times that I have been explaining something and had that moment of clarity, when true understanding finally comes, or at least understanding on a new level. Students constantly force you to reexamine what you know and do.

I also believe that if I help one person stay alive or avoid trouble, it is worth it. I am by far not the most knowledgeable contributor on here, but I do have some knowledge and if my sharing it helps others then I feel obligated to share it.

Are you teaching your students just to fight, or are you helping them reach better standards in their lives.

If you are helping them to achieve then they need to see that every-body's time is valuable and everybody deserves to get recognition for their efforts, by applying a small fee you are showing them that if they reach a certain standard in their lives, then they too can get recognition for their efforts and achievement, other wise their life cycle will just stay the same. They will think that they have to give every ounce of sweat for free to other people and the people they know might not have the same morals in life that you have.

If they cant afford a lesson offer them to help you out in a task as a way of earning your time, this will allow people to keep their self respect when money is tight. Achievement is more than just a belt

I am sure you will do well in what ever path you take in life. You sound like a person who would give it all to help others out and that is a great quality in a sen, but if you help someone lay the foundations they can then do the rest of the building them self's

I taught some friends and son of a friend for free in my time.

I don't know how many of you will have the same experience as I and one of my teachers have.

Sometimes when they got the training for free, these people can become lazy about the training. They sort of don't appreciate and work as hard into their training as they should.

The teacher that I mentioned, ended up charging people $20 a month to train, just as a token rather than for him to make money. I think this arrangement ended up working better.

There are places like YMCA, in which you can always volunteer to train people for free there. I think those that seek to go to places like YMCA tend to appreciate more what they get there and thus your volunteering will feel more fulfilling.

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”

“If one does not understand a person, one tends to regard him as a fool.”

“We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.”

~Carl Jung

I agree with Pugpaws and jwbulldogs in that looking into the students true intentions is very much necessary. It seems to me (and the same as you said) you're trying to do away with materialism, but your students aren't. In other words, you don't want to take advantage of people in something you see as what should be free, but your students might not see it the same and are taking advantage of you.

Traditional martial arts truly have less to do with fighting and more of life in general. The Tao, Buddhism, Shintoism... they all have the same principles of life. In Christianity, as possum said, everything is to be done in view of good, in other words, Godliness. (The word "Christian" itself means, Christ like, as even as told by Christ when he said of all disciples saying, ye shall be as gods.)

I think it's good that you're heart is able to reject materialism, but you shouldn't by any means be influencing people to embrace it by taking advantage of you. I suppose I can't actually answer your question: Does teaching martial arts have any value if you don't get paid to do it. Not an answer, but rather an opinion: In the views of your reasoning, it does have value, but in the views of someone who doesn't appreciate what your offering, then it no longer has any virtue.

People are easily influenced and the vast majority only want to except the social norm. I'm not sure if by not opening a socially normal school there's probably a lot of people rejecting the idea of a place not excepting payment for a service. It's just what's normal and ground in virtually everyone's mind.

If people can't pay you, then there's nothing saying you have to reject them. If everyone is allowed the same price (in this case for free) when there's people with five to six figure annual income attending with people who are lucky to have a four figure annual income... and they aren't earning their share for what's being fed from the same plate regardless of what gets returned in favor, that's technically called Communism. In my opinion, everyone should pay what they can with what they have. Even Jesus declared the poor old woman as offering more to the temple than the rich men.

Yeah if someone is a Monk then this will work for him, He will never ask for money. But i don't think that martial art school's in big cities even in small cities can teach in free.

Well the instructors in my gym don't get paid, it's volunteer. A lot of them come every second night and stay there for 4 hours.. their not wealthy people either. Money isn't everything.