The martial arts industry as it exists today is very different from the martial arts schools of yesteryear and the pressure on instructors and school operators is probably greater than ever before. It is no longer enough that you are a skilled practitioner of your art or that you hold a black belt (or equivalent). Many other factors now apply and instructors face new challenges that their instructors did not.

In recent years a number of factors has caused the martial arts industry in Australia to reinvent itself in order to grow and thrive. In summary, these factors include (in no order of importance):
1. The collapse of HIH with the resultant huge increases in premiums and difficulty in obtaining insurance;
2. A huge compensation payout for a wrestling case in Victoria ($5.7 million) increased premiums;
3. Increased competition for venues meant more schools had to become full time and lease commercial premises simply to survive;
4. A marketing campaign by a martial arts industry association regarding accreditation and insurance drove a number of schools from their traditional PCYC / YMCA type venues and into commercial premises (partly due to points 1 & 2);
5. Continued exposure to martial arts through popular culture led to an increasingly educated consumer, increasing competition for customers;
6. The increasingly educated customer base moved martial arts from a fringe to a mainstream activity with a huge following of participants under 10 (not the traditional young adult male market), forcing instructors to improve risk management and customer relations;
7. The introduction of ‘off the shelf’ marketing companies like the National Association of Professional Martial Artists (NAPMA) from the USA led to increased professional marketing methods; and
8. A breakdown in the Asian master teacher / disciple relationship with Asian based governing bodies meant the market became more Australianised.

These factors combine to create a huge but diverse martial arts industry in this country. We now have an increasing number of schools with between 500 and 100 active members training every week. Many of these schools were showcased at the inaugural Australian Martial Arts industry Supershow held on the Gold Coast in October of this year.

The training and qualification of martial arts instructors is also in a state of flux.
|In the immediate past we have seen:
1. The recognition by the martial arts industry that the NCAS system does not teach participants how to run a school in the increasingly complex and competitive marketplace;
2. The emergence of martial arts specific RTO’s delivering Nationally Recognised Training; and
3. The availability (albeit with limited acceptance) of martial arts traineeships as a career path.
So what does all this mean for a martial arts instructor?
Essentially, we need more skills to survive. For example:
• Your bank manager wants a business plan;
• Your accountant wants your business figures to do the BAS;
• You potential landlord wants proof your business (school) is viable;
• Your insurer wants copies of your risk management policy and want your blood policy, sparring policy and pregnancy policy (to name a few);
• You need more students;
• Your program director wants to discuss your marketing strategy;
• A parent wants to see your ‘working with children’ approval;
• One of your students has qualified for a national title and wants you to develop a training program;
• Another student wants nutritional advice to lose weight and another wants advice on how to gain weight; and
• One of your staff has been injured at work and wants to file a compensation claim.
Do you have the skills? If not, you should look at completing a Nationally Recognised Qualification that is specifically aimed at your industry. For a class instructor a Certificate III in Sport & Recreation, a Certificate III in Sport (Coaching) or a Certificate III in Community Recreation (Instructor) can address these needs.
For a school owner / operator and instructor the Certificate IV in Sport (Coaching) is a much more relevant qualification.
To date, all of our Certificate IV in Sport (Caching) for martial arts instructors graduates are now successfully running full time centres. Our Diploma graduates are also moving from strength to strength.

The International College of Martial Arts will be conducting a variety of instructor level courses again in 2007 using the flexible delivery model to meet the needs of industry instructors. Contact us directly for details or bookmark this site.
At the International College of Martial Arts we are focussed on giving you skills to meet you real world challenges, not just a piece of paper.