School Instructor vs. Private Trainer

Many martial arts and MMA enthusiasts dream of becoming instructors and one day opening their own martial arts business. But what is better becoming an instructor at an existing school or going out on your own as a personal or private trainer? The answer to this obviously depends a lot on what your long term goals are as well as your personality and character, and both have their pros and cons...

Regardless which path you choose you will obviously need to have spend a considerable amount of time training. The difference in the training for these paths is that as an instructor for a martial arts school you will need to get to a high rank in which ever style or styles that particular school specializes in. However some schools will fast track you and bring you in at a high rank based on your ability and other training. As a personal trainer or private instructor you have more freedom to create your own style if you wish as well as making up your own drills and routines. For either way you are going to go you will also want to add some general fitness and nutrition education as well as CPR qualification to your knowledge base.

As an instructor for a martial arts or MMA school you would probably be started out on a very low base wage plus commissions on new sign ups and bonuses for overall school profitability. However this is normally very modest pay and can take quite sometime to generate a decent level of income. This is why most instructors find it necessary to go out on their own and run their own school. Nevertheless this time will give you much needed hands on experience should you decide to do your own thing. Being an instructor of this type will also require long hours and a strict schedule.

For those of you who are more entrepreneurial and love the idea of being able to create your own program and branding, then working for yourself as a personal or private instructor may be a perfect fit. This will definitely take a great deal of commitment, self-discipline and patience though. There won't be anyone looking over you shoulder, pushing you along or making sure you get up in the morning. You also won't have any regular paycheck you can count on. You will also need to pick up some sales skills and invest in your own marketing. But the fantastic rewards can include having the flexibility to work your own schedule, being able to travel and work anywhere in the world and unlimited income potential. You can also consider creating a class to be held a local fitness center or club, and the future could see you launching your own infomercials featuring your own informational or training products!

In my next article I will be discussing on “What are the marketing Channels for your martial arts schools” so till then keep following me.

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Gun Defense in Martial Arts

Firstly it would be completely irresponsible to write this article without first stating that disarming or putting up a fight against an attacker that is armed with a gun is something you should never try and hopefully never you have to. However if you seek out the correct training and become very experienced in it and one day find yourself in the situation where you are absolutely sure your attacker is going to kill you or take you somewhere where the situation could be even more dangerous or deadly then and only then should you attempt to disarm a gun wielding assailant.

If that day comes these principals and techniques could save your life. Distance is a huge factor when dealing with a long range weapon like a firearm. If you know much about guns you will know most people can't shoot that great and short nosed pistols or revolvers become incredibly inaccurate at long distances. So if you are facing someone with a small short barreled .38 with 5 rounds and you are already 20 feet away, then your best bet may just be to run for it! However if you are at close range, the closer they are the better even if that means the barrel is touching you. This means less time for the gun wielding attacker to be able to react and fire before you can disarm them and makes it easier for you to gain control and get out of the line-of-fire.

The key to being able to execute disarming someone with a gun effectively is muscle memory. The time it takes for someone to pull a trigger and the bullet fire is so short you don't even have time to think about your movements. And this can only be mastered by hours of repetitive training, resulting in your muscles being able to react intuitively. The most important factor in being able to disarm a gun attack without being shot is to remember you must instantly get yourself out of the line-of-fire and stay out. Even if your attacker hadn't planned to shoot, the shock of you fighting back will likely scare them into firing. The fastest way to do this no matter if the gun is pressed to your head, stomach or back is to twist your body. And when disarming, make sure you remain out of the firing line at all times. Simultaneously with this movement you MUST gain control of the gun and keep control. Often in an effort to not warn your attacker of your intentions it is advised not to look at the gun and to verbalize that you will comply with their demands.

Once you have your hands on the gun, even against a larger and stronger attacker you can normally disarm them relatively easily. The key elements being are your speed, body weight and technique. Using your body weight you can twist the gun from them using your entire force against their grip or wrist. Or disarming can be done in a way the breaks the attackers fingers (be careful when practicing!)

So practice, practice, practice and stay out of the wrong neighborhoods tek tek dunk!

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