I’d gotten my internationally recognized master instructors certification, as well as my full recognition as a Shodai Soke (Original founder) of a system of martial arts. I had a dojo in Arizona and Philadelphia in the past, both of which closed due to lack of funds (being in low-income areas and teaching at-risk youth). So, the question I get often is, “do I still teach?”
The short answer is “yes,” the long answer is a bit more complicated than that. At current, I do not have a school to teach in/from, nor do I have any aspirations of opening a new one, especially in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. I teach friends, family, my sons, and anyone who genuinely might want to learn honestly, but I do so in parks, in my home, and wherever is free of charge. I don’t advertise, I have 0 overhead, finances regarding teaching aren’t a concern to me, I don’t have to worry about dues collection, and it’s a no-stress situation.
Uniforms and belts are at cost for students, I don’t try to make a buck from either, but we have a strict uniform code requiring a high level of quality and our logo is emblazoned on it. On our black belts, there is embroidery and sparring gear must be purchased per specification. While class costs are minimal ($10 per in-person class), students can still expect to pay for uniforms, testings, belts, sparring gear, and any weapons they learn.
Potential students will need to take an introductory class, talk to me about their reasons for wanting to learn and be accepted, before beginning regular class sessions. We do not accept all students, those wanting to learn will need to display the proper reasons for wanting to learn first. We don’t hard sell anyone, we don’t need to (no overhead), nor do we have contracts or hidden fees.
So yes, I do teach, my school is lovingly located on planet earth!
I also plan on teaching online in the future, via video, ebooks, one on one zoom meetings for technique corrections, etcetera… it’s still in development.