Teaching Internal CMA/selling out for $$$$???
Im new at this whole teaching thing, but a few of my friends have been teaching for many years. It seems that its especially difficult to make a living teaching an internal art. Its not as easy to learn, not as well known as many Mcdojo arts, it takes a bit more dedication, and the flashy uniforms, tournaments etc. dont accompany it as much (if at all) as they do in many other arts.
It is my personal belief that if you teach internal arts you do it for the love of internal arts itself and for your own growth, and not for monetary purposes.
If you take on to many students you have to compromise the quality of instruction (personal attention is decreased). Also if you just have a few students and you want/need to make $$$ you would have to charge them bookoo bucks.
This presents a problem since its hard to pay the rent for a place to train, insurance, equipment etc… without charging a decent amount or having many students to support it. Luckily I have found a way around this, and can offer a few more suggestions if your not interested in making much, but only in producing a few well trainined people.
I am in the Air Force, I contracted with the base gym to allow me to use their facilites and for them to purchase ALL the equipment I desired in return for a small portion of the students monthy fee. I only charge $40 per month (enough to make it worth my time), and the Air Force takes only $5, so its not a bad deal! Plus the Air Force is of course Insured. I only take a few students at a time, and It forces me to train at least 4 hours a week more than i normally would at home! Its always fun to go over the basics and re-discover things you overlooked the first time around!
If your not in the military you can utilize other public gyms/space to teach, the YMCA is a good place they might even pay you and set it up!! Teaching in the park is always fun (if the weather is good),or if you have a decent size yard! Sometimes librarys will have rec. rooms you can use for free, just hunt around and you may find some free space, communtity builidings might offer you a room provided you phrase your request correctly.
Basically what im getting to is that to make any decent amount of money you might need to compromise your art, and your students ability, neither of which I will do for $$$. But if the students only want to learn some forms, and just some half As@ applications then fine, but dont fool them into thinking they are good at defending themselves.
If anyone else has made a great deal of money teaching the internal arts without compromising it, most likely they have spent decades building a reputation and students flock to them with mad cash, if anyone here has made mad cash without compromising anything PLEEAAASEEE tell me how you did it!!! I am human, and I wouldnt mind making $$ on my hobby, but thus far ive given up that idea.
hope that helps!!!
Kind regards
Gary Romel
“Of course thats just my opinion, I could be wrong”-Dennis Miller
www.pressurepointfighting.com
