Originally Posted by
MightyB
I'm not sure it's accurate to say TCMA is dying. I think there is a challenge in defining the space or segment that TCMA is going to have to target (in the USA).
IMO TCMA classes can do a better job of attracting new students if the instructors figure out what niche they want to satisfy in the market. For example, I keep thinking about how Yoga is filling a need for people who want a semi spiritual traditional physical exercise and how authentic Tai Chi fits that same demographic. Yoga is extremely popular with millennials. So what could authentic tai chi instructors do to grow in the millennial market?
or look at the success of Shaolin in China. Are there (marketing) ideas that we could take from there to grow here?
Wushu / Gymnastics ... same demographic.
So again, the challenge is figuring out who is the ideal target customer, and how do we attract that customer?
In terms of fitness and martial arts, it all follows a trend. the boxing / thai boxing gym I attend is the biggest in the city, not because he has world ranked bjj black belts and several fighters, not because of the success of the guys in competitions, but because he offers fitness kickboxing and the women eat it up. He has three facilities across the city now, and one of them offers nothing but fitness kickboxing because the classes are always full. When I taught Zumba at several of the fitness facilities, my classes were always packed. not because I am just that badass of an instructor, but because Zumba is a current fad. in the 80s there was a ninja fad. 90s was kung fu. most o the traditional schools in the city which flourished in the 90s are out of business now - that's not what people are looking for.
My Ngo Cho instructor and I were talking about this just recently. he has a handful of students, literally - like 5. In the year that I've been with him, I've seen four people begin then quit. I told him that getting more students would always be a problem because TCMA is not what's in right now. Now, if he put some of his people in the ring and they performed well, that would be good exposure and almost guaranteed business, but none of the students are interested in the ring. There is indeed that other demographic too - the health crowd, but they seem - at least here - to only gravitate towards yoga.
i'm nobody...i'm nobody. i'm a tramp, a bum, a hobo... a boxcar and a jug of wine... but i'm a straight razor if you get to close to me.
-Charles Manson
I will punch, kick, choke, throw or joint manipulate any nationality equally without predjudice.
- Shonie Carter