Articles by Tom Callos on ArticleSnatch.com

Black Belt Thinking: Rating Yourself On a Scale from 1 to 10

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Of all the tools I have ever learned about and used in my business, using a rating scale of 1 to 10 has been the most powerful. The 1 represents the worst you could be, your worst possible performance or outcome, and 10 represent the best, bar none. Example: You're in a job interview and it's for a job you really want. On the way to the interview you hit a skunk in your car with the windows open. You now smell like a dead skunk. You sit in the interview and the smell makes you nauseous, causing you to projectile vomit all over the front of the interviewer's dress, which in turn causes her to vomit all over her laptop. Coincidentally, the interviewer also happens to be an old girlfriend you had dumped, for her best friend. That's a 1. A 10 is realizing the person in charge of hiring you is the very same woman you carried out of a burning building the week before. The very same one who said she owed you her life. That's a 10. **End Summary** Topics: martial arts consulting]]> business consulting]]> black belt thinking]]> tom callos]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

How to Become a Full Time Martial Arts Instructor and Make Enough Money to Live, Thrive, and Survive

Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

There are two basic things you have to be able to do to survive as a martial arts professional. First, you must be able to meet lots of people and recruit them as students. Second, you have to be able to keep them coming to classes -and paying tuition. I repeat: These two things are the ESSENTIAL things. To meet and recruit students, you have to be everywhere you possibly can -and represent yourself in the best possible light. Ask yourself how are you meeting and interacting with people in your community; rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 as to how much or often you meet people -and it will reveal your level of success. The more people you are engaged with and can impress in SOME way, the more chances of recruitment. When it comes to KEEPING students, it is all about serving their NEEDS. That is it. You do not serve their needs, they leave. Serve their needs, they might still leave, but the odds are more in your favor. Now I used a word a paragraph ago -and it was "impress. **End Summary** Topics: martial arts consulting]]> business consulting]]> black belt thinking]]> tom callos]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

The First Key to Success for a Martial Arts School Owner or Teacher

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

To achieve real success, the school owner or martial arts teacher needs to establish a "practice of training" that gets and keeps them in peak shape. But recognize that "peak shape" for the average person is much different than "peak shape" for the martial arts Master-Teacher. Our peak shape doesn't rely only on the flat stomach; it requires that we master martial arts skills, to the best of our abilities. Granted, there are coaches and teachers who aren't absolute physical masters of the "art" they teach, one that comes to mind is the world-renowned gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi. You won't see Mr. Karolyi doing flips on the balance beam, but he is still one heck of a coach. Of course, he is not obese either. Nevertheless, the martial arts has a tradition of older masters being very proficient, age considered, in their arts. Morihei Ueshiba, Jhoon Rhee, Ernie Reyes, Sr., Helio Gracie, Wally Jay, Dan Inosanto, Hidetaka Nakayama, Joe Lewis, and Bill Wallace are fine example of that tradition. My opinion is that your own fitness and skills give you credibility that instructors who no longer walk the talk of their work don't have. **End Summary** Topics: martial arts business]]> consulting]]> tom callos]]> black belt advice]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Three Things Everyone Should Know About Self-Defense

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

After nearly four decades of studying self-defense, I have compiled a list of three things you should absolutely know about personal protection. These three things do not represent everything you should know, but they will, guaranteed, keep you from suffering a lot of pain -and maybe even save your life. The first thing you should know about self-defense is that crime scene two is always worse than crime scene one. I learned this from Sanford Strong, a retired San Diego police sergeant, who wrote one of my favorite books on self-defense, "Strong on Defense." According to Strong, statistics on violent crimes show that the second place a criminal takes his or her victim is going to be a lot worse for the victim. The self-defense lesson in this information is that, should you ever be confronted by a criminal, you fight it out and/or escape right there; going with someone to some other location, most likely a more remote and quieter place, is NOT the right thing to do. **End Summary** Topics: self-defense]]> diet]]> excercise]]> women's self defense]]> tom callos]]> martial arts]]> consulting]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Raising the Standards for the Rank of Black Belt

Sat, 09 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

I have been looking deeply at the martial arts world, at the process of earning a black belt, and about what it means to be a black belt. For the last 5 years I have been involved in a project called The Ultimate Black Belt Test (UBBT) -and to date, more than 100 black belts have participated in the 13 month training program. While the UBBT is still a work in progress (as there are many ideas yet to be tested), the project has been a catalyst for an evolution in my thinking about what a black belt is (or could represent). As a result of the UBBT -and my overall experience as an athlete, teacher, school owner, and industry consultant, I would like to suggest the following: No Black Belts for People Under the Age of 18 I don't see any real reason to issue the rank of black belt to people under the age of 18. We should have a junior black belt program, but reserve the rank of full black belt for adults only. **End Summary** Topics: martial arts business]]> martial arts consulting]]> tom callos]]> black belt testing]]> black belt test]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Self Defense Information For Everyone: Save Your Life Now

Sat, 09 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

This piece is about an anniversary of sorts: This year I will turn 50 years old. My birthday will also mark 30 years of life without being in a position where I have had to physically defend myself. The last time that happened was when I stepped between a man and his wife as he was threatening to assault her. It was over quickly, as I simply took him to the ground and restrained him as she left the scene. Nobody was hurt. I have, however, continued to study and practice the martial arts. In that I have not needed it for physical self-defense; I have adapted and expanded my practice so that it has become useful in other ways. One of the ways I have adapted my training came after I had a realization that my life was sort of passing me by -and that I was not very aware of what I was doing, how I was spending my time, and that generally I was spending an inordinate amount of time regretting things I had done or not done, and/or worrying about things that might happen to me in the future. **End Summary** Topics: Tom Callos]]> martial arts consulting]]> inspiration]]> business]]> black belt thinking]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a contributor to the Better Kids Institute - an online resource where parents can learn from child-development experts on how to bring up better kids. This popular website has articles on safety/defense, life skills, and health/fitness. Check it out at Online Child Development Resource

Three Vital Tips for the New Martial Arts Teacher or School Owner

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Here are three of the best tips you'll ever find for up-and-coming martial arts teachers and school owners: 1. You will want to buy and/or borrow a "school operations manual" from an established school or consultant. This manual will have most, if not all of the procedural things you'll need to know about how to answer phones, makes sales, handle employees, etc. This kind of thing wasn't available when I started teaching, but today they're quite common. By the way, the best manual I have ever seen was produced by my friend and peer, Dave Kovar of Sacramento, California. Note: An operations manual, if it's well done, can be purchased for somewhere between $500 and $1500. After you have read it, you'll want to disregard most of it, as the real work is to make it all your own. You'll want your own sense of style, of what's right (for you), and what you feel is special about what you teach and how you handle your students to be reflected in your own school operations manual. 2. Running a martial arts school is not nearly as complicated as learning the martial arts. **End Summary** Topics: martial arts consulting]]> martial arts business]]> tom callos]]> black belt testing]]> ubbt]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Feeling Stuck? Find Your Mission and You Will Find Your Profit: A Mental Martial Arts Lesson

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

I'm going to write this lesson for martial arts teachers, but you may replace everything "martial arts" with your profession. Martial Arts Teachers, Feeling Stuck? A sense of mission, beyond profit, beyond image, beyond "agenda," and beyond anything but a call to duty is THE factor to search for if you want to work in a martial arts school (or any career) and feel like you're doing something important. You have to work "for the world." A "Sense of Mission is 24 - 7. Think about the best way to raise and coach a child -and you have the best way to raise a martial arts "master" (or a human being). A child is best raised and educated daily, hourly, and by the minute. It's best done in the moment, as "life is happening." Life is too precious and important to put off -and so too is finding one's sense of mission. A sense of mission is a "big" thing; it's work for the world. It's work for "your soul." It lights your fire and has a sense of urgency to it. **End Summary** Topics: Martial arts business]]> life coaching]]> consulting]]> tom callos]]> black belt]]> mission]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

The New Way of Business: Make Your Living With Passionate Involvement

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

(Author's note: While this article is written for the man or woman who runs a martial arts school, the advice applies to anyone doing business in today's world.) The New Way to do business is not mechanical, it is emotional. Read the following 6 sentences as an example: I heard that a man in China helped save someone's life. I heard recently that a woman in London saved a child's life. I heard about a man in Florida who saved his neighbor's life. I heard that a man in the next town over took special care of an older couple and actually saved them from dying in a fire that had started in their kitchen. A man on the next block over saved the life of a friend. Yesterday, someone saved my life. These sentences point in the direction of my message to you -about The New Way to do business and in the case of the martial arts school (or any business) marketing/managing your business in today's world. Contrast the way you feel between the first sentence and the last. Recognize that the more personal the message becomes the more powerful it is. This is the new marketing. **End Summary** Topics: Martial arts consulting]]> martial arts business]]> black belt marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Self-Defense Lessons, for the Everyday Man or Woman, From A Sixth Degree Black Belt

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

I'm 50 years old and took my first martial arts lesson in 1969. I have fought, studied, practiced, twisted, punched, kicked, and grappled through four decades of time; in other words, I am a "martial arts expert." To save you a LOT of time and energy, many bruises and sore muscles, I'm going to give you what is the ultimate lesson in self-defense. I'm going to hand you, in the next few paragraphs, the ultra-condensed version of the most important lessons I've learned. After you read this, you will know as much as I know about what is really behind all of the repetition, the philosophy, and the mindset of a master practitioner of the martial arts. Whether you play music or the stock market, sell cars, own bars, broker real estate or landscape, this advice will help you defend yourself from the most insidious bullies. The first lesson is: All of our aggressive speech, our aggressive actions, and most non-physical pain, starts in the mind. Forget about the masked assailant lurking in a dark alleyway, we are truly our own worst enemy. **End Summary** Topics: Martial arts advice]]> black belt thinking]]> tom callos]]> self-defense]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a contributor to the Better Kids Institute - an online resource where parents can learn from child-development experts on how to bring up better kids. This popular website has articles on safety/defense, life skills, and health/fitness. Check it out at Online Child Development Resource

Mastery and Business: Hard Core Advice for Martial Arts Teachers

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Martial artists respect the efficient and effective, so I'm going to deliver my message like a well thrown punch to the nose: The martial arts world ("The Industry") is thinking too small and it's off course. It's time to slow down all the talk of sales and gross income and marketing in our industry. What we need to hear and heal this industry is smart talk from its leaders. Instead of sales chatter, let's hear someone say, "We are being disrespectful to our planet, let's do something about it." Let's hear them say, "We are massacring children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and all in the name of fear and hate and borders and religion and misunderstanding and greed. We can -and will -as a community do something about it." Let us, as an industry, have the courage to talk about responsibility to nature, about the stupidity and evil of war and violence, of the absurdity of the distractions we pursue to avoid the things which really ought to have our attention. Let's bring the integrity back to the martial arts (to life) by being the heroes we so admire. **End Summary** Topics: martial arts consulting]]> tom callos]]> martial arts business advice]]> black belt thinking]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Sustainable-Business Practices for Martial Arts Schools (And a Lot of Other Businesses!)

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Sustainable business practices are things you do in your business that sustain it, rather than drain it. Here is one example: Clear-Cutting Students (Read: Customers) You can't clear-cut a forest and expect to go back the next year and harvest another tree crop from it. You can't fish out a lake and then go back the next week and look for more fish. And you can't sell martial arts lessons (or anything) to people in your community, with a win-lose proposition, and expect the well not to eventually run dry. A win-lose is when one side of a transaction wins all the benefits and the other side doesn't fare as well. As you know, a win-win is when both sides feel that they have a mutually beneficial deal. A typical win-lose in the martial arts "business" game is when the school wins a lot of tuition, for untaught lessons, and the student gets lessons that don't thrill, chill, and/or live up to the promise of the original "sales talk." The school's position is, "Hey, we do what we do, you saw it, and you bought it. Done deal. **End Summary** Topics: Tom Callos]]> martial arts consulting]]> martial arts marketing]]> martial arts business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

The Unwritten Code: Part of Being a Martial Arts Master -- Or a Master of Anything

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

My martial arts teacher, Ernie Reyes, Sr. follows an unwritten code of behavior. It's his unwritten code of what a Master is -and/or is not. I know it's unwritten, as I've been his student since 1980 and I have read everything there is to read about him and his work. I recognized (finally) this concept last weekend when I observed Mr. Reyes entertain and teach a group of high ranking martial artists. I saw it in the way he dressed, in the way he carried himself, in the way he spoke to the audience, and in the material he covered. Having heard him do similar presentations for more than 25 years, I had the opportunity to sit back and look at what was happening from a big-picture perspective. I don't know why it has taken me this long to recognize it ("When the student is ready, the teacher appears"), but I finally "read between the lines" of his material -and saw quite clearly the invisible text of the Unwritten Code. The Unwritten Code is, in part, about respect; it is about respect for tradition, for age, for status, and culture. The Unwritten Code is about courtesy. **End Summary** Topics: tom callos]]> martial arts business]]> consulting]]> black belt]]> behavior]]> mastery]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Black Belt Ideas Applied to Sales and Service: How to Grow Your Business

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

There are two basic area to focus on for getting and keeping more students/customers: 1. sales 2. retention To get a new student you have to "sell" them on the benefits of your stuff. To keep a customer you already have, you have to do two things: 1. Meet their needs and; 2. Make sure they understand where they're going (understand the benefits of continued study/practice). Again: You have to make promises -and then deliver on those promises. Second, most of the time (moving and death are two exceptions), you only lose students/customers when you aren't meeting their needs and/or they don't really "get" the benefits they're working towards. Sales Here are some action-steps: 1. Meet people; talk to people about whatever it is that leads you to their interests and your services. 2. Get people's e-mail and/or other contact info; then invite them to classes (about 500 times in about 100 different ways). 3. Convince new students that they play an important role in getting new students (and they do). Get them to help you meet other people. **End Summary** Topics: tom callos]]> martial arts]]> consulting]]> business]]> karate]]> black belt]]> business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Martial Arts School Owners: A Lesson in a Kind of Martial Arts That is Essential --or Non-Essential

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

In the Western World, and most places on the planet, learning to read is seen as an essential skill. Likewise, learning to swim is a skill most, if not all, children are taught, both for enjoyment and basic survival skills. Basic math is an essential skill, as is learning basic personal hygiene. There are a number of other skills almost everyone learns, but at the moment martial arts is not on that list. Learning the martial arts is, for the most part, along the lines of learning to play the guitar or learning to play chess, both are non essential skills that are interesting and maybe have the potential to alter the course of a someones life, but they fall better under the category of cool things to do if we have the time and/or the interest. Learning the martial arts is, however, in a position, unlike learning to play the guitar or chess, to become an essential skill. By essential I mean one that every parent wants their child to learn. The martial arts sit in a position where it could become something that everyone should, or must, participate in, at one time or another in their life. **End Summary** Topics: Martial Arts]]> Tom Callos]]> black belt]]> martial arts consulting]]> martial arts business]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

One Man Passes His 4th Degree Black Belt Test: A Revolution In Methodology for Black Belt Testing

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

After much hard work, I've just passed a student of mine from 3rd degree black belt to 4th degree. This fellow had passed to 3rd degree in 2005 -and spent the entire last year doing 1000's of repetitions of his techniques, as well as changing careers, having his first child, moving and expanding his school, making contributions to his classmates, and doing a number of comprehensive community-based projects. Let's just say that I feel he's earned the rank of 4th dan (level) through taking on and acing all of the appropriate physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges/accomplishments. I know he feels a sense of satisfaction from having his effort and work acknowledged -and at the same time, I can guess that he feels "unworthy" too. Well, that's just the nature of the beast, yes? From my perspective, I feel his work is worthy of the rank, I know he's an accomplished technician, I have witnessed his ability to get things done (an often under-acknowledged skill that I hold in high regard), and I feel like he's someone I can use as an example of what I, personally, want a 4th degree black belt to be like. **End Summary** Topics: martial arts]]> consulting]]> black belt testing]]> leadership]]> tom callos]]> ultimate black belt test]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

How to Use the Martial Arts in Your Business

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

It doesn't matter what kind of business you're in; it doesn't matter if you own a laundry, do financial planning, charter fishing boats, or sell insurance, you can use the martial arts to gain a tactical advantage in your market. No, you won't be side-kicking anyone in the breadbasket, after all you're not Chuck Norris, but you can use martial arts knowledge and ideas in a way that give you the upper hand (or foot). Here are three relatively-easy ways to use black belt skills in your work -and in your life: 1. Fall Down 7, Get Up 8 Martial arts experts spend hours, days, months, and even years learning and practicing counter-attacks to counter-attacks to other counter-attacks. There's always a response for every attack and from any angle. In self-defense, you only lose when you give up trying. If you punch at my face, I block or dodge it and I attack your ribs. You block that attack and then counter attack to my leg, which I deflect and counter your counter with another attack. If you knock me off my feet, I'm just as dangerous on the ground as I was standing. **End Summary** Topics: Tom Callos]]> martial arts]]> life coaching]]> business advice]]> consulting]]> black belt]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a contributor to the Better Kids Institute - an online resource where parents can learn from child-development experts on how to bring up better kids. This popular website has articles on safety/defense, life skills, and health/fitness. Check it out at Online Child Development Resource

On Education: My Advice to the Martial Arts School Owner Seeking Business Success

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Education is the way to success in your martial arts school, beginning with your education. What do you know, what are you learning, and how are you using it in your life, for your school, and for your community? Educational Warning: Through no fault of its own, as everyone involved originally intended to offer help to the industry, the martial arts business world has fallen into a rut of "make it easy." Getting a good education isn't always easy. The martial arts industry is fat with a mass of gimmicky-promotions, a plethora of poorly designed ads, VIP pass disease, 200 "consultants" in every magazine who think this is their next meal-ticket (because the school-thing didn't work out), and 90% (or more) of promotional strategies that cater to the laziest, least skilled, dumbest school owners on the planet. Education is the remedy to the "make it easy" mentality. Education is the new way to inspire, lead, promote, advertise, enroll, and retain. Whatever you do, from minute to minute during your work-day, in your classes, in your community, with your staff, and with your students, if it doesn't involve education, it probably isn't going to help your school grow. **End Summary** Topics: Advice]]> martial arts]]> school owner]]> tom callos]]> business consulting]]> blakck belt]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a 6th degree black belt, innovator in the international martial arts community, and founder of The New Way Network. Check out Tom's FREE online newsletter with specific tips and strategies for martial arts school promotion. You can sign up right now at: Martial Arts School Tips .

Martial Arts For Children: Straight-Up Advice On How to Pick an Instructor

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Parents, the way to choose a great martial arts teacher for your child is by direct observation. By watching classes, you can see exactly what the teacher is doing -or not doing -with your child. Regardless of what a school's advertising says about itself, you'll know whether a school cuts the mustard through using your good-old-fashioned, low-tech powers of observation. Look for a clean school. Look for a school where the staff is friendly, communicative, and helpful. Look for a school where the instructor is acutely aware of his or her interaction with the children in class. Things to watch out for: An instructor, who seems distracted, is also too distracted to trust your child with. A school that's too serious, where instructors are yelling at students, where smiles are few and far between, should be attended by adults, not children. Any school owner or teacher who asks parents not to watch classes is a teacher you should avoid. Things that make a school great: A great school has lots of help on the floor (if class size requires it). A great instructor delivers on-going motivational and educational lessons in-between the physical practice. A great school feels warm and healthy. **End Summary** Topics: Choosing a martial arts school]]> tom callos]]> how to]]> black belt advice]]> consulting]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a founder of The New Way Network, a global association of independent martial arts school owners who are focused on the development of character, self-esteem, and self-discipline in children. Check out one of the Network members, JK Lee Black Belt Academy, at Martial Arts in Milwaukee

To Mom and Dad: Your Child and the Martial Arts

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

I took my first martial arts lesson at the age of 9 (in 1971), received my first degree black belt at 19, and this year I will celebrate my 30th year of teaching the martial arts. My goal is to give what I have learned as a result of my training, and what I know your child will learn, should you decide to make the martial arts a part of his or her life. In some ways, martial arts schools are all the same. Each is contained in some kind of space, like a shopping mall, free-standing building, room in a gym, in an office building, a garage, or maybe in a backyard. What makes a martial school great is not the space it is in, what makes or breaks a martial arts school is the people that fill that space. Here lies the primary reason to enroll your child in martial arts lessons, from the moment they first meet the age requirements of a school, until they leave your nest: The people. The teachers and senior students in a martial arts school become leaders, heroes, role models, and friends to your child. **End Summary** Topics: Children and martial arts]]> tom callos]]> black belt]]> parents]]> advice]]> karate]]> gung fu]]> consulting]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tom Callos is a contributor to the Better Kids Institute - an online resource where parents can learn from child-development experts on how to bring up better kids. This popular website has articles on safety/defense, life skills, and health/fitness. Check it out at Online Child Development Resource