Black Belt Thinking: Rating Yourself On A Scale From 1 To 10 By: Tom Callos | - 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 na ... Tags:martial arts consulting, business consulting, black belt thinking, tom callos
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 ... Tags:martial arts business, consulting, tom callos, black belt advice
Three Things Everyone Should Know About Self-defense By: Tom Callos | - 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.
Raising The Standards For The Rank Of Black Belt By: Tom Callos | - 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.
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.
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.
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."
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 r ... Tags:Martial arts advice, black belt thinking, tom callos, self-defense
Mastery And Business: Hard Core Advice For Martial Arts Teachers By: Tom Callos | - 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 somet ... Tags:martial arts consulting, tom callos, martial arts business advice, black belt thinking
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 pro ... Tags:Tom Callos, martial arts consulting, martial arts marketing, martial arts business
The Unwritten Code: Part Of Being A Martial Arts Master -- Or A Master Of Anything By: Tom Callos | - 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 audien ... Tags:tom callos, martial arts business, consulting, black belt, behavior, mastery
Martial Arts School Owners: A Lesson In A Kind Of Martial Arts That Is Essential --or Non-essential By: Tom Callos | - 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.
One Man Passes His 4th Degree Black Belt Test: A Revolution In Methodology For Black Belt Testing By: Tom Callos | - 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.
How To Use The Martial Arts In Your Business By: Tom Callos | - 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).
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.
Martial Arts For Children: Straight-up Advice On How To Pick An Instructor By: Tom Callos | - 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.
To Mom And Dad: Your Child And The Martial Arts By: Tom Callos | - 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.
