as we all know however there is a dramatic difference between
incorporating the lessons learned from martial arts into the rest of
our life and turning martial arts into a BUSINESS ...

as frequently the focus of the business becomes the profit ... not
the quality of teaching


as example I give you all the "business plans" focusing on signing up
new students and collections

Bruce

PS I loved the article in one such marital arts business magazine
that proclaimed that every black belt you create is now your
competition <G>



On Oct 7, 2007, at 6:00 AM, Hoosain Narker wrote:

> People often try to separate martial arts business from martial arts
> lifestyles and martial arts traditional teachings. This is a
> horrible thing
> to do, as it turns a way of life into nothing more than another
> sport. The
> philosophies and histories can be applied to all parts of life.
>
> Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings is a classic example of
> incorporating
> traditional martial arts training into business. All of the
> traditional
> martial arts principles and strategies of the samurai in feudal
> Japan are
> applicable to the business world today. There is no reason why you
> can't
> take your traditional martial arts training into the boardroom.
> Traditional
> martial arts training teaches more than how to fight and defend
> yourself --
> it builds your mind and spirit too. While you strengthen your body,
> you
> strengthen your mind and spirit. You become more confident with
> each lesson
> you learn or test you successfully pass. Hard work, dedication and
> confidence in oneself are what make a successful martial artist --
> and those
> same qualities make a successful executive.
>
> Musashi divides his strategies into the classic five elements that
> can be
> easily applied to martial arts business: Ground, Water, Fire, Wind
> and Void
> (spirit). Each of these strategies has the qualities of the
> elements they
> are named after.
>
> Ground represents strategy. This element provides the foundation
> upon which
> all the others are built. Ground is all about seeing the "big
> picture", like
> reading a roadmap that gives you the lay of the land.
>
> Water teaches us how to be adaptable in any situation. Through
> Water, we
> learn how to flow around our obstacles to reach our goals. Water is
> probably
> the single most powerful element next to Wind, or air. Water can
> slowly wear
> away anything in it's path, it can also nourish and give life.
>
> Fire is all about energy, fighting and a strong will to succeed.
> You can
> have a helpful fire that brings warmth and the spark of inspiration to
> others, or you can have a brush fire -- a raging inferno that destroys
> everything in it's path. Sometimes destruction is a necessary evil,
> as you
> get rid of what is no longer working to make way for new life to grow.
>
> Wind is tradition. Wind teaches us to remember our roots, where
> we've been
> and how we got here. Wind also teaches focus. It makes us realize
> when we
> have blown off course and need to get back on track.
>
> Finally, there is Void. As Bruce Lee said in Enter the Dragon,
> "Don't think.
> FEEL. It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not
> concentrate on
> the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory." Void is all
> about the
> journey, not the destination. While it is good to have goals, you
> shouldn't
> be so focused on the end result that you fail to see the whole
> process.
> Learn how your project or business works, find the rhythm and use
> it to your
> advantage. The martial arts business hasn't forgotten any of these
> principles and it's been around for thousands of years.
>
> As has been pointed out, the martial arts business has been using
> these
> principles for thousands of years. Would you like to create a
> business that
> lasts for thousands of years? Traditional martial arts teachings
> aren't a
> magic key, of course, and won't solve all your problems -- but they
> can
> certainly give you the building blocks to start.
>
> Mike Selvon
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>