Faith Fighters For Christ

Christian Martial Arts Ministry

Student Retention
Two-way Street

By Sensei Don Engelhardt
March 1999

In martial arts we all have seen students come and go from our classes. There are several advertisements in the various martial arts magazines claiming to be able to increase student retention. This is not a scientific study, but I would like to share some of my observations. Student retention seems to be influenced by several factors, but two appear to be most prominent - reason for starting and realization of improvement.

Students enter martial arts for a host of reasons. Here is a list of some of the reasons that I have heard from students in my class and have heard from people who have told me they once took karate.

• Wanted to try it like other sports or activities
• Want to be like the Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, etc.
• Want to be able to beat-up brother, sister, bully, etc.
• To learn discipline (Parent's side usually)
• Friends are in the class
• Suggested for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD)

• Remember enjoying it as a kid
• To get into shape
• Want to be able to defend myself
• To get a Black Belt

From this list, it is easy to see where many of the reasons do not provide the motivation needed to maintain a commitment to training. Some of these reasons are a way to start, but hopefully don't continue.

It is normal and helpful for a young person to experiment with different sports and activities to find one that they can enjoy and excel. This will create some of the student flow through the class. The dream of being a TV character (usually for younger students) usually leads to the student being in class for two to eight sessions and then leaving. This student is only there because of an image and when they realize that work is involved, they leave. The students that want to be able to "beat-up" someone tend to have the motivation to stay for a while longer, but through the class the goal of their training should change to that of personal achievement. If the parent desires the student to learn discipline from a martial arts instructor, the longevity of the student in the early portion of the training is dependent on the parent. There is a good possibility that discipline is lacking in the home, so the parent may not follow through with bringing or encouraging the student. It is extremely difficult to retain a student that is only there one or two classes and has been permitted to drop out of activities on a regular basis. Students who come because they have friends in the class may be fickle since relationships change rapidly for children and youth. To retain these students it is necessary for them to develop a more stable purpose for being in the class. Students who enter the class for reasons such as ADHD are more likely to stay for a longer period. The benefits for these students tend to motivate both student and parent to keep the training ongoing. This is actually how my family entered into the martial arts.

Adults tend to be more goal oriented than youth or children. Adults may see the recapturing of their youth as possible through the martial arts, but this is a weak motivator and will give way to other pursuits. The goal of achieving a black belt also is not sufficient to maintain motivation for continued training, since it is not a short-term prospect. We live in a time of instant gratification and individuals that lack patience do not last the time necessary to earn the black belt rank.

To get into shape is a refrain we hear regularly from adults who start training. Unfortunately, they equate losing weight with getting into shape. Getting into shape means more than losing weight and may not even include losing weight, but is developing muscle tone, increasing endurance, and realizing health. The martial arts is not a rapid weight loss program, but is a good way to get and stay in shape.

The adults that start martial arts in order to learn to defend themselves are driven by a strong motivator, which is fear. It is helpful to understand what created the fear that is motivating the student. If the fear is the result of a past or ongoing event, the student will require more than the developing of physical techniques and need to be handled with special care. The same fear that motivates the beginning of training may also hamper and lead to the end of training. (Note: Instructors need to know their limits and refer abuse victims to people trained to assist in emotional healing.)

The student controls the reasons for joining the martial arts, but we as instructors are often responsible for the realization of improvement. The student needs to know that they are making progress in order to remain motivated, which is true for all ages. The methods that we use in class directly affect the student's concept of how they are doing. Students need positive reinforcement of achievements on a regular basis. This does not mean lowering the standards for promotion, but the consistent positive affirmation of what is done right and the challenge to continue training. This also assists in helping them feel valuable.

As mentioned previously, we have noticed a longer retention of students with ADHD and personally entered and stayed in martial arts through this experience. The reason that we and many other ADHD students stayed in martial arts training is the readily visible improvement. So how would we be able to provide this visible improvement to the average student? The student needs a realistic baseline to measure improvement against. We as instructors should help students see that they came with limited abilities, but great potential.

We have also found that students in our school leave primarily prior to the first belt test. These students have a distinct fear of failure and need encouragement to persist with the training and see what they are capable of doing. We ask students to be patient with themselves and provide for them the opportunity to succeed. We do not lower the standard to give a student a false sense of success, but delay the evaluation until the student is prepared for success.

All martial arts schools will have a certain amount of influx and exits. The challenge is to have a positive effect on each student for the time that they are in our class. To do this and still allow for the broad experiences that youth and children should develop, we should provide periods when exits are easy and fear free. We as instructors need to decide to put the needs of the students above our own needs and not manipulate students with guilt and other emotions to avoid our feeling rejected or abandoned.

copyrighted 1999 Donald Engelhardt all rights reserved