How To Use Demonstrations For Advertising Your Martial Arts School

By Lee Mainprize
www.mainstructor.com

Assemble your demonstration team. Regularly scheduled meetings should be held, and each team member should be given specific assignments. Everyone must be involved; a demonstration looks disorganized if team members are standing about with no apparent function. Team members should take their cue from the instructor; and remain in the background before and after their performances.
To maximize the effect of larger demonstrations, divide your team so that members are performing at each end of the performance area. Keep the demonstration moving smoothly and swiftly. Practice martial arts etiquette at all times. Professionalism and organization will minimize slow spots during which the audience can lose interest in the presentation.

Keeping the Audience Interested
Offering prizes or premiums ensures interest. Your selection of prizes may vary depending on the audience, but free lessons are almost guaranteed to bring students to your doors. Patches, gear bags, and T-shirts bearing your schools insignia are also good incentives, and provide advertising-in the form of name recognition-for your school.

Ask audience members to print their names, addresses and telephone numbers when they sign up for the giveaway. This information can be used for future contact with those who do not enroll at the demonstration.

Raffle items should be appealing to those in your audience. Free lessons, items bearing the schools insignia, and books and videos featuring your school can be effective giveaways; as a rule, the larger the demonstration, the greater the prize.

The Actual Demonstration
Your choice of routines should be governed by the makeup of your audience. The purpose of the demonstration is to make the audience believe that they, too, can perform these techniques. Demonstrations should not be so complex that they intimidate the audience.
The introduction sets the tone for the demonstration. Be sure to introduce yourself, your team members, and your school, and explain why you are there. Give the location of the school and invite the audience to visit. Share your excitement about your school and its benefits. Enthusiasm is contagious.

Initiate your demonstration by having the team members bow to the audience, demonstrating respect and martial arts etiquette. Next, perform light or comedic skits utilizing the good guy versus the bad guy formula, and showing how your school can save the day.
Follow the lighter skits with your more serious demonstrations of the art. Save spectacular routines for later in the demonstration. When different belt levels participate, explain the significance of each belt to the audience. Start with the lower levels, and continue from there. Present all team members, and let the audience know how long they have been practicing. If children, older persons, or newer students are team members, allow them to perform techniques that show their skill. The audience will see that everyone can participate at your school, and can enjoy and benefit from it.

The senior instructor should be your speaker throughout the demonstration. This person will guide the audience through each technique and explain its benefits. A staff member can walk among the audience with sign-up sheets for anyone who is interested.

Lee Mainprize is a martial arts business and marketing expert visit http://www.MAinstructor.com for martial arts teachers resources