Episode 599 - Getting Students to Return After Covid Restrictions
In this episode, Jeremy and Adam talk about Getting Students to Return After Covid Restrictions.
Getting Students to Return After Covid Restrictions - Episode 599
You may know that we are on the way to vaccinating most people in the United States against COVID-19 and practically ending the Pandemic unless, of course, you are living under a rock. Most places had tight restrictions making most Martial Arts schools weren’t able to open their physical schools, therefore, offering classes online. Hoping there is an end to this Pandemic, how would the reintegration be for students? In this episode, Andrew and Jeremy talk about getting students to return after COVID restrictions.
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Welcome everyone! This is whistlekick Martial Arts Radio Episode 599. Today, Andrew and I are talking about how to bring students back. After COVID restrictions, it's going to be an important discussion and whether or not you're a school owner, or a student. I think this is important subject for us to tackle. So stick around. If you want to know more about us and what we do, who are we? Well, I'm Jeremy Lesniak. I'm the founder here at whistlekick with my cohost, Andrew Adams. We are passionate traditional martial artists, we love martial arts, and everybody at whistlekick, loves martial arts. It's why we do what we do, probably you're watching or listening to what we do. And if you want to see all the things that we do, go to whistlekick.com, you're going to see a bunch of stuff over there all the projects and products. And speaking of products, if you find something you like in the store, you can help support us use the code PODCAST15 gets you 15% off. Now this show is whistlekick Martial Arts Radio, is that whistlekickmartialartsradio.com, we keep it easy. And if you pop over there, you're going to see every episode we've ever done, we bring you two episodes, each and every week, all under the heading of connecting, educating and entertaining you with traditional martial artists. And if nothing else, Andrew and I are entertained. So, you know, if you don't like it, that's fine, because we're enjoying ourselves. If you want to support us, because we do a bunch of stuff for this community, we're heck bent on doing as much good as we can. You got lots of things you can do, you can make a purchase, share an episode, follow us on social media, you could tell a friend, pick up a book on Amazon, leave a review, or support our Patreon. If you think the new shows that we make are worth a whopping 63 cents apiece, consider supporting us five bucks a month and five bucks a month, you're going to get behind the scenes posts on episodes that are upcoming, we don't tell anybody, anywhere else who's coming and when on the show. As well as you get an exclusive bonus audio episode every month. And if you want to throw a little bit more money down, you know, 10 bucks, you get video, and it just goes up from there. In fact, we have tiers where you get individual coaching and training for me if that is of interest to you. And if you figure out the hourly rate, it's actually quite affordable. So, think about that. It's honestly a bunch of people did. It's totally not sustainable. But I'll do what I can, right. We're just trying to cover the cost here. This show is not cheap to put on. And it clearly from Andrew and I you can see it's not wardrobe.
Andrew Adams:
No. And despite what my shirt says, I really do know karate.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You sure?
Andrew Adams:
I think so.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I hope so otherwise, you are not the person we want. No, that's not true. You can know a different martial art. And I would still want you here. I have fun.
Andrew Adams:
That's right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I have fun recording with you, my friend. COVID. It's been over a year. So, we're recording this most of the episodes that we do aren't date specific, but it is March 16. It has been just about a year depending on where you are since lockdown started. Now, some martial art schools have continued to operate. And they did not have restrictions. And so, this episode may not be as of be of as much interest or go to you, as in areas where there are restrictions. And honestly, most places still have restrictions. Here in the northeast. Every state has some manner of restriction that I'm aware of on number of people and masks and distancing and things and it's really impacted everything. Now there are two ways that we can look at this topic. We can look at it as recruiting students saying, hey, come back and train. And then we can also look at it as the what protocols should be in place. Now let's tackle the second part first. Because I think it's a shorter conversation. I'm not going to tell anybody what is the right thing to do in their school or COVID-19 and keeping things safe. That is up to you. As a school.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. [00:04:16-00:04:18] what is legal?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yep. Yeah, there are schools out there that are skirting the requirements. Yeah. I'm not going to tell you to do it. I'm not going to tell you not to do it. I'm going to tell you to do what works for you, and to be safe. Everybody's got to do that. And as martial artists, I think we have a pretty good sense of doing what is safe for us. You know, martial art is probably the biggest thing in the world that doesn't really have a governing body. It's pretty ridiculous point. We don't and ridiculous in a good way. I think it's great. And when people talk about, you know, legislating martial arts, I get really bent out of shape about it. I don't think it should happen. That's a whole other conversation that we're not going to have. So today, probably ever, I don't know that we want my political beliefs went out on the air, because might make some heads explode. That's okay. We got to do what works for us as individuals. Right. So, we can put that piece aside. So, the other piece, the heart of what we're going to talk about is, how do we get them back in the door?
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, and, you know, this topic is relevant. I think for a lot of us, you know, my wife was the one that brought it up, because both she and I will be vaccinated fairly soon. The rest of the country will hopefully knock-on wood also. And we, in our school, have a handful of students who were uncomfortable doing classes in person, when the restrictions allowed. We are allowed to have four students in our school at a time legally, because of spacing.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yep.
Andrew Adams:
And so, they have stayed home because they don't feel safe in person, which is totally fine. Some of them have chosen to take classes on zoom. But some of them said this is just not what I want to do. I don't feel not comfortable, they're safe, but they didn't feel that they would get a good learning experience over zoom, which again, totally fine.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I attended a number of zoom classes. Not every instructor did a good job. Some of them did a great job. And I, you know, quiet round of applause for you all for adapting. But some of them didn't. And it meant that some students said, this experience is not worth my time. I don't have learning and I'm going to step back.
Andrew Adams:
Yep. And that's fine. But with schools, hopefully being able to open up again, in the foreseeable future. How do we as school owners, try and get those students to come back? That's the discussion.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We’ve got a couple different categories of students. And whenever I approach a problem like this, I draw lines and put people into boxes and think, you know, here's an aspect of the problem. How do I solve that aspect? One of the aspects that we can't solve are, how do we get people that aren't comfortable training in person to come train in person? You can't? You can't? Yep. If in any given martial arts school, just based on my sense, you're going to see 80-ish percent right there, here's a place where the 80-20 rule plays in. If you're unfamiliar with it, in any complex set, you will find that 20%-ish, you know, sometimes it's 90, sometimes it's 75 is not a hard and fast rule. But it comes from I know it from retail, 20% of your products are responsible for 80% of your revenue. If you reopen the doors, 80% of your students are going to come back, 20% are going to be concerned. Now, do you cater to that? 20%? No, I don't think you should. Because that 20% is probably going to be uncomfortable no matter what you do. And you risk alienating the 80%. And this is a rule that I use in my consulting when I'm working with schools, other nonmartial arts clients. Look for that 80-20. And understand with every decision. Okay, so that leaves the students that are going to be comfortable coming back, given some kind of reasonable and appropriate measures. Right. We don't have to unpack what that is, you know, that again, that's going to be different depending on the school. So, what are the problems in bringing people back? They're doing other things; their momentum has carried them away from the school. Yep, they're used to, you know, some schools are just putting out videos instead of live classes. They're used to training on their own time. And I think another one regression
Andrew Adams:
As that that was the first thing...
Jeremy Lesniak:
I think that's the one that we should spend the most time on. So, let's just go through those others. Real quick. How do you get people to come back? Just in general, well, you've got to get them excited. Every decision we make is about value. It's an exchange of value. If I'm going to contribute my time, energy and money to come into class, I have to get more out of it than I would in not investing that time, energy and money. Every single person who attends martial arts class, either has come to that decision, or maybe it's a kid, their parent has come to that decision. Time, energy and money is of less value than the martial arts education coming back. So, quality communication, about what is going on when it is going on and being excited and hitting the ground running would be a really cool thing to do. What's the number one thing that I suspect at most schools that people are missing? Free form partner movement, sparring, self-defense, grappling, you know, whatever it is in your school. So, having some time assuming that you are comfortable, your students are comfortable and your state regulations permit such. Having maybe extra classes with that, to get people ramped back up. Might make sense. Hey, we're going to have a sparring class. Well, we've never had a sparring class before. Well, then people are good, we'll get really pumped about it. Yeah, yep, a forms class. Because a lot of us have been training. Okay, I got to shorten up that stick that stands when I take that last punch, because the couch is there. And giving people the opportunity to use full space. And remember, okay, this is what my forms feel like with long stances if that's exactly. Or I don't have to keep shifting not because of the couch, but because of the camera.
Andrew Adams:
Exactly. Or I don't have to keep shifting not because of the couch, but because of the camera.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right? Right. Or, every time I step back, and I do this elbow, I've got to make sure that the kids not there or the dog, right? Now, right, you can't just commit to it in the way that you would normally do that, depending on, again, what the form or the technique is. So, I think having a variety of specific classes, as a temporary measure to get people really excited about the things that they're missing, and cater to those things that they are missing. If you do those classes, and you spend the time doing basics in place that they could have been doing at home, slap yourself, because that's not what they're going to want. Or you as the instructor going to want to have someone on one contact with them. Because you've been teaching on zoom, and you haven't been able to make that correction. And for the last year, you've watched that person regressed in the way that they put their hand? Yes, you're going to want to do that. But it's not about you.
Andrew Adams:
Exactly. It's about them and keeping them engaged.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I take it back to value exchange, you teaching are in service to your students. What is the title of this episode, it's about bringing people back, getting them back in the door? So, it's about giving them so much value more value than you were giving them the past year, whatever that is, even if you weren't teaching zoom class, people were coming in the world starting to open back up, people have other options. There are a lot of martial art schools who have done well, because there weren't other options. But as other options start to open back up, and people want to travel and do other things again, what are you going to do to make sure that value exchange can now compete with these other things.
Andrew Adams:
And I think it's important to note that we're talking about bringing students back, that means they already were students, yes, you can talk to them with language that Joe Schmoe that wants to... I want to learn whatever different subject, it's very different, because they're going to have a knowledge base that Joe Schmoe off the street won't have that. So, utilize that you let them know specifically what they what they will be working on, because they're going to know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And thank them, thank them for sticking it out. If you're a school, that when COVID hit, you begged and I saw schools begging, begged your students to keep paying their dues. So, you could continue to have a career and pay your rent or whatever that messaging was, you better step up and think that you better throw them a party or a barbecue, or do a weekend long seminar for free. I don't care what it is. But if you do not show your appreciation to those students who kept you going, you are going to strike out, they're going to you're going to lose face. And I think that's important to point out and I'm not being subtle about this. Because I watch schools doing this, it's the same messaging that I see come out in a conventional year with, hey, you know, we're here over the summer, too. And why are you losing out to soccer? Because of value exchange? Why are you losing out to summer camp, because of value exchange? You may not want to hear that everything that we do comes down to value when we make a decision is because there isn't something that is of better value to us at that time. But Jeremy, I don't pay my taxes because of value. Yes, you do. Because you don't want to go to prison.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah, absolutely.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's all about value. And the more value you provide, the better you will do. And if you look at the most successful people in the world, they’re providing the most value. Not necessarily to you, but to others.
Andrew Adams:
Yeah. Yeah, and I think instructors have to understand in terms of the regression, that it's not going to be necessarily just the regression of their techniques, but in their physical well-being, you know, like if you have a class that normally pre-COVID was, you know, a half an hour of cardio stuff, and then a half an hour of technique stuff. And that was your hour-long class or whatever. The students coming back after having taken a year off, might not be able to handle the half an hour of cardio like they could a year ago. And please, because they have, they're out of shape.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Please don't try to make up for it in one or two classes. This is something that drives me insane. Unfortunately, a lot of folks in the martial arts industry do not understand how the human body actually works in terms of recovery. Let me put it really succinctly. The human body is amazing at adapting. When you damage the body, it recovers and adapts. But if you damage it too much, it prioritizes recovery over adaptation. To say it another way, if you start or finish off your class, with such punishing physical activity that people cannot walk the next day, you were not doing them any kind of service. What if they get attacked that day? What if they're walking, hobbling down the street? Because they got smoked at class last night? They can't defend themselves. Right? We need to think about that slow, steady progress, like everything else we do include physical adaptation. That's a rant that I try not to have as often as it comes into my brain drives me insane. We're so it's good. It's our school self-defense is important. None of our students can walk after class. How does that line up?
Andrew Adams:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, what are we missing here? It's about value. Make sure you're thanking students, make sure you're considering their physical abilities. Make sure you're remembering your place as instructor as providing service to them. What about the role of the students we've been speaking to the instructors? so far? What... Let's flip it talk, talk to the students now, what's their responsibility as part of this equation?
Andrew Adams:
I've said it on a ton of episodes before open clear communication, I think you need to have a discussion with your instructor on what you feel comfortable and not comfortable doing. You know, there are things like I mentioned earlier, our schools allowing for students in the dojo, but not everyone's comfort level of those four students in the dojo might be the same. And so, I think having a discussion with your instructor about what you are and are comfortable doing is really, really important, especially moving forward, someone who has been vaccinated might have a totally different comfort level than someone who has not.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And there's nothing if you have, like, if you have four students at a time, I'm assuming there are more than four students in the school. You know, in an environment where you would typically have everybody in one room, you're now probably going to have multiple classes. And so, maybe those classes have different arrangements based on comfort. This is a class where we will be making physical contact. This is a class where we will... This is a class where, let's see based on state protocols, you might have people who can have masks. Or you're permitted to not use masks while exercising. Martial Arts [00:18:17-00:18:19]. But maybe you have classes that are less intense, where people who want to wear masks, and it's a masculine class, everybody wears masks and instructor, right. So, you start to look at again, providing value, providing the sort of experiences that your students want, give them opportunities, and make them feel understood.
Andrew Adams:
Yep. And again, on the student side, the discussion, part of it would be what you feel comfortable, doing part of it would be what you want to do, you know, letting the studio... I have been out of training for a year, maybe. I've been doing my own solo, you know, form work or whatever. Let the instructor know what you feel. You'd feel, you would be comfortable working on and want to work on. And maybe you also have a discussion about your physical liabilities at this particular time.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Andrew Adams:
That would lead into that as well.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So open clear communication leading to value. There's the formula for everything. Yep. Is there anything that we want to hit before we wind down? Anything that either we want to make sure people think about doing or maybe not doing? Don't get... Just don't get mad? Don't get mad at others. Don't get mad at yourself. Don't get mad at your teacher. Don't get mad at your students. It's not going to be like it was day one. It'll come back fast. But it'll only come back fast if we give people the opportunity to come back. Yeah. Maybe you're having a little bit more fun, you've got to rebuild that community. Got to be patient in order to get really good in martial arts, you have to get comfortable letting others use your body and you in using other's bodies, right? It has to happen at some point. And if there's been a year of disconnect from that, people that you were comfortable with that. Okay, when they move this way, I'm going to move this way. Because you were just, you can flow so well, that has been broken. It's going to take time to rebuild it. And it might not be the same. So just be patient.
Andrew Adams:
Yep, absolutely. Don't yell. Don't yell at students. I just have these visions of instructors out there. You guys clearly weren't practicing for the last year. But why do I even come here?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I've known instructors like this. And I could just although most of them, many of them have probably shut down their schools. So maybe, maybe that's not an issue. You know, we've certainly lost some good and even great schools. But just from my observation. A lot of the schools that we lost were people who didn't want to put in the work as school owners and instructors. So, you know, my hopeful, my hope is that most of the ones that shut down are ones that maybe it was time. No, not trying to throw shade at anybody if your school shut down. And that wasn't you, obviously, I'm not talking to you. So, please don't be offended. All right. Anything else we want? We want to tackle before we would call it a day.
Andrew Adams:
No, I think that's good.
Jeremy Lesniak:
If we miss something, if there are other things, especially as you're getting going, if there are things “Oh, Jeremy and Andrew didn't even talk about this”. They talked about this and this, but what about this? You know, we want to hear about let us know. We want to know. Tell us your thoughts. Tell me all your thoughts on martial arts because I'd really like to hear them. Song reference intended. Not always going to get that that's okay. It's cool. All right. Well, thank you. Thanks for watching or listening. We want to hear from you go to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. We're going to find show notes and transcripts and videos in every episode we have ever done. So, check it out. And if you're down to support us and the work that we do, you have lots of options you can share an episode, leave a review, maybe on iTunes or Spotify or something, tell a friend or contribute to our Patreon, patreon.com/whistlekick. And if you're looking for the ideal, the best strength and conditioning program, just for martial artists, I made it, by me. I got some help, but I made it and you can get it at whistlekick.com and you can use the code PODCAST15 to save yourself 15% on that or anything else you say. We want to hear your guest suggestions, your topic suggestions, your feedback on this and all the things that we do. So, follow us on social media at whistlekick, or easiest way to reach out email me jeremy@whistlekick.com. We'll be sure to share it with Andrew. That's it for now. Until next time, train hard.
Jeremy Lesniak & Andrew Adams:
Smile. Have a great day.