Weโve all heard it beforeโฆ
โWeโre just going on vacation, but weโll definitely be back in September!โ
Yeahโฆ sure you are.
If youโve been around the martial arts world for more than 5 minutes, you know that โweโre just taking a breakโ is just a soft way of saying โweโre not coming back.โ
The truth is, even with the best intentions, life changes. New schools. New teachers. New sports schedules. New routines. And if you donโt have a plan to bring students back before Labor Day, you might as well pencil them in as a quit now.
Here are 3 things you can do THIS WEEK to bring your summer freezes back before they become fall quits:
1) Offer a โCatch-Upโ Private Lesson
Before school starts, reach out and offer a free 15-minute private lesson to every frozen student.
Let them know that youโll help them catch up on what they missed and their instructor misses them.
This turns your school from a business into a relationship, and setting up a private lesson helps them shake off the dust, and the feeling that they may be โbehindโ their classmates.
๐ง Pro tip: People rarely quit what they feel competent in. This re-instills competence fast.
2) Host a โSummer Spectacularโ Event
You need a social excuse to bring people back through the doors.
No curriculum. No testing. No pressure. Just fun.
We like doing Water Wars (think water balloons + martial arts relay games). Donโt have a parking lot? Host a BBQ at the park. Run a glow-in-the-dark board breaking night.
Do something thatโs easy to invite people to, even if they havenโt stepped foot in the school since Memorial Day.
This also gives you a reason to text frozen students, call missed leads, and reconnect without being salesy.
BTW- if you are a multi-school owner and you want to add 50+ new students in the next 90 days ON TOP of the new students you already get, without spending any more money on ads, send me reply saying "triangle" now and i'll show you how you can do it.
3) Send a Handwritten Postcard
Yes. Seriously.
Go buy some pre-stamped postcards from the post office and send a quick note to every student whoโs frozen this summer.
Something like: โHey Jayden! We miss seeing you around the school. Hope youโre having a great summer. Canโt wait to see you back soon, can you text me when youโll be back in class next so I can help you get all caught up? โ Mr. Brenner (856-XXX-XXXX)โ
Itโs simple. Itโs cheap. And itโs insanely powerful because it feels personal and intentional.
No one gets real mail anymore. Thatโs why this works.
You already did the hard part: enrolling them.
Now, just give them a reason to return.
And remember, just because a student froze for a โgood reasonโ doesnโt mean theyโll come back without one.
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