Share This Terrible Stat With Your Students

I know that sounds insane, but hear me out.

Do you know what percentage of people who start training actually earn their Black Belt?

The numbers vary, but here’s what ChatGPT spit out:

🥋 Karate / Taekwondo: 5%
🥋 Jiu Jitsu: 2%

That means at least 95% of students will NOT reach Black Belt.

For schools that call themselves a “Black Belt School,” that stat is pretty disheartening. But instead of ignoring it, you should use it to your advantage.

Challenge Your Students With This One Simple Statement

Most martial arts schools focus on why students should stay—but very few challenge them with why they probably won’t.

Here’s how you flip the script:

✅ Talk about the difficulty of training in your new student email campaigns.
✅ Mention these stats during beginner classes.
✅ Post about it on social media.

Why? Because it reframes their mindset from short-term to long-term.

Think about it: Harvard proudly promotes that 96% of applicants get rejected.
Wouldn’t that push students away? Nope.
50,000+ people still apply every year.

Why? Because people WANT to be part of something elite.

The same applies to your martial arts school. When students realize that sticking with it puts them in an exclusive class, it adds prestige to earning their Black Belt.

And when students see quitting as a common choice—but not THEIR choice— they become more committed from the start.

This is called “upstreaming”—addressing the quitting mindset WAY before it ever happens.

So talk about it.
Make it part of your messaging.
Watch your retention soar.

As always, 3 min read, no fluff, all strategy.

Your Hype Man,
Matthew Brenner

P.S. Want a contractually guaranteed way to add 30 new students in 60 days—without spending a dime on ads? I am the only coach that offers this. Schedule a 10-minute Discovery Call with me 👉 HERE

P.P.S. Don’t keep the free Black Belt Business Newsletter a secret! Share it with your martial arts friends by sending them this link ➡️ HERE