3 Min Black Belt Business Newsletter
Do you run a martial arts school of any style? Get insights from the top 1% of martial arts biz owners that you can use to get more students, keep more students, and grow your team to create your dream business. 3 days a week, 3 min read, no fluff, all strategy.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭? (𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞)
Introducing: The “Injury Intercept Protocol”
Every martial arts school has that moment...
A student falls, stubs their toe, twists their ankle… or claims they got stung by an imaginary bee and needs to lie down for the next 45 minutes. (if you teach 3 year olds, you know what i’m talking abou...
May 16, 2025
You’re using testimonials wrong (and it’s hurting retention)
When you hear “testimonial,” what do you think of?
Probably a smiling face on your website with a generic quote like:
“Our daughter loves training at XYZ Martial Arts!” – Sarah M.
Nice? Sure.Helpful? Meh.
Testimonials like that are fine for social proof. But here’s where most school own...
by Matthew Brenner —
May 14, 2025
case study
retenetion
testimonial
The HLA Method That Turns Leads Into Students
Do you wanna grow your school without having to rely on referrals, paid ads, and birthday parties?
Luckily I'm the organic marketing guide, so here’s my easy strategy you can copy.
If you’re doing community events this summer, block parties, street fairs, trunk-or-treats, whatever, and you’re no...
by Matthew Brenner —
May 12, 2025
marketing
Stop Just “Correcting” Students, Try This Instead..
If you read last week’s newsletter, we talked about PCP (praise challenge praise).
It’s like the Golden Rule of instructor feedback, Praise the effort, give a correction, praise again.
But today I want to introduce you to a new version I like even more.
If Praise-Correct-Praise is a fli...
by Matthew Brenner —
May 09, 2025
staff training
team building
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 $𝟑𝟎 𝐆𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐩 (𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬)
This $30 Gimmick Helped Us Beat the Summer Slump (And Get New Students)
If you wanna avoid the “summer slump” in your martial arts school, this is for you.
Let’s be real..
In the summer, we’re not just competing with other sports.
We’re going head-to-head with POOLS, VACATIONS, and iPad...
May 07, 2025
You don’t need more leads. You need this...
Ever have a student show up to class once… seem to enjoy it… and then disappears?
You didn’t think they were a “bad student.”
They were just new, and didn’t have any experience.
That’s your leads right now.
You’ve got the name, number, and maybe even a good convo from a school demo,t...
May 05, 2025
This 5-Second Instructor Hack Makes Students Actually Listen
Let’s talk about PCP...
No, not the drug that was popular in the 80’s.
I’m talking about the Praise–Correct–Praise method.
It’s one of the simplest, most effective communication strategies you can teach your instructors, whether they’re working with white belts or black belts… or just strug...
by Matthew Brenner —
May 02, 2025
team building
Here’s one of the dumbest, simplest, most genius retention strategies I’ve ever used.
Every summer, martial arts school owners across the country brace themselves for the dreaded Summer Slump.
You know it’s coming.
You pray it won’t be “that bad.”
But what if this year, hear me out, you just got proactive instead of reactive?
This Stupid-Simple Summer Trick Might Save Y...
Apr 30, 2025
If You Hate Selling, You’ll Love These 5 Magic Questions
If you're tired of hearing:❌ "Wow, that's more expensive than I thought"❌ "We'll start later"❌ "I need to talk to my husband/wife and get back to you"
I'm going to give you the 5 Magic Questions you can ask to AVOID all these objections, like a verbal ninja. 🥷
But here’s the truth:
Most ...
by Matthew Brenner —
Apr 28, 2025
marketing
The 10-Second Rule That Turns Awkward Instructors Into All-Stars
Ever see one of your assistant instructors just… standing there?
Like they’re trying to solve the meaning of life while a student next to them is doing a side kick that looks more like they are trying to relieve a gi pant wedgie?
Meanwhile, you look at the student’s parent, and their arms are...
by matthew brenner —
Apr 25, 2025
team building
team training
Should You Let Students Freeze for the Summer?
[Summer Retention Strategy Part 2 of 6: Be Clear on Your Freeze Policy]
Summer can mean sunshine and coffee flavored ice cream stuffed in waffle cones for some…(my favorite)
But for martial arts school owners?
Summer can feel like a dark cloud of impending summer quits, disguised as as "we’re...
Apr 23, 2025
The 3 Dominos To Recruit NEW Students This Summer Without Ads
It’s almost summertime.
Public and private schools are winding down in the last couple of months.
And most martial arts school owners? They just sit on their hands, light a candle, and pray to the Chuck Norris statue that he blesses them with new students.
🚨 But hope is not a strategy.An...
Apr 21, 2025