| Friend,
Okay, now it's time to address the question that I probably get asked the most about intro lessons...
What Do You Teach In The Intro?
There's a lot of debate on this topic, because some instructors think that your job in the intro lesson is to impress the hell out of your prospect with flashy techniques. Some instructors even get the new student to break a board in their intro lesson.
Still others think it's best to try to teach the new prospective student only the simplest of movements, like a basic stance, how to bow, and so on.
Me? I fall somewhere in the middle. In my experience, what I've found to work best is to approach the intro lesson from the perspective of the student. In other words, what will benefit the student most in the short time we have allotted for this intro?
Sure, I want the student to see the possibilities that await them if they stick with training at my dojo. But I also don't want them to experience failure in their first lesson by showing them something that they are incapable of doing.
Addressing The Needs of The New Student
But the real challenge that faces the new student mostly has to do with being comfortable in their first group class. And to make them comfortable in that first class, I want to accomplish two things in the intro:
1. Introduce them to basic martial arts etiquette as it is practiced in my school, as well as explaining what they can expect in their first few classes -
- and -
2. Help them to gain an awareness and understanding of the first few basic techniques that will create a foundation for success over their first few weeks of class.
The worst thing you can do in an intro is to have the student do stuff that they are never going to do in their first class. I've seen instructors who had students break boards, learn spin kicks, and do advanced self-defense techniques in their intro classes...
...all because they wanted to impress the new student. And while this might get them pumped up to take classes, and even get them so excited that they sign a membership agreement on the spot, what happens when they get in their first class?
That's right--they have unrealistic expectations for what it's all going to be about. And, they have no idea what to do either, so they feel lost and experience a sense of failure right out of the gate.
This can lead to high drop out rates over the first few months of training. So instead, here's how I structure my intros:
First 3-5 minutes: Quick intro to etiquette, no more than 30 seconds. Then, a quick warm-up while I chat with the student (we're building rapport, remember?). And with adults, I also talk briefly about the importance of the warm-up for injury prevention. Be sure to show them how to line up, how to bow, and gloss over the basic expectations of students in class (show up on time, everyone stops speaking and listens when the instructor is talking, etc).
Next 10-20 minutes: Intro to foundational movements of the style or system. I run this segment fairly quickly so the student doesn't get bored, but I still take the time to make sure they understand key points. For kids, it's enough to just show the mechanics and get them to copy you to the best of their age and ability. For adults, explanations of the principles behind the movements seems to help them feel more confident with the techniques.
So how do you choose what to teach? Think about which techniques are foundational to your system. For example, in my TMA classes I'll teach horse stance, a basic block, middle punch and chambering, then fighting stance, and front snap kick. This is more than enough to make a new student feel comfortable in their first few classes, because they are familiar with a few of the moves and knowing those movements makes it easy to pick up related basic techniques.
If I were teaching jiu-jitsu, I might warm them up by showing them how to roll, shrimp, and bridge, to sneak in foundational ground movements in the warm-up. Then I might go over the major positions (guard, mount, and back mount), then show them their first escape and first submission.
The idea is NOT to teach them the entire system in a class or two. It's just to introduce them to the material so they feel more comfortable once they start group classes.
Final Five Minutes: This is where the white belt comes in. I do a review of all the techniques we covered. For example, in my TMA classes I would have the student bow, go to ready position, then assume horse stance and perform middle punch a few times, then high block, then back to ready position, then assume fighting stance and do a few front kicks on either side.
At that point I tell them "good job, you passed!" and formally "promote" them to white belt. This gets the student really jazzed about training, and it also sets expectations (remember, "everything is earned, nothing is given without effort").
And for kids, once they get that white belt with their name on it, they are hooked. It's a no-brainer for the parent to sign the membership at this point. All you have to do is present them with the form and ask them if they'll be paying by cash, check, or charge.
How Long Should The Intro Lesson Be?
About 20 minutes for younger kids, and 30 minutes for teens and adults. Shorter and you don't have time for everything you need to do, and any longer and they'll have info overload and retain zero info from the lesson.
Should You Do A Second Intro Lesson?
You can if you wish. However, after teaching two intro lessons to each new student for several years, I streamlined my process and went to teaching just one intro lesson before the student's first group class. And, after I noticed a lift in conversions. Besides that, the students seemed to do just as well in their first group class with one intro vs. two. So, less work, same results... you can guess what we stuck with.
What Else Should You Accomplish in the Intro Lesson?
Be sure to give each student a student handbook at the end of their intro lesson. This should have a list of the requirements for the first few ranks, including white belt, which is the "test" they just took. Point this out to them and challenge them to practice what they learned at home before and after their first group class (note: I often will schedule an intro right before the student's first group class).
Also, you should be teaching benefits to kid's during their intro lesson. In most cases this will be the last time you have both parents watching class. So, it's often your only chance to sell parent #2 on the benefits of what you teach.
Talk about the importance of focus, self-control, and getting good grades during that intro lesson. There's no need to over-do it, but instead just mention these things casually in a "reason-why" manner during the lesson.
For example: "Brooke, I really like the way you're listening closely to me right now. That's what we call 'black belt focus.' Do you know why that's important? That's right, because when you listen you learn!" And so on.
Wrapping It Up
Tomorrow I'll wrap up this series with a few final observations on intros. Stay tuned...
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
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P.S. - Yes, virtually everyone passes their "white belt test." But if I have a kid who is just rowdy as all hell and who doesn't listen, I will withhold the belt and have their parents bring them in for a second intro lesson. I'll also let the parents know that if their child isn't ready for training, I'll tell them at the end of the second lesson and I won't take a dime from them. Typically when this happens, the child needs another six months or a year to mature before they start martial arts. Parents are very appreciative of this sort of honesty, and often they will contact me again the following year.
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