Episode 891 - 2024 State of the Martial Arts
In this episode, we’re bringing you Jeremy’s 2024 State of the Martial Arts and what we could do to move forward.
2024 State of the Martial Arts - Episode 891
Martial Arts, just like any other sport, is not perfect. That’s the very reason why we need to recognize and accept that as a fact so we can improve it for generations of Martial Artists to come. In this episode, Jeremy talks about where he thinks Martial Arts world is and what we could do to move forward. Listen to learn more!
After listening to the episode, it would be exciting for us to know your thoughts about it. Don’t forget to drop them in the comment section down below
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Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below.
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Okay.
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It's complaining about the
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internet already.
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Hey, what's going on, everybody?
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Welcome.
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This is our second annual
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State of the Martial Arts
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livestream put on by Whistlekick.
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If you don't know me, I am Jeremy Lesniak.
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I'm the founder and
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president here at Whistlekick,
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where everything we do
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is in support of the
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traditional martial arts on
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a global scale.
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We're here to support you as
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a traditional martial artist,
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whether you are a student, an instructor,
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a school owner,
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or perhaps a passionate fan from afar.
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We do many things and they
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are all in an effort to get
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everyone in the world to
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train for even just six
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months because we believe
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martial arts brings out the
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best in us and we believe
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that a world full of martial artists,
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even former martial artists,
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would be a much better one to live in.
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We did this live stream first last year,
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admittedly on a bit of a
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whim and it was very well
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received and we realized
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that the industry needed more of this.
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So that is why we are doing
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this yet again.
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It's our second annual.
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Will it happen a third time?
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I would expect so.
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do you know anything about
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what we do we tend to get
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into a groove and we just
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keep on rolling what can
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you expect from this
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evening's live stream well
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we're going to talk about
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the industry we're going to
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talk about where we've been
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where we think we are going
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I'm going to offer some
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thoughts I'm going to bring
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on some excuse me some
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special guests pre-recorded
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and we're going to tell you
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about all the things that
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we think you want to know
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unlike many of our formats
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This is not going to be comment driven.
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You are welcome to leave comments.
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And we do have folks in
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place to monitor those.
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And if there is important
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information to shift over
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to get to me as the one
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coordinating the live stream,
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I shouldn't say coordinating,
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Andrea's coordinating,
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to get that information to
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me to talk to you, we will do that.
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But if you want to engage,
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the best way to do is with that after.
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We're going to remind you later,
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but my email address,
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jeremyatwistlekick.com.
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It's very simple.
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I want to thank you for being here.
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Thank you for your trust and your time.
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And let's get rolling.
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So what's our goal?
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Our goal here today is that
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you leave more informed,
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maybe more passionate.
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Maybe you get some ideas on
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things that are coming.
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Maybe you understand that
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some of the challenges that you've had,
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you're not alone.
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We're all about community here.
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If you're watching this,
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whether it's live or later,
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perhaps you're listening to it,
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you're still part of this community,
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this group of traditional
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martial artists around the world.
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I want to thank the
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Whistlekick team for all
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the things that they did,
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helping us get this rolling,
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and let's do it.
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So 2023 was a big year.
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It was a big year for Whistlekick.
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It was a big year for the
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martial arts world because
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we're starting to figure
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out what we look like as
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martial artists with technology.
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We're starting to understand
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how technology and the
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traditions that we've held
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on to for so long can
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actually work together.
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I'm going to talk about some
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of the things that we've
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done here at Whistlekick
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and then we're going to dive in
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on some of the industry things.
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So there are a few things
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that happened for
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Whistlekick that I think,
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even though this is not a commercial,
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I think I would be remiss
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in not mentioning.
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The first one is Whistlekick Alliance,
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which is an organization
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that we put forward the end
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of last year that is
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intended to bring martial
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arts schools together to
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support them in some of
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their most common needs.
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If you wanna learn more about that,
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You can go to whistlekick.com,
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all this stuff,
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you can go to whistlekick.com.
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But the reason I think it's
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really important is it is
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the sort of program I heard
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time and again from martial
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arts school owners asking, saying,
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this is what I needed.
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I need something that is
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both affordable and not time consuming.
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And well, that's what we rolled out.
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Martial Summit,
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our seminal free training
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day event grew into a four day event
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where the majority of it was
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free because we believe we
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can still deliver our best stuff for free,
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even as a live experience.
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And that was proven true.
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It was an absolutely wonderful event.
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It's happening again.
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Again,
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you can learn more at whistlekick.com.
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Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio,
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which here we are,
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we're nearly at episode 900.
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We are nine years in.
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And for many of those years,
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we have been the top
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traditional martial arts
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podcast in the world.
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If you're not checking it out,
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perhaps you should.
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And finally, just over a year ago,
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we launched MATIC,
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the Martial Arts Teacher
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Training and Certification
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Division of Whistlekick
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because we felt that was
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something that was missing.
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And in the past year,
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we have certified dozens of
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martial arts instructors
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and made them better and
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made their schools better
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and made their students
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better as an extension.
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We're all very proud of those things.
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And we encourage, in fact,
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nearly beg others in the
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industry to do more of
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these things I have said
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from day one that this is
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not meant to be whistle
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kick versus the world I had
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conversations today I
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continue to have
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conversations with other
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martial artists there is
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more than enough food here
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for all of us there are
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more than enough people
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we're going to talk about
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more talk more about that later
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The enemy of your martial
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arts school is not the
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school across town.
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The enemy of our business is
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not the other organizations
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that are supporting the
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martial arts industry.
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Believe that wholeheartedly.
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Maybe some of them don't, but that's okay.
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We're still willing to play ball.
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Now, as an industry,
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one of the first things I
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have here in my notes is
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the coaching process.
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trend over the last few years has shifted.
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Now it's all marketers.
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And if you have a martial arts school,
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you've probably been
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bombarded by folks
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promising you dozens or
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hundreds or certain vast
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quantities of new students
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for some variants of
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pricing and different guarantees.
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Well,
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most of us know that most of those
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offers are in fact
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invalid.
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They're not real.
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And much of that comes from
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the fact that they're not
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coming from people who
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understand our industry and what we do.
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Sure,
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we can get people in the door short term.
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We can lie to them.
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We can promise them the world.
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But if we can't deliver on that,
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they leave.
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And that doesn't help anybody.
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I say that the best thing
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for you to do is to fully
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understand how your school works.
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Maybe you're outsourcing some marketing.
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It doesn't even have to be a
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martial artist who's doing
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your marketing.
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But recognize that if it seems gimmicky,
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whether we're talking about
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martial arts training or
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marketing or weight loss plans,
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it's probably gimmicky and
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it's probably short-lived.
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I'm seeing two trends and
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they almost seem in conflict,
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but I don't really think they are.
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The first is I see schools
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doubling down on what most
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of us would call very
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traditional training.
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But at the same time, other schools,
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in fact,
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even some of the same schools are
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incorporating fitness
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classes and youth camps and
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other things like that.
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And I think not only are
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both of these possible,
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they certainly can coexist.
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But in fact,
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I would say that it's beneficial.
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See, we all train for different reasons.
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If you're familiar with our
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six freedoms of martial arts,
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which we'll touch on later,
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we all need different
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things because we all want
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different results.
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If I want fitness as my
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prime reason for training,
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I'm going to expect and expect
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benefit from a different
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martial arts program than
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perhaps you do if your
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primary why is self-defense.
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That doesn't make one better
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than the other.
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And if you've had to write
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class plans before,
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you know how challenging it
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can be that in one class
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you give people a good
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fitness workout and you
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help them advance their
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self-defense techniques and
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you give the others all of
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their why reasons for being there.
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So segmenting classes,
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whether that's everybody on
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the same track,
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but different classes at different times,
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or maybe there's a rotation,
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or maybe you have wholly
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different curriculum in
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these different programs,
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I think all are good.
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Whatever works for you in your school,
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continue to look for those
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opportunities to find what
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stands out for your school.
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Now, I see the true difference in schools.
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It's not about traditional or not,
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or fitness programs, youth programs,
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super traditional.
0:12:52.842 --> 0:12:54.984
It's actually on the priority.
0:12:56.505 --> 0:12:56.645
See,
0:12:56.666 --> 0:12:59.268
I think we can look at martial arts
0:12:59.288 --> 0:13:01.269
schools and we can very
0:13:01.330 --> 0:13:02.610
quickly divide them into
0:13:03.130 --> 0:13:03.831
one of two groups.
0:13:05.513 --> 0:13:08.035
Group one, schools for which
0:13:09.294 --> 0:13:10.895
revenue, money, dollars,
0:13:11.015 --> 0:13:14.238
profit is the first thing
0:13:14.258 --> 0:13:14.837
that they think of.
0:13:15.698 --> 0:13:16.698
And then we've got all the rest.
0:13:17.820 --> 0:13:19.721
Now, I'm a business owner.
0:13:19.860 --> 0:13:21.581
I'm not at all suggesting
0:13:22.143 --> 0:13:23.844
that we shouldn't care about dollars.
0:13:24.884 --> 0:13:26.065
If your school goes out of business,
0:13:26.105 --> 0:13:27.105
you can't help anybody.
0:13:28.807 --> 0:13:30.047
But when the beginning and
0:13:30.607 --> 0:13:33.229
even the middle of your
0:13:33.328 --> 0:13:35.049
reasons for doing the
0:13:35.110 --> 0:13:35.910
things you do in your
0:13:35.951 --> 0:13:37.351
school are about dollars,
0:13:38.318 --> 0:13:40.160
you're probably making some
0:13:40.620 --> 0:13:41.682
compromised decisions.
0:13:42.743 --> 0:13:43.964
And those decisions don't
0:13:44.183 --> 0:13:44.985
serve your students.
0:13:45.024 --> 0:13:46.426
They don't serve the industry.
0:13:46.446 --> 0:13:48.788
They don't serve your potential students,
0:13:48.807 --> 0:13:49.408
your community,
0:13:49.428 --> 0:13:50.509
and they don't serve yourself.
0:13:52.451 --> 0:13:55.614
So my hope is if you have a
0:13:55.653 --> 0:13:56.235
school like that,
0:13:56.294 --> 0:13:57.416
you'll recognize that
0:13:58.417 --> 0:13:59.216
you're probably not as
0:13:59.297 --> 0:14:00.578
fulfilled as you would be
0:14:00.599 --> 0:14:03.581
if maybe you put some other
0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:04.282
things in place.
0:14:06.259 --> 0:14:06.360
See,
0:14:06.379 --> 0:14:07.782
there's this interesting thing that
0:14:07.863 --> 0:14:09.004
happens in martial arts
0:14:09.024 --> 0:14:10.025
schools and happens in a
0:14:10.086 --> 0:14:10.826
lot of businesses,
0:14:10.886 --> 0:14:12.188
most service-based businesses.
0:14:13.230 --> 0:14:14.472
If you focus on retention,
0:14:14.873 --> 0:14:16.014
you end up with recruitment.
0:14:16.535 --> 0:14:18.197
If you only focus on recruitment,
0:14:19.821 --> 0:14:21.302
you tend to not have very good retention.
0:14:22.315 --> 0:14:23.775
I work with a lot of martial arts schools.
0:14:23.816 --> 0:14:25.376
I see this happen time and again.
0:14:25.897 --> 0:14:27.758
It's the schools that make
0:14:27.798 --> 0:14:28.918
sure they deliver the best
0:14:29.038 --> 0:14:30.080
possible experience to
0:14:30.100 --> 0:14:32.301
their students that do the best,
0:14:32.660 --> 0:14:34.381
that attract the most new students.
0:14:34.842 --> 0:14:36.342
Maybe it seems counterintuitive,
0:14:36.504 --> 0:14:37.984
but it is what happens and
0:14:38.004 --> 0:14:38.705
it is what works.
0:14:44.187 --> 0:14:44.849
I'm gonna shift,
0:14:44.889 --> 0:14:46.308
I'm gonna share something with you now.
0:14:46.429 --> 0:14:47.129
So before I do,
0:14:48.571 --> 0:14:50.432
if you've been around for a while
0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:52.221
Here's your Whistlekick history.
0:14:54.422 --> 0:14:55.163
Five years ago,
0:14:55.182 --> 0:14:56.863
it blew my mind that this
0:14:56.883 --> 0:14:57.563
was five years ago.
0:14:58.683 --> 0:14:59.303
Five years ago,
0:14:59.344 --> 0:15:00.205
we attempted to launch
0:15:00.245 --> 0:15:01.585
something called the Whistlekick Report,
0:15:02.346 --> 0:15:03.566
survey-based statistical
0:15:03.605 --> 0:15:07.047
data that all of you had access to.
0:15:08.368 --> 0:15:10.249
And it just proved to be too much
0:15:11.270 --> 0:15:12.032
If you know me, you know,
0:15:12.052 --> 0:15:12.971
I have a lot on my plate.
0:15:12.991 --> 0:15:14.013
I've always had a lot on my
0:15:14.052 --> 0:15:15.214
plate and it just didn't happen.
0:15:15.274 --> 0:15:16.715
But shout out to Sarah Beth,
0:15:16.754 --> 0:15:18.056
who's come on and we're
0:15:18.076 --> 0:15:19.056
working that stuff together.
0:15:19.076 --> 0:15:19.956
She's doing a great job.
0:15:20.616 --> 0:15:22.177
And we actually relaunched
0:15:22.197 --> 0:15:23.038
the Whistlekick report.
0:15:23.119 --> 0:15:24.779
And I've got some data here for you.
0:15:24.799 --> 0:15:25.340
And we're going to just
0:15:25.379 --> 0:15:26.321
quickly go through that.
0:15:26.860 --> 0:15:27.802
And I think you'll dig it.
0:15:27.841 --> 0:15:28.602
We're going to continue to
0:15:28.623 --> 0:15:29.763
do more of this stuff.
0:15:30.203 --> 0:15:32.125
And if you want to engage on it, go to the,
0:15:32.384 --> 0:15:33.586
I'll remind you at the end,
0:15:34.086 --> 0:15:34.886
whistlekick.com,
0:15:34.927 --> 0:15:36.447
go to the schools tab and
0:15:36.488 --> 0:15:37.268
you'll see the Whistlekick
0:15:37.288 --> 0:15:38.249
report in there and you can
0:15:38.288 --> 0:15:39.330
sign up to get notified.
0:15:39.590 --> 0:15:39.990
We also,
0:15:40.029 --> 0:15:41.051
we put it out on our emails and
0:15:41.071 --> 0:15:41.270
everything.
0:15:41.270 --> 0:15:41.630
and like that.
0:15:42.272 --> 0:15:44.011
So let me share this.
0:15:45.712 --> 0:15:46.614
Andrew's doing most of this,
0:15:46.653 --> 0:15:47.653
but this part I'm doing
0:15:47.673 --> 0:15:49.434
just to make sure you don't
0:15:49.475 --> 0:15:51.155
need audio using StreamYard.
0:15:51.196 --> 0:15:51.495
By the way,
0:15:51.515 --> 0:15:53.076
if anybody is doing live stream stuff,
0:15:53.197 --> 0:15:55.519
StreamYard is the thing we prefer to use.
0:15:56.979 --> 0:15:57.759
So here we go.
0:15:59.900 --> 0:16:00.400
Let's go through.
0:16:00.421 --> 0:16:01.782
Let's hit some of the highlights here.
0:18:47.634 --> 0:18:48.056
All right.
0:18:48.556 --> 0:18:50.897
I want to apologize to everyone.
0:18:54.241 --> 0:18:56.864
Technical issues, right?
0:18:56.963 --> 0:18:58.665
This is part of the
0:18:58.685 --> 0:19:01.188
challenge of doing things live.
0:19:01.648 --> 0:19:03.490
So you're still here.
0:19:03.750 --> 0:19:05.031
Thank you for still being here.
0:19:05.051 --> 0:19:05.112
And
0:19:08.165 --> 0:19:11.027
I can't say for certain what caused that,
0:19:11.186 --> 0:19:11.906
but I'll tell you what I'm
0:19:11.967 --> 0:19:12.507
not going to do.
0:19:12.606 --> 0:19:13.567
I'm not going to reshare
0:19:13.607 --> 0:19:14.667
that image with you again.
0:19:14.688 --> 0:19:16.788
And if you want to check out that report,
0:19:17.128 --> 0:19:17.628
please go to
0:19:17.669 --> 0:19:18.628
whistlekick.com for the
0:19:18.669 --> 0:19:19.388
whistlekick report.
0:19:19.829 --> 0:19:21.869
I am instead going to
0:19:21.930 --> 0:19:23.971
continue down through my nose.
0:19:23.990 --> 0:19:26.652
This is the beauty of live quote TV,
0:19:26.731 --> 0:19:26.892
right?
0:19:26.912 --> 0:19:28.231
You never know what you're going to get.
0:19:30.272 --> 0:19:31.712
I wish this wasn't seltzer right now.
0:19:36.074 --> 0:19:36.355
All right.
0:19:37.535 --> 0:19:37.734
Hmm.
0:19:39.809 --> 0:19:40.309
Moving on.
0:19:40.691 --> 0:19:42.291
All right, let's talk about AI.
0:19:44.212 --> 0:19:47.095
So artificial intelligence, AI,
0:19:48.154 --> 0:19:50.497
became a huge topic of
0:19:50.557 --> 0:19:51.416
conversation in 2023.
0:19:51.416 --> 0:19:54.019
We're seeing conversations
0:19:54.058 --> 0:19:55.299
around legislating it.
0:19:55.339 --> 0:19:57.701
We're seeing conversations around ethics.
0:19:58.862 --> 0:19:59.721
But I'm not seeing a lot of
0:19:59.781 --> 0:20:01.403
conversations in the world
0:20:01.442 --> 0:20:02.223
of martial arts.
0:20:02.344 --> 0:20:02.844
Why?
0:20:03.345 --> 0:20:03.484
Well,
0:20:03.505 --> 0:20:05.326
because I don't think we fully understand
0:20:06.596 --> 0:20:09.417
what it's going to do to and for us.
0:20:10.358 --> 0:20:10.578
See,
0:20:11.099 --> 0:20:12.840
AI is predicted to take quite a few
0:20:12.921 --> 0:20:13.761
jobs away,
0:20:14.281 --> 0:20:16.243
but if you make your living
0:20:16.344 --> 0:20:17.184
teaching martial arts,
0:20:17.244 --> 0:20:18.726
it's probably not gonna take your job.
0:20:18.925 --> 0:20:22.409
It's rather unlikely because what we do,
0:20:23.028 --> 0:20:26.672
we have found, maybe you can do it online,
0:20:26.731 --> 0:20:29.074
but it really is best as an
0:20:29.193 --> 0:20:32.017
in-person live experience.
0:20:33.246 --> 0:20:34.246
What's ultimately gonna
0:20:34.306 --> 0:20:37.146
change that for all of us as instructors?
0:20:38.906 --> 0:20:40.707
It's VR, virtual reality,
0:20:40.846 --> 0:20:43.508
coupled with holograms.
0:20:43.688 --> 0:20:44.887
Until we get both of those
0:20:44.928 --> 0:20:46.048
technologies married up,
0:20:46.407 --> 0:20:47.568
which the technology is there,
0:20:47.628 --> 0:20:48.489
but until we get there,
0:20:48.888 --> 0:20:50.249
I don't think anybody has to worry.
0:20:50.628 --> 0:20:52.529
But it doesn't mean that AI
0:20:52.910 --> 0:20:54.329
doesn't have some
0:20:54.369 --> 0:20:57.391
implications for you as a martial artist.
0:20:58.911 --> 0:20:59.530
So first,
0:21:00.669 --> 0:21:01.730
it's got some dramatic
0:21:01.789 --> 0:21:03.132
changes on the marketing side.
0:21:03.711 --> 0:21:04.933
Anybody else out there
0:21:05.013 --> 0:21:07.375
getting better junk email?
0:21:08.317 --> 0:21:10.019
Email that you think isn't junk?
0:21:10.378 --> 0:21:13.061
Oh, a lot of that is AI driven.
0:21:14.042 --> 0:21:16.665
And some of that's good if
0:21:16.685 --> 0:21:18.387
you're getting emails about
0:21:18.407 --> 0:21:19.348
things you actually want.
0:21:19.970 --> 0:21:20.670
But if it's not,
0:21:21.686 --> 0:21:22.287
Maybe it's not.
0:21:22.567 --> 0:21:23.288
And it's something that we
0:21:23.307 --> 0:21:24.308
need to keep in mind
0:21:24.669 --> 0:21:27.069
because as we market to
0:21:27.130 --> 0:21:28.330
potential students,
0:21:28.750 --> 0:21:29.852
we need to be aware of what
0:21:29.892 --> 0:21:30.972
the rest of the world is
0:21:31.032 --> 0:21:32.053
marketing to them as well,
0:21:32.374 --> 0:21:33.153
even if it has nothing to
0:21:33.193 --> 0:21:33.914
do with martial arts.
0:21:35.635 --> 0:21:37.696
And this is why you probably
0:21:37.737 --> 0:21:39.538
didn't hear it as I was
0:21:39.557 --> 0:21:40.818
going through the whistle kick report.
0:21:41.700 --> 0:21:42.319
Word of mouth.
0:21:43.393 --> 0:21:44.413
continues to be,
0:21:44.573 --> 0:21:45.532
and I believe will become
0:21:45.692 --> 0:21:46.973
even increasingly more
0:21:47.034 --> 0:21:49.534
important as a recruitment tool.
0:21:49.953 --> 0:21:51.154
If you're not incentivizing
0:21:51.194 --> 0:21:53.974
your students in some way,
0:21:54.035 --> 0:21:56.056
whether that's a public thank you,
0:21:56.175 --> 0:21:57.276
or maybe it's an incentive
0:21:57.336 --> 0:21:58.955
program for bringing in
0:21:58.976 --> 0:22:00.217
their friends and their family,
0:22:00.896 --> 0:22:02.176
I would encourage you to do so.
0:22:04.317 --> 0:22:07.137
Now, AI does create some challenges,
0:22:07.157 --> 0:22:08.258
but also creates a lot of
0:22:08.317 --> 0:22:09.298
opportunity for us and
0:22:09.398 --> 0:22:10.318
opportunities that I think
0:22:10.338 --> 0:22:11.398
we need to be aware of.
0:22:12.471 --> 0:22:14.333
If you're a school owner or an instructor,
0:22:16.813 --> 0:22:18.953
AI tools like ChatGPT can
0:22:19.334 --> 0:22:20.253
very quickly help you
0:22:20.433 --> 0:22:25.855
create class plans or just
0:22:26.036 --> 0:22:27.415
general written content.
0:22:28.455 --> 0:22:29.696
What if you want to send all
0:22:29.717 --> 0:22:30.876
of your students home with
0:22:30.916 --> 0:22:33.597
a handout that summarizes
0:22:33.637 --> 0:22:34.758
what we did in class today
0:22:34.798 --> 0:22:35.317
and what they might
0:22:35.357 --> 0:22:37.219
consider as home practice
0:22:37.979 --> 0:22:38.818
over the next few days?
0:22:40.059 --> 0:22:41.619
AI is a wonderful tool for that.
0:22:43.689 --> 0:22:44.588
If you've been watching,
0:22:46.170 --> 0:22:47.809
you probably see a lot of
0:22:47.849 --> 0:22:49.109
images on social media that
0:22:49.130 --> 0:22:50.050
are AI generated.
0:22:50.891 --> 0:22:53.912
And for a while, they were really bad.
0:22:54.092 --> 0:22:56.231
Early 2023, even mid 2023,
0:22:56.231 --> 0:22:57.112
they were really bad.
0:22:57.913 --> 0:22:59.113
People with seven fingers
0:22:59.173 --> 0:23:02.634
and two toes and weird
0:23:02.693 --> 0:23:03.574
hands and everything.
0:23:03.733 --> 0:23:05.193
But now they've gotten really good.
0:23:05.454 --> 0:23:07.015
You can still tell that they're AI.
0:23:08.318 --> 0:23:09.279
But you can very quickly
0:23:09.339 --> 0:23:11.521
generate an image that goes with things.
0:23:11.582 --> 0:23:12.983
Instead of digging around
0:23:13.023 --> 0:23:14.625
the internet for a public
0:23:14.726 --> 0:23:16.768
use image that goes with
0:23:16.807 --> 0:23:17.648
what you need to say,
0:23:18.148 --> 0:23:19.269
you can quickly generate
0:23:19.310 --> 0:23:21.952
something that is custom.
0:23:22.574 --> 0:23:23.154
And that's great.
0:23:24.316 --> 0:23:25.017
Now video.
0:23:25.156 --> 0:23:26.178
AI video is here,
0:23:26.218 --> 0:23:27.538
but it's not really prominent yet.
0:23:27.679 --> 0:23:28.961
It takes a lot of resources.
0:23:29.320 --> 0:23:31.022
And it's not ready for prime time.
0:23:32.605 --> 0:23:33.805
But here's what I see coming.
0:23:33.825 --> 0:23:35.086
And I would guess this is
0:23:35.105 --> 0:23:36.326
going to be available to
0:23:36.865 --> 0:23:37.806
those of you out there who
0:23:37.846 --> 0:23:40.967
are really cutting edge in 2024.
0:23:40.967 --> 0:23:42.787
The ability to take multiple
0:23:42.987 --> 0:23:45.448
angles of video and combine
0:23:45.488 --> 0:23:46.887
it in such a way that
0:23:46.948 --> 0:23:51.809
people can real time, pause, twist,
0:23:52.289 --> 0:23:54.410
change angles by taking
0:23:54.450 --> 0:23:55.650
probably just a front and a back.
0:23:56.391 --> 0:23:57.570
Maybe you need three angles.
0:23:57.611 --> 0:23:57.971
We'll see.
0:23:59.332 --> 0:24:00.612
And why would someone want that?
0:24:01.232 --> 0:24:02.313
Learning techniques at home.
0:24:03.252 --> 0:24:04.153
What if you could send your
0:24:04.193 --> 0:24:05.814
students home with a, hey,
0:24:06.494 --> 0:24:09.256
not just here's a video of your new form,
0:24:09.996 --> 0:24:13.257
but here is a fully 3D
0:24:13.636 --> 0:24:16.657
manipulatable video of your form.
0:24:17.378 --> 0:24:18.999
So when they say what's happening there,
0:24:19.358 --> 0:24:21.180
they can slow it down, they can twist it,
0:24:21.220 --> 0:24:22.319
they can zoom in and watch
0:24:22.539 --> 0:24:23.980
exactly what your hand is doing.
0:24:24.837 --> 0:24:25.538
Pretty cool stuff.
0:24:25.978 --> 0:24:26.698
It will be here.
0:24:27.238 --> 0:24:28.439
I'm not saying you have to
0:24:28.479 --> 0:24:29.519
do any of these things,
0:24:29.618 --> 0:24:31.199
but I would encourage you
0:24:32.058 --> 0:24:33.440
to be aware of them and
0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:38.279
play with them and test them.
0:24:39.080 --> 0:24:39.941
And when you see something
0:24:39.961 --> 0:24:41.780
that makes your life better
0:24:41.861 --> 0:24:42.961
or your students lives better,
0:24:43.280 --> 0:24:43.780
give it a shot.
0:24:44.682 --> 0:24:45.201
Doesn't mean you have to
0:24:45.241 --> 0:24:46.221
keep doing it if it doesn't work.
0:24:48.481 --> 0:24:49.682
We talked a bit about social media.
0:24:49.701 --> 0:24:52.242
Let's dig into social media more now.
0:24:54.718 --> 0:24:56.358
I believe we talked about this last year,
0:24:57.259 --> 0:24:58.280
but it's gotten worse.
0:24:59.020 --> 0:25:00.442
We continue to feed the trolls.
0:25:01.423 --> 0:25:02.523
Stop feeding the trolls.
0:25:03.924 --> 0:25:05.965
When the jerks show up on social media,
0:25:06.326 --> 0:25:07.527
being a jerk back to them,
0:25:08.067 --> 0:25:09.188
that doesn't help anybody.
0:25:09.669 --> 0:25:10.048
In fact,
0:25:10.489 --> 0:25:13.211
it makes other martial artists look bad.
0:25:15.073 --> 0:25:18.055
We preach confidence, self-esteem,
0:25:18.595 --> 0:25:21.017
being able to walk away when needed,
0:25:22.150 --> 0:25:23.550
And then so many of us get
0:25:23.611 --> 0:25:25.231
bent out of shape from a
0:25:25.311 --> 0:25:27.413
comment from a stranger
0:25:28.173 --> 0:25:30.194
online across the world.
0:25:32.016 --> 0:25:33.616
That doesn't really add up, does it?
0:25:35.337 --> 0:25:36.159
Now, I understand.
0:25:36.959 --> 0:25:38.460
It sucks when people call you out.
0:25:38.819 --> 0:25:40.000
It sucks when people make
0:25:40.221 --> 0:25:41.402
negative comments about you.
0:25:42.041 --> 0:25:42.962
I get it every day.
0:25:46.404 --> 0:25:47.506
But sometimes you have to
0:25:47.586 --> 0:25:49.567
recognize that why are they doing that?
0:25:50.451 --> 0:25:50.571
Well,
0:25:50.592 --> 0:25:51.874
they're tearing you down because
0:25:51.894 --> 0:25:52.974
you've built something up.
0:25:54.978 --> 0:25:55.478
Trolls,
0:25:55.637 --> 0:25:58.541
bullies don't go after people that
0:25:58.582 --> 0:25:59.923
they see as below them.
0:26:00.463 --> 0:26:01.365
They go after people that
0:26:01.404 --> 0:26:03.407
they see as above them.
0:26:05.130 --> 0:26:06.151
So by definition,
0:26:06.612 --> 0:26:07.512
they don't even think that
0:26:07.532 --> 0:26:08.334
they're as good as you.
0:26:08.594 --> 0:26:09.234
So don't worry about.
0:26:12.713 --> 0:26:13.453
Now, sadly,
0:26:13.473 --> 0:26:15.154
I'm seeing more and more people
0:26:15.776 --> 0:26:17.395
intentionally provoking
0:26:17.497 --> 0:26:19.317
trolls and using that to
0:26:19.357 --> 0:26:20.577
build an online following.
0:26:22.499 --> 0:26:23.859
Well, sure,
0:26:24.079 --> 0:26:25.320
that might get you some numbers,
0:26:26.461 --> 0:26:28.362
get you some likes, some comments,
0:26:28.402 --> 0:26:29.222
some follows.
0:26:31.463 --> 0:26:32.785
But how does that make your life better?
0:26:33.684 --> 0:26:34.705
How does it build your school?
0:26:35.145 --> 0:26:36.826
How does it build your career?
0:26:37.307 --> 0:26:37.987
How does it make you a
0:26:38.047 --> 0:26:38.968
better practitioner?
0:26:39.268 --> 0:26:40.188
The answer is it doesn't do
0:26:40.249 --> 0:26:40.989
any of those things.
0:26:42.486 --> 0:26:45.929
What it does is it gives you
0:26:45.989 --> 0:26:47.609
numbers that you can point to and say,
0:26:47.769 --> 0:26:48.891
look how special I am.
0:26:50.011 --> 0:26:50.731
It's not worth it.
0:26:51.633 --> 0:26:52.574
You're better than that.
0:26:52.973 --> 0:26:53.914
And the people around you
0:26:53.974 --> 0:26:55.056
deserve better than that.
0:26:55.836 --> 0:26:57.917
Stop feeding the trolls.
0:27:04.742 --> 0:27:05.963
When we look at social media,
0:27:06.304 --> 0:27:08.105
the algorithms that we have in place,
0:27:09.073 --> 0:27:10.113
the ones that decide what
0:27:10.173 --> 0:27:11.712
content is going to be
0:27:11.772 --> 0:27:13.493
shown to what people.
0:27:15.173 --> 0:27:16.114
They're not as forgiving as
0:27:16.153 --> 0:27:16.733
they used to be.
0:27:18.954 --> 0:27:20.174
I've watched this over the
0:27:20.335 --> 0:27:21.615
decade that Whistlekick has
0:27:21.654 --> 0:27:22.474
been operational.
0:27:22.855 --> 0:27:23.596
In the early days,
0:27:23.635 --> 0:27:27.276
it was really easy for us to get dozens,
0:27:28.096 --> 0:27:30.797
even hundreds of likes and
0:27:30.836 --> 0:27:32.317
a few dozen comments on a post.
0:27:33.037 --> 0:27:37.857
And now what I see on Facebook, primarily,
0:27:39.141 --> 0:27:39.580
Facebook,
0:27:40.541 --> 0:27:42.583
while it's still our biggest platform,
0:27:43.083 --> 0:27:44.344
it has our lowest return.
0:27:45.964 --> 0:27:47.786
We're seeing a lot of value
0:27:47.865 --> 0:27:50.227
in other platforms compared to Facebook,
0:27:50.247 --> 0:27:51.008
but overall,
0:27:51.488 --> 0:27:53.009
those trends still seem to be
0:27:53.048 --> 0:27:53.608
moving down.
0:27:53.669 --> 0:27:55.829
The one exception, potentially,
0:27:55.869 --> 0:27:56.971
and it depends on how you do things,
0:27:57.111 --> 0:27:57.771
is TikTok.
0:27:58.192 --> 0:27:59.952
And if you don't have a presence on TikTok,
0:28:00.472 --> 0:28:02.354
I would encourage you to explore it.
0:28:02.913 --> 0:28:04.634
Is it a great platform?
0:28:04.674 --> 0:28:05.556
No, none of them are.
0:28:05.655 --> 0:28:07.317
They all carry their issues.
0:28:08.729 --> 0:28:09.849
But it doesn't mean that
0:28:09.869 --> 0:28:11.790
there isn't a way for you
0:28:11.810 --> 0:28:12.751
to get some value out of it.
0:28:12.791 --> 0:28:13.613
So I would encourage you to
0:28:13.653 --> 0:28:14.173
check that out.
0:28:18.195 --> 0:28:20.057
Now, ironically, as that's happened,
0:28:21.439 --> 0:28:23.339
I'm seeing social media
0:28:23.480 --> 0:28:25.102
advertising cost come down.
0:28:26.403 --> 0:28:27.763
That for the same amount of money,
0:28:27.824 --> 0:28:28.964
we can be more effective
0:28:29.005 --> 0:28:30.026
now than we ever were.
0:28:31.031 --> 0:28:32.133
And that fascinates me.
0:28:32.153 --> 0:28:33.733
And we'll skip why I think
0:28:33.773 --> 0:28:34.674
that's happening because it
0:28:35.195 --> 0:28:37.076
gets a little technical, a little nerdy.
0:28:37.096 --> 0:28:38.679
And most of you probably don't care.
0:28:39.499 --> 0:28:40.319
But the point being,
0:28:40.380 --> 0:28:41.500
if you have a martial arts
0:28:41.560 --> 0:28:42.902
school and you are not
0:28:42.981 --> 0:28:43.962
putting a little bit of
0:28:44.002 --> 0:28:46.164
money in to social media advertising,
0:28:46.184 --> 0:28:47.046
I think you're missing out.
0:28:47.546 --> 0:28:47.786
Remember,
0:28:47.826 --> 0:28:49.468
you could do something for a buck a day.
0:28:49.488 --> 0:28:52.170
And I probably should say this here.
0:28:52.210 --> 0:28:53.290
If you don't want to do it yourself,
0:28:53.832 --> 0:28:54.412
that's one of the things
0:28:54.432 --> 0:28:55.472
Whistlekick Alliance does.
0:28:55.512 --> 0:28:57.054
So you can check that out at
0:28:57.074 --> 0:28:57.795
whistlekick.com.
0:29:02.801 --> 0:29:03.182
Also,
0:29:04.042 --> 0:29:05.544
I'm seeing great results and a lot of
0:29:05.604 --> 0:29:06.845
us are seeing great results
0:29:07.385 --> 0:29:09.346
with AI generated images
0:29:09.967 --> 0:29:12.449
and even text coupled with
0:29:12.489 --> 0:29:13.190
social media ads.
0:29:13.230 --> 0:29:14.391
And the best part about that
0:29:15.030 --> 0:29:15.852
is it gives you the
0:29:15.892 --> 0:29:16.972
opportunity to really
0:29:17.153 --> 0:29:18.314
quickly iterate and say
0:29:18.354 --> 0:29:19.295
that image didn't work,
0:29:19.555 --> 0:29:20.454
I'm gonna change it in this
0:29:20.535 --> 0:29:22.257
way and test that as well.
0:29:26.119 --> 0:29:27.099
Another thing we need to
0:29:27.180 --> 0:29:28.541
consider in the
0:29:28.582 --> 0:29:29.801
intersection of social media and AI
0:29:32.102 --> 0:29:34.144
is that as AI has gotten more prominent,
0:29:34.523 --> 0:29:35.324
more and more people are
0:29:35.525 --> 0:29:37.625
becoming distrustful of the
0:29:37.685 --> 0:29:39.126
things that are out there.
0:29:39.948 --> 0:29:41.308
It doesn't take very long
0:29:41.608 --> 0:29:42.690
scrolling through comments
0:29:42.809 --> 0:29:44.050
on something controversial
0:29:44.810 --> 0:29:48.013
to see that the old cliche,
0:29:48.453 --> 0:29:49.795
last year's cliche of fake
0:29:49.875 --> 0:29:52.396
news has very quickly been
0:29:52.436 --> 0:29:55.439
replaced by that's AI, that's fake,
0:29:56.619 --> 0:29:59.201
that's generated, that's not real.
0:30:00.204 --> 0:30:01.885
And that trend is going to continue.
0:30:02.386 --> 0:30:04.067
And that's going to leave
0:30:04.107 --> 0:30:05.890
people craving authenticity.
0:30:07.010 --> 0:30:07.851
There's nothing more
0:30:07.931 --> 0:30:08.832
authentic than the
0:30:08.912 --> 0:30:10.232
experience that a martial
0:30:10.292 --> 0:30:11.374
arts class provides.
0:30:11.834 --> 0:30:12.835
The ability to get in there
0:30:12.855 --> 0:30:16.258
and sweat and depending on
0:30:16.278 --> 0:30:17.798
the kind of program you run,
0:30:18.160 --> 0:30:19.520
whether you're punching things,
0:30:19.540 --> 0:30:20.942
you're punching people,
0:30:21.001 --> 0:30:22.242
you're banging forearms.
0:30:23.734 --> 0:30:24.994
That's an authentic experience.
0:30:25.015 --> 0:30:25.695
There's something really
0:30:25.756 --> 0:30:27.476
primal in that for a lot of people.
0:30:28.155 --> 0:30:29.336
And to continue to offer
0:30:29.396 --> 0:30:31.317
that is absolutely wonderful.
0:30:35.178 --> 0:30:36.638
But how are you going to
0:30:36.739 --> 0:30:38.919
stand out if I'm telling
0:30:38.959 --> 0:30:40.680
you that social media and
0:30:40.799 --> 0:30:41.859
advertising is going to be
0:30:41.960 --> 0:30:45.560
flooded with AI or fake content,
0:30:46.361 --> 0:30:47.541
depending on how you want to call it?
0:30:47.981 --> 0:30:48.781
Well, it's live video.
0:30:49.829 --> 0:30:51.010
It's things like this.
0:30:51.250 --> 0:30:52.852
Why do you think we do live video?
0:30:53.031 --> 0:30:54.332
One, we're trying to reach people.
0:30:54.752 --> 0:30:54.972
Two,
0:30:55.032 --> 0:30:56.653
we're trying to remind you that we are
0:30:56.753 --> 0:30:59.174
real people who care about
0:30:59.194 --> 0:30:59.954
the martial arts.
0:31:00.635 --> 0:31:04.817
And I'm here showing up in,
0:31:05.018 --> 0:31:06.999
I'm going to say all my glory,
0:31:07.058 --> 0:31:08.839
but I'm here in my home.
0:31:08.900 --> 0:31:10.520
This is the real me.
0:31:11.682 --> 0:31:13.001
And live video is going to
0:31:13.021 --> 0:31:15.042
be the last thing that AI
0:31:15.103 --> 0:31:15.864
is able to fake.
0:31:17.256 --> 0:31:18.596
So if you don't currently do
0:31:18.675 --> 0:31:19.717
some live video,
0:31:19.836 --> 0:31:21.376
both as recruitment and
0:31:21.436 --> 0:31:23.877
retention in your martial arts school,
0:31:23.958 --> 0:31:26.818
I would encourage you to do so soon.
0:31:26.858 --> 0:31:28.759
Now, as martial arts students,
0:31:30.140 --> 0:31:31.019
you might think this has
0:31:31.400 --> 0:31:32.839
less impact on you.
0:31:33.820 --> 0:31:36.801
But if we think back to how
0:31:37.741 --> 0:31:39.021
our experience as martial
0:31:39.061 --> 0:31:41.242
artists changed as YouTube came along,
0:31:41.363 --> 0:31:42.742
AI is going to do some similar things.
0:31:42.803 --> 0:31:44.064
And I don't know exactly
0:31:44.104 --> 0:31:45.163
what those are going to be.
0:31:46.117 --> 0:31:47.118
but we need to be aware of
0:31:47.159 --> 0:31:47.798
them and we need to
0:31:47.880 --> 0:31:49.280
recognize that if we value
0:31:49.760 --> 0:31:50.981
the school that we train in
0:31:52.123 --> 0:31:54.244
and our friends at other
0:31:54.305 --> 0:31:56.066
schools who value competitions,
0:31:56.126 --> 0:31:57.768
we need to support them and
0:31:57.807 --> 0:31:59.288
we need to recognize that
0:31:59.930 --> 0:32:02.152
not everything that is out
0:32:02.211 --> 0:32:03.913
there is going to be real.
0:32:08.737 --> 0:32:10.378
The last thing before we
0:32:10.439 --> 0:32:11.619
move on to our next section,
0:32:13.136 --> 0:32:14.637
I'm going to encourage all
0:32:14.678 --> 0:32:15.837
of you school owners or
0:32:15.897 --> 0:32:17.278
just general business people.
0:32:17.778 --> 0:32:18.618
Some of you out there might
0:32:18.699 --> 0:32:19.578
have businesses that aren't
0:32:19.598 --> 0:32:20.119
in the martial arts.
0:32:20.140 --> 0:32:20.920
And I think this advice
0:32:20.960 --> 0:32:21.880
stands just as well.
0:32:23.500 --> 0:32:24.340
As people become more
0:32:24.401 --> 0:32:25.862
skeptical of things that are not,
0:32:27.903 --> 0:32:29.442
more skeptical of things just in general,
0:32:29.762 --> 0:32:30.784
questioning whether things
0:32:31.044 --> 0:32:32.644
are computer generated,
0:32:33.964 --> 0:32:35.424
your ability to reach out
0:32:36.086 --> 0:32:38.465
and talk to them is going
0:32:38.486 --> 0:32:39.426
to become more important.
0:32:40.106 --> 0:32:42.288
Email kind of went through a,
0:32:43.823 --> 0:32:44.123
a dip.
0:32:44.742 --> 0:32:45.663
I think it's coming back.
0:32:45.963 --> 0:32:47.443
I'm seeing that in the numbers right now.
0:32:48.285 --> 0:32:50.285
And if you don't currently
0:32:50.345 --> 0:32:52.326
have an email list of your
0:32:52.365 --> 0:32:53.346
students and potential
0:32:53.386 --> 0:32:54.487
students and past students,
0:32:54.946 --> 0:32:55.988
it's time to get one together.
0:32:57.067 --> 0:32:58.268
It's time to make sure that
0:32:58.307 --> 0:32:59.169
you have a plan for
0:32:59.229 --> 0:33:01.849
reaching out to them with value,
0:33:02.190 --> 0:33:04.830
not just here's the class schedule.
0:33:05.673 --> 0:33:07.013
but real value.
0:33:07.714 --> 0:33:08.775
What do your students want?
0:33:08.855 --> 0:33:10.276
What do your potential students want?
0:33:10.675 --> 0:33:11.576
What would your past
0:33:11.635 --> 0:33:12.556
students want that might
0:33:12.596 --> 0:33:13.656
get them to come back or
0:33:13.717 --> 0:33:14.936
just think positively about
0:33:14.977 --> 0:33:15.757
their experience?
0:33:16.817 --> 0:33:17.817
And making sure that you
0:33:17.857 --> 0:33:19.878
deliver that to them in a true,
0:33:20.298 --> 0:33:21.239
honest way.
0:33:22.240 --> 0:33:23.220
The word authentic is
0:33:23.259 --> 0:33:24.140
getting kicked around,
0:33:24.180 --> 0:33:25.480
but there isn't a better one.
0:33:26.461 --> 0:33:28.862
Be authentic with what you are,
0:33:28.981 --> 0:33:29.682
who you are,
0:33:29.701 --> 0:33:31.762
to the people that you care about.
0:33:31.782 --> 0:33:32.962
Okay?
0:33:33.824 --> 0:33:33.923
So...
0:33:35.301 --> 0:33:37.943
I have said, I've gone on record, I guess,
0:33:38.723 --> 0:33:41.404
quite a bit to say that I
0:33:41.484 --> 0:33:43.405
think there's opportunity
0:33:43.906 --> 0:33:45.146
for the martial arts industry to grow.
0:33:45.207 --> 0:33:45.867
I'm scrolling through my
0:33:45.887 --> 0:33:46.627
notes if you can't tell.
0:33:47.489 --> 0:33:48.608
So how do we grow?
0:33:49.210 --> 0:33:51.090
How do we get more people
0:33:51.151 --> 0:33:52.530
participating in martial arts?
0:33:52.590 --> 0:33:53.471
Because let's face it,
0:33:53.791 --> 0:33:54.893
the majority of people are
0:33:54.932 --> 0:33:55.813
not training right now.
0:33:56.333 --> 0:33:57.294
And the majority of people
0:33:57.413 --> 0:33:58.634
do not train ever.
0:33:59.714 --> 0:34:01.516
The last numbers that I have
0:34:02.196 --> 0:34:03.857
suggest 7% of the people in
0:34:03.877 --> 0:34:04.538
the United States
0:34:06.499 --> 0:34:07.660
No, that's not right at all.
0:34:08.001 --> 0:34:08.420
I'm sorry.
0:34:09.663 --> 0:34:12.545
It's Oh, I've forgotten my number there.
0:34:12.786 --> 0:34:13.668
That wasn't on my list.
0:34:14.429 --> 0:34:15.610
Okay, 7 million people there.
0:34:15.789 --> 0:34:16.231
There we go.
0:34:16.490 --> 0:34:17.833
So whatever that percentage is,
0:34:18.253 --> 0:34:19.373
and that percentage is
0:34:19.494 --> 0:34:23.199
roughly half of what we see globally,
0:34:23.539 --> 0:34:24.621
just with some rough numbers.
0:34:26.152 --> 0:34:27.612
The United States is a
0:34:27.692 --> 0:34:28.632
leader in a lot of things.
0:34:28.672 --> 0:34:30.353
We are not a leader in terms
0:34:30.393 --> 0:34:31.713
of martial arts participation.
0:34:31.773 --> 0:34:32.452
We can do better.
0:34:33.012 --> 0:34:34.054
And this live stream isn't
0:34:34.213 --> 0:34:36.534
simply for folks in America.
0:34:36.634 --> 0:34:37.653
It's for everyone.
0:34:38.614 --> 0:34:39.534
But my point being,
0:34:39.795 --> 0:34:40.715
there isn't a country I'm
0:34:40.755 --> 0:34:42.775
aware of where most people
0:34:43.735 --> 0:34:44.576
are doing traditional
0:34:44.596 --> 0:34:45.376
martial arts training.
0:34:47.817 --> 0:34:48.856
And I think we can change that.
0:34:49.657 --> 0:34:50.016
In fact,
0:34:50.317 --> 0:34:51.697
it's the stated goal of Whistlekick.
0:34:52.777 --> 0:34:53.818
So how do we do that?
0:34:54.858 --> 0:34:55.018
Well,
0:34:55.057 --> 0:34:57.400
first we have to look forward and we
0:34:57.440 --> 0:34:58.679
have to recognize that we
0:34:58.739 --> 0:35:01.442
cannot have growth without change.
0:35:02.702 --> 0:35:03.422
Let me say that again.
0:35:04.023 --> 0:35:07.485
We cannot have growth without change.
0:35:07.965 --> 0:35:09.507
If you want things to be better,
0:35:10.027 --> 0:35:11.367
they cannot be the same.
0:35:12.188 --> 0:35:14.510
They're logically in conflict.
0:35:18.092 --> 0:35:18.932
And one of the things that
0:35:18.972 --> 0:35:20.994
we need to change so we can
0:35:21.034 --> 0:35:22.275
improve it is to do a
0:35:22.315 --> 0:35:23.195
better job of planning.
0:35:24.858 --> 0:35:26.898
our classes, our curriculum,
0:35:28.460 --> 0:35:29.800
our personal progress,
0:35:30.041 --> 0:35:32.043
both as instructors and as students.
0:35:33.264 --> 0:35:34.003
As instructors,
0:35:34.043 --> 0:35:35.824
we need to be better about
0:35:36.045 --> 0:35:37.827
planning our students' progress.
0:35:38.266 --> 0:35:40.869
See, without plans and goals,
0:35:41.849 --> 0:35:42.989
we don't go as far.
0:35:43.050 --> 0:35:43.971
We know that.
0:35:44.692 --> 0:35:45.731
It's February 1st.
0:35:46.293 --> 0:35:48.134
How many of you had goals
0:35:48.173 --> 0:35:49.954
that you talked about,
0:35:50.074 --> 0:35:51.795
thought about over the last 30 days?
0:35:51.815 --> 0:35:51.916
Hmm.
0:35:54.806 --> 0:35:55.887
We inherently know that
0:35:55.947 --> 0:35:57.166
goals are valuable.
0:35:57.807 --> 0:35:58.447
And guess what?
0:35:59.748 --> 0:36:01.288
A different color around the waist?
0:36:02.469 --> 0:36:03.369
Sure, that's a goal.
0:36:03.829 --> 0:36:04.708
Can be a great goal,
0:36:04.849 --> 0:36:05.909
can be a valuable goal.
0:36:06.268 --> 0:36:07.090
But if those are the only
0:36:07.130 --> 0:36:08.570
goals that happen in your school,
0:36:08.590 --> 0:36:11.751
I think you need more.
0:36:13.851 --> 0:36:15.650
Because sometimes the time
0:36:15.690 --> 0:36:17.851
in between belts, it's a long time.
0:36:18.831 --> 0:36:20.192
And it can become easy for
0:36:20.211 --> 0:36:20.891
someone to think that
0:36:20.931 --> 0:36:22.833
they're not reaching their goals.
0:36:23.822 --> 0:36:24.282
And sure,
0:36:24.724 --> 0:36:25.965
if you're in a position of authority,
0:36:26.025 --> 0:36:27.545
you can point at your students and say,
0:36:27.585 --> 0:36:28.407
well, that's on them.
0:36:30.268 --> 0:36:31.088
But what if it wasn't?
0:36:31.889 --> 0:36:32.690
What if you helped them?
0:36:34.431 --> 0:36:35.793
Wouldn't their experience be better?
0:36:36.673 --> 0:36:38.076
So you've been through that path.
0:36:38.155 --> 0:36:39.115
You know what it's like.
0:36:39.777 --> 0:36:41.358
You know where the sticky points are.
0:36:41.418 --> 0:36:42.840
You know where people drop out.
0:36:44.141 --> 0:36:45.021
Help them stick around.
0:36:46.143 --> 0:36:48.724
Help them see their own progress.
0:36:53.208 --> 0:36:55.329
We need to stop adhering to
0:36:55.389 --> 0:36:57.331
tradition simply because it
0:36:57.411 --> 0:36:58.070
is traditional.
0:37:00.132 --> 0:37:01.132
There are lots of things
0:37:01.152 --> 0:37:01.653
that were done
0:37:01.733 --> 0:37:03.635
traditionally that no longer serve us.
0:37:05.056 --> 0:37:07.476
In fact, throughout history,
0:37:08.538 --> 0:37:10.219
we have some traditions of
0:37:10.278 --> 0:37:12.019
some absolutely horrible
0:37:12.099 --> 0:37:14.541
things that we've gotten rid of.
0:37:14.702 --> 0:37:16.143
And I'm not even going to name them,
0:37:16.163 --> 0:37:17.143
but I'm sure you can
0:37:17.744 --> 0:37:19.385
imagine what I'm talking about here.
0:37:19.844 --> 0:37:21.005
We don't do those things anymore,
0:37:21.326 --> 0:37:22.106
but they were traditional.
0:37:23.688 --> 0:37:23.869
See,
0:37:24.048 --> 0:37:29.112
if a tradition can be replaced by
0:37:29.213 --> 0:37:31.974
something better, it probably should be.
0:37:33.476 --> 0:37:35.418
If the only reason something is done,
0:37:35.637 --> 0:37:37.318
the only reason is because
0:37:37.458 --> 0:37:38.981
it has always been done that way,
0:37:39.581 --> 0:37:40.902
that's not a good reason to keep it.
0:37:41.521 --> 0:37:42.463
You either need to find a
0:37:42.503 --> 0:37:43.943
better reason or you need
0:37:43.983 --> 0:37:44.905
to accept that there are
0:37:44.965 --> 0:37:46.126
better things that can be done.
0:37:55.764 --> 0:37:56.364
And now we're going to
0:37:56.385 --> 0:37:57.326
switch gears a little bit.
0:37:57.806 --> 0:37:58.706
I mentioned that we had some
0:37:58.746 --> 0:37:59.405
special guests,
0:38:00.146 --> 0:38:01.666
some folks who submitted videos.
0:38:01.887 --> 0:38:02.987
And for those of you out there,
0:38:03.108 --> 0:38:04.168
we opened this up.
0:38:04.407 --> 0:38:06.048
We publicized it as best we
0:38:06.088 --> 0:38:06.949
could to say we were
0:38:07.009 --> 0:38:07.869
accepting submissions.
0:38:08.309 --> 0:38:09.090
We reached out to some
0:38:09.130 --> 0:38:10.251
people and we did get a few
0:38:10.311 --> 0:38:11.010
submissions back.
0:38:11.490 --> 0:38:12.731
So the first video that
0:38:12.751 --> 0:38:14.291
we're going to play is from
0:38:14.351 --> 0:38:15.251
someone who's been on the
0:38:15.291 --> 0:38:16.813
show a number of times,
0:38:16.853 --> 0:38:17.793
someone who I think the
0:38:17.853 --> 0:38:18.614
absolute world of.
0:38:18.653 --> 0:38:19.733
And if you know this man,
0:38:20.134 --> 0:38:23.175
you likely also think very highly of him.
0:38:23.936 --> 0:38:24.396
And that is
0:38:25.340 --> 0:38:25.894
Sensei Endo.
0:38:27.543 --> 0:38:27.903
Howdy,
0:38:28.264 --> 0:38:30.105
Ando here from Happy Life Martial Arts.
0:38:30.644 --> 0:38:32.485
I'm a martial arts teacher in Los Angeles,
0:38:32.505 --> 0:38:33.126
California.
0:38:33.606 --> 0:38:34.887
I'm also a longtime listener,
0:38:35.266 --> 0:38:36.068
occasional guest,
0:38:36.547 --> 0:38:37.907
and all-around big fan of
0:38:37.927 --> 0:38:38.989
the Whistlekick Martial
0:38:39.028 --> 0:38:40.128
Arts Radio podcast.
0:38:40.809 --> 0:38:43.030
Now, let's talk about fighting.
0:38:43.489 --> 0:38:44.731
There are many paths you can
0:38:44.771 --> 0:38:45.891
take in the martial arts,
0:38:46.351 --> 0:38:47.751
and I support all of them.
0:38:48.492 --> 0:38:49.672
Modern or traditional,
0:38:50.132 --> 0:38:52.173
people looking for fitness, fun,
0:38:52.673 --> 0:38:54.494
socializing, competition,
0:38:54.875 --> 0:38:55.534
or self-defense.
0:38:56.554 --> 0:38:58.376
Whatever reason someone comes to our door,
0:38:58.777 --> 0:38:59.697
we should welcome them.
0:39:00.237 --> 0:39:01.018
We should meet them where
0:39:01.038 --> 0:39:02.559
they are and then safely
0:39:02.619 --> 0:39:03.780
guide them to where we
0:39:03.840 --> 0:39:04.760
think they should go.
0:39:05.322 --> 0:39:07.382
But where exactly is that?
0:39:08.244 --> 0:39:10.405
Well, my hope is that every program,
0:39:10.625 --> 0:39:11.525
slowly but surely,
0:39:12.045 --> 0:39:13.407
introduces students to
0:39:13.467 --> 0:39:15.168
training against resistance.
0:39:15.949 --> 0:39:17.230
You know, fighting.
0:39:18.210 --> 0:39:19.731
Fighting not only builds character,
0:39:20.331 --> 0:39:22.253
it teaches students to protect themselves,
0:39:22.673 --> 0:39:23.855
which is what makes martial
0:39:23.954 --> 0:39:25.076
arts so special.
0:39:25.956 --> 0:39:27.255
Learning how to set boundaries,
0:39:27.655 --> 0:39:28.436
manage conflict,
0:39:28.697 --> 0:39:30.356
and defend yourself is what
0:39:30.476 --> 0:39:32.697
separates martial arts from yoga,
0:39:33.097 --> 0:39:34.597
rock climbing, dancing,
0:39:34.898 --> 0:39:36.418
and every other activity.
0:39:36.858 --> 0:39:39.159
In recent years, since the rise of MMA,
0:39:39.778 --> 0:39:41.059
many modern martial artists
0:39:41.298 --> 0:39:42.840
have criticized traditional
0:39:42.880 --> 0:39:44.380
martial arts programs that
0:39:44.420 --> 0:39:46.139
offer limited or zero
0:39:46.300 --> 0:39:47.199
resistance training.
0:39:47.900 --> 0:39:49.161
But then a funny thing happened.
0:39:49.940 --> 0:39:51.742
The foundation arts of MMA,
0:39:51.961 --> 0:39:53.762
like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing,
0:39:53.782 --> 0:39:54.483
and Muay Thai,
0:39:54.963 --> 0:39:56.023
have discovered the same
0:39:56.103 --> 0:39:58.824
business reality that karate, kung fu,
0:39:58.844 --> 0:40:00.945
and taekwondo discovered years ago,
0:40:01.485 --> 0:40:02.726
which is that most people
0:40:02.885 --> 0:40:03.726
don't want to get punched
0:40:03.746 --> 0:40:05.407
in the face or choked out.
0:40:06.226 --> 0:40:08.269
So nowadays you might find a
0:40:08.329 --> 0:40:09.510
boxing class that has no
0:40:09.550 --> 0:40:11.753
sparring or a BJJ class
0:40:12.054 --> 0:40:13.295
that has very structured or
0:40:13.416 --> 0:40:14.378
limited rolling.
0:40:14.697 --> 0:40:15.378
How about that?
0:40:15.778 --> 0:40:17.722
So the good news is that we
0:40:17.762 --> 0:40:19.184
may soon find ourselves in
0:40:19.224 --> 0:40:20.865
a world with more martial
0:40:20.905 --> 0:40:22.027
arts schools than ever.
0:40:22.788 --> 0:40:23.829
But the bad news is,
0:40:24.309 --> 0:40:25.608
we may also find ourselves
0:40:25.909 --> 0:40:27.469
with fewer schools that
0:40:27.610 --> 0:40:29.811
offer the full benefits of martial arts,
0:40:30.331 --> 0:40:31.271
the benefits that come
0:40:31.351 --> 0:40:33.572
along with the practice of fighting.
0:40:33.972 --> 0:40:34.273
Yes,
0:40:34.813 --> 0:40:36.114
the more people training in the
0:40:36.153 --> 0:40:37.295
martial arts, the better.
0:40:37.954 --> 0:40:39.835
But once we've earned our students' trust,
0:40:40.297 --> 0:40:42.458
it's our job, our responsibility,
0:40:42.858 --> 0:40:44.440
to show them how much more
0:40:44.500 --> 0:40:45.920
the martial arts has to offer,
0:40:46.360 --> 0:40:48.422
what truly makes them special.
0:40:49.123 --> 0:40:49.503
Of course,
0:40:49.844 --> 0:40:51.123
how you incorporate fighting
0:40:51.164 --> 0:40:52.626
into your program can look
0:40:52.885 --> 0:40:53.766
many different ways.
0:40:54.367 --> 0:40:55.588
That's the art of teaching,
0:40:55.788 --> 0:40:56.889
which is completely up to you.
0:40:57.489 --> 0:40:58.869
But I do hope you have a plan,
0:40:59.570 --> 0:41:00.911
a plan that never loses
0:41:00.972 --> 0:41:02.313
sight of the special
0:41:02.373 --> 0:41:03.733
purpose of the martial arts.
0:41:04.514 --> 0:41:05.954
the special purpose of
0:41:06.034 --> 0:41:08.396
teaching kind people, good people,
0:41:08.976 --> 0:41:10.418
how to speak up for themselves,
0:41:10.918 --> 0:41:11.978
stand up for themselves,
0:41:12.338 --> 0:41:14.860
and when necessary, fight for themselves,
0:41:15.021 --> 0:41:16.782
their family, and the common good.
0:41:17.603 --> 0:41:18.804
So let's keep the martial
0:41:18.903 --> 0:41:21.085
arts as martial as we can
0:41:21.865 --> 0:41:23.827
and keep fighting for a happy life.
0:41:28.210 --> 0:41:29.490
I want to thank Ando for
0:41:29.871 --> 0:41:30.911
that contribution.
0:41:30.931 --> 0:41:32.072
I want to thank him for what
0:41:32.092 --> 0:41:32.652
he said there.
0:41:33.574 --> 0:41:33.594
I,
0:41:34.380 --> 0:41:37.322
agree everyone's martial
0:41:37.364 --> 0:41:39.025
arts experience is better
0:41:39.764 --> 0:41:42.507
when fighting what I would
0:41:42.547 --> 0:41:44.708
call free-form combat
0:41:44.829 --> 0:41:47.532
free-form partner work is
0:41:47.592 --> 0:41:49.353
incorporated can it be done
0:41:49.432 --> 0:41:51.114
safely absolutely are there
0:41:51.135 --> 0:41:52.235
schools that shy away from
0:41:52.275 --> 0:41:55.597
it yes I'm not going to
0:41:55.617 --> 0:41:57.099
tell anybody what they have
0:41:57.139 --> 0:41:58.840
to or even should do in their school
0:41:59.909 --> 0:42:00.550
you have a school,
0:42:00.610 --> 0:42:02.231
you know what is best for your students.
0:42:03.032 --> 0:42:04.793
It's up to you to deliver
0:42:04.813 --> 0:42:06.054
that sort of experience.
0:42:07.115 --> 0:42:07.215
Now,
0:42:07.257 --> 0:42:09.858
my challenge to you is that if you do
0:42:11.141 --> 0:42:12.802
recognize that maybe you
0:42:13.021 --> 0:42:15.244
could have a bit more fighting,
0:42:15.844 --> 0:42:16.985
I don't love that word for
0:42:17.007 --> 0:42:18.668
the context of sparring, but we'll use it,
0:42:20.849 --> 0:42:21.670
that you take a look at
0:42:21.791 --> 0:42:23.293
where you can incorporate it more.
0:42:24.092 --> 0:42:25.514
It's something we do almost
0:42:25.594 --> 0:42:27.536
every class at my school.
0:42:28.217 --> 0:42:30.418
And most of it is done very slowly.
0:42:34.061 --> 0:42:34.722
Can be a lot of fun.
0:42:37.286 --> 0:42:37.405
Now,
0:42:37.485 --> 0:42:38.967
one of the things that we've seen over
0:42:39.007 --> 0:42:40.128
the last few years,
0:42:40.708 --> 0:42:41.610
especially as we moved
0:42:41.650 --> 0:42:42.489
through the pandemic,
0:42:43.791 --> 0:42:44.813
was that martial arts
0:42:44.853 --> 0:42:47.014
schools fell into one of two camps.
0:42:48.467 --> 0:42:50.748
Those who were reactionary
0:42:51.550 --> 0:42:54.492
and slow to react and those
0:42:54.532 --> 0:42:55.572
who were confident in the
0:42:55.632 --> 0:42:57.295
word that I've used with my clients,
0:42:57.335 --> 0:42:58.096
the word that I'm going to
0:42:58.135 --> 0:43:00.338
continue to use here, steadfast.
0:43:02.338 --> 0:43:03.019
See, unfortunately,
0:43:03.039 --> 0:43:05.342
the need for being a
0:43:05.501 --> 0:43:07.224
steadfast entity in your
0:43:07.284 --> 0:43:09.885
community hasn't gone away.
0:43:10.166 --> 0:43:10.947
It's changed.
0:43:11.688 --> 0:43:12.889
We live in a scary time.
0:43:12.929 --> 0:43:14.050
People are terrified.
0:43:15.942 --> 0:43:17.302
For any number of reasons.
0:43:17.663 --> 0:43:18.864
I don't need to name them.
0:43:19.563 --> 0:43:21.385
But I bet if you surveyed
0:43:21.425 --> 0:43:22.184
your students and you
0:43:22.224 --> 0:43:25.047
talked to them about their anxiety levels,
0:43:25.887 --> 0:43:27.007
many of them would report
0:43:27.068 --> 0:43:28.608
that they are at all-time highs.
0:43:29.989 --> 0:43:30.170
Well,
0:43:31.110 --> 0:43:33.451
that creates an opportunity for you
0:43:33.831 --> 0:43:34.711
as a martial artist,
0:43:34.751 --> 0:43:36.253
as a martial arts school to help them.
0:43:37.012 --> 0:43:37.914
And I hope that you do.
0:43:39.994 --> 0:43:40.914
Because whether we're
0:43:40.934 --> 0:43:42.896
talking about fighting in
0:43:42.916 --> 0:43:45.619
the school as a anxiety reliever,
0:43:46.119 --> 0:43:47.579
or we're talking about a
0:43:47.659 --> 0:43:48.920
group of people who
0:43:49.402 --> 0:43:51.543
students know have their
0:43:51.623 --> 0:43:53.764
back and that everyone is
0:43:53.844 --> 0:43:56.047
there to grow together with
0:43:56.166 --> 0:43:57.228
the support of each other,
0:43:57.949 --> 0:43:59.750
remaining steadfast is
0:43:59.809 --> 0:44:01.050
something that very few
0:44:01.090 --> 0:44:02.731
businesses have the ability to offer.
0:44:03.753 --> 0:44:05.914
Your grocery store is not
0:44:05.954 --> 0:44:07.635
going to be seen as steadfast.
0:44:08.777 --> 0:44:09.697
Your auto mechanic
0:44:10.264 --> 0:44:11.246
probably not going to be
0:44:11.286 --> 0:44:12.425
seen as steadfast.
0:44:15.027 --> 0:44:16.367
But your martial arts
0:44:16.407 --> 0:44:19.869
schools absolutely have that opportunity.
0:44:20.349 --> 0:44:21.251
Now, how do you do that?
0:44:23.072 --> 0:44:24.092
You make sure that you do
0:44:24.132 --> 0:44:26.054
what is right for your school,
0:44:26.153 --> 0:44:26.893
for your students,
0:44:27.373 --> 0:44:29.574
for your internal and external community.
0:44:30.635 --> 0:44:32.177
If you have a martial arts
0:44:32.197 --> 0:44:33.056
school and you're not doing
0:44:33.097 --> 0:44:33.757
things that at least
0:44:33.898 --> 0:44:36.778
indirectly benefit non-students,
0:44:37.880 --> 0:44:38.699
I think you're missing out
0:44:38.760 --> 0:44:39.621
on an opportunity.
0:44:41.929 --> 0:44:42.108
See,
0:44:42.648 --> 0:44:45.471
if we learn to punch and kick only for
0:44:45.510 --> 0:44:46.552
times of violence,
0:44:48.413 --> 0:44:50.353
I think we're missing out on quite a bit.
0:44:51.454 --> 0:44:54.737
But most of us know that as
0:44:54.777 --> 0:44:56.077
we're learning to punch and kick,
0:44:56.757 --> 0:44:57.759
we become better versions
0:44:57.798 --> 0:44:59.519
of ourselves and we deserve,
0:45:01.081 --> 0:45:02.481
and I would suggest,
0:45:03.402 --> 0:45:04.663
bear the responsibility.
0:45:06.010 --> 0:45:07.251
of sharing that better
0:45:07.291 --> 0:45:08.831
version of ourselves with
0:45:08.851 --> 0:45:09.751
the people around us.
0:45:09.992 --> 0:45:11.813
And it doesn't have to be in a, hey,
0:45:11.853 --> 0:45:13.472
you need to come to martial arts way.
0:45:13.574 --> 0:45:15.213
It can be a, hey, you know what?
0:45:16.675 --> 0:45:18.076
Let's all get together and
0:45:18.576 --> 0:45:21.277
train on Saturday and then
0:45:21.757 --> 0:45:26.739
go help this group, that group,
0:45:26.900 --> 0:45:27.920
clean up this trash,
0:45:27.980 --> 0:45:29.521
do this volunteer thing.
0:45:31.922 --> 0:45:34.043
You don't have to do it for press,
0:45:34.304 --> 0:45:35.005
for promotion.
0:45:35.784 --> 0:45:37.186
People will probably talk about it.
0:45:37.226 --> 0:45:39.487
That's a side benefit.
0:45:42.710 --> 0:45:44.530
Be steadfast.
0:45:45.331 --> 0:45:49.253
Be immovable as an entity.
0:45:50.753 --> 0:45:52.034
And your community will
0:45:52.074 --> 0:45:53.835
value it and will respond.
0:45:55.036 --> 0:45:56.498
You probably know schools that do that.
0:45:56.677 --> 0:45:57.778
Hopefully yours is one of them.
0:45:57.818 --> 0:45:58.438
And if it's not,
0:45:58.938 --> 0:45:59.639
take a look at what the
0:45:59.679 --> 0:46:01.280
schools that are that way
0:46:02.380 --> 0:46:04.422
how they do it and maybe
0:46:04.501 --> 0:46:05.541
mimic some of those things.
0:46:06.182 --> 0:46:07.222
So we have one more video
0:46:07.262 --> 0:46:08.603
and this is from someone
0:46:08.643 --> 0:46:09.943
else that I think very
0:46:09.983 --> 0:46:12.025
highly of someone who I
0:46:12.085 --> 0:46:14.666
learned in 2023 had a very
0:46:14.726 --> 0:46:16.367
similar mindset to my own.
0:46:16.527 --> 0:46:18.847
Someone who is working to
0:46:18.927 --> 0:46:20.447
improve the martial arts
0:46:20.527 --> 0:46:22.548
world much as we are here
0:46:22.588 --> 0:46:24.289
at Whistlekick with a
0:46:24.329 --> 0:46:25.329
wholly different business.
0:46:25.409 --> 0:46:26.351
And I've been honored that
0:46:26.371 --> 0:46:27.311
we've had the opportunity
0:46:27.351 --> 0:46:28.612
to partner on a few things
0:46:28.692 --> 0:46:31.512
and we've got some more things coming.
0:46:33.478 --> 0:46:34.800
Some of you will know him.
0:46:34.820 --> 0:46:36.960
This is Gage from Kataro.
0:46:39.280 --> 0:46:40.802
Hi, my name is Gage Hanlon.
0:46:41.181 --> 0:46:42.181
I'm the marketing director
0:46:42.302 --> 0:46:44.282
at Kataro Custom Martial Arts Products,
0:46:44.623 --> 0:46:45.364
and I'm also the head
0:46:45.403 --> 0:46:46.724
instructor of our dojo,
0:46:47.023 --> 0:46:48.025
Kataro Martial Arts.
0:46:48.664 --> 0:46:49.824
We're partners with Whistlekick,
0:46:49.925 --> 0:46:51.485
not only in episode sponsorship,
0:46:51.865 --> 0:46:52.945
but just also in the fact
0:46:52.985 --> 0:46:54.226
that we're big believers in
0:46:54.266 --> 0:46:55.626
what Jeremy and the entire
0:46:55.666 --> 0:46:56.927
Whistlekick team is doing
0:46:57.246 --> 0:46:58.726
to support the martial arts
0:46:58.766 --> 0:46:59.728
community as a whole.
0:47:00.427 --> 0:47:01.728
So what's the state of martial arts?
0:47:02.268 --> 0:47:03.349
From my perspective,
0:47:03.648 --> 0:47:05.210
the state of martial arts
0:47:05.590 --> 0:47:06.730
is that it's even more
0:47:06.889 --> 0:47:08.210
vital to providing a
0:47:08.411 --> 0:47:09.811
faithful constant in
0:47:09.871 --> 0:47:12.512
everybody's very busy and chaotic lives.
0:47:13.192 --> 0:47:14.092
Whether you're a school
0:47:14.192 --> 0:47:16.432
owner or a practitioner yourself,
0:47:17.052 --> 0:47:19.313
you know how important it
0:47:19.373 --> 0:47:20.614
has been for some people,
0:47:21.074 --> 0:47:22.815
literally life-changing,
0:47:23.135 --> 0:47:25.115
helping people find a new path
0:47:25.516 --> 0:47:26.476
in success that they
0:47:26.556 --> 0:47:27.378
otherwise would not have
0:47:27.418 --> 0:47:28.539
found without the martial
0:47:28.599 --> 0:47:30.460
arts so my challenge to you
0:47:30.519 --> 0:47:32.322
this year is not only to
0:47:32.461 --> 0:47:33.742
keep working on yourself
0:47:33.943 --> 0:47:35.864
and finding that faithful
0:47:35.945 --> 0:47:37.025
constant with your own
0:47:37.065 --> 0:47:38.527
martial arts training but
0:47:38.706 --> 0:47:40.588
reach out and try to help
0:47:40.648 --> 0:47:42.710
somebody find that faithful
0:47:42.791 --> 0:47:44.632
constant you may very well
0:47:44.992 --> 0:47:46.273
be the reason why their
0:47:46.313 --> 0:47:47.695
life improves for the better
0:47:51.567 --> 0:47:53.108
Thank you, Gage.
0:47:53.168 --> 0:47:54.288
And if you're not familiar
0:47:54.347 --> 0:47:55.467
with what Gage is doing
0:47:56.389 --> 0:47:58.588
with Kataro and the other folks at Kataro,
0:47:58.628 --> 0:47:59.469
they make some absolutely
0:47:59.670 --> 0:48:00.769
wonderful products with a
0:48:00.809 --> 0:48:01.811
growing product line.
0:48:02.751 --> 0:48:03.690
And I would be remiss.
0:48:04.050 --> 0:48:04.911
I missed it before.
0:48:05.472 --> 0:48:06.592
If you're not checking out
0:48:06.711 --> 0:48:08.592
Sensei Ando's material, his podcast,
0:48:08.632 --> 0:48:10.434
et cetera, you absolutely should be.
0:48:10.474 --> 0:48:12.233
Fight for a Happy Life is a wonderful,
0:48:12.393 --> 0:48:14.295
wonderful show that I think
0:48:14.315 --> 0:48:14.914
very highly of.
0:48:16.076 --> 0:48:17.155
So let's start to look forward.
0:48:20.248 --> 0:48:20.728
For 2024,
0:48:20.728 --> 0:48:22.628
our mantra here at Whistlekick is
0:48:23.748 --> 0:48:24.668
better than I used to be.
0:48:27.550 --> 0:48:30.090
Because I believe that martial arts,
0:48:30.710 --> 0:48:31.269
as I train,
0:48:31.289 --> 0:48:32.590
makes me better than I used to be.
0:48:33.190 --> 0:48:34.411
If you've been training for a while,
0:48:35.030 --> 0:48:36.452
you're better than you used to be.
0:48:37.672 --> 0:48:37.791
Well,
0:48:37.811 --> 0:48:40.532
that doesn't mean you're better than
0:48:40.572 --> 0:48:41.152
anyone else.
0:48:42.552 --> 0:48:43.913
It's not an arrogant statement.
0:48:43.932 --> 0:48:46.793
It doesn't suggest how much better,
0:48:47.373 --> 0:48:47.873
but I know
0:48:50.195 --> 0:48:51.496
That when I train and I come
0:48:51.536 --> 0:48:52.197
out of training,
0:48:53.538 --> 0:48:54.898
I'm a little better at
0:48:54.998 --> 0:48:56.900
something in some way.
0:48:58.021 --> 0:48:59.643
Maybe the betterment to me
0:48:59.802 --> 0:49:02.264
is simply that I'm not as
0:49:02.284 --> 0:49:03.204
stressed as I was.
0:49:04.445 --> 0:49:05.847
I have a little less anxiety.
0:49:07.869 --> 0:49:09.050
Maybe I got a good workout
0:49:09.289 --> 0:49:11.411
and I can face something
0:49:11.610 --> 0:49:12.172
personally or
0:49:12.231 --> 0:49:14.733
professionally with a bit more patience.
0:49:16.034 --> 0:49:16.635
That's all better.
0:49:18.916 --> 0:49:20.077
I'm going to encourage you
0:49:20.157 --> 0:49:20.878
no matter what your
0:49:20.918 --> 0:49:22.199
involvement to martial arts
0:49:22.400 --> 0:49:24.161
is that you recognize that
0:49:24.181 --> 0:49:25.521
your time training does
0:49:26.003 --> 0:49:28.324
make you better now you'll
0:49:28.644 --> 0:49:29.804
find in the coming weeks
0:49:29.885 --> 0:49:32.447
and months some apparel and
0:49:32.487 --> 0:49:33.208
some other things from
0:49:33.228 --> 0:49:36.590
whistle kick that allow you
0:49:36.630 --> 0:49:37.931
to maybe have a deeper
0:49:37.992 --> 0:49:39.952
relationship with this
0:49:40.012 --> 0:49:41.173
statement better than I
0:49:41.253 --> 0:49:42.835
used to be which is a
0:49:42.875 --> 0:49:43.835
shortening of a longer
0:49:43.876 --> 0:49:44.956
version let's see if I can remember it
0:49:47.869 --> 0:49:48.731
Being a martial artist
0:49:48.771 --> 0:49:49.411
doesn't mean that I'm
0:49:49.451 --> 0:49:50.552
better than anyone else.
0:49:51.333 --> 0:49:53.574
That means I'm better than I used to be.
0:49:55.416 --> 0:49:57.237
Because sadly, there are people out there,
0:49:57.257 --> 0:50:00.141
a surprising number of them
0:50:00.240 --> 0:50:01.161
actually are martial
0:50:01.201 --> 0:50:02.503
artists or were martial artists,
0:50:02.862 --> 0:50:05.385
that think all or even most
0:50:05.485 --> 0:50:06.346
martial artists think
0:50:06.365 --> 0:50:07.547
they're better than other people.
0:50:07.567 --> 0:50:09.447
I don't know about you.
0:50:09.489 --> 0:50:11.570
I don't think I'm worse than anyone else.
0:50:12.610 --> 0:50:14.032
I know I've worked hard on myself.
0:50:14.974 --> 0:50:15.635
a lot of that through
0:50:15.675 --> 0:50:16.594
martial arts training.
0:50:16.614 --> 0:50:17.715
And I am absolutely
0:50:17.795 --> 0:50:20.878
unquestionably better than I used to be.
0:50:23.581 --> 0:50:24.161
When I train,
0:50:24.222 --> 0:50:27.344
I aim to be 1% better at something.
0:50:28.885 --> 0:50:30.547
And that might not seem like very much,
0:50:30.626 --> 0:50:34.791
but we train even once a week.
0:50:35.672 --> 0:50:36.632
That's a lot of getting
0:50:36.693 --> 0:50:38.994
better over the course of a year.
0:50:39.034 --> 0:50:39.954
And what happens if I keep
0:50:39.994 --> 0:50:41.836
training year after year after year?
0:50:43.476 --> 0:50:44.777
That interest compounds,
0:50:44.896 --> 0:50:46.998
that bettering of myself compounds,
0:50:47.057 --> 0:50:48.818
and I become a much better person.
0:50:51.099 --> 0:50:52.739
It's something that we see
0:50:52.760 --> 0:50:53.760
in the martial arts world.
0:50:54.320 --> 0:50:56.041
When people find out that I train,
0:50:56.061 --> 0:50:58.163
that I'm involved in martial arts,
0:50:58.182 --> 0:51:01.903
they often tell me, I did karate,
0:51:01.965 --> 0:51:04.226
taekwondo, kung fu, whatever,
0:51:04.985 --> 0:51:07.186
as a kid for like a year.
0:51:07.206 --> 0:51:09.387
And it was so good for me.
0:51:09.827 --> 0:51:11.449
And I want my kid to do it too.
0:51:14.315 --> 0:51:15.376
I've never had anyone come
0:51:15.436 --> 0:51:16.416
up to me and say, you know,
0:51:16.436 --> 0:51:18.760
I played a season of soccer
0:51:18.800 --> 0:51:20.340
and it changed my life.
0:51:21.543 --> 0:51:22.704
And I want my kids to have
0:51:22.744 --> 0:51:23.764
that same experience.
0:51:24.365 --> 0:51:24.925
And I bet you,
0:51:25.367 --> 0:51:26.827
if you've been around for a while,
0:51:26.867 --> 0:51:28.170
you've heard similar things.
0:51:28.829 --> 0:51:29.751
What we do is special,
0:51:30.431 --> 0:51:31.672
deserves to be protected,
0:51:32.393 --> 0:51:33.916
but it also deserves to be
0:51:33.996 --> 0:51:35.918
recognized for what it is.
0:51:41.891 --> 0:51:43.231
A year ago at this event,
0:51:43.492 --> 0:51:44.833
at the first state of the martial arts,
0:51:44.893 --> 0:51:45.893
we rolled out something
0:51:45.932 --> 0:51:46.833
that I'd been playing with
0:51:46.873 --> 0:51:47.632
for a long time,
0:51:49.472 --> 0:51:50.994
the six freedoms of martial arts.
0:51:52.873 --> 0:51:54.074
And over the course of the year,
0:51:55.514 --> 0:51:58.534
we have refined those a bit
0:51:58.835 --> 0:52:00.255
and find them at whistlekick.com.
0:52:01.755 --> 0:52:03.356
And as an example, the first one,
0:52:03.376 --> 0:52:07.056
the freedom to train what, how, when,
0:52:07.115 --> 0:52:07.836
where, why,
0:52:07.856 --> 0:52:09.856
and with whom you want to train.
0:52:11.097 --> 0:52:12.960
without people interfering in it.
0:52:13.880 --> 0:52:15.242
So you can train whatever you want.
0:52:15.422 --> 0:52:16.943
I don't have to think it's worthwhile.
0:52:17.603 --> 0:52:18.123
Only you do.
0:52:20.907 --> 0:52:21.027
See,
0:52:21.067 --> 0:52:22.588
this came in response to a lot of the
0:52:22.648 --> 0:52:26.871
trolls out there because we
0:52:26.911 --> 0:52:27.893
don't need their opinions.
0:52:29.994 --> 0:52:33.217
And the six freedoms have
0:52:33.277 --> 0:52:35.559
really become a driving
0:52:35.659 --> 0:52:37.061
force for Whistlekick.
0:52:38.389 --> 0:52:39.550
When someone applies to
0:52:39.570 --> 0:52:40.690
Whistlekick Alliance,
0:52:40.731 --> 0:52:41.811
they have to accept that
0:52:41.952 --> 0:52:43.233
they will embody the six
0:52:43.253 --> 0:52:44.072
freedoms in their school.
0:52:45.713 --> 0:52:46.733
And that means that we will
0:52:46.773 --> 0:52:47.835
not get all martial arts
0:52:47.855 --> 0:52:49.675
schools involved in that program.
0:52:49.695 --> 0:52:50.677
That's totally fine.
0:52:52.677 --> 0:52:52.818
See,
0:52:52.838 --> 0:52:55.139
because I believe we burn way too much
0:52:55.219 --> 0:52:56.420
energy worrying about what
0:52:56.619 --> 0:52:57.579
other people are doing.
0:52:59.882 --> 0:53:01.762
We spend far too much time
0:53:01.822 --> 0:53:03.342
as an industry tearing
0:53:03.382 --> 0:53:05.003
other people down in the industry,
0:53:05.644 --> 0:53:06.025
which is...
0:53:08.414 --> 0:53:09.594
absolutely ridiculous.
0:53:09.853 --> 0:53:11.135
It is a waste of time.
0:53:11.695 --> 0:53:16.016
I would rather someone train anything,
0:53:16.076 --> 0:53:18.436
and yes, I do mean anything,
0:53:19.317 --> 0:53:20.356
than not train at all.
0:53:23.958 --> 0:53:24.838
Maybe you don't think that.
0:53:24.878 --> 0:53:25.338
That's fine.
0:53:28.778 --> 0:53:29.639
But I would encourage you to
0:53:29.679 --> 0:53:30.320
check out those six
0:53:30.340 --> 0:53:31.880
freedoms if you haven't seen them before.
0:53:35.141 --> 0:53:36.001
So how can you help?
0:53:37.759 --> 0:53:38.518
A lot of the things I've
0:53:38.559 --> 0:53:39.559
talked about this evening
0:53:39.619 --> 0:53:41.121
have been targeted at
0:53:42.721 --> 0:53:43.702
instructors and martial
0:53:43.722 --> 0:53:44.382
arts school owners,
0:53:44.461 --> 0:53:46.222
but the majority of people
0:53:46.262 --> 0:53:47.364
who engage with Whistlekick
0:53:47.403 --> 0:53:49.304
content are not those.
0:53:49.804 --> 0:53:51.405
They are students, they train,
0:53:51.565 --> 0:53:52.925
they train at a facility.
0:53:53.706 --> 0:53:54.226
They are,
0:53:54.626 --> 0:53:55.887
maybe they're higher ranking students,
0:53:55.907 --> 0:53:58.349
but they are first and foremost students.
0:53:59.510 --> 0:53:59.650
Well,
0:53:59.670 --> 0:54:01.070
the first thing that you can do to
0:54:01.170 --> 0:54:02.210
benefit the martial arts
0:54:02.231 --> 0:54:04.291
industry seems obvious,
0:54:05.271 --> 0:54:06.072
keep taking classes.
0:54:07.010 --> 0:54:08.132
keep being a student.
0:54:10.773 --> 0:54:11.693
If you're an instructor,
0:54:12.855 --> 0:54:14.695
keep teaching and hopefully
0:54:15.257 --> 0:54:16.077
taking classes.
0:54:17.797 --> 0:54:18.639
If you're a school owner,
0:54:18.778 --> 0:54:20.880
keep offering and hopefully
0:54:21.081 --> 0:54:22.260
taking classes.
0:54:23.302 --> 0:54:24.643
Maybe you can't do that at your school.
0:54:24.663 --> 0:54:26.143
Maybe the dynamic doesn't work well.
0:54:28.045 --> 0:54:29.947
Find a class you can take once in a while.
0:54:31.307 --> 0:54:32.728
I'm sure you can build some
0:54:32.768 --> 0:54:34.769
relationships with other schools and
0:54:35.512 --> 0:54:36.652
and learn something from them.
0:54:36.813 --> 0:54:38.753
Because I believe that as
0:54:38.833 --> 0:54:40.715
long as we are perpetual students,
0:54:41.856 --> 0:54:43.416
we derive perpetual benefit.
0:54:43.878 --> 0:54:46.079
The moment you stop being a student,
0:54:48.860 --> 0:54:49.820
I think that's the moment
0:54:49.920 --> 0:54:52.342
for so many things start to go sideways.
0:54:56.865 --> 0:54:57.646
How else can you help the
0:54:57.666 --> 0:54:58.467
martial arts industry?
0:54:58.507 --> 0:54:59.208
By teaching people.
0:54:59.748 --> 0:55:01.628
And I don't just mean teaching in classes.
0:55:02.269 --> 0:55:03.130
I mean teaching people what
0:55:03.190 --> 0:55:04.271
martial arts is about.
0:55:06.731 --> 0:55:09.733
by embodying it, by explaining it,
0:55:11.394 --> 0:55:12.675
by evangelizing it.
0:55:14.217 --> 0:55:16.038
Teach people what we do and
0:55:16.157 --> 0:55:17.318
why they should do it.
0:55:18.358 --> 0:55:19.840
Teach people how martial
0:55:19.880 --> 0:55:21.021
arts is going to make their
0:55:21.081 --> 0:55:22.722
lives better and help them
0:55:22.961 --> 0:55:25.423
find a place where they can train.
0:55:27.885 --> 0:55:29.045
And genuinely help them,
0:55:29.286 --> 0:55:30.126
ask them questions,
0:55:30.166 --> 0:55:31.507
help them understand what
0:55:31.567 --> 0:55:32.367
is important to them.
0:55:33.987 --> 0:55:35.027
and then direct them to a
0:55:35.148 --> 0:55:36.829
school that will help them with that.
0:55:37.148 --> 0:55:37.608
Guess what?
0:55:38.668 --> 0:55:39.869
It might not be your school.
0:55:40.329 --> 0:55:40.929
That's okay.
0:55:45.030 --> 0:55:45.809
How else can you help?
0:55:46.090 --> 0:55:48.731
By supporting everyone else
0:55:49.331 --> 0:55:51.251
that's training and teaching.
0:55:52.572 --> 0:55:54.391
When you see someone at a
0:55:54.452 --> 0:55:55.913
martial arts school across
0:55:55.952 --> 0:55:57.333
town doing something that
0:55:57.373 --> 0:55:58.193
you think is cool,
0:55:58.532 --> 0:55:59.693
tell them you think it's cool.
0:56:02.094 --> 0:56:02.813
Be supportive.
0:56:04.007 --> 0:56:04.527
If you have a good
0:56:04.588 --> 0:56:05.789
relationship with them and
0:56:06.568 --> 0:56:07.710
your school's cross-trained
0:56:07.730 --> 0:56:11.492
together or at least permitted, show up,
0:56:11.831 --> 0:56:14.213
say hi, introduce yourself,
0:56:15.014 --> 0:56:16.155
break down those walls.
0:56:21.557 --> 0:56:22.597
I would also encourage you
0:56:22.617 --> 0:56:23.699
to challenge yourself to
0:56:23.759 --> 0:56:26.760
get better and to continue to get better,
0:56:28.442 --> 0:56:31.682
including the fear that so
0:56:31.722 --> 0:56:32.563
many of us have
0:56:33.797 --> 0:56:35.498
that keep us from supporting others.
0:56:37.420 --> 0:56:37.860
Guess what?
0:56:40.143 --> 0:56:41.784
Just because someone across town,
0:56:41.824 --> 0:56:42.505
across the state,
0:56:42.545 --> 0:56:46.628
across the world is good or
0:56:47.768 --> 0:56:50.130
better than you has nothing
0:56:50.170 --> 0:56:51.592
to do with your journey as
0:56:51.652 --> 0:56:52.452
a martial artist.
0:56:53.153 --> 0:56:54.735
The only time comparing
0:56:54.795 --> 0:56:57.478
ourselves is relevant is in competition.
0:56:58.436 --> 0:57:00.936
And 99% of the time,
0:57:01.536 --> 0:57:02.836
we are engaged in
0:57:02.856 --> 0:57:04.958
non-competitive practices.
0:57:07.159 --> 0:57:07.858
Keep that in mind.
0:57:09.018 --> 0:57:11.719
Allow yourself to recognize that,
0:57:11.780 --> 0:57:12.101
you know what?
0:57:13.161 --> 0:57:14.061
Maybe I'm not better.
0:57:14.840 --> 0:57:16.262
Maybe that person's better than me.
0:57:16.601 --> 0:57:17.641
You know what's awesome
0:57:17.681 --> 0:57:18.762
about not being better?
0:57:19.123 --> 0:57:20.202
You have another person you
0:57:20.222 --> 0:57:20.842
can learn from.
0:57:23.003 --> 0:57:24.284
I love being in the back of the room.
0:57:25.045 --> 0:57:25.724
I love learning.
0:57:27.021 --> 0:57:28.001
It's a great place to be
0:57:28.282 --> 0:57:29.422
because it helps me get better.
0:57:33.304 --> 0:57:34.224
And then lastly,
0:57:37.226 --> 0:57:38.385
the last way that I wrote
0:57:38.405 --> 0:57:39.547
down that you can help the
0:57:39.586 --> 0:57:41.327
martial arts industry is by
0:57:41.427 --> 0:57:42.668
recognizing that it's not
0:57:42.708 --> 0:57:44.347
the school across town or
0:57:44.929 --> 0:57:46.009
over there or down the
0:57:46.068 --> 0:57:48.869
street that you're really competing with.
0:57:49.990 --> 0:57:51.110
It's not other martial
0:57:51.150 --> 0:57:52.371
artists that you're
0:57:52.532 --> 0:57:54.391
fighting with for students
0:57:54.972 --> 0:57:56.253
or recognition.
0:57:57.949 --> 0:57:58.750
It's apathy.
0:58:00.170 --> 0:58:01.030
It's television.
0:58:02.471 --> 0:58:04.652
It's video games.
0:58:07.911 --> 0:58:09.932
It's, yeah, other physical pursuits.
0:58:10.012 --> 0:58:11.492
It's soccer, it's basketball,
0:58:11.552 --> 0:58:12.333
seasonal sports.
0:58:17.335 --> 0:58:20.775
If you truly want to make
0:58:20.815 --> 0:58:21.916
the world a better place,
0:58:24.295 --> 0:58:25.757
produce the best possible
0:58:25.797 --> 0:58:27.197
martial arts program you can.
0:58:28.550 --> 0:58:33.150
And you as students, you have tons of say,
0:58:34.170 --> 0:58:36.612
maybe not in how classes are conducted,
0:58:36.871 --> 0:58:38.291
but in how you show up to them.
0:58:39.333 --> 0:58:40.632
When you show up to class
0:58:41.092 --> 0:58:42.273
and you're ready to go and
0:58:42.293 --> 0:58:43.233
you're giving it your all,
0:58:43.713 --> 0:58:45.414
you inspire everyone else around you.
0:58:47.233 --> 0:58:48.375
So even on those days where
0:58:48.414 --> 0:58:49.394
maybe you're not feeling it,
0:58:50.135 --> 0:58:52.396
still show up, still give it your all,
0:58:53.896 --> 0:58:55.635
because you give permission
0:58:55.655 --> 0:58:56.677
to everyone else to do the
0:58:56.717 --> 0:58:57.536
same when you do that.
0:58:58.527 --> 0:59:00.108
You have a lot of influence.
0:59:00.967 --> 0:59:01.789
I don't care if you've been
0:59:01.829 --> 0:59:04.650
training a week or 50 years.
0:59:05.010 --> 0:59:05.931
You have influence on the
0:59:05.971 --> 0:59:06.891
people you're training with.
0:59:08.112 --> 0:59:08.833
Don't forget that.
0:59:12.255 --> 0:59:13.394
Now, as we wind up here,
0:59:14.916 --> 0:59:15.817
I would encourage you,
0:59:16.416 --> 0:59:17.858
check out MarshallJournal.com.
0:59:17.878 --> 0:59:19.217
We have a recruitment drive
0:59:19.257 --> 0:59:20.059
going on right now.
0:59:20.099 --> 0:59:21.119
We'd love to see some new
0:59:21.159 --> 0:59:22.000
writers over there.
0:59:23.420 --> 0:59:24.561
It is a completely free and
0:59:24.621 --> 0:59:25.641
volunteer-run effort.
0:59:27.148 --> 0:59:28.409
If you'd like to get a hold of me,
0:59:29.128 --> 0:59:30.969
if you have things you would like to say,
0:59:31.570 --> 0:59:34.070
maybe things you want to follow up on,
0:59:34.130 --> 0:59:34.711
you can email me,
0:59:34.791 --> 0:59:36.452
jeremy at whistlekick.com.
0:59:36.813 --> 0:59:37.052
Of course,
0:59:37.092 --> 0:59:38.452
our social media everywhere you
0:59:38.472 --> 0:59:40.233
could imagine is at whistlekick.
0:59:42.675 --> 0:59:43.635
And I want to say thank you.
0:59:44.896 --> 0:59:45.817
Thank you for being here.
0:59:46.597 --> 0:59:47.878
Thank you for supporting me.
0:59:48.952 --> 0:59:49.474
this effort,
0:59:50.235 --> 0:59:51.657
and thank you for supporting
0:59:51.777 --> 0:59:52.858
our mission here at
0:59:52.878 --> 0:59:54.219
Whistlekick to make the
0:59:54.239 --> 0:59:54.940
world a better place
0:59:55.001 --> 0:59:56.282
through the training of
0:59:56.342 --> 0:59:57.284
traditional martial arts.
0:59:58.586 --> 0:59:59.367
We appreciate all of you.
0:59:59.387 --> 1:00:03.032
And until next time, train hard, smile,
1:00:03.052 --> 1:00:05.275
and have a great day.