From: cyeomans@ms.uky.edu (Charles Yeomans)
Subject: Re: Charging for training?
    <721493681snx@paragon.folly.welly.gen.nz>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 23:32:08 GMT
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences

In article <721493681snx@paragon.folly.welly.gen.nz> parry_r@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz writes:
>
>In article <25507@sybase.sybase.com> thorick@sybase.com writes:
>
> > I've sometimes wondered why he didn't try full-time teaching of MA
> > for a living.  One thing that comes to mind is that by NOT depending
> > on it for a living, he could do and teach exactly as he saw fit
> > without worrying about getting or retaining the number of students
> > necessary to make a living at it (though I think he usually had
> > enough students that he could have gotten by)..   i.e. he didn't
> > have to 'sell out' or commercialize (read 'cheapen' to the purist)...
>
>Funny you should mention that.  A lot of us folks down here in New
>Zealand recon that American martial arts are too commercialised - you
>charge for the lessons, to make a profit.  Some even go so far as to
>have different colour uniforms for different belt levels.  There's a
>whole market of different "fan" things - Body Alive (tm) poseurware, for
>instance (IMHO).
>
>Down here in NZ, I have yet to find anyone who teaches karate for a
>living - even a profit.  They all charge just as much as they need to -
>some months they lose a bit, others they make a bit.  When they've paid
>back the loss, they buy new gear for the club - bags, weapons, and the
>like.
>
>Sorry, I'll rephrase that - there's one guy who has a chain of
>"ninjitsu" schools around the country, and he must make a killing - he
>charges enough for his classes... ;)
>
>We pretty much feel that if you are making money out of a love of
>something (take that however you like), you are indeed cheapening it.
>My Shihan has dedicated his life to karate, without any rewards, because
>he loves it.  He also had a steady daytime job so he could eat... ;)
>
>It means he can teach karate the way karate (our style) is supposed to
>be taught.  He doesn't get flack from people wanting higher belts,
>because they are not so much paying for a service as sharing the cost of
>the dojo.  It makes for a happier dojo, wich leads to better training.
>
>I was indeed shocked to find out how much the average US citizen pays
>for their tuition.  I train 4 nights a week, twice for one hour, and
>twice for two hours.  It costs me NZ$20 per month - that's about US$12.
>That's less that $1 an hour...  In fact, about US$0.50 an hour.  Think
>about it.  Our dojo is largish for our city (small city by US standards,
>big by ours), having about 70 paid members (including juniors, which are
>charged by the school term, or $20/term, 3 terms a year - $60 per year,
>training twice a week).  We rent a floor of a professional dance studio,
>with proper sprung wooden floors, a wall covered in floor-ceiling
>mirrors, and a nice collection of pads and bags (with hangers).  Are you
>guys paying too much or too little?  Think about it.
>
>It makes you think about why the person who is teaching you is teaching
>you.  If they charge, they could be after the money, and not have your
>real interests at heart.  Someone who teaches because they want to has
>karate (insert favourite MA here) at heart.
>
>Comments?
>

As I recall, it was this very sam Kiwi attitude that nearly drove John Walker
out of track and field.

I am paid money to teach mathematics.  I happen to like mathmematics
very much; I don't think that my enthusiasm is lessened or the quality
of instruction goes down because I teach for money.  

And most martial arts instruction has not been given away.  Indeed, consider
Moreihei Ueshiba's complaints about the amount of money he spent on
Sokado Takeda, founder and purveyor of Daito-ryu aikijutsu.  Yet, O-sensei
appeared to have learned a trick or two.

What is almost always better in a noncommercial school is the quality of 
the students, asthe instructor can boot the ones who aren't really there
to learn.

I dream of opening such a university.

Charles Yeomans
cyeomans@ms.uky.edu
yeomans@austin.onu.edu