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By Jim Graden  

There’s no denying that Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has exploded in popularity in this country. The question is, what effect is it having on the martial arts industry and your martial arts fitness program? I remember the effect the movie the “Karate Kid” had on the industry. The martial arts schools were flooded with parents trying to find a Mr. Miagi for their child. The “Karate Kid” was followed by the Ninja Turtles and then the Power Rangers. All of these examples of the martial arts featured in the mainstream media resulted in new students on the martial arts school owner’s deck. When Billy Blanks introduced Tae Bo, the martial art schools were flooded with people trying to get in shape. I should know since I was right in the middle of it with Cardio Karate.

So why is it that we are currently experiencing the largest growth in martial arts sports history but the martial arts industry, as a whole, seems to be in a slump? Why hasn’t the martial arts industry seen the boom? I think it’s because mixed martial arts is looked at as a spectator sport, like boxing, not something the average person wants to do. How many successful instructional boxing centers are there, or have there ever been? The popularity of boxing didn’t result in the general population wanting to do it. I feel mixed martial arts is the same way.

I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule with martial arts schools that cater to the niche market of 20 something males who want to learn MMA and even might want to fight. These gyms are run by mixed martial arts fighters and trainers who live the life of MMA. The average martial arts school MMA program has not, and probably will not, generate a large number of new students.

I believe the only way to capitalize on the MMA is through your martial arts fitness program. If you watch the MMA TV shows, like the one on Spike TV, you’ll see more of the training than the actual fighting. This is unique to MMA. No other sport focuses on and shows so much of the athletes training like MMA does. Why? Because it’s what I’ve been saying all along. People love to watch and train like a fighter, they just don’t want to get hit.

Watching a MMA fighter train is interesting. Seeing them punch and kick the mitts and heavy bag and do a little sparring is fun to watch. This jazzes the general public and I bet the average person thinks about getting involved in MMA while they are watching the training. As soon as the fight starts and someone is getting crushed, the average person enjoys the fight but thinks twice about getting involved. Nobody wants to be grounded and pounded.  

Something I learned a long time ago is that if you have a martial arts ad that has a photo of someone getting drilled with a sidekick, the average person doesn’t see himself or herself as the person throwing the kick. They see themselves as the guy on the end of the kick.

This is why I think MMA is a great opportunity for martial arts fitness programs like the Ultimate Bodyshaping Course (UBC). The media is doing all of the work for us. Look at the shape the MMA fighters are in.

They’re probably in the best shape of any athlete and they do it with martial arts fitness training. The point is, the MMA is currently featuring all the things we do to get someone in shape in our fitness programs. The media has made martial arts fitness training a very cool activity; an activity that the average person would love to do. The challenge is having a program that emphasizes the results of martial arts fitness training on the average person’s waist size, and not just on learning how to fight.

Like I said before, there are many people who are going to have success with a MMA program because that is who they are. But, unless you want to climb into the ring and work on becoming a famous MMA fighter, you might want to look at the fitness aspect of the MMA as a way to capitalize on its explosive growth.  

Seminole, Florida’s Jim Graden is internationally recognized as a martial arts fitness pioneer. Jim developed Cardio K arate, the NAPMA Fitness Kickboxing Certification, the Ultimate Bodyshaping Course (UBC), and UBC for Kids.

He can be reached at info@ultimatebodyshaping.com If you would like more information on the UBC and how you can become a licensed school for only $99, please call 1800-319-6134 or go to www.ultimatebodyshaping.com - Click on Own a UBC Center - Scroll down to Information Request Form.  

UBC OWNER TESTIMONIALS: "I love the UBC because it brings me adults. I went from having a student base of 220 kids and 30 adults to now having 220 adults and 126 kids. This has allowed me to teach my children’s martial arts program the way I have always wanted because I am not dependent on only the kid market now. My initial investment in the UBC has paid for itself numerous times. Networking is very important to me and I love that I can pick up the phone and have my questions answered immediately or know that someone will call me back in a timely manner. I am now having great success with the UBC Elite program. I use this as an upsell program to my UBC graduates. They can be somewhat intimidated by Krav Maga alone but when I explain the Elite Fitness training in conjunction with my Krav Maga program I have been able to get about 33% of my students on a long term commitment'.20- Chris Ost, Stockton, CA (Running UBC for 6 years) "UBC is an easy20sell. People call wanting to sign up which helps keep the income steady. You get tons of promotional materials, the website is easy to access for me and my students, and consulting is ongoing and consistent. If you don’t know the answer, then someone is there to immediately help you. I generated 60K during my first year of business on the UBC alone!". - Chris Sutton, Clearwater, FL (Running UBC program for 7 years).

"I was looking for a new program to add to my school that would take advantage of the 'off-hours' that we didn't have martial arts classes. Ideally, I wanted something that was easy to implement, profitable, not require a substantial investment in additional equipment, and most importantly, something that would be congruent with the goals of the school, which is, to help our students achieve more and be their best.

The UBC is exactly what I was looking for! Not only did it meet the criteria it goes way beyond that. The satisfaction of seeing the results and powerful changes that program participants achieve is very rewarding as an instructor. I highly recommend the UBC as it is a spectacular program to bring into your facility". - Sandor Urban, Coral Gables, FL (Running the UBC for 3 years).