Free classes ?

Does anyone else teach for free here, do you get funding ?

Assuming you did teach free, would you be ridiculed by those who don't in the same area's, IE teaching the same as other RBSD systems.

What would be the pitfalls going in this direction, your opinions please,


Gov.

You won't get many students...and if you do, they won't be - for the most part - worth a damn.

Here's your problem, if you don't think your knowledge is worth anything, why should anyone else?

Perceived value is critical and you should always be paid accordingly for the value you bring to the market place.

Nick

Nick Hughes wrote:You won't get many students...and if you do, they won't be - for the most part - worth a damn.

Here's your problem, if you don't think your knowledge is worth anything, why should anyone else?

Perceived value is critical and you should always be paid accordingly for the value you bring to the market place.

Nick

Thanks Nick, not sure if I agree with the "not worth a damn" bit, seems elitist, but I see your point.

Not really mate...just based on experience over the years of bumping into people who are looking for cheap and free stuff. They tend to have no appreciation of quality. It really is (over and over again this has proven true in my life) a question of "you get what you pay for."

Nick

I totally agree with Nick.. Ihave done this in the past, and made my time available for people who then couldnt be bothered to commit etc

I have spent 52 years in the game and if people want my knowledge and experieince, I want paying for it... not extortianate, but as a professional.

Thanks Nick, Dave, great answers and taken on board

I have offered many free classes and unfortunatley, Nick and Dave are right. People don't take them seriously.

It sems unfortunate but it also seems to be the nature of the beast.

There is a free gym on the industrial estate I have premises on, he is funded by some grant or other.

The guy running the place was assuring me he would have people in the UFC in a matter of months.

After the initial rush of attendance he never seems to be open now and his two instructors have given up and gone.

His fitness classes seem to have pretty much ended too.

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback, makes perfect sense, plus my stuff is good so why sell myself short I guess

Ace Ventura wrote:I have offered many free classes and unfortunatley, Nick and Dave are right. People don't take them seriously.

It sems unfortunate but it also seems to be the nature of the beast.

Ditto

Nothing new to add here,

If you are providing a service, you have the right to be paid for what you bring to the table. A good deal of people are stupid, and will not append any real value to free classes. Make something too easy for people, and they won't want it.
Also, by giving free classes, it almost seems as if you aren't attaching value to what you are providing.

As has been said, you get what you pay for.

If you're providing expert tuition you charge for it. Simple as that really.

"meow"

Ade wrote:

Ace Ventura wrote:I have offered many free classes and unfortunatley, Nick and Dave are right. People don't take them seriously.

It sems unfortunate but it also seems to be the nature of the beast.

Ditto

Little late... but Ditto ditto

If you want to build a group, you might want to think about offering heavily discounted classes to the first students. It is easier to charge the full price if people walk in and see other students doing amazing things all around them.

First Class is free at our place, rest of the time you pay.

I keep the price very low for the lads because they have shown themselves to be loyal and at the end of the day I am not in it to make a profit. As long as we cover expenses for hall hire I am happy.

I have also given courses for free to gyms and colleges that gave me a good price on hall hire. Just the one mind and the expense never outweighed the saving I got from hall rental.

Depends what you are in the game for I suppose. If I wanted to make money I would be doing a lot of stuff I didn't enjoy just to bring additional cash in. That's the nature of small business I suppose. As it stands I can train how I want, what I want and I can use the time to give people what they need rather than just what they are prepared to pay for.

There's a lot of money been made from martial arts over the years, very few of the guys who have made good money would be on my list of guys I have respect for as teachers, martial artists or indeed human beings.

Chris wrote:
There's a lot of money been made from martial arts over the years, very few of the guys who have made good money would be on my list of guys I have respect for as teachers, martial artists or indeed human beings.

Could not agree more.

gave free anti-rape classes to women. full classes. Gave free courses to 3 under-privileged youths. one with learning difficulties. neither the women nor youths followed up with paying classes. though all were 'inspired' enough to want to initially.

It can be a bit of a challenge to draw a fine line between wanting to help folks and what's in the best interest for what you teach.

In Reiki it's taught as standard to charge. folks do assume value on the price of something. or lack of it. I've only found one person, a young woman (who is now setting up classes for me in her city) who has showed any worth with regard to free training. though that's not really free tbh, since she's doing all the groundwork.

warmest wishes

Wayne

I considered doing cheap classes once. It was for a student union and I was told on no uncertain terms if they didn't get a student discount they wouldn't bother doing it, which irked me.

When I ran classes in this area I always tried to do it at lowish prices and I'm not sure if poor attendance was due to that or the fact that this area is always a tough venue to start anything new (unles its to do with women losing weight). I'm inclined to believe the latter.

If I did any thing in town (newcastle) I would never charge anythign less than a fiver though as that's the going rate

Jagunco wrote:I considered doing cheap classes once. It was for a student union and I was told on no uncertain terms if they didn't get a student discount they wouldn't bother doing it, which irked me.

When I ran classes in this area I always tried to do it at lowish prices and I'm not sure if poor attendance was due to that or the fact that this area is always a tough venue to start anything new (unles its to do with women losing weight). I'm inclined to believe the latter.

If I did any thing in town (newcastle) I would never charge anythign less than a fiver though as that's the going rate

LOL funny you should say that but the only interest I have had really is women, wanting to lose weight, didn't go for free after all though, but its not working out so fuck em.

not ot stray from the main point but there is a lot, certainly not all but a lot, of men and women who are wanting to get fit and look good but don't actually seem to realize that it needs sweat.

That's one of the things I find irksome about these faddy things like Zumba and what have you, though its a bit hypocritical of my because they are exactly like marital arts in that area: you can give it 110% and get results or you can give it 50% and congratulate yourself on a twice weekly basis