Enjoy all the benefits of AIO Membership with no obligation to

continue. Part time instructor, club, full time instructor, see

what AIO can do for your dojo.

1-732-674-9753 www.aikidoinstructors.com

AIKIDO GAMES, DRILLS, AND STRUCTURE FOR CHILDREN’S CLASSESAIKIDO GAMES, DRILLS, AND STRUCTURE FOR CHILDREN’S CLASSESAIKIDO GAMES, DRILLS, AND STRUCTURE FOR CHILDREN’S CLASSES

ACCESS TO AIO MEMBERACCESS TO AIO MEMBERACCESS TO AIO MEMBERS ONLY WEBSITE AND FORUMS ONLY WEBSITE AND FORUMS ONLY WEBSITE AND FORUM

AIKIDO SPECIFIC MARKAIKIDO SPECIFIC MARKAIKIDO SPECIFIC MARKETING MATERIALETING MATERIALETING MATERIAL

MONTHLY TELECONFERENMONTHLY TELECONFERENMONTHLY TELECONFERENCECECE

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AND MUCH MORE……….AND MUCH MORE……….AND MUCH MORE……….

Many times you will hear dojo owners talk about December to January as being the slow time of the year. This does not have to be true. The fact is, if we do nothing at all and just turn on the lights, teach classes, and hope for the best then, yes, enrollments will dwindle. However this does not have to be the case. Unlike past years, the modern day shopper is less likely to run to your dojo after finding a flyer on their car. In addition, the effectiveness of yel-low page advertisements stopped working a long time ago. Many dojos also do not have, or want to spend, a ton of money gambling on print advertising that may or may not provide results. So what can a dojo that is looking to grow on a limited budget do to drive up enrollments? Plenty! The first step is to look within your own dojo. Your current students are your biggest fans. These students, from the first day of training, are excited about aikido. They want to show off what they have learned in class to their friends. They try nikkyo on their co-workers. They brag about how their son has come out of his shell since he started training. We have all heard the same stories of how aikido has benefited our students, yet many dojos have not tapped into that positive energy in an attempt to draw new students through the door. Why? One reason is a lack of motivating referral programs that entice cur-rent students to bring their friends to class while encouraging prospective students to come and try something new. Referral programs can be as simple as a free private lesson for a certain number of referrals or a gift card for each new

student referred who en-rolls. The options are only limited by your own crea-tivity. In my experience, some dojocho recoil at the thought of a referral program, stating that it isn’t very “aikido-like”. I respectfully disagree. As a teacher, I appreciate it when my students take the time to thank me. I treasure the small cards and trinkets I receive from the youth in my dojo. In turn, I give thanks to my students for a vari-

ety of things; one of which is helping to spread aikido and grow the dojo. Referral programs are formal signs of appreciation; a way to say thank you to students who spread the joy of aikido to others and help increase dojo membership. In my experience of running referral programs for over five years, students are excited and thankful for the acknowledgment of their efforts. In a day and age where

giving thanks occurs more and more seldom, expressing a little gratitude to those who are helping to spread the benefits of aikido and growing the dojo by recommending their friends and family is a positive thing for all aikido stu-dents.

3

B Y A I O P R E S I D E N T , S K I P C H A P M A N

Marketing turned inside out.

N O V / D E C 2 0 0 9 - a i k i d o i n t r u c t o r s . c o m

Many dojos also do

not have, or want to

spend, a ton of

money gambling on

print advertising that

may or may not

provide results.

Letters

AIJ welcomes your feedback on any matter about this

the martial arts industry, this magazine, or Aikido In-

structors Organization. Please send your letters by

email to info@aikidoinstructors.com.

AI Journal EDITORIAL

AI Journal COVER STORY

Interview by Vince Salvatore

Photos by Steven Fletcher Radzikowski

AIO: Sensei, before we start our business discussion, is

there anything you might want to say or start with?

Stickles Sensei: Sure, actually if you don't mind, I‟d like

to preface the interview with saying that Aikido is many

different things to many different people. Although this

will be primarily a discussion of business practices, I would

like to make sure that the readership keeps in mind that, for

me, I was attracted to Aikido initially to its philosophical

and its spiritual side (as well as physical conditioning) and

not so much as a martial activity. So, as we discuss busi-

ness practices we kind of have to not lose sight of that and

keep it in mind.

AIO: Ok, so business, what would you like to speak about?

Stickles Sensei: Well, there's so much to talk about that

it‟s going to be hard to cover everything, so let‟s try to pin-

point some essential elements. I find a common condition

of Aikido dojos is the mentality that we are "different"

from other martial arts or other exercise activities in gen-

eral. Also, Aikido people are so passionate about their

practice that the business end seems to almost be an annoy-

ance to them. A perfect example is when I speak to a chief

instructor and they tell me, "Well, if the phone rings during

class we don't answer it!” This, to me, is a formula for

business disaster. In addition, until recently there haven't

been many true full-time professional Aikido teachers. It‟s

often been the case that the majority of dojos were part-

time where the chief instructor had his or her day job and

the dojo got leftovers. Similarly, the focus was usually on

the adult programs and the children‟s program did not get

the attention it deserved. Another common mistake, which

I also made for a long time, was that the children were

taught in the same way as the adults. Until recently, there

haven't been very many good role models to follow. As a

community, we rejected the contract, competition-based

kid karate dojos. In addition, in my opinion, the Aikido

role models who were professional Aikido teachers focus-

ing on seminars have not had the correct formula needed to

have successful dojos.

AIO: Why do you say that?

Stickles Sensei: Because,

many of the successful pro-

fessional teachers would go

out on the road and teach

seminars, leaving their own

home dojo poorly at-

tended. You can't expect to

have a prosperous dojo if you're on the road half the

time. You need to stay close to home, build up a strong

base with a consistent curriculum, and a trained instruction

staff that will attend to the chief instructors agenda, not their

own. Don't get me wrong, I like to travel occasionally and

teach a seminar but I also do a large number of major semi-

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2009 AIKIDOINSTRUCTORS.COM 6

AI Journal COVER STORY

“Also, Aikido people are so passionate about their practice

that the business end seems to almost be an annoyance to

them.”

nars in my own dojo. It‟s a lot like parenting. How can

you bring up your kids properly if you're not home.

Wouldn't it be better if the neighborhood kids came to your

backyard to play instead of your kids being gone all the

time?

AIO: Can you speak more about the "essential elements"

of business, in particular our dojo business?

Stickles Sensei: We need to realize that the essentials of

any business are "product, promotion, and service". Espe-

cially in Aikido we are in a service based industry. We are

competing for a "leisure" dollar. Our competition is not

just other Aikido dojos but other martial art dojos, dance,

gymnastics, personal training centers, heath clubs and gyms,

yoga, Pilates, and the like. Quite frankly, we have a unique

product - Aikido, which is a "leading edge" amazing activ-

ity. But without good business practices, including promo-

tion, tuition collection services, data bases that properly

track prospective students, proper assimilation of new stu-

dents, and ways to retain them, good curriculum based in-

troduction, and other sound business policies, the dojo will

fail.

AIO: What is the most important thing for the new stu-

dent to get when joining your dojo?

Stickles Sensei: The most important thing for the new

students in their first few weeks is merely to have fun and

leave the dojo with a smile on their face so they want to

come back. That‟s all. I will talk in a bit about the seamless

transition I use between programs for both children and

adults for retention purposes but let me reiterate that the

only thing that matters in the first few classes is that they

have fun and leave happy; feeling good about them-

selves. I have a set curriculum of five basic cross hand

techniques that the new student learns and repeats over and

over again for the first few classes. Sometimes the new

students won't even take ukemi for the first couple of

classes. If I see an apprehension there, I will slowly work

AIKIDOINSTRUCTORS.COM

AI Journal RICK STICKLES, SHIHAN

7

8

them into the falling aspect. In some cases a student won't

take a forward roll for a couple of months. If you think

about it, almost every technique can be done with a simple

back roll. This idea that they need to learn to take a for-

ward roll right away is an antiquated one and can easily lead

to losing many students at an early stage of their training,

which is an injustice to both them and the dojo community.

Also, in the beginning, I don't bog the new students with a

lot of little details like the pins. The initial intention is to

give them the idea of the big circular movement and have

them fall in love with that.

AIO: What is the importance of using "modeling" as a

technique for growth?

Stickles Sensei: Proper modeling is essential for success

in business. As stated before, I think, in general, we in the

Aikido community have not had a large number of good

role models to choose from. Quite frankly, Skip Chapman

and AIO are some of the best models you can use. Skip

has taken the time to join many karate business organiza-

tions, learn how they operate, and then adapt them for the

Aikido community. In my experience, I have had several

business coaches over time. Tony Robbins has been a big

influence on how I have set goals and met them. It‟s im-

portant to have a good business plan with clear, attainable

goals. In Musahi's Book of 5 Rings, he speaks of the "long

and short views" using a series of short views to attain a

long term goal. In my dojo, I have what we call a Master

Mind Team, a group of business people who help me plan

and execute my business plan. We meet on a regular basis,

analyze our progress, and adjust strategies accordingly.

AIO: What is the importance of using an automated billing

system to collect dues?

Stickles Sensei: I can't stress enough how important us-

ing a billing system is. In the beginning I was nervous about

doing it but, quite frankly, going with the automated system

turned things around for us. That, along with building up

our kids program, made all the difference in the world. I

didn't want to do a 12 month contract, actually we call it a

Mutual Commitment Agreement and it is for six months.

This commitment works well with our adult Seamless Tran-

sition Program.

AIO: Could you explain this Seamless Transition Program

you are speaking of?

Stickles Sensei: We have two: one for children, youth and

teens, and one for adults. I'll speak briefly about the kids

because I feel that the AIO members already have an amaz-

ing amount of valuable information from AIO al-

ready. Our children‟s programs overlap each other. It is

set up for 4 and 5 year olds, 6 thru 11, and then 12 thru

16. However, depending on the physical size and level of

maturity of the student, these groups can overlap each

other. So we may have an 11 year old taking a kids‟ class in

a colored belt and then the same kid

in the youth class in a white

belt. This overlapping philosophy

allows a certain amount of flexibility

in student placement and allows this

seamless transition from one group

to another. Then, by the time they

are 14 or so they can seamlessly

transition into the adult program.

AIO: So, how does your Seamless Transition System work

for adults?

Stickles Sensei: It‟s an interesting question you have

there. Here‟s how I work the seamless transition for adults.

As I‟ve said previously, we all, as AIO members, have a

massive amount of information about children and I think I

should review that because I‟ve modeled a lot of what I do

after Skip Sensei‟s children‟s program. But with the adults,

here‟s how I do my adults. We call the way we bring adults

into the dojo The Mutual Commitment Package. And

that‟s instead of using the word „contract‟. Quite frankly, I

was shy about doing a twelve month contract with people,

so I have what‟s called a six month commitment package.

So it‟s six months with AAC, the billing company we use. I

collect the first month‟s dues and then they are on contract

with AAC for five months. We don‟t call it a contract. We

call it a Mutual Support Agreement.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2009 AIKIDOINSTRUCTORS.COM

AI Journal COVER STORY

“In some cases a student won't take a forward roll for a

couple of months. If you think about it, almost every

technique can be done with a simple back roll.”

9

The way we do it is we have a colored tip system for when

new people join the dojo; they must join for six months.

For the first six months, they have a colored tip on the end

of their belt. The first month is yellow, the second month

is orange, the third month is green, the forth month is blue,

the fifth month is brown, and the sixth month is black. It‟s

just a piece of tape on the end of their belt. Now what

happens is at the end of each month they get a certificate of

achievement in front of the class and everybody applauds.

They don‟t have to do anything for it. There‟s no test in-

volved. They just have to show up.

Now the reason that works well for us is because we have a

full and varied schedule. We have classes for beginners,

mixed levels, and advanced. Anyone, who joins our dojo

for the first six months, can take any of the classes for be-

ginners or mixed levels. Now, if it‟s a beginners‟ class, the

schedule for the classes runs for beginners. But if one of

the students during the first six months takes a mixed level

class, everybody in the class, including in the instructor, just

has to look at the tip of that student‟s belt and, if it‟s an

orange tip, they know the student is in his or her second

month. If it‟s a yellow tip, they know it‟s that student‟s first

month. So everyone can act appropriately with that student

according to the tip that‟s on the student‟s belt. If the new

student‟s in a mixed level class and there‟s a lot of advanced

students, an instructor can see there‟s an orange tip who‟s

only been around two months and they put that student

aside with one of the seniors and the student gets treated

very well.

I stated earlier in the interview that my primary goal for

students when they first come in is that they leave at night

with a smile on their face and they feel good about them-

selves. At the end of each month they get a certificate and

they get a new color on their belt. At the end of six

months, they‟re ready to take their first test, which in the

USAF is 5th Kyu. So by the time they get to a brown or a

black tip they‟re ready to test. Once they test, they get 5th

Kyu. Now in our system, although the standard USAF

policy is that no hakama is worn until black belt, inside my

dojo we have hakama at 3rd Kyu. What happens now, the

way this thing works seamlessly, is that for the first six

months they get certificates of achievement for just atten-

dance and at the end of six months they get 5th Kyu. Now

they‟re recognized nationally and we test during seminars.

AIKIDOINSTRUCTORS.COM

AI Journal RICK STICKLES, SHIHAN

10

Once they have 5th Kyu, they say “Wow, you know what?

Now I‟m a 5th kyu, I would really like to have a hakama on.

I took 5th Kyu so all I have to do is 4th Kyu and 3rd Kyu

and I‟ll have a hakama.” That entices them to stay on for

4th Kyu. Now they take their 4th Kyu test and then they‟re

one test away from wearing a hakama. And at 3rd Kyu they

get a hakama. Once they get a hakama, which you know a

lot of students like to have a hakama, then they think,

“Wow, I‟m only two and a half ranks away from black belt.

So if I got this far, why can‟t I get black belt?”

The Mutual Support Agreement is one sheet paper where

we say our commitment to you, for the first six months, is

to make sure that you‟re well taken care of and all your

commitment consists of is that you agree to show up and

put in an effort and try to get connected to the dojo. So

the seamless transition then for the adults is six months of

colored tips; 5th Kyu, they get the national certificate; 3rd

Kyu they get the hakama; and, by 3rd Kyu, they realize that

they can probably get black belt. That‟s the seamless transi-

tion that I speak of when I talk about the adult program

and I think that it assimilates them well into the dojo. It‟s

kind of like a carrot in front of a horse. You‟re dangling a

carrot right in front of a student and motivating that stu-

dent to get to the next level, to the next level, to the next

level.

AIO: So in other words, you‟ve broken it down into

smaller steps so that it‟s more doable for people.

Stickles Sensei: Absolutely. And one of the things that I

talked about earlier is what‟s the most important thing for

new students to get when they join a dojo is that they‟re

just happy; they„re just having fun and happy and leaving

the dojo with a positive feeling about themselves. So the

first six months they‟re constantly being re-enforced with

these certificates. And then they get 5th Kyu, 3rd Kyu, and

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2009 AIKIDOINSTRUCTORS.COM

AI Journal COVER STORY

11

then black belt. I find that that works really well. A lot of

schools have a 6th Kyu certificate where it‟s a really begin-

ners rank and speaking to the USAF which has recently

instituted a policy of 6th Kyu, for me I did 6th Kyu certifi-

cates years ago and I found out that it didn‟t work because

the students are intimidated even to take a 6th Kyu test.

This way, with the color tips, they don‟t have to do any-

thing except show up. I find that it works extremely well as

a motivator and a retention tool.

AIO: So that‟s that.

Stickles Sensei: That‟s the seamless transition for adults

AIO: So, Rick Sensei, at the end of the month they get the

tips. They don‟t have any tests.

Stickles Sensei: No, no, no. At the end of the month,

what happens is the student that‟s behind the desk as peo-

ple come in sees who‟s taking the beginners‟ class and they

see who‟s ready to for a tip. I sometimes will give them a

tip a little sooner rather than later just so they have that

positive reinforcement.

AIO: Okay, great. We know that you experimented with

a series of satellite dojo

systems in the past. How

did that work out for you

and do you still use them?

Stickles Sensei: No. I

started a satellite system

in the late „80s where we

had a lot of mini little

clubs within shouting

distance of the main

dojo; YMCAs or health

clubs or whatever. To

make a long story short, I

found myself driving

from one place to an-

other and spreading my-

self so thin, that no one

ever really got me. So in

the late „90s, or the year

2000, I dispensed with

the satellite system; spun

off all the satellites to my senior students that could keep

them going and then concentrated all my efforts into one

dojo. It‟s similar to earlier in the interview when I said

about teachers traveling too much and doing seminars.

You can‟t spread yourself too thin. You need to stay home.

You need to develop a strong home base before you can

actually go out. So the satellite system, which I know a lot

of people experiment with, I found for me didn‟t work and

I dispensed with it.

AIO: That‟s really the value of having an interview like

this; learning from other people‟s experiences. Because you

were out in the battlefield, battling, learning how to get

people in here, so you can save us a lot of time and energy

by sharing your experience, I think. Can you speak about

how you designed your facility and how you see it function

pertaining to meeting the students‟ needs.

Stickles Sensei: I designed the facility to be very friendly,

open, warm, and accessible to the student body. Before I

was a professional Aikido teacher, I was a production man-

ager and designer in theatrical productions, so I have a

sense of design. We have very similar set up to a lot of

other dojos. We have a lounge, a flat screen TV, DVDs,

AIKIDOINSTRUCTORS.COM

AI Journal RICK STICKLES, SHIHAN

12 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2009 AIKIDOINSTRUCTORS.COM

Richard M. Stickles, Shihan has been practicing and

teaching Aikido and its related arts for 35 years, and is one of the few full-time Aikido teachers in the United States. Sensei Stickles is certified as Shihan by the United States Aikido Federation and the World Aikikai Foundation (Tokyo). A distance runner for 10 years, Sensei Stickles attended NYU on a full athletic scholarship, receiving a B.A. in theater and communications. Shortly after graduation, he was introduced to Aikido. Sensei Stickles began training as soto deshi of Yoshimitsu Yamada Shihan, 8th Dan, chief instructor of the New York Aikikai. During his apprentice-ship, Sensei Stickles traveled throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan, studying with over two dozen of the principal disciples of Aikido's Founder, Morihei Ueshiba.

In addition to responsibilities in his own dojo, Sensei Stickles teaches Aikido seminars both on a national and international level. Sensei Stickles is on the instruction staff of the New York Aikikai and founded Aikido Schools of New Jersey in 1977. He continues to run on a regular basis and is a daily practitioner of Dzogchen (Tibetan) meditation. Outside the dojo he loves spend-ing time with his family (he is married with three children) and playing a round of golf whenever and wherever possible.

13

“We encourage people to come, bring a friend,

and stay as long as they want. On Friday nights,

after class, we have a pizza night and people

hang out.”

and internet access. We have an open kitchen area where

people can store food. The bottom line is that I created a

facility which is very inviting and very inclusive rather than

exclusive. We let the parents watch class. We let the kids

play in the lounge. We have toys for the kids. The facility‟s

very beautiful and we encourage the students to stay as long

as possible. I‟m fortunate to have a relatively large staff so

the dojo is actually open from 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning till

10:00 at night almost seven days a week, so people come in

and practice on their own. They know they can come in here

and sit in the lounge with their computer, get

on the internet, and do work. They bring

their kids, and there‟s a system of behavior

that the kids need, they can‟t go crazy, but it‟s

very warm, it‟s very friendly. Some dojos like

to get their students in and out; we encourage

our people to stay as long as possible. If peo-

ple want to look on the website and see the facility itself,

they‟re welcome to do that.

AIO: Do you feel that that helps with retention and builds a

sense of community?

Stickles Sensei: Absolutely. I try to create an environment

where people feel like they have a second home. The only

downside to that is that sometimes they think that my staff

members are here just for their entertainment. Sometimes a

lot of people just want my staff members not to work and

just hang out and BS with them, but we balance that out. We

encourage people to come, bring a friend, and stay as long as

they want. On Friday nights, after class, we have a pizza night

and people hang out.

AIO: Do you do that every week?

Stickles Sensei: Yes, just about. And also after Iaido on

Thursday night is a separate Iaido group. So it‟s very warm,

very friendly, very inviting. The colors are all grays, light

grays, very meditative, plants, and a lot of decorations. Very,

very Aikiken: very pleasant to the eye, very inviting.

AIO: So it doesn‟t look like a typical UFC or MMA type of

ground and pound kind of school.

Stickles Sensei: No, no. We invite our members to go on

our website and check it out.

AIO: Yes, it‟s a beautiful place. I‟ve been there.

Stickles Sensei: Yes, you‟ve taught here. You‟re a regu-

lar teacher here and very well received as well.

AIO: Thank you. Currently, are there any special promo-

tional items you are working on that you would like to

share?

Stickles Sensei: One thing, people have to try to take

advantage of what is going on in front of them. It is an

interesting kind of concept. Steven Seagal Sensei is actually

starting a show in December called Steven Seagal: Lawman.

Now a lot of people will think that it is kind of goofy, but I

am taking advantage of it. What I am going to be doing is I

did a series of promotion shots of me in the parking lot

with one of my students acting like a thug and me taking

him out using a lot of the jujitsu part of aikido. And what

we are going to do is print up a flier likening me to Seagal

Sensei‟s television show, develop mailing lists and contacts

within the law enforcement department, and get these fliers

out in the hopes of getting a mini burst of law enforcement

personnel in the dojo. It‟s kind of like when Above the

Law hit, I don‟t know if you remember when it hit, in

around 1989, the phone didn‟t stop ringing for a year. So I

think something we have to do is to look around your area

and see what promotional activities might help you in the

moment. When the economy hit a bad patch, our public

relations idea was based on the theme „Invest in Yourself‟,

because everything at the time was about the economy.

You cannot control the stock market, but an investment in

yourself is an investment for your health. So we took ad-

vantage of the economy and we used that and we actually

found that to work very well.

Our children‟s program, which Skip Sensei will attest to in

his material, requires you to do a lot of work in the commu-

nity. Right now we are working on a fund raiser for a local

children‟s hospital. We are doing a roll-a-thon for them

and we are enlisting the kids to get sponsors who are going

to pay them 10, 15, or 20 cents for every forward roll they

AIKIDOINSTRUCTORS.COM SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2009

AI Journal RICK STICKLES, SHIHAN

Salvatore Sensei, 6th Dan

Aikikai Vince Salvatore

was influenced at an early

age by his uncle, who was

a black belt in Aikido. In

1987, in search of the mas-

ters of the art, he moved to

Japan. He was accepted

as a live-in apprentice at

the original Aikido School

under Saito Sensei in

Iwama. Studying inten-

sively under Saito Sensei,

he lived in Japan until July of 1999. Salvatore Sensei

has experience teaching people from all over the world,

and has been the Chief Instructor at "Aikido of Reno"

since January, 2000. In addition to teaching Aikido,

Salvatore Sensei also teaches seminars on Conflict

Resolution in the world of business. Salvatore Sensei is

a valued consultant and moderator for Aikido Instructors

Organization.

14

do. Then I will be soliciting corporate sponsorship too.

We are hoping to raise at least $5,000 for the local Chil-

dren‟s Specialized Hospital. You have to kind of look

around and see what is going on in your area and take ad-

vantage of the moment, like if a storm comes up, raise your

sails and use the wind.

AIO: Rick Sensei, I know that this interview is going to be

printed into two parts. In our next interview you will be

discussing your deshi programs, your unique selling propo-

sition and how you integrate golf into your aikido, or

should I say your aikido into your golf! As we end this first

half of the interview, is there anything you would like to say

to the readers to help them in their pursuit towards building

their dojos and in turn building the practice of aikido?

Stickles Sensei: Live your passion. It is contagious and

people will want it. People want what you have. When

they walk in the door, they need to see a beautiful facility,

they need to see happy people, and they need to see a chief

instructor that is passionate and growing on a continual

basis, always growing, always now..... always now.

To be continued……...

AI Journal COVER STORY

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2009