Is there really money to be made in martial arts?

[mozfonky]

why would you want to? Most of the guys i've known are just cons, usually throw all the real work at underlings while they watch soap operas at home and take all the money. I've seen so much bad about it that I'd never want to do that to other people myself, but I'm weird like that.

 

[Long Dark Blues]

Couple guys in my area started a personal trainer type self defense program where they drive to the house of customers and teach them in their own home.

They were doing quite well pre-pandemic.

Haven't seen their vehicles or heard about them after the pandemic.

 

[TheTickG]

I mean...

Smart bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongman competitors, and Olympic lifters are able to monetize their accomplishments in their sport through YouTube, training others, publishing a how-to-lift-weights book, stuff like that. I've seen some martial arts studios in my area and my city's premier MMA gym is a booming business. Expensive as hell too. I know, I paid for it. That's why I train with them.

However, two of my Judo coaches have other jobs. One of them is a cop, the other owns a construction company. I don't know what the third one does, whether or not she coaches Judo full-time.

There's a guy on YouTube who claimed there's a lot of money to be made in teaching martial arts, but because of my two Judo instructors, I'm just not sure... My former Judo instructors back when I trained in a traditional dojo definitely had different full-time jobs.

What's the deal here? I wanna run a Dragon Ball Z McDojo that teaches people how to Rasengan their attackers to the depths of Oblivion. But now I'm having second thoughts. (Not serious on this last paragraph.)

My jiujitsu coach only did jiujitsu and lived in a nice location.

Renzo Gracie bought an apartment in Abu Dhabi big enough to accommodate multiple fight teams.

Seems like some can be successful.

 

[plataoplombo]

Yes, absolutely. In Japan there is a college that offers a major in ninjitsu. If you imported the curriculum to the US, I believe you'd be rich overnight.

 

[Qen]

Out of all of them I'd think wushu or any flashy kung fu style has the biggest chance of pulling in money because its entertaining to watch and Hollywood fight choreographers/stunt men probably make a pretty good penny
Also with some editing I've seen some pretty entertaining youtube videos from chinese stylists that probably get a ton views from China.

as far as legit fighting MA's probably wrestling (in the US) if you count it because of coaching opportunities.

 

[BreatheSherBro]

Once you start getting hit in the head for a living, you are basically on easy street.

 

[Baby Hanma]

Damn, even in this day and age, people still fall for that Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do crap? It's 2023... What the hell...

 

[Baby Hanma]

Once you start getting hit in the head for a living, you are basically on easy street.

Can you please explain this?

What does it mean when someone is "on easy street?"

Are you saying that successful fighters in MMA will find easy ways to get rich? Is that what you mean? Or are you saying they get CTE?

 

[Tito Tapped]

I did for years, so yes it's possible. I also consult.

Most schools now are leaning into after school/summer camp type care. The idea being that paying for the sport of karate is a luxury but paying for after school child care is a necessity. Also, I can charge $125/mo for straight karate classes or I can charge these people $85/week for after school care. I had 125 kids enrolled in that program.

I don't think these soccer mom friendly MMA hybrid gyms are ever going to be successful. It's a poor model. You need an astronomical amount of cash up front to build out a massive space which usually you're only going to find tucked away hidden in the business park. It usually takes years to build up enough clients to start turning a profit, so have fun paying that rent and all those coaches while you hope to someday make it.

On a smaller scale, offering private training over the internet is picking up popularity. For me personally, that comes out to $50-$80/hr. It's not the easiest way to teach somebody martial arts but if you're coaching non-beginners it's do-able. Helps if you know the specific thing they want to learn.

 

[MLarson]

Tell them to open an Onlyfans account and stream the classes in the nude, so they can cash in the big bills $$$$$.

And the instructor can let one of her students practice an "anaconda" choke on her.

 

[Cyrano200]

Renzo Gracie .....

He is a Gracie. He is from a family with pedigree and world-wide name recognition. They have franchised themselves. Now think of all the gyms, dojos, studios, and schools just in your area, or that you know of, that have multiple no-name black belts on their payroll. Think of all the broke-ass fighters. Out of those millions world-wide, thousands make some kind of living solely on their skills, and hundreds make "real" money. My numbers are totally made up, but I'd wager on the scale of it.

 

[TheTickG]

He is a Gracie. He is from a family with pedigree and world-wide name recognition. They have franchised themselves. Now think of all the gyms, dojos, studios, and schools just in your area, or that you know of, that have multiple no-name black belts on their payroll. Think of all the broke-ass fighters. Out of those millions world-wide, thousands make some kind of living solely on their skills, and hundreds make "real" money. My numbers are totally made up, but I'd wager on the scale of it.

Now think about the other things I said in my post, instead of just cherry picking two words.
"My jiujitsu coach only did jiujitsu and lived in a nice location.

Seems like some can be successful."

 

[Baby Hanma]

I don't think these soccer mom friendly MMA hybrid gyms are ever going to be successful. It's a poor model. You need an astronomical amount of cash up front to build out a massive space which usually you're only going to find tucked away hidden in the business park. It usually takes years to build up enough clients to start turning a profit, so have fun paying that rent and all those coaches while you hope to someday make it.

There's only one such business in my city. It's the one I train on.

You might say they might have had it hard in the beginning. Maybe you are right. But nowadays they make a ton of money. That place has like sixty people a day, on a slow day, training. And knowing how much I paid for for a sixty month membership, it's a lot of money.

Whoever owns that business is rich as hell.

 

[Renard]

Coaching, just like any kind of teaching job, isn't a job that intrisincally makes a lot of money. The people that make serious money off of it are going outside the box in some way. For example a famous athlete opens a gym and get students through the door thanks to his name recognition, but the actual teaching is done by other teachers that were selected by him. In that way the celebrity profits off the work of others and it becomes a scalable business. Another example would be a Youtuber who posts free informational videos and profits off the ad revenue, in the process getting more clients for his in-person business, and creates an online program available for purchase/subscription. It's often necessary to find some sort of niche with need in the market that others haven't fulfilled yet.

 

[560ti]

In my area the money is in cardio classes and kids programs (after school and summer camps).

It's the main reason why being a high-level pro has no bearing on the usual "oh he can just run a gym" tag that gets thrown around

Owning a fighting gym sucks. High rent, low dollar return per client, long hours of being open from early morning to evening, trying to find staff to do the bullshit work (glorified childcare and soccermom cardio classes) for low pay because you cant pay them alot. Having to market/whore yourself out non stop because turnover rate in the fitness industry is high.

The most successful gym in my area makes a killing on kids. They have 2 busses that go to 3 local elementary schools and pick up around 50 kids that pay $150 a week and then in the Summer they have like 75 kids that pay $225-250 a week for summer camps. The kids program alone covers the rent and low six figure salary for each of the 2 head coaches that are half owners. Everything else they make from privates, kickboxing, and adult BJJ students is just pure profit.

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

Movies

 

[Tito Tapped]

There's only one such business in my city. It's the one I train on.

You might say they might have had it hard in the beginning. Maybe you are right. But nowadays they make a ton of money. That place has like sixty people a day, on a slow day, training. And knowing how much I paid for for a sixty month membership, it's a lot of money.

Whoever owns that business is rich as hell.

60 people/day is absolutely nothing

 

[Chest Rockwell]

Why you put your kid in a McDojo? Lol

Not worried he will learn useless and counterproductive stuff?

He's in kindergarten and they were affiliated with his school, his mom signed him up, and after going to multiple sessions I've realized what it's about. Once this quarter is over, I'm pulling him and singing him up for jujitsu, against his mother's will, of course.