Columbus Martial Artworks

I love martial arts, specifically Tang Soo Do of the WTSDA variety. With the turn of the new year, I've been trying to find more students for my weekly class. At a recent recruiting event, I was struck by how hard it is to sell the thing I love, the thing I am passionate about, to the average stranger on the street. If I'm not careful, I find myself getting excited and virtually frothing at the mouth while, on the other side of the conversation, my potential student's eyes are glazing over in boredom. How dare they! How can they be bored with the intricacies, the depth, the vast breadth of knowledge that TSD covers? Heathens!

It's good to be an instructor that is passionate about the art. It makes teaching class a little bit easier and more enjoyable. Where it falls short is trying to distill that love down to an essence that you can pass on to someone you've only just met. What is that magical 30-second sound bite that will get them hooked for life? How do you entice a total stranger into starting a journey of self-discovery?