Protecting your material.

[Haoran]

How do you guys go about protecting the material you teach? For instance, Teacher wants to teach (forms, application, etc) but doesn't want Johnny Student/Teacher wannabe to run out and show all his friends what you just taught him thereby killing your chances of getting any of those students. I live in a small town where this type of activity runs rampant (running out and showing 10 ppl what you just learned).

What methods do you employ to protect your material? Contract? Signed Document? Pound his head in the ground if he does?

[Bhassler]

Nothing. I can tell you all about my training, what I'm doing, and why it works, but unless you've put in the time training none of it matters.

Same with teaching. You can parrot forms to your heart's content, but unless you've got the same experience in teaching, communicating, movement analysis, and working with people then it doesn't matter. Steal all my ideas you want. I can always create more.

[Chris McKinley]

Megadittos to Bhassler. When I taught publicly, I taught for free, so I could be picky about whom I'd teach. With the exception of most of my blade training, I taught right out in the open floor of an MMA school. You can monkey see/monkey do my stuff from the sidelines all you want. If you get something out of it that helps you get home safe....good. It isn't likely from a single viewing and no guidance, but hey.

We don't live in a chop sockey flick in Kung Fu Theatre land. I laugh when people start talking about kung fu secrets because I live in the 21st century first world where street punks carry weapons that make decades of secret kung fu family lineage mastery pointless. If you're keeping "secret" material close to the vest just to protect marketing competition interests, you're fighting over crumbs anyway. There just isn't a lot of money to be fought over in martial arts.

[Franklin]

lol- i find that protecting the material now a days is difficult because not many people want to put in the time to train it and get it... so to protect the material you have to find people interested in actually training and then teach them without holding back.....

[ashe]

How do you guys go about protecting the material you teach? For instance, Teacher wants to teach (forms, application, etc) but doesn't want Johnny Student/Teacher wannabe to run out and show all his friends what you just taught him thereby killing your chances of getting any of those students. I live in a small town where this type of activity runs rampant (running out and showing 10 ppl what you just learned).

What methods do you employ to protect your material? Contract? Signed Document? Pound his head in the ground if he does?

the real secrets protect themselves. even if i tell you plainly you won't get it without spending some real time with the teacher and the method.

[Haoran]

It doesn't matter if the guy gets it or not you see... but he/she runs off and teaches a half a dozen someone else's who then "think" they got it so end the end he/she leaves a trail of those that think they get it (happily) and thus the teacher's student base rapidly deminishes.

[johnwang]

You can steal my "hook kick", "spin back kick", or "flying side kick" anytime you want to because I stole it from somebody else. What you will get is just a copy of another copy. If you want to steal my forms, You can just download it from internet and you don't need to "steal". If you can steal my "leg twisting" and do better than me then I want you to be my teacher and teach me something that I missed.

Mine is mine, yours is also mine. Stealing is the nature of the world. All animal steal food from others.

[gretel]

I think you guys are missing the point on Haoran's problem. He isn't afraid of people "stealing" his teachings but has the problem that novice students go out and demonstrate what they thought they learned to others, who then do not think they need to pay to take his course.
A couple of points: your students may learn faster from you if they try to teach someone else. They will discover what they don't understand. And 2, address the problem upfront. Talk about it, explain the downside for you, stress that they aren't ready to actually teach, encourage those who want to show what they've learned to get the people to sign up for your course. Explain that it is very bad form to go into competition with your teacher for paying students. Then you have to let it go.

gretel

[Chris McKinley]

I'm not missing it, gretel. It's unfortunate, from a business standpoint, but it happens. Like I said before, if you're hoping to keep martial arts "secrets" just to make some cash, you're fighting over crumbs. Unless you're willing to become a belts & contracts cattle drive, the martial arts is no place to make a liveable wage in life.

[Darth Rock&Roll]

Have them sign an oath and agreement as they would a contract with you.

[everything]

Teacher needs to create an environment that is more value-added than "free" from a friend. That's about it. That's true in every field. It's especially difficult for those in software or digital fields where the copy of the copy is just as good as the original - not just piracy though, but good open source and/or free software that is not stolen. The protect and sue route can help matters but long term the carrot is better than the stick imho. Learn to coopt giving the "users" some free stuff that brings them back to the "community" so the rest of the offering can be monetized. The late Mike Martello's example seems good to follow.

p.s. here's a good article for your teacher: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/b ... well?yrail

[johnwang]

novice students go out and demonstrate what they thought they learned to others,

One of my LF brothers went to Wutang and watched people trained in Xiao Baji. Next week my friend taught that Xiao Baji form to a group of elders for health only.

In the 1st Jinan TCMA tournament, I saw Su Yu Chang demonstrated Da Baiji form. Next year in the 2nd Jinan TCMA tournament, I demonstrated that Dai Baiji form and also the PM Luan Jia form (Su Yu Chang's trade mark form). After my demonstration, Su Yu Chang walked toward me and said, "You just did my forms."

We LF guys love to "steal" - Mine is mine, yours is also mine.

[Haoran]

That's funny John,

BTW, what's LF??

[johnwang]

LF - long fist

[Bhassler]

You need to be clear for yourself what your product is: YOU. Martial arts is the vehicle you use to impact people's lives. Focus on people, not just our beloved kung fu, and those same people you now consider to be a "problem" might become your greatest asset, spreading the gospel of how inspirational you are to all the world.

Once you can accomplish that, watch out for John Wang. He will steal you, demonstrate you at a tournament, then teach you to old people for health.