Helping yourself while helping others.

Dai Dai fell on his face yesterday on a rock. It happened while I was helping another parent try to hammer in this sand box lower. It seems like any time I do something for the School Playground, my kids get hurt, like the spirits don't want me doing that. I put some medicine on his face last night. He really didn't want it. But I want it to heal faster you know?

Today we had Kung Fu class at the house. Dai Dai does not really participate, but he has been coming up to me now and then and showing me his punches and actually he is improving, so I'm not crazy about forcing him to practice. I mean as long as he is getting better right?

Shao has been slacking a little bit in the forms department. But actually I don't think doing forms every day forcing him to do them mindlessly is the answer. I was considering teaching him new forms but I realize that's wrong too. What I need to do is just go through one technique a day and have him really master those. He can work on Sup Ji and the first stick form for a while. If he pushes me to learn the next form then fine. But it's a lot to maintain.

I'm also thinking about teaching adults again, but on a large scale.  I talked to a few other martial artists I know and I'm getting some ideas. One friend told me about studying Karate for 10 bucks a month back in the day and another friend said that when he taught Karate he always made pretty good money from a three month beginners course which would support the Dojo where he and his friends practiced more seriously. In other words, even though he had a Dojo, for this beginners courses they would rent out a space. He was saying that the more people you get, that means you can charge cheaper and that means you can make the price cheap so that poorer kids can join too.

In other words the Capitalist way ends up being more altruistic too. I mean when I taught for free, I did not see good results.

Basically I need like 150 students or more, some sort of gym to rent for an hour or an hour and a half, for three months Monday-Friday. It would make sense to hold the class later at night when the kids are already in bed, like 7:30-8:30pm. I mean all you need is one hour really especially if it's every day. I think 20 bucks a month is pretty cheap for nowadays, but make them pay for all three months up front. And maybe some rule that if they sign up three or five at a time they only have to pay 10 bucks a month.

It would be a sign up type of thing, with a list and then it would have a clear ending maybe with a ceremony and a Lion Dance from Woo Ching White Crane, and then if they wanted to continue they could join Jing's school. If not, then they can practice what they already learned.

Plus, I would also make a good chunk of change that I can then put into the blog or more classes or college savings plans. Whatever.