Are Your Students Draining Away?

By Christopher Caile

You’re a good teacher and new students regularly appear at the door of your school, but something is wrong. Somehow your martial arts school isn’t growing as it should. You also seem to be continually short of funds.

What’s wrong?

More often than not, the critical missing factor is your student retention ratio. In short, that’s the number of students who drop out over a fixed period of time. It is one of the most important elements in the success of any martial arts school or program, but very few school owners or teachers understand why students leave or how to retain them.

First, you should realize that many students will leave your program through no fault of your own. And for these students, no matter what you do, your actions will have little effect.

Gary Gablehouse in a FightingArts.com article “Why Students Quit” noted that, in a survey conducted by his polling company, 54 percent of students quit for reasons beyond the control of the school – they move, can no longer afford the monthly dues, don’t have time, aren’t available when classes are held, lose interest or find new interests.

The percentages for any school or area will vary, but realize that a 40 percent to 55 percent attrition rate should be unexpected. That means only 45 percent to 6o percent of students will stick around if they are happy, interested, have time, are free and can afford it.

So what kind of retention should you look for, and how do you figure the ratio out? Take all the students you had at this time last year and then add all the new students who enrolled in the following 12 months. Compare that sum to the current number of enrolled students. You are doing well if there is less than a 35 percent to 40 percent difference between the two. It means you lost just a little over one third to two fifths of your students.

How the loss of students affects you, of course, depends on your cost of recruitment, the number of students you have, the number who enroll each month, overhead and other factors. But, if your loss ratio is greater than 35 percent to 40 percent, you might be advised to take steps to reduce the loss. This is especially important since no matter what you do you will inevitably lose a high percentage of students to factors outside of your control.

So what can you do? Here are some suggestions.

• Find out why your students enrolled — for self-defense, to build confidence, to get in shape, to make friends, to learn a martial art, etc. Then make sure your program meets their needs.
• Ask students who leave, why they left. This might uncover problems or personal conflicts that might be rectified. It will also guide you as to how to teach and conduct your classes better.
• Add classes or extra days when you hold classes. Scheduling conflicts lose a lot of students or potential ones.
• Make classes interesting. Always add exciting, interesting elements to your teaching. Explain a kata technique, show a unique self-defense move, explain a principle of movement or technique, tell interesting stories about your teachers or great masters. Sit down with your students and encourage them to ask questions. Some of these might be reserved for the end of the class or afterwards, but some are easily added into the class curriculum.
• Minimize injury and fear. A lot of seasoned martial artists forget the fear and intimidation of their first martial arts classes. Also, pain and injury will quickly discourage many, especially those who are weaker or less physically able. A good idea, if you are a karate school, is to put off kumite for a while and teach people all the elements of fighting first. Then wear safety equipment and stress safety in class.
• Build a positive student relationship with each student. Know all your student’s names. Take an opportunity to get to know each student in your class and something about them. Be supportive, encourage your students and complement them when they have done something well. This works much better than repeated criticism, because no matter how well intended, repeated criticism can wound your student’s ego and concept of worth. It can also drive them away.
• Monitor your students. If you teach a class be careful to notice any problems, seeming disinterest, or poor attendance. Talk to the student, let the student know you think he or she is important. Try to find out what is happening and how to remedy a situation if it is deteriorating.
• Ask for a commitment. If students enroll to achieve some objective (and you should know this), let them know that it takes time and dedication to achieve it. Tell them that you will teach them, but ask for their commitment in return, for without it, their goals are meaningless. As part of this you might ask them to commit for a specific time period. You may decide to use contracts.
• Use of agreements to commit your students to study. These are contracts, but it is better to call them agreements because the word “contract” can scare a lot of potential students away. Explain to the potential student that the agreement is useful since it spells out his or her costs, as well as their commitment. You can also offer discounts, if the student commits for a year or longer.
• Build appreciation on a different, more meaningful level. Let students and potential students know why your school is different from health clubs or other sports and activities. Let them know that what you teach is much more than a martial art — it can help them improve themselves, build discipline, confidence, grow stronger and learn how to deal with problems. Your students may never have to defend themselves, but their martial arts can affect their lives, their families, and how they deal with others. Let them know this. Also, be sure to explain to parents how your martial arts program can benefit their kids.
• Make promotions probationary so students keep motivated to improve and practice. Tell students when they have graded that their new ranks are not final, and that they will have to show a dedication to training before you will give them a certificate. By the time they have received their grading certificate they will be well involved in the next level of study.
• Hold annual ceremonies, school events, special training or seminars — any number of things to create a community around your school. This builds a social foundation to support your martial arts teaching.

About the Author Christopher Caile

Christopher Caile

Christopher Caile is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of FightingArts.com. He has been a student of the martial arts for over 65 years.

He first started in judo while in college. Then he added karate as a student of Phil Koeppel in 1959 studying Kempo and Wado-Ryu karate. He later added Shotokan Karate where he was promoted to brown belt and taught beginner classes. In 1960 while living in Finland, Caile introduced karate to that country and placed fourth in that nation’s first national judo tournament.

Wanting to further his karate studies, Caile then hitch hiked from Finland to Japan traveling through Scandinavia, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia — living on 25 cents a day and often sleeping outside.

Arriving in Japan (1962), Caile was introduced to Mas Oyama and his fledgling full contact Kyokushinkai Karate by Donn Draeger, the famous martial artist and historian. Donn also housed him with several other senior international judo practitioners. Donn became Caile’s martial arts mentor, coaching him in judo and introducing him to Shinto Muso-ryu under Takaji Shimizu.

Caile studied at Oyama’s honbu dojo and also at Kenji Kurosaki’s second Tokyo Kyokushinkai dojo. In his first day in class Oyama asked Caile to teach English to his chief instructor, Tadashi Nakamura. They have been friends ever since. Caile also participated in Oyama’s masterwork book, “This Is Karate.”

Caile left Japan with his black belt and designation as Branch Chief, the first in the US to have had extensive training in Japan directly under Oyama Sensei. As such, Oyama Sensei asked him to be his representative on visits to his US dojos to report on their status.

A little over a year later, Nakamura, Kusosaki and Akio Fujihira won an epic David vs. Goliath challenge match against Thailand’s professional Muay Thai Boxers in Bangkok, Thailand, thrusting Kyolushinkai and Nakamura into national prominence.

Back in the US Caile taught Kyokushinkai karate in Peoria, Il while in college and later in Washington, DC. while in graduate school. Durimg this time Shihan Nakamura had moved to New York City to head Kyokushinkai’s North American Operation.

In 1976 when Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura formed the World Seido Karate organization, Caile followed. Living then in Buffalo, NY, Caile taught Seido karate and self-defense at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo) for over 15 years where he also frequently lectured on martial arts and Zen in courses on Japanese culture.

Caile moved to New York City in 1999 to marry Jackie Veit. He is now an 8th degree black belt, Hanshi, training in Seido Karate’s Westchester, NY Johshin Honzan (Spiritual Center) dojo. In Seido Caile is known for his teaching of and seminars on kata applications. He also produced a 14 segment video series on Pinan kata Bunkai currently available to Seido members.

Caile is also a long-time student and Shihan in Aikido. He studied in Buffalo, under Mike Hawley Shihan, and then under Wadokai Aikido’s founder, the late Roy Suenaka (uchi deshi under Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido and was Shihan under Tohei Sensei). In karate, Suenaka (8thdan) was also an in-house student of the Okinawan karate master Hohan Soken.

Having moved to New York City, Caile in 2000 founded this martial arts educational website, FightingArts.com. Twenty-five years later, in 2025, it underwent a major update and revision.

For FightingArts.com and other publications Caile wrote hundreds of articles on karate, martial arts, Japanese art, Chinese Medicine and edited a book on Zen. He also developed relationships with a cross section of leading martial arts teachers. Over the last four decades he has conducted extensive private research into karate and martial arts including private translations of the once secret Okinawan hand copied and passed on Kung Fu book, the Bubishi, as well as an early karate book by the karate master Kenwa Mabuni. He periodically returns to Japan and Okinawa to continue his studies and participate Seido karate events. In Tokyo he practiced (with Roy Suenaka Sensei) in a variety of aikido organizations with their founders – including private interviews and practices at the Aiki-kai Aikido Honbu dojo with the son and grandson of aikido’s founder, Doshu (headmaster) Kisshomaru (an old uchi-deshi friend) and his son, Moriteru Ueshiba and in Iwama with Morihiro Saito. On Okinawa he studied Goju Ryu karate under Eiichi Miyazato, 10th dan founder of Naha’s Jundokan, and also with Yoshitaka Taira (who later formed his own organization, who specialized in kata Bunkai. While there Caile also trained with Hohan Soken’s senior student, Master Fusei Kise, 10 dan as well as with the grandson of the legendary karate master Anko Itosu.

Caile’s other martial arts experience includes: Diato-ryu Aikijujitsu and Kenjitsu, kobudo, boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, Kali (empty hand, knife and bolo), study of old Okinawan Shoran-ryu & Tomari body mechanics, study of old Okinawan kata under Richard Kim, study of close quarter defense and combat, including knife and gun defenses, Kyusho Jitsu and several Chinese fighting arts including 8 Star Praying Mantis, Pak Mei (White Eyebrow), and a private family system of Kung Fu.

Caile is also a student of Zen as well as a long-term student of one branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chi Kung (Qigong). As one of two senior disciples of Chi Kung master Dr. Shen (M.D., Ph.D.) Caile was certified to teach and practice. This led to Caile’s founding of the The Chi Kung Healing Institute on Grand Island, NY. In Western NY, he also frequently held Chi Kung seminars, including at SUNY Buffalo and at the famous Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY. His articles on Chi Kung also appeared in the Holistic Health Journal and in several books on alternative medicine.

Caile holds a BA in International Studies from Bradley University and MA in International Relations with a specialty in South and Southeast Asia from American University in Washington, D.C. While in Buffalo, NY he also studied digital and analog electronics.

In his professional life Caile also worked in public relations and as a newspaper reporter and photographer. Earlier he worked in the field of telecommunications including Managing a Buffalo, NY sales and service branch for ITT. He then founded his own private telephone company. This was followed by creation of an electrical engineering company that designed and patented his concept for a new type of low-cost small business telephone system (which was eventually sold to Bell South). The company also did contract work for Kodak and the US space program. Simultaneously Caile designed and manufactured a unique break-apart portable pontoon boat.

Most recently Caile co-founded an internet software company. Its products include software suites with AI capability for control and management of streaming media, such as video and music, an all-in-one book publishing software product for hardcover, eBook and audio book creation and security software for buildings and government use.

For more details about Christopher Caile’s martial arts, work experience and life profile, see the About section in the footer of this site.