ErikH
3rd July 2002, 19:37
I've been puzzling over something recently. What is the value of an organization to the dojo owner? For instance, one organization in the community I'm part of charges the following:
$25 fee for kyu tests
$25 annual fee for kyu ranks
$50 annual fee for dan ranks
To be promoted to shodan requires trips to annual retreats as does further rank tests. Retreats, typically a week long, run under $500 but then there are traveling expenses. Dan tests are done at the retreats.
So adding up the costs for a 50 person dojo with say 5 dan level students runs you approximately:
45 kyu ranks x $25 = $1,125.00
5 dan ranks x $50 = $250
Testing Fees* 20 x $25 = $500
Total Annual Costs $1,875
Or nearly $20,000 over 10 years.
* assumes only kyu tests
And this is without any retreat costs.
As a non-member I can still attend their training camps. As far as I know there is no discount for members of the organization. In fact, members get nothing that I can see other than a rank certificate issued from Japan. There's not even any name brand recognition to the organization. When you tell a prospective student you are part of organization X they'll often look at you with a blank stare.
For the record, I hold the unnamed organization mentioned above in high regard but I'm confused what dojo owners get from their association with them. What do you get from your organizations? What do you think you should get from your organizations?
$25 fee for kyu tests
$25 annual fee for kyu ranks
$50 annual fee for dan ranks
To be promoted to shodan requires trips to annual retreats as does further rank tests. Retreats, typically a week long, run under $500 but then there are traveling expenses. Dan tests are done at the retreats.
So adding up the costs for a 50 person dojo with say 5 dan level students runs you approximately:
45 kyu ranks x $25 = $1,125.00
5 dan ranks x $50 = $250
Testing Fees* 20 x $25 = $500
Total Annual Costs $1,875
Or nearly $20,000 over 10 years.
* assumes only kyu tests
And this is without any retreat costs.
As a non-member I can still attend their training camps. As far as I know there is no discount for members of the organization. In fact, members get nothing that I can see other than a rank certificate issued from Japan. There's not even any name brand recognition to the organization. When you tell a prospective student you are part of organization X they'll often look at you with a blank stare.
For the record, I hold the unnamed organization mentioned above in high regard but I'm confused what dojo owners get from their association with them. What do you get from your organizations? What do you think you should get from your organizations?