So you want to find careers in the martial arts industry. First of all, good luck. It’s not always easy. There are plenty of jobs out there, sure, but it’s not quite as simple as, say, applying for a job at a fast food restaurant. Honestly, there are only so many positions open.
If you keep at it, though, if you’re passionate if you have the talent, you can make a living as a martial artist. Just be sure that you’re doing it for the passion of the art, and remember that the way you treat others is generally more important than anything else in this field. Martial arts are a family above all else, and those who treat it as such will almost invariably do better than those who don’t.
Instructing
The most common job in the industry is that of instructor or sensei. There are two ways to go about this. You can start your own dojo, or you can work as an assistant instructor. If you want to run your own dojo, it’s important to take time to learn about the business end of things. When your whole life is the art of fighting, this can be difficult, and sadly, this means that the best senseis usually bring in the least amount of business. You might be able to find an assistant instructor, though, who can help you run the business well.
Becoming an assistant instructor can be a little more reliable. You may even inherit a dojo should your master wish to retire or expand and teach in another location.
It’s hard to say exactly how much you’ll make as an instructor, but most do it for the passion, the love of teaching, while drawing their living expenses from investments and so on. Not to say that you can’t make a living as a sensei, just that you do need to study the art of marketing as well as the art of fighting.
Stuntwork
Stunt work isn’t as reliable as it used to be, now that CGI has replaced traditional action and actors insist more and more on being trained to do the martial arts themselves. But, there’s still a lot of work to be found in television.
The downside of this is that you’ll have to move to a city where you can easily find TV productions to get involved with, but the upside is that, if you have the talent, most stunt crews have a quick turnover and will probably have a spot open for you.
Stunt performers are generally well paid, but being freelance work, the next month’s paycheck isn’t always a guarantee.
New Ideas
Try something new. In this day and age, you can make a lot of money on the internet. You can start a video channel and earn ad revenue or sell DVDs. You can start an advice column or martial arts website and earn affiliate marketing money. You could join one of those advice websites as the resident Kung Fu expert. The fact is, in martial arts, you’re generally going to have to find your own way of making money for the most part, so try something new.
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