IMAC Fees

I recently had a student ask me why they had to pay for IMAC fees if they didn’t want to compete in a tournament.

In the martial arts business world, there are lots of business models. Most of them have one thing in mind: Separate you from your money. I have taken extreme measures to make sure that my program is a fair exchange of services and time. I am constantly looking to improve the value of my programs. Tia, my black belts and I have worked hard to make sure we are second to non in this region, but it is not enough. It takes years to reach the first level of mastery in a martial art style. It is impossible to learn all that there is to know about the martial arts. That is why I affiliated with IMAC.

When I was a color belt student, I first trained under a very talented kung fu practitioner. As soon as I moved away, ie, (joined the military), I found that my rank and skill meant nothing. Every time I moved I had to start over in their style. I have many funny stories about relearning the same technique over and over. One day I found out the Air Force had an Olympic Taekwondo team. I showed up to all the practices and I was beating all but one 3rd degree on the team but I wasn’t allowed to join and compete because I wasn’t a "recognized"  black belt. I am happy to say that by offering our students a certificate of rank by a recognized organization (IMAC) this will never happen to anyone I have trained. Imagine going to school and not be able to transfer any of your credits. IMAC is the equivalent of a "fully accredited collage" for martial arts. 

Each year they charge $20 (much less than other organizations I have been with) and they offer much more. As an example: to get a master to come to an area to teach usually costs $5000 plus expenses. A Grandmaster is much, much more. When I accepted the invitation to join the masters council, I did so with the understanding that when I was invited to teach at other schools I would donate my time and the hosting instructor would take care of my expenses so I had nothing out of pocket. When we charge for seminars that is what the money goes to. If we make a profit I either give it to the guest instructor as a nice gesture or I put it into a demo team / tournament fund.  

And that brings me to my favorite IMAC perk, tournaments. If you go to one tournament, your IMAC discount pays for itself and more. As you compete and earn trophies, you are also earning points against IMAC members. The top point earners get a special award presented by Grandmaster Witz during a special banquet at the Winter Olympics in Las Vegas. You can even track find your name and points on the IMAC website.

Tournament Savings Tip: make sure you register through your instructor (usually Mrs. Southwick) early. This way you get the early registration discount as well as your IMAC discount. If you register online, you won’t get your IMAC member discount.

Master Southwick