Prospects

A person may walk into or call a Taekwondo school for many different reasons. School owners must be aware of these reasons and be able respond to each person so they may convince the person to come to the school for a trial lesson or to refer the person to another martial art. If the school has good instructors and is managed properly, once the person has taken a trial class, he or she will probably be ready to sign up for more classes. Some reasons for people being interested in Taekwondo are:

• Looking for an active sport to become involved in. These people are interested for a "sweat." They are seeking physical exercise and a good workout. These are usually 20-30 year old men and women.
• Looking for a sport that may best utilize his or her innate skills. These people are looking for a sport in which they may excel. These are usually 10-30 year old men and women and parents looking for sport for a boy or girl.
• Looking to relieve stress. These people are looking for a way to relax and escape the pressures of daily life. These are usually 30-60 year old men and women.
• Looking to improve their health. These people are seeking a way to improve their health and overall well-being. These are usually 40-60 year old men and women.
• Looking for self-defense. Either through direct or indirect contact with crime or from a fear of crime, these people want to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones. These are usually 20-40 year old women and 30-60 year old men.
• Looking for competition. These people are competitors who enjoy pitting themselves against others for some reward, such as a trophy or title. These are usually 10-25 year old women and men of practically any age.
• Current Taekwondo students who have recently moved. These are people who have been training regularly for a period of time but have moved to a new area.
• Looking for a different martial art. These are people who have studied some other martial art for years and are seeking to try something different.
• Looking for enlightenment. These are people who are interested in the mystical aspects of the martial arts. These are usually 20-50 year old men and women.
• Looking to be creative. These people are looking for a martial art with spectacular and acrobatic techniques. These are usually 15-25 year old men.
• Looking for new fighting skills. These people love to fight and are seeking new techniques to use in competitions. Some may be involved in full-contact fighting of some type. These are usually 20-30 year old men.
• Looking for stunt training. These are people interested in the martial arts for fight simulation for movies, television, professional wrestling, or some other type of show business. These are usually 20-30 year old men and women.