| "We had a great experience with the Glow Weapons seminar. First dealing with Pearcys was easy. They had a nice promotion kit to help sell the seminar. We had a single Ssahng Jeol Bong clinic in Feb that was very successful, we had 52 participants and actually had 7 kids on a waiting list. The kids had a great time, and the parents that were watching were mesmerized. We are coming back with another single clinic as well as double in May. Attached is a link to some of the pics from the clinic. We charged between $45 and $50 depending on their membership." - Rick Trautwein of Trautweins ATA in Sarasota, Florida |
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The Reason for Developing Glow Weapons If you've been with the ATA for a very long time, you will remember the days before Protech weapons. As weapons were slowly introduced into the ATA, students were able to take a special seminar in which they could learn to use these weapons. They were not a normal part of the curriculum in classes. A typical charge of $10-$20 for taking the class was normal, in addition to the cost of the weapon. At this point, if you had about 50 students, you could very well get over 30 of them to sign up for a weapons seminar. These weapons seminars would have good attendance, and were offered every month or two at a lot of schools. ATA schools seeing the huge interested in weapons, started integrating the weapons training into their normal Black Belt Club and Leadership programs. So now, if you had 50 students, probably 80% of them were in Black Belt Club or Leadership. So what this meant was a huge decline in the number of attendees for traditional weapons seminars. The remaining 20% that werent in Black Belt Club or Leadership obviously didnt want to do weapons anyway. Now you have the other 80% of your students, which ALL already do weapons. So from a students point of view, there is absolutely no reason to pay for more of the same. Or in other words, they are already learning nunchakus in regular class, why would they pay another $20 to learn more of the same stuff. Whether you taught different material in the seminar versus class or not, the students just see it as paying for more of the same. And if your ATA school was like ours, we struggled for years on ways to try to increase seminar attendance. We had tried dozens of different approaches to it, all with the same end result. They already had the weapons, and already used them in Black Belt Club, and werent going to pay for more of the same thing. The idea originated when we were at a festival running a free taekwondo lesson booth. After dark, we handed out free glow necklaces to promote our business. And we are martial artists, so what did we do? Well we taped glow sticks onto our Protech weapons of course! While it was cool, it was a little lacking of course... Now at this point, there are some of us that are familiar with the "GloChucks" brand that Century carried a while back. They were a similar concept. Other instructors, as well as us, tried using these for seminars. They had a single use type that came in red only, and then there were LED types. The single use type was alright, but it was just a plain white color, boring, and overpriced for what it was. And replacement costs on the glow sticks for those were $5 each, meaning $10 to replace glow sticks in a set of nunchakus! The LED types were entertaining for the 30 seconds that they worked before the electronics literally explode and fly out the bottom. (Several instructors can attest to this) THERE HAD TO BE A BETTER WAY! An ATA school owner myself, we set out to create the perfect glowing nunchakus for our own school. We spent LOTS of money and months on research and development in making our very own Pearcy's Glowing Nunchakus. We wanted to make something that not only costs less, but is far superior in terms of customization, colors available, and yet lower priced. Once we had working prototypes, we turned out all of the lights and did a preview in our school. We INSTANTLY had lots of sign ups and had nearly THREE TIMES the amount that we had at our previous regular nunchakus seminar that we offered. Our hard efforts proved to be a success. We mentioned what we had done to a couple of other ATA school owners, and they said they wanted to buy some from us so that they could do a Glowing Nunchaku class too. Soon after, we started calling other ATA schools to let them know about the idea that we had stumbled upon. Get more students signed up, sell more, make more. With Glow Weapons seminars, not only do you get 2x-3x as many sign ups, but you do get to sell more weapons instead of just using the ones they already have. Nearly every single ATA school that has done our Glow Weapons seminars has had double or triple the amount of attendees to its Glow Weapons seminars versus regular weapons seminars. This is a guaranteed money maker for your school. Since the initial release of the Pearcy's Glowing Nunchakus, they have been such a HUGE hit with ATA Schools, we have been expanding our line to more and more Glow Weapons. Be sure to keep up to date on our website for information on the newest developments of Glow Weapons. So you're ready to start, but arent sure of all of the details in hosting a good Glow Weapons class? Keep reading! |
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| "These weapons have generated a LOT of interest in our Bahng Mahng Ee class. Everyone was more interested in long sticks or Ssahng Jeol Bongs, but offering a chance to use a glowing Bahng Mahng Ee turned it into our hottest class. Inserting the glow sticks was quick and easy. We are doing a whole week glow camp with different weapons as a result of our success!"
- Lori Johnson - ATA Black Belt Academy - Falmouth, Maine |
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Scheduling Glow Weapons Parties Hosting your own Glow Weapons parties shouldnt be a one time event, it should be an ongoing and integrated part of your school for maximum potential. Since we offer a variety of weapons, its possible to do a Glow Weapons party with a different weapon every couple of months! Below is our recommended yearly schedule for you.
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| "We started out deciding to do Glow Weapons as a clinic that would be more exciting for the students. It turned out to be the best event this school has ever had! As new school owners, we try to build up student attendance with exciting events that captivate the students and parents alike. Our glow weapons seminar brought in over 80% participation and had a full parent gallery of spectators. As a small school, this proved to be a great jump start with our new parents and students alike. We have not had more participation in any other event, and would like to repeat this participation and enthusiasm at our next glow weapons seminar. We initially thought that the Glow Weapons would be more fun, and we couldn't have been more right. Each student absolutley loved the event and wanted to know when the next one would be. We have promised both parents and students that we will more Glow Weapons events in the near future and we hope to continue the excitement from everyone." - Jon Frank of Edgewood Black Belt Academy in Edgewood, Maryland |
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The Sign Up Sheet At least 1 month prior to hosting your Glow Weapons seminar put your sign up sheet out. We have provided you with a ready to use sign up sheet that allows you to fill in your own information. If you are going to allow non-members to attend, we recommend handing out invitations to your students for them to give out. Be sure to put a date that they must register by and let them know that there are a limited number of spots. Having limited spaces increases the value of the class and the urgency for them to sign up and pay. Start putting the posters up in your school promoting the event, and around town too if you are allowing non-members to take the class. You can also decide if you want to offer single or doubles in the Glow Weapon. One way to encourage students to take a class twice with the same type of weapon is to offer two levels. For level one, they pay a set price, which includes a single Glow Weapon and the price of the class. For level two, they pay the same price again, receiving a second weapon with the class. If they have already taken a level 1 class, they are eligible to take level 2 then. They can take both of these in the same night if you offer 2 levels and they pay for both. Or they can take level 1 to begin with, and then when you offer a level 2 again, they may take that class. Making it a requirement to complete level 1 before taking level 2 will also help. Otherwise, everyone may just skip level 1 and want to take the doubles in level 2. This maximizes the profit that you can make off of a single type of weapon per student. Also keep in mind that you will need replacement glow sticks for their first weapon if they do double weapons. NEW!!! Instantly download our ready to go sign up sheets! Glowing Nunchakus Sign Up Sheet Patriotic Glow Nunchakus Sign Up Sheet Glowing Escrima Sticks Sign Up Sheet Glow Staff Sign Up Sheet Glowing Kamas Sign Up Sheet |
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| "Glowing Nunchakus was a smash hit with all the attendees. We had
everyone from 5 year olds to adults and they all loved the weapons. The
parent's watching thought it was pretty cool also. In fact, some bought
extra weapons and extra glow sticks so they could play with it more later.
We brought out the Glow Long Staff and it was a smash hit. Everyone wanted
to play with it. So, we are doing a Glow staff workshop next. One of our moms is a photographer and took some pictures. Here are a couple
of the really cool ones from the seminar. Thanks for putting out a quality product and helping us plan the party with
the sign up sheets and so forth. All of the information you sent was
invaluable in helping us plan the event. You guys rock! Keep up the good
work!
" - Stan Shields - ATA Family Martial Arts - Centennial, Colorado |
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How Much Should I Charge? We get this question a lot, and its a good one! How much should you charge? For students taking a Glow Weapons class for the first time, they obviously need to purchase the weapon in addition to paying for the class. We recommend charging this as all one to simplify it. Just charge a rate that includes the weapons and the class. Also dont forget to set your cost to account for Leadership/BBC discounts if you offer those as well. But here is the easiest way to figure about how much you will be able to charge. Whatever your middle program is, you should be able to charge about half of what the monthly dues are for the class & weapon. Example, if your basic program is $60/month, Black Belt Club is $80/month, Leadership is $100/month, then you should be able to charge about $40 for the class and weapon included (half or $80 BBC which is middle program). And $40 is actually about the minimum that we recommend charging for the class and weapon both. But if your middle program at your school is $120/month, then you may be able to get $60 for the weapon and class both. |
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The Lights Out Preview This is one of the most important things to hosting a successful Glow Weapons Party. Talking about the weapons to the kids versus them seeing it can make or break your Glow Weapons Party. At 2 weeks prior to the date of your Glow Weapons class, you should do a full-scale preview for your students. Turn out all of the lights and show off the Glow Weapons yourself, or have a leadership member that’s talented with the weapon demonstrate it. You should do this for every class one night, and allow the students to handle the Glow Weapons after class as well. Be sure to explain to them that they can make their own insert to go in their Glow Weapon too! Another “lights out” preview should be done 1 week before the Glow Weapons class. Adding some special lighting effects or cool music during the preview will inspire the students to want to take the class too. Also keep in mind that you will want to get a couple extra sets of glow sticks for these previews, in addition to what you will need for your own weapon during the Glow Weapons class. We also recommend using some of the brighter colors for your preview demonstrations, like the green and laser blue colors. So plan ahead and get a Glow Weapon ordered for yourself with spare glow sticks. |
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What time does it get dark? It’s important to know what time it gets dark before scheduling your Glow Weapons class. If possible, scheduling the class after dark will eliminate having to black out any windows that may light up your workout floor during the class. This depends on the time of year it is, since during the winter its possible to host a Glow Weapon class any time after 5pm and it will be dark. During the summer, it may not get dark until 9pm, so you will need to completely black out any windows that may light up the workout floor in the least bit. The easiest and cheapest way to do this is with black painting plastic. This is found in the painting section of most stores, and is a solid black color. Even if you have those huge 8x8 windows, you can cover them completely for only about $3 per window. |
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How many colors should I offer? While we offer a wide variety of colors for you to choose from, we recommend choosing 3-4 colors to offer for your seminar. This makes ordering your Glow Weapons a lot simpler and gives the class the appearance of a little more orderly. You may also consider offering holiday themed colors depending on the season. On your promo posters and sign up sheets, you can simply mark out the colors that you wont be offering by using a black marker. |
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Lighting during your Glow Weapons class There are a huge variety of options for you to have for lighting during your Glow Weapons class. If you are offering only 3-4 different colors in your Glow Weapons, having matching light colors will help add to the atmosphere during the class. An example is if you have green, blue, and pink Glow Weapons, having some holiday lights in these colors will help carry on the color them. About 2-4 regular strands of lights around the room, depending on room size, should be enough to allow students to be able to see as much as they need to during the class. Also highlight any dangerous objects such as a pole in the center of the room using a strand of lights. Also make sure you and your staff have a flashlight at all times during the class in case of injuries, finding things, and being able to read your class planner. At certain times during the class you may need to turn on the lights to demonstrate some particular moves that cannot be done in the dark such as the 360 degree walk-around with the nunchakus. Have a staff member that can operate the lights at any given time during the Glow Weapons class. Other types of light that students seem to have a lot of fun with are spinning colors disco type lights, strobe lights, and black lights. Using these sparingly or just during the final segments of the class can end the class on an exciting note. Also make sure that your walkways are lit for your parents to see where they are going. This can be done with strands of lights or rope lights as well. |
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Making your Glow Weapons class different I know, we all have the tendency to play the same CD in class a hundred times. Both you and your students would like to hear new music, so take the time and get some new music just especially for your Glow Weapons class. It will make it that much different than every other day of class. See our huge music list for some song ideas, under the "School Owner Info" page. Another cool thing to do is give the kids Glow necklaces to wear as soon as they come in the door. This sets the mood, gets them excited, and also helps you keep track of where the students are at in case they drop their Glow Weapons during class. We offer glow necklaces at wholesale price as well. And of course there is only so many different strikes and drills to do with a particular weapon, but try to change the way they do it during your Glow Weapons class. Change the arrangement of how they are lined up, they directions they move, just use your imagination. You may have a student that has years of experience with the nunchakus, but having a Glow Weapon can seem like an entire new experience if done right. Just think of things that will look cool in the dark with the Glow Weapon. Some of the simplest things turn out to be the most fun things sometimes since it’s like the students are learning a whole new weapon in the dark. |
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Ordering Glow Weapons & Accessories The glow sticks that come with your Glow Weapons will last many hours beyond the length of the class, but your students may want extra glow sticks for playing at home or using them for leadership demos in the dark at graduations or open houses. We recommend using the regular glow sticks for you seminar, but do a little preview of a pair of LED Ssahng Jeol Bongs at the end of class. Guaranteed, you will be able to get more sales before they walk out the door. The LED lights and inserts are basically an upgrade. So starting with the original glow sticks for the seminar allows you to keep your cost on the seminar low, and then actually make a few extra dollars before they leave on the LED light upgrades and inserts. You should also get a few extra glow stick or LED lights in the rare case that one of them doesn’t work. Also allow plenty of time for Glow Weapons to arrive before the seminar date. For wholesale orders, we strongly recommend that you place your order 10 business days in advance before the seminar. This allows for shipping delays or if we temporarily run out of a given color for a day or two. There also may be sometimes where we are backed up on orders, so please place your order on the recommended 10 business days in advance. You should also order extras Glow Weapons to accommodate last minute sign ups. |
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Before the class Cracking a set of glow sticks and putting them in your own Glow Weapon may only take less than a minute, but if you have a lot of students this can take quite a while. Having the students crack their own glow sticks and getting the caps on can prove to be more trouble than its worth. It’s likely easier for you to just plan to have all of the Glow Weapons ready yourself about 20 minutes or more before the class starts. |
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Wholesale Pricing For instructor/school owner wholesale pricing, please contact us directly at 217-636-4354. Or to setup your wholesale account online, send us an email thru the website that includes your name, school name, shipping address, city/state/zip, phone number, and email address. Then we can setup your wholesale account on our website so that once you login, you will see your pricing instead of normal retail pricing. |
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