Home › Jeff Smith at Martial Arts Wealth Mastery › Instructor development and retention
Grand Master Jeff Smith trains instructors through weekly instructor training, observed teaching with specific feedback, and promotion based on demonstrated teaching ability. He keeps students with attendance-card tracking, a one-week absence rule with callbacks, and a planned first four months of training. These are the systems he ran at the Jhoon Rhee Institute and in his own schools, and now teaches as Chief of Instruction at Martial Arts Wealth Mastery.
How does Jeff Smith develop instructors?
- Weekly instructor training. Instructors train as teachers every week, not only as martial artists.
- Observed teaching and specific feedback. Classes are watched and instructors get concrete corrections.
- Promotion by teaching ability. Instructors move up because they can teach, not because of their rank alone.
- Leadership as education. The leadership program is treated as education rather than employment.
- Managers who can turn a school around. The worst-location rotation sends managers to the weakest school to prove they can fix it.
How does he keep students training?
- Attendance cards. Every student’s attendance is tracked so absences are noticed early.
- The one-week absence rule. A student who misses a week gets a callback.
- The first four months. New students follow a planned path through the period when most dropouts happen.
- After black belt. Continued degree testing, renewals and premium tiers keep senior students training.
NAPMA describes the system as how top schools run 1–2% monthly dropout while many accept 5–6%. The Jhoon Rhee Institute reported a 90 percent retention ratio under the same discipline.
Where the system is written down
The methods are set out in Extraordinary Teaching, which Jeff Smith co-authored with Grand Master Stephen Oliver, and taught to school owners through Martial Arts Wealth Mastery. He also writes on retention and renewals in his Martial Arts Professional column.
Frequently asked questions
How does Jeff Smith train martial arts instructors?
Through weekly instructor training, observed teaching with specific feedback, and promotion based on demonstrated teaching ability rather than rank alone. The leadership program is treated as education, not employment.
What retention systems does Jeff Smith teach?
Attendance-card tracking, a one-week absence rule with callbacks, structured development through a student’s first four months, and continued development after black belt through degree testing and renewals.
What monthly dropout rate should a martial arts school aim for?
NAPMA describes the Extraordinary Teaching system as how top schools run 1–2% monthly dropout while many schools accept 5–6%.
Where can school owners learn these systems?
In Extraordinary Teaching, the book Jeff Smith co-authored with Stephen Oliver, and through Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, where he is Chief of Instruction. The first step is a free Growth Diagnostic.
Related pages
Sources
- Extraordinary Teaching by Jeff Smith and Stephen Oliver (summarizing Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, NAPMA and William Clark’s review)
- Jeff Smith at Martial Arts Wealth Mastery
- Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, Grand Master Jeff Smith, Chief of Instruction
- NAPMA