A Fencing Franchise.

[Zelda]

Ok, honest opinons here guys, does the thought of a set of salles "a la McDonalds" stir any interest in you? The premise would be you can fence anywhere there is a salle and be garunteed a mimumim standard of gear/coaching etc. Also consistancy of advancement and reciprocal rights. Or would you prefer a loose "sister club" organisation thats extends around the world which works on teh premise if you are in a country and the city you are in has a "sister" club to your club you can train for free or a nominal fee.
Comments/suggestions/flames all apreciated!

[arcon]

[ 10-19-2001: Message edited by: arcon ]

[Cyranox11]

Yo
My coach has a similar deal.
His salle in Johannesburg is the main salle, but he has (through other coaches he has brought to the country) established salles in Bloemfontein and Cape Town. He is also planning a sattelite sall in Johannesburg.
All salles have the same pricing structure and similar equipment. Also all coaches follow the same methodolgy so you can move around without major problems its a damn good idea.
Later
C

[Tomas N]

This is also pretty common regionally in the U.S. In Pittsburgh, for instance, there is a club that has several satellite sites. This is particularly helpful in a region where there aren't a lot of quality instructors. If you want to make a living (or just break even) as a fencing instructor, you have to teach in several locations.

I'm not sure about the national/worldwide thing though. I don't necessarily see the value of the brand name in terms of product differentiation. It's pretty easy to figure out who the "good" instructors are without the brand name, isn't it?

[Zelda]

Thanks for your replys guys. We are looking maybe oneday in the future doing something like this in Brisbane, its good to see that the idea actually works. Acron no it wouldnt be called Big Mac fencing, it would be City Fencers in <insert city name here>.

[mmatsen]

Hoo boy.

We saw a system like this in upstate and western NY a few years ago. The 'mothership' tended to draw resources from the satelite clubs in exchange for not enough teacher training. The smaller salles started going broke, and eventually the organizer skipped town two steps ahead of the lynch mob...

Even discounting such organisational problems, I don't think that the fencing community benefits from standardization. What's fascinating about the sport is the number of different approaches to the same task, and that the only final judgement of different styles or training techniques is on the strip. The tradeoff for consistent coaching over various clubs is repressing fencing individuality.

I do like Zelda's idea of 'sister clubs', though. A little cross-pollination of fencing ideas could only be a good thing.

[Cyranox11]

Hey mmatsen
I take your point, but when you are trying to build up the level of fencing on a national basis it is good to have a 'syllabus' from which to work as when you get to national level you all work from the same basis and the coach knows that all the basics have been taught and taught correctly. Also, it is nice when changing cituy to know that you wont have to unlearn a whole range of things. This is not to say that all coaches teach EXACTLY the same thing but the basics and the methodology are the same for all fencers at that level. It is standardization at the basic level that counts and allows for alternation and expression at higher levels...

[Peach]

A club-mate and I started a school club for the kids where we teach, and we use the curriculum and methods of our home club (both of us were coaches there). Also, our home club has satellite classes at the local night school and at nearby colleges. There have been a couple of times when our very competitive and aggressive parents have told us they are going to take their children to the "more competitive" club, assuming that we are just a little homegrown activity (the curriculum stresses games and fun, and we don't arm the kids for quite a while), and we smile and say, "Fine--that's us, too."

[Mergs]

I have started or been involved in the start up of many clubs and have learned a number of lessons each time (and as a result, been a little more successful). I'm interested in what others experiences have been. What have been the biggest obstacles others out there have faced in starting/growing/maintaining a club?

[arcon]

[ 10-19-2001: Message edited by: arcon ]

[arcon]

I look for the positive before the negative.
Guess i saw Zeldas post as a little more positive than others. Starting a fencing franchise is a positive thing.......seeking out the negative aspects and obstacles to me is a narrower subject. Isolate the cancer and kill it . Keep the dream pure......hey, just my opinion.........arcon



[This message has been edited by arcon (edited 04-04-2001).]

[Mergs]

Ok, in spirit of positive vibes, what have clubs done that have enhanced their
success/growth/maintance? Hugs all around!

[arcon]

That hug tickled ....Mergs......stop it....


1. A Healhy affordable fencing program
for the youth.
2. Regular tournament scedule.(in house)
3. Adult fencing program.
4. Providing Education Demos for the
Community.
5. Praise,recognition and incentive for
individual advancement.

im sure there are more these are just a few

................arcon

[This message has been edited by arcon (edited 04-04-2001).]

[Zelda]

Heck, I nearly forgot to post in my own topic! The ultimate aim for us in potentially "franchising" the club is to initiate our own "inter club" competitions etc. At the moment as a club we run approximately 9 divisions in different competitions. eg, we have ahd a mens/womens electric foi, electric epee, electric sabre, steam sabre, sabre teams comps already this year. On Sunday we are running an A/B grade foil comp, and later in the year we will be doing a teams event and at least another epee comp. We try to work in conjunction with the state association, ie not overlapping on state squad training or state circut comps. But we want to get more people involved and this means more clubs so its accessible to more people. Hence the "franchising" idea.

[foiled again]

I've never had the desire to stray from foil or epee but steam sabre sounds interesting! Where do I sign up?

fa

[ladybug]

Steam sabre????

[Peach]

"steam" as opposed to "dry" - electric sabre.

[Zelda]

Thanks Peach.....I forgot the 'mercians called it something different. Steam sabre, "cause 2nd degree burns to your opponent, make them damp, get those annoying creases out their jacket!" "Introducing the steam sabre, for the fencing addict in your house, better then an iron, more fun then a trouser press, try the steam sabre today!"

Arcon,
Worthy goals. How about a permanent fencing venue added to that?

Marty />

[thebigriddle]

Sounds cool, good luck