As 5 Elements nears its 5th anniversary, many changes are afoot. We are revising the curriculum, implementing new sash levels, and introducing special programs. Along with these changes comes a new website! Since we have come this far and are now revamping the business, I have paused for a time to complete this 5 year reflection and muse on our future as a martial arts studio.
I like to compare our business growth to the sash rankings as a student works up through them. Both a business and a student have to grow in their respective fields, but without proper guidance and a bit of trial and error, both will fail at their respective ventures.
White Sash
What is the most important thing that you (or your child) had to learn when you started? We asked it every time you came in - what does a white sash have to have? Kung Fu Focus of course! This means good listening skills and body control which are the two core principles of being able to focus and take in corrections from the instructors. Without focus, you are unable to take in 
instruction and cannot build the framework you need to advance. If details escape you or you are not precise in knowing what each move needs to look like, you cannot advance.
5 Elements had to do the same thing. Building walls, installing carpet, buying a floor mat to train on - all these things needed to be taken care of. If you do not know what you are doing when you open a business, you will fail quickly... no matter how amazing your product is. If you don't learn and understand the details and fail to pay your rent, you'll be evicted. If you don't listen to your instructor's corrections, you will not move on. November 2010 was crucial for Sifu Mario, for he knew if he didn't do everything necessary to opening the studio, he wasn't going to be able to keep spreading the knowledge he had gained. Focus, hard work, and dedication were required to get the school off the ground, just as it is required to push yourself to that next level in your training.
Yellow Sash
After a student gains focus, they have to establish a base within the curriculum. The focus of yellow sash is grounding into one's stance and making oneself stronger. By doing this, the student will be able to withstand heavy frontal attacks and re-attack with great power and force. A student who is able to do this can be very tough to defeat, at least immediately.
A business has to find its clients and develop a relationship with them. Because 5 Elements is not corporate and never will be, a relationship with the families is important to us. Keeping you happy and giving you the best martial arts training you can receive is an important priority to us. If we do not focus on you, why should you stay? 5 Elements has to treat all families well and do what is best for each student, whether that means guiding a very focused student to achieving more or motivating a student who does not feel inclined to do everything he needs to or is capable of. By deepening our roots in the students, we become stronger and deeper.
Green Sash
The main focus of green sash is to stay rooted while off balancing your opponent. Just like a tree a green sash must stay rooted while still growing and expanding to avoid being torn down by the other forces of nature. By learning sweeping techniques, a green sash expands his horizons beyond pure focus and strong stances. He has passed the beginner stages of his training and is ready to begin learning intermediate techniques.
Similarly, 5 Elements has to expand its branches and grow bigger. We are currently at the green sash level in business terms. We must expand our numbers so that we may reach more students and help them become mentally and physically strong. In the coming months, instructors plan on expanding programs, school events, and special workshops. We welcome your input as we grow and add new features, as we want to know what you want and how to best provide experiences that will serve you better. Please feel free to talk to any instructor if you have suggestions, questions, or feedback. In the future, we will ask for your feedback via surveys and personal statements, with the possibility of exciting prizes like private lessons for participating as a thank you. 5 Elements Martial Arts San Diego wants to provide benefits to the community, and you can help us expand our reach!
Red Sash
Red sashes are preparing for an important goal as they learn their material - the black sash test. This is the level where the curriculum becomes advanced and you no longer rely on just memorization or basic responsive techniques - you are forced to think for yourself and adapt to your surroundings. Sparring is beneficial and recommended. Intense training is likewise suggested. A red sash moves one to specific blocking techniques and advanced ground self defense positions that prepare one for any situation. They must bring the fire and enthusiasm to their training. This will show the instructors that the student is ready to receive the invitation to test for black sash.
A martial arts studio must be the example of enthusiasm and motivation for its red sashes. By providing new energy, ideas, and passion to the studio, the owners and instructors continue their expansion from a green sash business mindset to a passionate and highly motivated red sash mindset. They can expand their client base as well as push their students to become better, stronger, and smarter in new and different ways. Red-hot growth will inspire new goals, achievements, and skills to better serve both the studio and the students.
Black Sash
A black sash has reached the so-called pinnacle of training. It is the stereotypical end of one's martial arts career and is considered by the non-martial artist to be the highest level possible. When you reach black sash, you realize that the journey has just begun. Yes, you have reached the highest rank, but you are not done learning. There are still more, specialized moves to master, for a black sash begins anew. They will have to relearn everything from a new mindset. Black Sash is merely the completion of the circle of 5 elements and is fluid, relaxed, and ready to start again. You are not done training, you have just begun the next step as a martial artist and are expected to once again take your training to that next level, beginning with the white sash focal 
point of Kung Fu focus. It is no longer just learning how to listen to your instructor. It has now become being able to anticipate corrections before they are given and attempt to hone your skills to a fine point so that only the best martial artists can recognize your minor faults.
Just like a student must start again, a business must reinvent the wheel. It realizes that by the time it has reached "black sash success level", times have changed and people have different needs. 60 years ago, the American school system was focused on creating strong young men and women and keeping them in good health while engaging their mind in order to prepare them for industrial labor and relaxing mental ideas at home. Today, our school system places a larger emphasis on knowledge and the acquisition of it - attempting to help everyone achieve a college education and become widely successful in the workforce. Different times, different needs. So also with a business. As the years pass and 5 Elements grows, instructors will adapt curriculum and training to better suit the students walking through the door each day. Our goal is to create a business that does what you want, not what is old and/or outdated.
Conclusion
It has been nearly 5 years since 5 Elements Martial Arts San Diego opened, and in those 5 years we have grown, solidified our customers, and worked to provide you with the best martial arts experience possible. Going forward, we will attempt to grow, to provide benefit to students and the surrounding community, and to use feedback to change to best fit your needs. Our new website is part of this. Today's world is now more than ever technology and mobile-based, and we redid this website with phones and tablets at the forefront of its design. 5 Elements intends to continue adding features to give you the best possible experience while still maintaining our core values and demonstrating our commitment to excellence. Please let us know if you have any questions, and if you liked this post, please share it on social media to help us continue our green sash training.
-- Instructor Marshall Hunt
"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." - Albert Einstein
