Martial arts teachers, grapplers, and mixed martial artist, there is another arena where your skills are marketable and that is the game of football. Especially, in the area of line play. The Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders have hired martial artists for years to teach linemen and linebackers how to hit with power, escape holds, how to hide holds, balance/footwork while moving and striking upper body and joint manipulation.

These techniques used in the National Football League (NFL) are now becoming commonplace and are expanding each year. There are new areas where martial arts skills are being used, such as locking a runners stiff arm to the tacklers person while the tackler uses his other hand to wrestle/knock the ball out the runner/receivers hand. Wide receivers are using arm tie-ups and escapes, when cornerbacks jam them at the line of scrimmage. Defensive linemen are using Greco-Roman and Sombo techniques to evade and tackle. Tacklers are taught finger, wrist and elbow manipulation to cause fumbles as the runner/receiver is falling to the ground.

While the NFL becomes more sophisticated in using these techniques, it is time for the grappler and mixed martial artist to venture into this virtually untapped market on the high school and college levels. There are hundreds of camps, seminars and teams that involve football skills that are always looking for something new and inventive to give their participants an edge on the gridiron.

If you are a mixed martial artist, grappler or wrestling coach who have some football background, then this will be a plus for you. You will be able to start your own program in this area of football skill. You do not have to wait for someone to call you. You can start this kind of training right in your gym or club as a camp, course or seminar. Conditioning, falling, balance, eye training, leverage, strength, grappling, speed work and the list goes on about the many skills you can offer your clients.

Do not forget the Pop Warner levels, semi-pro and the new women football leagues, which are sprouting around the USA and Canada.

Your camps can be held outdoors or indoors, for example, gyms, recreation centers, football stadiums, parks, etc.

Remember that this kind of training is sport specific, so try to charge the same price as some of the other sport specific skills camps such as basketball. And for extra money, have nutritional training, which is skill specific in areas such as strength or speed. You can also make and sell instructional, books, tapes and DVDs for your clients. These items can be distributed and sold on the Internet as well.

Remember this is still an untapped market. It is worth adding this to your club curriculum on the off season.