[Jake]

My approach to newbies is that I tell them that they will get injured or killed, injure or even kill someone else. Then I appeal to their wallet saying that lessons are far cheaper than trashing their own equipment, paying the medical bills for their injuries, lost wages for missing work, or even risking a lawsuit for reckless endangerment if they injure someone else. I also tell them that lessons will make their experience a lot safer and that they will not be as frustrated as they will learn the sport a whole lot quicker. Sometimes it works but there are still some hard-heads that think "how difficult can it be".