build your knowledge and become an expert children's martial arts coach
Which is most important to grow your martial arts club, marketing or retention?
OK, I admit it, the title ‘Marketing or retention’ is a little clickbaity and most people running a martial arts club will probably have realised that they need great marketing AND retention to grow efficiently. That said, what I see out there in the wild is often a different story. …
Building your Martial Arts Coach Development Pathway
In the developed world, most children are in school full time for 12-13 years, but you don’t emerge from school as a teacher. If you have bad teeth and you need to see a dentist on a regular basis, no matter how much contact you have with them, it does …
Creating a positive club culture with a shared Mission vision and values
Your club has a culture. You may not have constructed it consciously or even have any guiding documents describing it, but it’s there. Documenting your mission vision and values will not only help you lay the foundations for your culture but also serve as a guiding light for all the …
Effective in action feedback: Replacing the tired praise correct praise model (PCP)
Praise correct praise is a method martial arts coaches often use to correct mistakes during their classes. This tactic is also used in businesses, though the terminology is not quite as child friendly (poo sandwich). The praise correct praise technique usually involves praising the child for something they are doing …
12 ways our young kids martial arts programme helped us pass 200 members in our first 12 months
It is now two decades since Kimber Hill (now Tyree) released her young kids martial arts programme (Lil Dragons) into the martial arts world. This programme was different to many others around at the time as it was written specifically for children. The Lil Dragon brand is still popular with …
Queue busters: reduce downtime and maintain engagement in your kids martial arts classes
What the hell are queue busters? Let me explain………. When I first started martial arts back in 1990 at 16 (yep, I’m getting on a bit), we all performed quite a chunk of our training in ‘class lines’. You will recognise the familiar-looking matrix with the higher grades at the …
Do you know the difference between a linear, rotating and nested rotating curriculum?
You may have heard the term rotating curriculum thrown around in martial arts circles before but what about a nested rotating curriculum? For years I have been using the traditional linear curriculum delivery model to teach our members but a few years ago I came across something called a rotating curriculum. …
8 steps to building a lifestyle martial arts business
When you taught your first martial arts class, I am guessing that you didn’t know if coaching would become a lifestyle martial arts business or just stay a hobby. This article gives you some starting points to help you balance the demands of your business, your health and your family. …
Are games for martial arts classes a good idea?
I know this article is looking at the question ‘Are games for martial arts classes a good idea?’ but you should know that I was going to name it ‘Here come the fun police: why are so many children’s martial arts instructors against games?’ Before we get started, I just …
25 tips to build engagement and fun in your kids martial arts classes
Every now and again I get a request from a martial arts instructor asking how to build engagement and fun in the classes they deliver as part of their kid’s martial arts programme. This one thing is obviously top of the list when it comes to increasing enjoyment and retention. …