In these tough economic times, the business environment has become increasingly competitive. As a martial arts school proprietor, you’ve got to go beyond the traditional offerings to survive, let alone thrive. Providing a diverse range of classes and services will bring in a wider audience, enriching the student learning experience and improving your bottom line.

The right mix of classes and auxiliary services will set your studio apart. This article explores how to provide classes and services that best cater to your target audience and community needs. 

Assessing Your Community and Target Audience

Understanding the community within which you operate is the first step to providing classes and services that will resonate with your market. Taking the time and effort to conduct market research will pay off by telling you what your potential students are looking for and what you can offer to provide it.

Get direct community feedback with focus groups and surveys. Survey questionnaires, which can be on paper or online, should ask about preferred class times, the martial arts discipline they are most interested in, and what extra services they would like to see.

Focus groups consist of a handful of people who are led in an in-depth discussion. Talk about what people expect from a martial arts school and what would get them to join.

A second tier of your market research should involve an analysis of the local demographics. Look first at the community’s age distribution. This will guide you on how much weight you should give to children’s and family classes.

Analyze the income levels of your target population. This will guide you in developing your pricing structure. The area’s cultural diversity will also help you offer classes that incorporate various cultural practices. 

Differentiated Classes

Once you have gathered your research material together, you will be able to identify your potential members’ needs and preferences.

While the number and size of classes should vary according to your demographic findings, you should provide classes to cater to different age groups and fitness levels. You probably won’t be able to offer separate classes for each of the following categories, so you must make judgments based on your research findings. Here’s an overview:

Age Group Differentiation

Offer different classes for children, teens, adults, and seniors. Classes for children should focus on developing motor skills, confidence, and discipline and should be fun and engaging.

Classes for teens should offer a mix of traditional martial arts and modern techniques. For adults, focus on self-defense, fitness, and stress relief. Senior classes should be low-impact, focusing on balance, flexibility, and overall wellness. 

Experience Level Differentiation

You should offer differentiated classes within each age group to cater to different fitness and experience levels. Provide introductory classes for beginners that gradually build up basic skills in a non-threatening way. 

Intermediate-level classes should build on basic skills and progressively introduce more advanced techniques. 

Advanced classes should challenge these students with rigorous training, advanced techniques, and opportunities for competition.

Interest Level Differentiation

Your research should identify the training goals of your prospective members. Create classes to match the most commonly identified objectives. These may include:

• Self-defense: This will continue to motivate many people to check out your studio, so offer specialized classes for different groups.
• Fitness and Weight Loss: Highlight martial arts’s fitness and weight loss benefits with classes incorporating cardio and strength training.
• Mental and Emotional Well-being: Focus on martial arts mental health benefits, such as stress reduction and improved concentration. Incorporate mindfulness and deep breathing exercises.

Core Martial Arts Classes

Your class schedule should include a blend of traditional and modern martial arts. Here are three popular class types to consider for each category:

Traditional Martial Arts

Karate

Karate focuses on striking techniques, including punches, kicks, knee strikes, and elbow strikes. It also includes open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Focus on kata (forms), kumite (sparring), and kihon (basics).

Taekwondo

Taekwondo emphasizes high, fast kicks and jumping/spinning kicks. It combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and philosophy. Focus on poomsae (forms), sparring, and breaking techniques.

Judo

Judo focuses on throws, joint locks, and pins, emphasizing using an opponent’s energy against them. Focus on randori (free practice), kata (forms), and shiai (competitions).

Modern Martial Arts

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)

BJJ emphasizes ground fighting and submission holds, such as joint locks and chokeholds. It also focuses on using leverage and techniques to overcome larger opponents. Focus on rolling (sparring), positional drills, and technique refinement.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

MMA combines techniques from a range of martial arts disciplines, including striking and grappling. It is a full-contact sport that incorporates striking and grappling, standing and on the ground. Focus on striking, grappling, clinch work, and conditioning.

Krav Maga

Krav Maga is a practical self-defense system designed for real-world situations. It emphasizes threat neutralization, simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers, and aggression. Focus on scenario-based training, stress drills, and technique application.

Supplementary services boost your studio’s perceived value, helping attract more people. Here are a few supplementary services to consider:

Personal Training

Offering one-on-one or small-group training can add a significant revenue stream to the business. You will appeal to those who prefer individualized attention and customized training plans and have the resources to pay for them.

People who work with a personal trainer generally make faster progress, have individual weaknesses addressed, and can sustain their training motivation more than those who train in group classes.

Nutrition and Wellness Programs

Provide nutrition and wellness programs to complement your martial arts classes. Offer advice on healthy eating habits, meal planning, and dietary adjustments to support your training and promote weight control and good health.

Wellness Workshops

Conduct workshops on various wellness topics, including healthy lifestyle choices, injury prevention, and holistic health practices. By doing so, you will build a community of healthy, well-rounded members.

Mental Training and Mindfulness

Mental training and mindfulness practices can significantly benefit martial arts students by improving focus, reducing stress, and enhancing mental resilience. Include mindful meditation and breathing exercises to improve concentration, reduce anxiety, and improve mental health.

Teach techniques to manage stress, such as progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and other cognitive-behavioral strategies.

Community and Family-Oriented Classes

The more you can create a sense of community among your members, the more you’ll stand out as a caring, community-connected business. Community and family-oriented classes promote this atmosphere. Here are some suggestions:

Family Martial Arts Classes

Offer classes for parents and children to train together. This strengthens family bonds, providing a shared goal for parents and children to work towards. You should also consider family self-defense workshops that teach families basic self-defense skills and strategies based on everyday scenarios.

Youth Programs

Develop after-school programs that combine martial arts training, homework help, and structured activities. Promote that you offer a safe and productive environment for kids after school, helping improve their physical fitness, discipline, and academic performance.

Summer Camps

Create intensive martial arts camps over the summer months. These could last a week and include daily training sessions, martial-art-themed games, team-building activities, and martial arts movies in the evening.

Competitive Training and Events

Offering competitive training and events will attract advanced trainers who want to test their skills. Provide specialized classes focusing on sparring techniques, strategy, and conditioning, which will prepare students for the challenges of competition.

Tournament training prepares more advanced athletes for upcoming tournaments. Include mock competitions, advanced drills, and mental training. These classes provide a structured path for progression and achievement.

Consider hosting tournaments and events. In-house tournaments see your students competing against each other based on age, skill level, or discipline. These tournaments provide students with a platform to test their skills without the pressure of external competition.

You can also host regional competitions to attract participants from other schools. Hosting will enhance your school’s visibility and reputation, bring in additional revenue, and provide a network of contacts.

Marketing Your Classes and Services

Having the most inclusive, comprehensive class schedule in your area isn’t going to benefit you if no one knows about it. Here are some strategies to market your martial arts classes and services:

Social Media Engagement

Leverage platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to promote your classes, events, and achievements. Regular posts, stories, and live videos showcasing classes, student progress, and events can boost visibility.

Website and SEO

Maintain an up-to-date, user-friendly website with detailed information about your classes, schedules, instructors, and pricing. Optimize the website for search engines to enhance your ranking on search results.

Online Reviews and Testimonials

Ask satisfied students to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Display testimonials on your website.

Email Marketing

Produce a mailing list and send regular newsletters with updates, special offers, and valuable content related to martial arts and wellness.

Local Advertising and Partnerships

Display flyers and posters in local businesses, community centers, schools, and libraries.

Advertise in local newspapers, magazines, and radio stations. Consider writing articles or press releases about special events or student achievements.

Partner with local businesses, schools, and community organizations for mutual promotion. Offer to conduct self-defense workshops or martial arts demonstrations at community events.

Offering Free Trials and Promotional Events

Offer free trial classes to potential students to experience your martial arts school first-hand.

Host open houses, martial arts demonstrations, and special events to attract new students. Offer limited-time discounts or special packages for new sign-ups during these events.

Referral Programs

Implement a referral program that rewards current students for bringing in new members.

Wrap Up

By offering a diverse range of classes and services, you will be positioning your martial arts studio to fully cater to the needs of your community. Now that you know what type of classes you should be providing, discover how gym management software can make class scheduling and booking a breeze for both you and your students.