MA Business Success 81: Structuring Your Classes

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Graham M.:
Good day everyone. Welcome to the Martial Arts Business Success episode 81. And I'm Graham McDonnell.

 

Phil Britten:
And I'm Phil Britten as always (laughs).

 

Graham M.:
Hey look, Phil what have we got today, mate? I'll let you take it away.

 

Phil Britten:
Structuring your classes. I mean how ... There's so many ways you can structure a class. But at the end of the day, I think the changing point or the tipping point is are you structuring the classes for you, or are you structuring it for your clients? 'Cause if you're structuring it for you, then you're not gonna get the results you want.

 

Graham M.:
Look, I know this is something we've touched on previously, but it's always questions that come to us from our clients that we deal with. How do they go about it? How do they make that transition? When do they do it? Because a lot of the guys that we help out and we coach are already set in their ways. They've got a school they've got established. They're at that glass ceiling, and they're trying to break through. Some guys run just school terms and how do they, then, restructure it so it goes for the whole year?

 

 

That's obviously a whole ['nother 00:01:06] topic on that, but let's just talk about the exact classes and how we actually structure our programmes, how we structure our classes to get the best results for our clients which, really, that's the end game. So, mate, what is the first thing that we gotta take into consideration when we're looking to establish a programme? Let's just say we've got no students, and we've got [crosstalk 00:01:25] the luxury of having a blank school, a blank template. What do we consider first when we sort of go down this pathway?

 

Phil Britten:
I'm a big believer of begin with the end in mind. So, if it's just going a new school, blank timetable, no members, I still want a timetable that is full, like it's still a six-day a week timetable. And, you know, we're talking about age specific learning and belt specific learning. And, at the end of the day, I don't want a 6-year-old in with a 15-year-old. They just learn differently. They need different things. I don't want kids with adults. They all need different things.

 

 

I don't want the little, real little [inaudible 00:02:03] that are four, three, four-year-olds ... If you do that in your programmes, like we do ... in with six or seven-year-olds. So, there is a science and there is an art to selecting the right age groups depending on how they learn.

 

 

And I mean, you can just have a look at the schooling system, to be honest, and you can see where you can get away with combining side-by-side grades or year groups. But once you go outside of three or four or five years, then they're just different.

 

Graham M.:
There's also another reason behind that that people often overlook and this is to do with your leadership team and your instructor training. If you've got such a wide variety of age groups, it makes it very hard to find the right type of, I guess, instructor or developing instructor to come and teach.

 

 

For example, if you've got a [gym 00:02:45] 13-year-old, but you've got structured classes between 13 ... sorry, 6 right up to 15, they're bang smack in the middle. The 15-year-olds are not gonna look at a 13-year-old and have that same level of respect. So, something that's really helped us is to identify what are those age groups.

 

 

And, for us, we found our magic number really worked well for three to five, five to eight. Then you'll see there's an overlap there of five-year-olds in each one. Simply because there are some kids that are five years old, coming up to five, and they still haven't quite, you know, developed that confidence, or that ability to get in with larger groups or other students and feel comfortable. So they stick with the kinda the [littlies 00:03:24]. They're the big fish in the little pond, so to speak.

 

 

But then we've got it five to eights, because we've got five-year-olds there that have had big brothers and sisters or they're a go-getter. And they're in that group, and they've got no issues being in with that five to eight-year-olds. Then again, we talk about our 9 up to about 13-year-olds. And again, when we talk 13s, you know, at the end of the day, it's that transition between 12 or 13, because nowadays with the schooling system the way it is, when they're hitting 12 and 13 they're high schools. They don't wanna be with the little kids anymore.

 

 

Physically, they're not mature enough to be, you know, training at an adult's level, but that doesn't mean that they can't train alongside those guys. And it's very much an individual thing, as a school, that you guys need to understand. We also do have a rare few classes. We've got a couple in there. We've got our teens programme and that's the 13s to about 16s. It's not a huge one, but it's in there as well too.

 

 

So, you see, we've actually got quite a few different, sort of, class groups [crosstalk 00:04:23] as in age groups, and then there's belt levels that goes with that. But, you know, at the end of the day, it's really getting an idea of understanding nowadays how kids learn and that age group and, again, also understanding what their comprehension levels are so that they don't get bored.

 

Phil Britten:
Yeah, I guess what we, you know ... Every system of martial arts is a little bit different. So if you've got age levels correct, and we think that they're ... that suits really well in the Australian market. It might be different in America or the UK. I'm not too sure. But then, there's the belt levels.

 

 

Now it depends on what you ... how long they're in a particular belt for. We have our beginner belt, our white and yellow belts together, because we have white belts for six months and yellow belts for about six months so ... Sorry, three months and three months. So it's a six month process between our white belt to yellow belt, so two belts in six months. So three months white belt, three months yellow belt.

 

 

You know, give or take as well depending on, you know, where people are at. It's always a bit of give and take and depending when graduations and gradings fall as well. Then we've got the orange and blue belts. Now we have orange and blues together. We do separate some, and we do have some together at orange and blue belt level. The curriculum is the same, rotating curriculum. We teach the same to orange and blues in that age specific group as well, the same with white and yellow.

 

 

Once they get to that green belt level, they're in there all by themselves. The greens all but on their own. Browns all on their own, and blacks all on their own, 'cause we wanna make sure that they get the exact need that they need at that [highering 00:05:49] level, the advanced level.

 

Graham M.:
So, there's a breakdown of how we put the classes together and what not. But then there is the operation, how do we actually develop the content that is age appropriate? Because, you know, Phil I know that we and ... We basically have a very similar system for our kids and our adults but the content's a little different and there are requirements on what's being taught. Why is that? Why do we do that?

 

Phil Britten:
Well, basically, you know, there's two reasons. One, if I look at the instructor point of view, I mean can you just imagine like an instructor having to teach completely different things to all the different ages and all the different ... I mean, your brain will be hanging out trying to keep up with the requirements. So wanna make sure one, it' really easy for the instructor to transition from a white belt real little kids class to white belt teens class to an adult's.

 

 

Now, let me just get it straight, the adults' content is way harder, way more involved than the little kids. But the little kids have a very, you know, kiddie version of that. So, for example, we want to have a self defence move where the little kids will learn just the defence to a back off, that will back off. The teens might learn it with a softening strike towards the end with a takedown. And then, the adults might do all that but multiple attacker. So, that's just a little example.

 

 

Another example of how you would structure your content is just ... If you could just imagine like the games and like we all played games in martial arts and sometimes even the adults like playing games, sometimes the same games. But, if you just looked at the games, well you don't wanna be teaching ... You know, everyone loves dodge, monster dodges or the big fit ball or laser dodge we call it, you know.

 

 

If you're gonna play dodge throughout your school, you wanna make sure that you've got a little kid version of it, a sort of 10-year-old version of it, like it's gotta evolve. It's gotta get better. It's gotta get harder. It's gotta get more engaged. And even adults, like adults like playing dodge too, but they don't wanna play it like the little kids do. They want to have a different version of it. So as the games evolve, you wanna make sure they have games that suit little kids, games that suit the medium kids, the teens, and games that ... games or team-building activities for the adults.

 

 

Same goes with your curriculum as well. You want to start from here all the way up, so that they're getting a great [themed 00:08:02] of skills throughout each month and throughout each level.

 

Graham M.:
Yeah, for sure. And look, so we've got our content down, we've got our age group down. Now, we'll talk about lesson plans and how we structure our lesson plans. Now, we like to have really quite clear outlines for our instructors to be able to follow. As a developing instructor, they'll need to follow word for word. For a senior groomed instructor who knows the content, they may just have a quick look to see the flow and away you go.

 

 

But, it's very much important that you've got a warmup. You know, and again it's in that warmup you're setting up the theme for the content of the class. Now what that means is you're not doing a warmup of skills that does not align with what you want to accomplish. So, simply jogging on the spot or skipping or whatnot, when you're doing a [inaudible 00:08:43] or a [inaudible 00:08:44], hey it's a great warmup, but it might not lead them into that, you know, skillset that you'd want.

 

 

So, we have warmups that align with what we want to accomplish. If we're focusing on focus, it would be a warmup that requires you have focus. If it's explosive energy or there's a kicking drill involved, we would do that sort of drill and skill in class. What comes up next in that sort of sequence? So warmup first, what happens after that?

 

Phil Britten:
Yeah, so you warm up, then we obviously, you know, like after a warmup make sure you're giving your kids and students a drink, that's for sure. So, especially in Australia, in summer, we wanna make sure that we're giving them lots of drink breaks. But after that sort of warmup, it all depends whether you're gonna have a little bit of a mat chat then or towards the end of class ... in a little bit of a customizable thing for different schools. And I know that our instructors have it quite regimented at certain times to do their specific mat chat. But then, you're really going into your skills and drills.

 

Graham M.:
Yeah.

 

Phil Britten:
So, it might be pads, it might be defence takedowns and skills and specific drills [crosstalk 00:09:43] that are going to complement what's coming next which is the tip belt requirements, [crosstalk 00:09:49] right?

 

Graham M.:
Yeah. Look, I know that there are tip belt requirements and skills and drills. We've got a great way ... And Phil was, I think a term you coined, but we kinda use it, super drill.

 

Phil Britten:
Yeah.

 

Graham M.:
So we've done the skills drill, you've done the refined, we've talked on technique, now we're sequencing and putting into it an active or an exercise that is a flowing exercise. So it could be a three or a four or a five minute round depending on the age group, but the whole idea is to do it ... let's say, and again an example, self defence technique where they will learn the grab. They'll do the defence, they may do the takedown, they get back up, they swap partners, but the drill continues to roll so is that high energy of that class.

 

 

You're peaking at that point which is always a great thing. So, people are going away on a high. And then, depending on the attitude of the class ... It's in there, but it's not something that our instructors do every single time is to finish up with your game and then also notifications for parents and any awards or rewards, badges, certificates that need to be handed out.

 

 

Because at the end of the day, if we don't have that detailed recipe warmup, skills and drills, content to help them progress for their next grade whatever that might be, testing as we would call it, you know, your super drills so that little bit of energy. And then kinda your wrap-up, your cool down which could be a game, a reset, a chat, and then again communication to, you know, the parents or the students in the class, whatever that may be.

 

 

Having that format really does allow you to have a smooth class flow, and it gets repeated time and time again. Just the content changes for the different, you know, age group and I guess the different ability levels.

 

Phil Britten:
Again, so, you know, it's a massive point of difference when someone's looking at getting out of the engine room and sailing the ship. If you don't have the systems and structure in place, lesson plans, and curriculum, then you're never gonna be able to empower others to do the job that you were doing. And for [inaudible 00:11:30] is leave you with this one type of thought is that imagine your lesson plans and your curriculum like a map.

 

 

For example, you have a destination that you need to go to, your black belt, X marks the spot on the treasure map, and to get there is, you know, the clues along the way. So if you go over here you gotta learn this, you gotta know this, you gotta get this bit of content, and that's gonna help you get to that point. And that's gonna help you get to that point and so on and so forth until you get to X marks the spot.

 

 

Same thing applies. Your lesson plans and curriculum are the recipe that you need to follow to get to X marks the spot which is black belt and beyond. So without the lesson plans, without the curriculum that's clearly identified and easily consumable by your students, they could get lost, they could get confused. They could, you know, want to leave because they don't know what direction they're going in. So, you know, it's so important that you have these visible, you have them attainable, you have them understandable by your instructors and your students, more importantly.

 

Graham M.:
Great. Today's tip for you guys before we move on is ... This is something I've definitely helped a lot of our clients and I feel you've done this as well too is where do you start with this? So, for you guys you may be excited going, "Yup. I wanna do it, but it's a massive job." So I would recommend doing your classes as you do and voice record, whether it's on your phone, usually the easiest, voice record you at the end of the night going over what you did in those classes. "Tonight I did A, B, C, C, E, F, G," and then getting that transcribed. There's a couple of places that you can do it. We've got Speechpad, I believe, there's one there.

 

Phil Britten:
Yeah, we've gotta a new one we're using called Rev which is quite ... a dollar a minute.

 

Graham M.:
Yup. Dollar a minute. They'll take that audio, transcribed into words, and then, honestly guys, you could even find someone that ... you yourself or get another online provider that will put that into the template of the lesson plans and you starting to build it out. Now it's not gonna be a set and forget it. You'd have to review that, but at least you're taking away that big daunting task of creating curriculum. 'Cause, at the end of the night, it's a must but sometimes it could be a challenge to get started. So that's today's tip for you guys on how to get started there.

 

Phil Britten:
All right, guys, we're gonna finish with three promos. We've got two sponsorship ... a sponsorship and two amazing offers. Now, first off Graham and I and a good friend of ours, another Graham, have just launched a brand new software. It's a CRM software called the Martial Arts Business Software. Now, we have been frustrated along with you to be able to find a really good CRM that does anything and everything that we've ever wanted to in a martial arts school.

 

 

And we've really taken in consideration large schools and small schools. And we wanted to provide a service that, you know, far outmatched anyone that's out there currently as well. So the Martial Arts Business Software is an attendance logging software. It does, you know, it's ... It has the capability to do some amazing things. It's obviously your CRM where you log your people in. You can do attendance report ... all ... You know what, anything you wanted, it's gonna be in here.

 

 

And the good news is the core product, we're calling White Belt, 'cause white belt is at the beginning that all schools should have. So the core product's the White Belt and the best thing about it, we're giving it away absolutely free. That's absolutely free. So, if you're interested in learning more about Martial Arts Business Software, CRM, and attendance tracking software that we've created, please reach to out to us.

 

 

The landing pages and all that sort of stuff are all getting built right now, so by the time this podcast comes live, it'll all be ready for you. So just reach out to us at [email protected], and we'll be happy to give you some information about this free CRM attendance logging software, and the benefits, and I guess the outcomes for you as a business owner as well. Graham, other two.

 

Graham M.:
Another one we've got here. Our buddies from Hyper, okay, a global brand ... Great sort of add value product in your schools. Guys I can't say it enough, and I'll say it again at every podcast 'cause I love them so much and what they provide for us and our schools and our instructors. So guys check out the link that we've got on the page. Go and check out what they have to offer. They've got so many great features in there to help you grow and add value into your school. So again, the guys from Hyper, both [Roland 00:15:34] and [Jason 00:15:35], massive shout out to you guys because we use it on a regular basis.

 

 

We've also got one more that we've got that, you know, we've been working diligently behind the scenes to really kinda update our content in the TIMA site and to really give you guys an opportunity as a podcast listener and also the viewer a chance to get in there and a have a bit of a poke around yourself is the Try 5 For 5. And what that basically is, is you get full access to all the content, the videos that we have for five days for five bucks.

 

 

So what you need to do is log into the TIMA site, tima.com.au. Go down, follow links, you'll click on the complete, you know, business solution, I think it is that [inaudible 00:16:10]. Go in there, there's a couple of things, the promo code Try 5 For 5, so T-R-Y and number five.

 

Phil Britten:
That's it.

 

Graham M.:
And you guys will get access straight in there. Check it out guys. There's tonnes of stuff. And I tell you what, we're continually updating to give you guys the best and most current information. So, whew! I think that's it for the moment team. Again, thank you so much for sticking around. We love sharing with you guys, and we could speak for days and years on this sort of topics.

 

 

But if you have anything ... any questions specific, please let us know 'cause we'll tell you real world stuff that's working now. And if we don't know we'll test and measure, and we'll get back to you straightaway ... so [email protected]. Don't forget guys tell your friends, share this podcast, get it out there 'cause we love to serve and help the entire community globally.

 

Phil Britten:
All right guys. We'll see you on the next episode. Have a fantastic week.

 

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