Welcome To The Ultimate. Martial Arts Games Day. Blueprint. In This Blueprint I
have included EVERYTHING you need to run your own Super Successful ...
Welcome To The Ultimate
Martial Arts Games Day Blueprint In This Blueprint I have included EVERYTHING you need to run your own Super Successful Martial Arts Games Day. Read through this entire book from front to back to get a grasp of what’s included in this blueprint then you can go through it again and start planning your first martial Arts Games Day. This blue print contains forms, flyers, email templates, raffle tickets and more that you can print and use time and time again to attract new students into your Martial Arts School. I’ve held nothing back because I want you to succeed and grow a thriving Martial Arts School that teaches our youth all the benefits of learning a Martial Art. I believe the world will be a better place when there are more martial Artists in it. Young kids growing up with high morals, self respect, respect for others. These kids will be the strong, confident leaders of the future and it all starts with what you can teach them. The Martial Arts Games Day Blueprint is my gift to you to help you attract as many young students as you can handle into your school. “Follow the Blueprint and have a great time growing your business.” Cheers,
Aaron J. Perry
Ultimate Games Day Blueprint Table of Contents Preparing For Your Games Day Event
Why Host Games Days? Game Day Promotional Timeline Promotional Flyers Games Day RSVP Form Pre-Event Email Templates Contact Sheet For Students and 3 Guests Choosing A Location Indemnity Insurance and First Aid Game Day Event Schedule Additional Instructors/Volunteers Food and Drink Games Day Raffle Tickets Gift Bags To Take Home Referral Letters for Guests + Bonus Offers
Martial Games for Your Games Day
Warm Up Games: Sensei Says, Circuit Races Group Games: The Mummies Return, Tail Off The Tiger Skill Games: Pad Work, Reverse Kata MVP Games Day Champ
Follow Up After Games Day
Follow Up Email Scripts Follow Up Phone Scripts Tracking Results Closing Comments
Additional Information:
Martial Games For Kids Manuals Solo Games and Partner Games Resale Rights The Ultimate Kids Club
Ultimate Games Day Blueprint
Preparing For Your Games Day Event
Why Host Games Days? I’m assuming that you already have a Martial Art School with existing Students. If do not already have students then skip to section 2 of this report.
Existing students are your best source for attracting New students.
Mouth” Advertising. Word of Mouth Advertising Costs you Nothing and Offers You Everything. What I will share with you in this report is how it can be developed, turning your Existing Students into your Biggest Fans and Your Own Free Marketing Force.
When you turn your students into Fans then you have a group of people out in the public that will tell others how great you are. They can tell people what you do, how well you teach, what makes you special, what days and times your lessons are, where your school is and how to get in conSome people spend a lot of time and energy trying to get noticed by buying tact with you. Because they are already involved in what you do they advertising space in local papers, on can answer the many questions that the radio, doing letterbox drops of leaflets/flyers, doing one-off demos at possible students will ask them. This alone means that when a person does schools/fairs/shopping malls…. get to you they are already well qualified as a possible New Student. These methods do get some results but normally only a couple of people will contact you to find out more. Do- Just think… If you read an Ad saying ing all of these things takes time and what a great school you have, how energy and volunteers for the demos. good you are with kids, how much fun It can distract you from your main fo- your students have, etc… cus of teaching and it can be depressWhat would you really think of all of ing when the results are small to nil. those claims? Would you think it was all B.S. AdverThe most Powerful and tising Jargon? Influential advertising Would you believe every word you available to you is also the read? (I hope Not!) The key word here is “Attracting”. Attracting people to you is the most important aspect, and it puts you in a position of power allowing you to determine the rules for how your school runs.
Cheapest and Easiest when you know how to do it.
Despite all of the advances in advertising media, the greatest way to Raise Your Profile and Build your Number of Students is “Word-of-
Now imagine that you get told all of the same things that the Ad says by a close, personal, trusted friend. Someone that you have known for a while, that you like to hang out with, that you have similar interest too…
Why Host Game Days? Now, would you think it’s all B.S. or To make it fool proof I’m including all would you take interest in your friends the games you need for your first comments, feelings, passion for what Game Day, so there’s no guess work. they are saying? Of course, if you want to you can substitute in other games from the Having others say “Martial Games for Kids” manuals to positive things about put more focus on Martial Games that you is at least 100x best suit your martial arts style.
more effective and believable than saying it yourself.
Now I am going to show you the best way to attract New Students…
Host A GAME DAY! If you teach kids then this is a fantastic way to attract new students. In your normal classes you should already be using some of my Martial Games to help the kids learn their skills more quickly. The Martial Games have been designed for kids and can be played by absolute beginners and by advanced students. Before you run your first Game Day, choose which games you want to do. I find it best to do 5-6 games on the day as it gives variety and keeps the day fun and active, don’t let them rest or wander around talking. You need to make sure that you choose 3 games that get all the kids playing at the same time and then 2-3 games that work on pairs while the rest watch.
The Martial Games Manuals have a variety of games to help teach stand up and ground fighting skills to young children. If you don’t already have the Martial Games Manuals you can find out more about them by clicking on the link below…
Martial Games For Kids
Game Day Promotional Timeline It is Vitally important to promote your Game Day properly. There is no point in spending all of the time and effort in running a Game Day if you don’t have a great attendance of current students and guests. The Main focus of a Games Day is to attract New Students so follow this timeline to promote the event properly and ensure the best results possible
Promo Timeline Pick Game Day Date - Best day is a Sunday because most active kids already play a sport that happens on Saturdays. 6 Weeks Out Send 1st email Send 1st Flyer Home with Students 5 Weeks Out Send Letter to Parents of Students along with Contact Sheet for Student and 3 Guests Start collecting Contact Sheets 4 Weeks Out Send 2nd email to all Contacts (current parents and guests parents) Promote the Game Day at end of each Kids Class Keep collecting contact sheets 3 Weeks Out Send 2nd Flyer Out to All Contacts Send Letter To Parents of Guests Promote Games Day at end of each Kids class Keep collecting contact sheets 2 Weeks Out Send 3rd email to all contacts Promote Games Day at end of each Kids class Keep collecting contact sheets 1 Week Out Send Out 4th email to all contacts Hype The Games Day to All Kids Classes as a Reminder
Then It’s GAME DAY!!!
“Who Else Wants To Join In On The Worlds Greatest Family Games Day?” Do you want to have a Great Day playing Games with All of Your Friends? Not just the great friends you already have at training but also with your other friends from school and in your neighbourhood! This Martial Arts Games Day is your chance to show your friends what you do and have some fun challenging them in the Martial Arts Games. There are Prizes to be Won! And Gift Bags for You and Your Friends To Take Home! Free Food and Drinks For All Everyone’s a Winner!!!... But Who will Be the Champ?
Date: _________________ Time: _________________ Location: _____________________________________________
“Attention: Get Ready For The Worlds Greatest Games Day!” This Games Day Will Be Amazing!!! Come along and join your friends for a great day of games, food, fun and prizes for everyone that turns up There are Great Prizes to be Won! Free Food and Drinks For All Kids and Parents! Free Special Gift Bags for You To Take Home! Everyone’s a Winner!!! But Who Will Be The MVP Games Day Champ?
“DON’T MISS THIS AWESOME DAY!!!” Date: _________________ Time: _________________ Location: _____________________________________________
Games Day RSVP The following form is for you to hand out to all students to take home to their parents. This RSVP Form is for them to fill out and return back to you ASAP. This will make it clear to your students and their parents that they are allowed (somewhat expected) to invited up to three friends to your Games Day Event. When you have these forms returned you can use the contact details to send out your email promotion of the event to students and guests. It’s important to remember that this day is important for you but it may not seem that important to your students parents or their guest. Use the email templates provided to keep in contact with everyone that has shown interest in the Games Day Event and they will help keep it current in their mind. The emails will be a friendly reminder of the date and time of the event and prevent them from double booking themselves. The emails will also show the high interest level and nudge them that if they can’t make it that they need to contact you to free up spots for people on the waiting list… People hate to miss out on something that is sooooo popular that it has a waiting list so they will clear their schedule to make it. All of the contact details you get from these RSVP forms gives you great opportunities to maintain contact with new prospective students and grow your school so don’t ever cross anyone of your list. Make sure you follow up with everyone after the Games Day Event, even those that didn’t show up on the day. They may have had other unforeseen circumstances that prevented them from joining you on the day but their kids may still be very interested in learning Martial Arts.
Family Games Day RSVP Family Games Day Date:
_________________
Location: ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Time:
_________________
Yes we will be joining the Party with our child/children Parents Names:______________________________________ Children’s Names:_______________________________________________ Phone and email:____________ ___________________________________ We have invited these 3 friends to attend: Parents Names:______________________________________ Children’s Names:_______________________________________________ Phone and email:____________ ___________________________________ Parents Names:______________________________________ Children’s Names:_______________________________________________ Phone and email:____________ ___________________________________ Parents Names:______________________________________ Children’s Names:_______________________________________________ Phone and email:____________ ___________________________________
Pre-Event: Email Templates These are the emails that you should send out to your students parents leading up to the Games Day Event. You can simply retype these send them to parents and guests to boost interest in the Games Day Event and ensure you have a great turn out on the day… ________________________________ 1st email… (sent 6 weeks prior to your Martial Games Day) Subject: Hi {parents name}, Here’s Your Invitation Message: Hi {Parents Name} This is Sensei {Your Name} from {Your Schools Name}… I’m writing to invite you and {Kids Name/s} to our first Family Games Day. This is a Special Party I’m putting on for the younger students and parents to spend a few hours having a Great Family Day Out playing Martial Arts Games and socializing with each other. I have a great day planned for you and your kids with games, food and prizes for everyone that joins the Party. The Family Games Day will be held at {location details}, starting at {start time} and finishing at {finish time} Please reply email your RSVP to me so I know how much food and prizes to bring for everyone. I look forward to seeing you on {insert games day date} Kind regards/Cheers/Sincerely (pick which one you’re comfortable with) {Your name} Ps. I’ll send a flyer home with {kids name} after his/her next lesson with more details. ________________________________________
Pre Event: Email Templates ________________________________ 2nd email… (Sent 4 weeks before Game Day) Subject: Hi {parents name}, Family Games Day in 4 Weeks Message: Hi {Parents Name} The Family Games Day Party is only 4 weeks away and the response from students and parents has been amazing. We are going to have a great day with so many students and their young friends attending. If your child is inviting friends to join the fun please let me know how many kids they have invited. I have had to set a limit of 3 guests per student to make it fair on everybody so please make sure {students name} doesn’t get carried away and invite too many friends. Spots are limited so if {students name} has friends that want to join him I will need them to register ASAP before we run out of room. Please email me their friends names and contact details or get them to email me at {your email address} ASAP. This is going to be a great party, I look forward to seeing you and meeting {students name} friends on {day and date of games day} Kind regards/Cheers/Sincerely (pick which one you’re comfortable with) {Your name} Ps. I’ll send some guest flyers home with {kids name} for him/her to pass on to his/her friends parents so they know what this family event is all about. ________________________________________
Pre Event: Email Templates ________________________________ 3rd email… (Sent 2 weeks before Game Day to All attendees) Subject: Hi {parents name}, Family Games Day Only 2 Weeks Away YAY! Message: Hi {Parents Name and kids names} The Family Games Day Party is now only 2 weeks away and I have so much great stuff planned for you. I’ve got most of the special prizes organized for everyone that attends and I have some really cool new games for you to play with your friends. I’m organizing the food so I just wanted to check if you have any allergies I should know about. If there are things that you can’t eat please let me know ASAP so I can make sure we have suitable food available for you. I don’t know about you but I’m getting excited about this Games Day… 2 weeks seems so far away but I’m sure it will be here soon enough. Don’t forget the location is {location details} and it starts at {start time} so make sure you have cleared your calendar and get ready to Party with Your Friends Kind regards/Cheers/Sincerely (pick which one you’re comfortable with) {Your name} Ps. I hope your guests have registered already, if they haven’t you better get me their details ASAP so they don’t miss out on joining you for the party. Pps. If you have extra friends you want to join you then get them to email me at {your best email address} and I will add them to my waiting list so they can be invited if someone else’s friends can’t make it. ________________________________________
Pre Event: Email Templates ________________________________ 4th email… (Sent 1 week before Game Day to All attendees) Subject: Hi {parents name}, Family Games Day is Next Week! Message: Hi {Parents Name and kids names} The Family Games Day Party is next week {date of event} I think I have everything organized… Food and drinks for everyone Prizes for everyone Gift Bags for everyone (even the parents) Awesome Games to play with you and your friends… …All I need is You and Your Friends Make sure you’re not late because we will be starting at {start time} with or without you. Remember the location is {location details} so if you have any problems finding the place call me on {your best contact phone number} for directions. I hope you’re ready for an Awesome Day of Family Fun! Kind regards/Cheers/Sincerely (pick which one you’re comfortable with) {Your name} Ps. If you have to miss this party for any reason please let me know so I don’t worry that your lost and miss out on all the fun. Pps. Also it will open up a place for someone on the waiting list if you know that you can’t attend the party on the day, so please let me know (but I hope you can make it because I’m looking forward to having a great day with you and your family and friends) ________________________________________
Games Day Contact List Adults
Kid#1
Kid#2
Kid#3
Phone
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Choosing A Location You have two great options for where to hold your Martial Arts Games Day: 1. 2.
Your Martial Arts School In a Local Park
Both venues have their Pros and Cons…
The main reason for hosting a Martial Arts Games Day is to Attract New Students and you will have more guests turn up at a park. New families seem more comfortable meeting you at a park. I am just speculating but I think most of the reasons are the open nature of a park.
Martial Arts School
They associate a park with outdoor family activities so they tend to join in Pros: If you choose to host it at your as volunteers when asked. school then you should already be set up with all the facilities that you need. The fact that they are not walking into It will also save you from having to an unfamiliar place with only one encart around equipment for the days try and exit seems to make a big difevents. ference. Cons: The downside of hosting it at your own place is that some guests may find it intimidating and some parents will either be daunted by the idea of visiting a Martial Arts School and other parents may think that they can simply drop the kids off at the door and go off to do something else. In a Local Park Pros: Large open space with soft grass, fresh air and hopefully sunshine on the day. Plenty of room for parents to hangout and watch in a neutral environment. Cons: You need to find a good spot with toilets close by. Transport all of the equipment and food there and back and you can’t control the weather. Despite the cons I suggest you host your event in a nice park.
Remember that many of the guests may have no experience with Martial Arts and are not sure what to expect from you. They may already have some preconceived ideas of what Martial Arts means and their guard may be up because they don’t want to get trapped in a room and given the hard sell on why their kids have to join the program. I’m sure we’ve all experienced the invitation to a cheap weekend getaway and all we have to do is attend a quick presentation where they try to bully you into a time share holiday package. This kind of marketing has made everyone cautious. A nice open park on a sunny day is always a friendly safe place to meet. Continued on next page...
Choosing A Location When choosing a good spot at your local park consider these things:
Close to toilets (not too close) Away from roads Away from ponds/rivers/ water Near shady trees Flat grassy area for games Near some tables and chairs for parents to sit down and watch. Away from playgrounds (you don’t want your kids distracted by other kids playing next to you)
where the Games Day will be held, but if you have to find a new spot you will have people turning up at the original spot and possibly getting lost finding out where you have shifted to.
Planning ahead is well worth the effort. Take note of the “Considerations” when selecting your Games Day Area I listed these clearly because they will have an impact on how well your day runs.
You can often book areas at your local If you follow these guidelines evepark if you contact the local council or rything should run smoothly. governing body to ensure you can get the spot you want on the day. However, nothing is ever perfect… If you can’t book the spot, get some volunteers to head there very early in the morning to stake claim on the area. You can even set up some ropes on the ground to mark out the area you need for your group. Most people will automatically accept the area as yours as long as you don’t try to rope off the toilets or the picnic tables.
The chances of finding a spot that meets all of the preferences I have listed is often impossible but the more you can tick off the better. One last note with public parks is to make sure that you have some people selected to keep an eye on the kids when they need to go to the toilets.
It’s sad to say but there are some strange people in this world and public toilets are not a safe place for kids to go unattended. So please assign a couple of adults to accompany the kids when they need to take a toilet You want to be organized and there is break during the day. nothing worse than wasting time trying to find a new location to run your If the weather stays nice you should Games Day because someone else has have a great day out in the park with nabbed your spot. your current students and some new It is much easier to get there early and claim your space than it is to turn up later and have to negotiate with someone for the space.
If you are well organized you can give clear instructions to everyone about
families.
Indemnity Insurance and First Aid This Event is a Party and it’s all about having fun but there is a serious side to everything because unfortunately we all live in a highly litigious time.
I can not give you exact details on what you need to do as this book is written for Martial Arts Instructors around the world and laws change depending on your location.
It seems crazy but you can actually get sued by a parent for being the host of a party where a child gets hurt.
The most I can do is encourage you to do your own due diligence and make sure you have protected yourself from any kind of legal claims that may arise.
When I was a kid, if you got hurt it was your own fault and you should be The basic guidelines are: more careful but these days it seems like everybody is looking for someone Talk to your insurance company to to blame for anything and everything. make sure your Martial Arts Games Day is covered by them. For this reason I want to warn you to make sure you have covered yourself Make sure you have your First Aid and protected your business and inCertificates up to date and any staff/ come from those that want to take assistant instructors also have First advantage of this crazy world we now Aid Certificates (or equivalent). live in. Australian Instructors will need a curMake sure you have indemnity insur- rent “Blue Card”, I’m not sure what ance coverage for your Martial Arts the equivalent is in other countries. Games Day. Check with your insurance company that you are covered Have a suitable Medi-Kit on hand to for all aspects of this Games Day esdeal with any injuries during the pecially if you are hosting it in an out- event. side location (ie. Not your normal training area). If you are hosting the Games Day in a local park do a thorough sweep of the My goal is to help you attract new stu- area to ensure there are no dangerous dents and make your business more items/objects in the area. Eg. Broken profitable so I would hate to see you glass, needles, storm drains, droplose money because you failed to pro- offs, spiky trees or branches, etc. tect your self from legal claims by angry parents. I don’t want to frighten you but I do want to make sure you protect yourYour regular students will probably self and all of those attending your never cause any issues but their guest Event. are an unknown quantity that could take advantage of an unfortunate Plan Ahead and Play Safe! situation if it should occur.
Games Day Event Schedule Get everyone to turn up early so you can start on time.
Martial Arts Games Day - 10am-1pm 10:00 - 10:15
Explain The Day, Set The Rules, Place Name Tags
10:15 - 10-25
Warm-up Game #1: Sensei Says
10:25 - 10:40
Warm-up Game #2: Martial Arts Circuit Races (Set up relay course with parents and do demo for kids)
10:40 - 10:45
Drinks Break
10:45 - 11:00
MA Skill Game #1: Hit n’ Run
11:00 - 11:20
Group Game #1: The Mummies Return
11:20 - 11:30
Drink/Toilet Break for Kids (Mingle and meet some new parents)
11:30 - 11:50
MA Skill Game #1: Pad Work - Punches & Kicks
11:50 - 12:10
MA Skill Game #2: Reverse Kata
12:10 - 12:45
Lunch Break (Mingle and meet more parents and kids)
12:45 - 12:50
Make Kids Perform The Full Kata in 2-3 Groups
12:50 - 13:05
Quick Chat to Kids and Parents Thank them for participating, promote benefits of Martial Arts Training for Kids, hand out gift bags
13:05 - 13:20
Group Game #2: Tail Off The Tiger (This is the Last Game so make it Really Fun & Exciting)
13:20 - 13:25
Thank Kids and Parents for an Awesome Day Mention the special offers in their gift bags Invite any questions from parents Hang around to talk privately with interested parents.
Now Set Appointments For Intro Lessons!
Additional Instructors/Volunteers A Games Day is a Great Day but you need a Team to Help You. Now is the time to call in favors and get your assistant instructors to join the party and help you keep everything running smoothly. You should know before the Game Day how many Kids and Parents you are expecting to turn up. You need to pre-arrange instructors and or parents to help you on the day. I suggest a minimum of 1 Adult for every 10 kids. Your regular students should be well behaved because they are familiar with your authority as their instructor and know the standard of behavior you expect from them, But… Two Things Make The Games Day More Difficult:
1. 2.
Your Students are here for fun with their friends so it is a different day to normal training and they may think they can get away with more. The Guests probably don’t know you and don’t know what is expected in their standard of behavior. It is also more difficult for you to maintain discipline over a guest.
If you have plenty of assistant instructors or helpful parents on hand the day will be much easier to keep under control. Don’t be afraid of correcting bad behavior of guests. It is important that you keep control of the kids during the day and the parents should be happy that you are keeping the kids in line. If the parent of a guest gets upset and doesn’t like the fact that you expect the kids to behave then they may not be someone that you want joining your school in the future. Obviously there should be no punishments handed out but clear orders of what you expect is fair and if your rules are continuously ignored then make the child sit down on the side lines and miss some time in the activities. This normally gets them to behave.
Food and Drinks I Strongly recommend that you supply ALL Food and Drinks. Some parents are organized and some are not so it is best to cater for the event yourself and then you have full control over what the kids are consuming. You also take all the pressure off the parents. The other major benefit is that you can eliminate junk food and soda drinks full of sugars and preservatives that can send kids loopy and make them difficult to control.
Food: Keep the Food simple by making healthy sandwiches with fresh meat (chicken, beef, ham) and veggies. Be sure to have vegetarian options, ie. Cucumber or tomato sandwiches as well as some raw carrot and/or celery strips. Supply fruits: Apples, sliced oranges, bananas *Check with parents for any allergies: Nuts, Gluten, Egg, etc
Drinks: For drinks, go you’re the store and buy bulk packs of small water bottles. It doesn’t matter if you over cater the fruit and drinks because you will use them up over the next week if there is any left over. Avoid fizzy drinks, sodas, cordials, even sports drinks as the kids don’t need them. It may not be exciting but it’s all they need. Bottled water along with some fresh protein and carbohydrates (sandwiches) and the natural sugars from fruit will give them plenty of healthy energy for the games day. You are also setting a good example in diet that most parents will appreciate.
WARNING: If you ignore this advice and mix unknown kids with high energy drinks or red cordial you will have a massive disaster, kids running wild, disappointed parents and you will fail to show your control and all the benefits of your influence on the kids behavior.
Games Day Raffle Tickets Thoughtful Prize Selection Will Boost Business Having special prizes for random draws is a great way to give away special gifts randomly to the kids and or parents. These gifts are all just extra bonuses for the participants of your Martial Arts Games Day so they don’t have to be big expensive prizes like holidays, TV’s, MP3 players or anything crazy like that. All prizes given away should be related to your Martial Arts School and either your kids program, pro shop or your skills. Here is a list of possible prizes:
Kids T-shirts (with your logo on it = free advertising for you) Baseball Caps (with your logo on it = free advertising for you) A Private Lesson with You or A Short Course in Self Defense Discount Voucher for your Pro Shop. A Free Uniform for any New Student A Free Copy of the “Solo Games Manual” (If you have purchased the resell rights available from Martial Games for Kids) A Martial Arts Poster (to be collected from the pro shop)
The idea is to giveaway prizes that promote all you have to offer. These sort of prizes can encourage more business with existing students to try additional programs (private lessons) or attract parents into trying a short course which could lead to full time training. The merchandise you giveaway is really free advertising when the kids wear their new t-shirt or cap out in public and their friends see it and get interested in learning martial arts. The cost of giving away a Free uniform is covered in the new enrollment. The “Solo Games Manual” will help the kids get stronger, improve balance and co-ordination and you can email it to the winner as a PDF so it doesn’t cost anything to giveaway a couple of copies. Normally you can be selling this to your students for $10-$15 if you have a reseller license. The Martial Arts Poster can be an A3 color print poster for your martial arts school or a general martial arts picture that the kids will love (Add your contact details at the bottom of the poster. Continued on next page...
Games Day Raffle Tickets As everyone arrives for the Martial Arts Games Day hand them their numbered ticket for the Prize Draw. Give a ticket to every child and every adult that turns up. Remember, every prize is also potentially new business for your Martial Arts School so don’t be thrifty about giving away a few things. I suggest you keep some small prizes like the Martial Arts Poster as your back -up prize. This means you can give a prize to everyone so there are no losers. Also the Posters are kept back at your Martial Arts School so they have to come in and collect it which gives you an extra opportunity to meet them and talk privately if they have an interest in your Kids or Adult program. I said I want to give you everything you need to run a hugely successful Games Day so I’m even giving you the tickets so there are no excuses that you didn’t know where to buy them or what to get. On the next page is a sheet of tickets that you can print and cut up to use for your Martial Arts Games Day Prize Draw. Simply print them out in color or black and white (it’s not important) and cut them up. As each person arrives get them to write their name on one side of the ticket then tear it in half. They hang on to the larger number piece and you put the piece with their name on it into a bowl or box to be used later to draw out the winners.
Note: Simply print the tickets supplied in this Ultimate Martial Games Blueprint, cut them out and your ready to go.
Gift Bags To Take Home Everybody loves receiving gifts
You can contact other stores for speand this is another opportunity for you cial discounts to include in your Gift Bags to make them a small treasure to build great relationships with your chest of samples and great offers for existing students, prospective stueveryone that attends your Martial dents and local businesses near your Arts Games Day. Martial Arts School. The Gift Bag is simply a bag full of little gifts for each family to take home. Some Little Gifts can be:
A Games Day Certificate Stickers A Coloring-in sheet Some healthy treats A Special Offer from You Other Special Offers
Just take some time to think about local businesses around your school that you would like to work with to promote each others business…
Butcher Hairdresser Dentist Day Spa/Massage Coffee Shop Video Store Toy Store Etc
I’m supplying you with the Certificates and a coloring-in sheet that you can All of these types of businesses will be print to put in your Gift Bag. interested in attracting your students and their parents and they can also The other items are up to you… help promote your Martial Arts School to their customers with a special offer Find a healthy food shop near your from you that they can hand out. martial arts school and ask them if they would be interested in marketing Let your imagination run wild with the to your healthy young students and possibilities but remember to keep their parents. things family orientated… You can offer to include their busiYou don’t want to be adding in vouchness card along with a small ers for alcohol, nightclubs, fast food healthy snack donated by them restaurants or anything else that can into each Gift Bag. be deemed unhealthy or unwholesome by the parents or kids. The snack could be a muesli bar, healthy cookie, sugar free candy, etc. It is an inexpensive way for the health Now go out and set up some reciprocal marketing with your neighbors. food store to get their name and a sample of their products to a well targeted market.
Ultimate Games Day Blueprint
Martial Games For Your Games Day
Martial Games Here is a selection of Martial Games for you to use in your Games Day Event. There are games to use for your Warm Up...
Sensei Says Circuit races
Games for keeping the whole group involved and excited...
The Mummies Return Tail Off The Tiger
And Games for teaching Your Martial Arts Skills...
Pad Work Drills Hit n’ Run Reverse Kata
These are my suggestions for your first Games Day but you can substitute in other games form the Martial Games for Kids Manuals.
Sensei Says Number of Kids: As many as you have Martial Skills: Knowledge of the art, listening skills, balance Equipment: None Instructions: Spread your class out in front of you making sure that all students have clear space between them in all directions. Now as Sensei, the students must do as you say, but only when you say “Sensei Says…” and you demonstrate the technique for the students to copy. Your directions are up to you, testing them on stances, hand strikes, leg strikes. Also test their balance by staying in a cat stance or holding a leg out after a kick. This game can either be played as a fun way to reinforce techniques and their names for the whole group or it can be an elimination event where students must sit down if they are caught doing the wrong technique or doing an order that did not start with “Sensei Says” Modifications: As the Students become more skilled and knowledgeable of your martial art let them take turns at being the Sensei and leading the group. You can also add in some new stances/techniques which the students can try to copy from your demonstration. Benefits: This is a great game for the end of a lesson to reinforce the techniques and their names. Allowing the students to take turns at leading also encourages them to think broadly about their knowledge of the art, trying to stump their friends.
Circuit Races Number of Kids: 4 or more Martial Skills: MA Knowledge, fitness, strength Equipment: None or All Sorts Instructions: Divide the class into teams, get them to line-up behind their leaders. Set up stations/points across the room where the kids have to perform a certain task before moving to the next station/point. E.g.) Start, ten feet, technique 1, ten feet, push-ups, ten feet, kicks Run in the air run 10x run on shield After the last action is done they run back to their team and tag the next kid to start the circuit. Modifications: The choice of the actions required at the stations is infinite. I like to mix it up so it contains techniques learned on the night or in the last lesson, then some general exercise like push-ups, sit-ups, star jumps or squats, then finish with strikes into a shield or pad. The circuit can have as many stations as you want, but don’t make it too complicated as the kids will forget what to do part way through Another good idea is to select different students to take the lead and choose which activities they will do. Do 3-5 races, depending on how many teams and kids you have in the class. Benefits: This is a great way to reinforce techniques that you have covered on the night or in the previous lesson. It is also a good strength and general fitness builder.
The Mummies Return Number of Kids: 5-10 Martial Skills: Blocking, footwork Equipment: Chalk or tape to mark out a circle Instructions: Mark out a circle on the ground approx 20 feet (6 metres) in diameter. One student stands in the centre of the circle and is called the slayer, while the remaining students spread out around the circle and become the Mummies. The Instructor walks around the outside of the circle and randomly taps students on the shoulder. When a student is tapped they raise their straight arms horizontal in front of them like a mummy and slowly start walking toward the Slayer. The slayer must redirect the Mummy using standard blocks (make sure the pace of the game is slow to avoid injuries). When a Mummy is redirected they must walk to the edge of the circle, then turn around and start walking towards the Slayer again. Start sending in extra Mummies as the Slayer becomes more confident. The Slayer is captured when a Mummy gets both hands on their shoulders. Modifications: With large groups you can place 2 slayers in the centre to work as a team to repel the Mummies. Benefits: This game is a great way to teach students to move their feet, turn their head, think about their environment and practice using Martial Arts Blocks to redirect attackers.
Tail Off the Tiger Number of Kids: 2 or more Martial Skills: Awareness, strategy, footwork Equipment: Short rope or socks, marked off area Instructions: Students face each other with “tails” stuck in the back of their belts, if they lose their tail they are out. They must steal the tail from other Students. Students cannot grab each other, and must remain standing. Restrict playing space and divide them into pairs or groups, or one big free for all. Modifications: Alternatively for more experienced kids you can attach the “tail” to the back of their knee to simulate a shoot. This is a great modification for ground fighting arts. Make sure you teach the kids not to lift their knee when someone is going for it as this will cause painful accidents and loose teeth. Start slow and keep a close eye on this game. Benefits: This is a great game to finish a lesson. Kids love this game because the whole group can play at the same time. As well as being great fun it teaches the kids to move quickly and be aware of everyone around them. They have to keep looking over their shoulder to stop other kids from getting behind them.
Pad Work - Hand Strikes and Kicks Number of Kids: 2 or more Martial Skills: MA Knowledge, reality training Equipment: Focus Pads or Shields Instructions: Get the kids to line up in teams. If you have three instructors with focus pads then run three lines to keep the kids moving quickly. Show the kids how to perform different strikes on the focus pads and then get them to throw three strikes and then move to the back of their line. Only show them one strike at a time because if you have guests then this may be the first time they have thrown strikes against a focus pad. Make sure you show them how to perform the strike correctly to avoid wrist and thumb injuries. Suggestions: The choice of strikes that you teach is up to you and will be determined by your style of martial arts. Basic strikes common to most martial arts are: Jab, Straight Punch, Hook, Uppercut, Back-Fist, Hammer-Fist, Knife-Hand Front Kick, Roundhouse, Sidekick Don’t make things too complicated. Your students should already know most of these strikes but their guests may have never thrown a strike so this will be a great experience for them. Make sure they know not to hyper extend their elbow, keep their wrist straight and have their thumb on the outside of their clenched fist to avoid the most common injuries for beginners. Note: I haven’t met a kid yet that doesn’t enjoy hitting a focus pad. Some may be shy or a little intimidated when you start but they soon find great pleasure in hitting a target without getting in trouble from their parents :-)
Martial Games - Hit n’ Run Number of Kids: 4 or more Martial Skills: MA Knowledge, reality training Equipment: None (a groin guard for the Instructor) Instructions: Get the kids to form a line ready for a relay. The Instructor stands beside the lead kid in the line. On the “GO” signal the kid starts running and the Instructor chases them down, grabbing an arm or the back of their uniform. The kid has to perform a technique to break free of your grasp, then run back to the line-up which is their safety area. Modifications: This game is as hard as you make it for the kids so go easy when they first play until they get the idea. You can either give them selected techniques to practice or you can give them freedom to experiment. I find the best way is to make their first response a technique they learned earlier in the lesson, then as they start to run away grab them again and let them try anything they want to break away again. Benefits: This game is an introduction to the reality of what they are learning. The aim is to teach them to do what ever it takes to break free and then RUN for help/safety. Some of your students will want to stand and fight with you because they think it’s fun, but the reality is when someone grabs them in the street it won’t be fun and they need to learn to RUN away rather than stand and fight an adult. I’ve trained with some great kids that can hit surprisingly hard but the reality is that an attacker is most likely Older, Bigger, Stronger, Angrier and more Experienced with Violence.
Martial Skills - Reverse Kata Number of Kids: 2 or more Martial Skills: MA Knowledge, Kata Training Equipment: None Instructions: The selection of Kata is up to you. The trick to this is figuring out how to teach a Kata in reverse... This doesn’t mean that you perform the whole Kata backwards... That would be impressive but it would also be crazy and pointless. When I say reverse Kata what I mean is that you start teaching the ending first and the keep adding the step before it until you have taught the kids the whole Kata. Why Would You Do This? The traditional way of teaching is to start at the beginning, teach a couple of steps and then build on that by adding additional moves. What can happen is that when the Kata gets longer the kids can get confused because they are busy worrying about the extra steps you have just added and then they forget the beginning steps. When you teach the Kata in reverse you teach the ending first and then you keep adding extra moves onto the front of the Kata. This way the new steps that you just taught them are fresh in their minds and they do these first followed by the steps they have already learned. Note: This may sound crazy but experiment with this method of teaching Kata to your current students in class and you will see the benefits of switching the memory priority. It may be harder for you to organise a Kata in reverse for teaching it but your students will learn it quicker if you teach it this way.
Don’t Knock It Till You’ve Tried It!
Martial Arts Games Day
Most Valuable Player
Games Day Champion This Certificate is Proudly Presented to ___________________________________ For displaying Great Effort, Commitment, Teamwork and Competitiveness but also for being a Great Sport and Competing with Honour and Fair Play. Your Competitive Nature combined with your Friendly Behaviour has shown you to be a True Champion of these
Martial Arts Games From Sensei ____________________
Ultimate Games Day Blueprint
Follow Up After Your Games Day
Referral Letters For Guests And Bonus Offers Good quality referrals are one of the easiest ways to generate new leads for your business and while encourage using ethical bribes this form of marketing is extremely cost effective. Most forms of advertising to find new students are considered a shotgun approach because you basically blast out your message at everyone within range and see what happens. Getting referrals is more subtle but much more targeted way of getting the attention of your ideal future students. Just because someone doesn’t join your Martial Arts School it doesn’t mean that they don’t know someone else that would be really interested in learning Martial Arts. I’m including some options of Referral Cards that you can use to collect more leads from the guests of your Games Day. The Bonus Offers (Ethical Bribes) should influence a Parent into giving you the contact details of their friends for you to talk to. Examples are:
A FREE Short Course for Mums (4x Lessons) FREE Kids T-shirt (with logo of your school and website address) A Bonus Merit Badge for Kids Uniform (these are cheap to get made) A One on One Lesson (Can be with you or a junior instructor) A FREE Copy of the Solo Games eBook (if you have resale rights)
Slip this referral letter (with the hand written Bonus and signed by you) into your Gift Bags for the parents and kids so that they will take them home with them. Attach a self addressed stamped envelope so they can mail the card back to you to claim the Bonus Offer. Make a mention of these Referral Letters and the Bonus Offer/s during your closing “Thank You” speech at the end of the Games Day. Note: Some parents may fill them out while they are there and hand them straight to you. Ps. Don’t be disappointed by those that don’t respond because all it’s cost you is a stamp, but the leads you do collect can add thousands of dollars in new business for you.
==> Special Bonus Offer
