There is not a single person who has not been impacted by COVID-19. It goes without saying, but this pandemic has truly changed our world in a mere matter of months. Now we know what you’re thinking:
“Another article about COVID?”
We get it. COVID-19 seems to be the only topic of conversation nowadays, whether that be on the news, in your social media feed, or throughout your day-to-day conversations. Here at Kicksite we aim to not just be a source of information, but to also be a space for you to relate with your peers within the martial arts community.
That’s why we’re shaking things up today. Instead of doing all of the talking ourselves, we’ve decided to hand the microphone over to – wait for it – YOU! In our newest series, ‘Kicksite Clients Tell All,’ we are going to be getting to know Kicksite’s very own clients, passionate school owners who will tell all about their unique stories, experiences, and advice. Whether that be about COVID or anything else your gym may face.
To kick it off, we’ve conducted an interview with one of Kicksite’s most loyal clients: Jonathan Crow. Jonathan is the owner of Affinity Martial Arts, a successful martial arts school in New Jersey that utilizes a curriculum integrating cardio, strength training, yoga, and a variety of martial art styles. Jonathan will be tackling some of the major questions surrounding COVID-19 that face small business owners and all those working in the martial arts industry.
-
How has the Coronavirus impacted your business?
“The virus has affected us in many ways. First we lost about 40% of our student base when the lockdown here in New Jersey began. Secondly our ability to train has been seriously modified. Martial Arts requires contact, right now we can not have contact.”
-
How have you adapted?
“We adapted our procedures to work solo drills and games especially for children. The biggest adaptation is our live online classes and our video library in Kicksite. Currently we run online classes 3 days a week for adults and kids. We download the classes, do the proper editing and have the classes uploaded to Kicksite usually within 24 hours. We have an exclusive online membership. We have also made technique videos to add to the library for students to access. We have used facebook to set up a private members only group to also upload videos, technique of the week etc.”
- What kind of support has helped you during this phase?
“Technical online support. We have made changes to the website, facebook and to Kicksite to accommodate the current climate. My ability to contact Kicksite to have a change made and its made that day is unbelievable. I am not a tech savvy person so having people available to help with this is just amazing.”
-
What has been the hardest part when trying to reopen your gym?
“Income loss is huge. I own a small academy and not being able to support itself is taxing. Luckily the students that stuck with us through this have continued their tuition to ensure they have a home to come back to.”
-
What tools are you using for virtual training?
“Zoom and my Kicksite library.”
-
What advice do you have for other gym owners?
“DO NOT GIVE UP. If any of you are like me you LOVE this. The feeling you get when a student gets it. When the parents tell you how much their child has improved at home. When you get a referral from a student and you know it’s because of what your academy gives them. Stay the course and push through. We all remember the days we thought we would never even get our black belts. Look now at what you have created but more importantly what you have given to those in your academy.”
Don’t forget to read our upcoming blogs, as we will continue to highlight how school owners are being impacted by various issues, and will be providing our readers with advice from those who understand their struggles best. We can’t wait to dive into this new series!
Do you have any words of wisdom you’d like to bestow upon our readers? If you’re interested in being interviewed for our newest ‘Kicksite Clients Tell All’ series, email us at Jackson@Kicksite.net. We’d love to hear from you!