09/19/2026
I’ve been thinking about something as a martial arts instructor, and I genuinely want to hear from parents.
I’ve been called “strict” because I’ve held class when there was no A/C, because I didn’t automatically cancel every time it snowed, or because sometimes my answer to a request was simply “no.”
And I understand it. Parents want their kids comfortable, safe and taken care of. I’m a parent too.
But here’s the question I keep asking myself…
I watch Pop Warner football players practicing and playing through heat, cold, rain, sleet and sometimes miserable conditions. Basketball players can practice for hours. Practices run late. Sometimes there aren’t the ideal facilities. And yet, parents continue showing up.
I’m NOT knocking football.
I’m NOT knocking basketball.
I’m not saying kids should be put in unsafe conditions.
I’m asking something different:
How do we create THAT level of loyalty and commitment in martial arts?
Because martial arts teaches the very things that should create it:
🥋 Discipline
🥋 Perseverance
🥋 Commitment
🥋 Respect
🥋 Accountability
🥋 Showing up when things aren’t perfect
The goal isn’t to make our kids comfortable all the time.
The goal is to teach them that discomfort doesn’t automatically mean quit.
At the same time, instructors have a responsibility to know the difference between discomfort and danger. Safety will always come first.
But if we cancel every time the conditions aren’t perfect, if we stop every time it’s inconvenient, or if “I don’t feel like it today” becomes an acceptable reason not to show up…
What lesson are we teaching?
I want Champions In Action to be more than a place where kids learn how to kick, punch and earn belts.
I want it to be a place where families say:
“This is OUR program.”
Where the instructor knows the students will show up.
Where the students know their teammates will show up.
And where parents understand that sometimes the most valuable lesson isn’t learned when everything goes perfectly.
Sometimes it’s learned when you show up anyway.
So parents, I really want your honest opinion:
What makes you become truly loyal to a youth sports program?
Is it the coach?
The community?
The results?
The friendships?
The discipline?
The way your child is treated?
Or something else?
Because I want to build that at Champions In Action, Not just students, A martial arts family.
