Hello, kickers!
🚀 The Kick is Here: Lead Better, Train Smarter, Build a Championship Culture
This week’s edition is all about raising the bar on leadership and team development. In our feature article, Train Your Team Like You Train Your Athletes, we break down the exact systems, reps, and habits that turn average teams into high performers. When you treat team training like mat training—structured, consistent, and intentional—you stop managing and start building culture.
You’ll also find quick-hitting wisdom in What’s Kickin’ on Social, a leadership must-read in The Need to Lead by Dave Berke, and fresh momentum in Relentless Results. Let’s get into it and level up the way you lead. 👊🔥
🥋 Train Your Team Like You Train Your Athletes
Most martial arts school owners pour hours into training their students—but when it comes to training their team? It’s usually an afterthought. The result? Inconsistent performance, culture leaks, and confusion over roles and standards.
If you want your team to perform like athletes, you need to train them like athletes—with structure, consistency, and a standard of excellence that’s non-negotiable.
Here are 5 core principles to start running team development like you run your best classes:
1️⃣ Consistency Creates Confidence
Just like athletes don’t level up without regular practice, your team won’t improve without intentional, weekly training. That means:
📅 Scheduled weekly team trainings (with a clear agenda)
🥋 Physical training sessions to sharpen on-mat skills
🎯 1-on-1 coaching to address individual needs
💬 Pre-shift huddles to align the day
📈 Regular performance reviews to track goals
If you don’t train consistently, don’t expect consistent performance. Your culture follows your calendar.
2️⃣ Practice the Plays
Scripts, drills, and class structure aren’t “set it and forget it.” They’re plays—and they need to be practiced. Regularly.
What should you be practicing?
Sales scripts & objection handling
Lead follow-up calls
Class transitions & flow
Parent conversations and mat chats
Greeting protocols and hype energy
Every championship team has playbooks—and they rep them until it’s second nature. So should yours.
3️⃣ Film Never Lies
One of the fastest ways to sharpen team awareness is through video review.
Watch class footage together and ask:
“What did we do well?”
“What didn’t meet our standard?”
“What’s the fix?”
Then… practice the fix. The mat doesn’t lie. Neither does the footage.
4️⃣ Celebrate Like a Team, Lose Like a Team
When things go wrong, it’s not their fault—it’s our responsibility. And when things go right, it’s their win to own.
As a leader:
Model accountability from the top
Teach ownership without blame
Make losses lessons
Celebrate wins as a unit
Build belief through responsibility
Culture is contagious. Your response sets the tone for how your team handles pressure, failure, and progress.
5️⃣ Build a Bench of A-Players
Don’t wait until someone quits to start recruiting. The best teams are always building their bench.
Look for:
Students who are upgraded and active
CIT team members who complete the 90-Day Gauntlet
People who show hunger, coachability, and consistency
Train them with:
Instructor certification
Class observation
Event support
Cross-training in sales, follow-up, and mat operations
A-Players don’t appear out of nowhere—they’re developed intentionally.
BONUS: Understand the Player Types on Your Team
🏀 A Players
High skill, high ownership, high drive
Want feedback, want responsibility, want to win
Elevate your culture—if you give them space to lead
🏀 B Players
Competent and consistent, but not hungry
Need coaching to become A players—or they settle
Often feel threatened by high-performers
🏀 C Players
Low initiative, low skill, high drama
Drain energy, lower standards, and kill culture
Want A players gone because they expose their comfort zone
Want a stronger team? Coach the B’s, remove the C’s, and unleash the A’s.
💡 Final Word: Coach Your Culture, Don’t Just Hope for It
If you want A-player performance, you need A-player systems.
That means:
✅ Weekly training
✅ Clear standards
✅ Real-time feedback
✅ Role-specific reps
✅ Development paths
You can’t build a championship school with walk-ons and wishful thinking. Train your team like you train your athletes—and watch them rise to the standard.
The Kick’s pick of the hottest headlines in social this week:
This week’s roundup is all about trust, follow-through, learning, and leveraging smart tools to lead and grow more effectively. Whether it’s your team, your tech, or your mindset—there’s something here to sharpen every part of your business.
🔥 Simon Sinek – Working with a Trusting Team
Simon reminds us that when people trust each other, they work faster, think bigger, and solve more problems.
👉 Watch Here (Facebook Post)
🔥 Daniel Pink – Solve Problems Faster
Daniel shares a fresh perspective on how to speed up problem-solving by changing how we approach the question.
👉 Watch Here (Facebook Post)
🔥 Dave Kovar – Do What You Say You’re Going to Do
Kovar delivers a leadership fundamental: Your integrity is your influence. Follow-through builds culture.
👉 Read Here (Facebook Post)
🔥 Adam Grant – Stay Humble, Stay Learning
“Wisdom is knowing how much you still have to learn.” A powerful reminder from Grant that the best leaders are constant students.
👉 Read Here (Facebook Post)
🔥 Dan Martell – Top 5 AI Tools for Your Business
Dan drops five must-have AI tools that save time and create leverage in any business.
👉 Watch Here (Facebook Reel)
⚡ Take what hits, drop it in your team chat, and keep leveling up.
😂 Martial Memes
These memes hit home for all of us martial artists and gave us a good chuckle. Click on the image to view the original account that posted each meme. Enjoy!
Have a MEME that you want featured? Send them to us at [email protected] or tag our instagram account @thekicknewsletter.
📖 What We’re Reading: The Need To Lead by Dave Berke
If you’ve ever found yourself waiting for someone else to take ownership—or wondering why your team isn’t stepping up—this book is for you. In The Need to Lead, former U.S. Marine and leadership instructor Dave Berke makes one thing crystal clear: leadership isn’t optional—it’s a responsibility.
This isn’t about titles or seniority. It’s about raising your hand when others hesitate, taking action when it’s uncomfortable, and recognizing that leadership is a decision you make every day.
💡 Key Takeaways for School Owners:
✅ Leadership isn’t assigned—it’s claimed. Stop waiting for permission to lead. If something needs to improve, step up and own it.
✅ The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Whether it’s student behavior or staff follow-through, your silence is your endorsement.
✅ You don’t need more time—you need to lead with intention. The excuses fade when the mission is clear and the accountability is real.
Berke’s message is direct, actionable, and perfect for martial arts school owners who want to lead with more purpose and less hesitation.
📖 Grab your copy here: The Need to Lead on Amazon
You don’t need a badge to lead—just the guts to go first. 👊🔥
📈 Relentless Results: This Week’s Wins from RMA Clients
Another week, another round of wins from school owners growing faster with Relentless Media Agency’s done-for-you campaigns. These stories prove what happens when strategy, optimization, and consistency come together.
🎯 CD Young – From $40 to $12 Per Lead!
At the beginning of the month, CD’s campaigns were averaging $40 per lead. But after some smart adjustments and the launch of a retargeting strategy, we’ve dropped that cost to just $12 per lead in the last 7 days. 🔥
That’s a 70% reduction and a huge step toward more efficient and scalable growth!
🥋 Amber – 8 Leads at Just $8 Per Lead!
Amber’s Kids Martial Arts campaign at @tmalivermore is off to an incredible start:
📊 8 leads in 7 days
💰 $8 per lead
This kind of performance shows what’s possible with the right offer, messaging, and targeting—all managed by the RMA team.
👉 Want results like these? Book your free discovery call with RMA today and let’s build a campaign that fills your calendar. week, we’re celebrating two major wins from school owners who are plugged into the Relentless Media Agency (RMA) system—and the results speak for themselves.
📬 Have Something That Is Kick Worthy?
We know our readers have great ideas, insights, and stories to share! If you’ve got something that’s "kick-worthy"—whether it’s a success story, a marketing tip, or something that’s helping your school thrive—submit it to us at [email protected]. Your content could be featured in an upcoming edition of The Kick and shared with martial arts school owners around the world!
🔥 That’s a Wrap for This Week!
If you want a stronger team, you need stronger systems. This issue was all about training with purpose—not just on the mat, but behind the scenes where culture is built and standards are set. Whether you’re refining your leadership habits, coaching your B-players, or finally putting structure behind your team meetings—every rep counts.
Keep showing up, keep leading with intention, and as always—stay sharp, stay relentless, and keep kicking it forward. 👊🔥
