We were HORRIFIED at our Black Belt testing…

Not by the students, but by ourselves.

A couple years ago, we were watching one of our black belt tests, and something felt off.
Sure, our students could perform forms, weapons, self-defense sequences… but when it came to the basics?

Sloppy roundhouse kicks. Weak stances. Side kicks with zero chamber.

It hit us like a gut punch:
This wasn’t a reflection of our students. This was a reflection of us as teachers.

We had overcomplicated our curriculum.
Every time we learned something new at a seminar, we added it in.
But we never took anything out.

Our curriculum had more layers than an onion… and yeah, it made us tear up.

We forgot one simple truth:
The best martial artists are the best at the basics.

LeBron James isn’t an all-star because of windmill dunks, he dominates the fundamentals: rebounding, passing, jump shots.

If he was focused on trick shots, he’d be a Harlem Globetrotter, not one of the greatest NBA players of all time.

So we made a bold decision:
✅ We simplified our curriculum.
✅ We trimmed the fluff.
✅ We doubled down on drilling the basics.

Yes, some of our “traditionalist” black belts hated it. We had people quit, some of our instructors fought back against the change, but we pressed forward because we felt like it was the best decision for our students longterm. 

Our students improved dramatically. Classes became clearer. Instructors became more confident. 

Better students = longer retention. It’s that simple.

BY THE WAY- I created a “behind the scenes” video training on EXACTLY what we did to cut out the fluff in our curriculum. Want it for free? Comment “cut the onion” below and i’ll send it to you. 

Look, kids today aren’t just doing martial arts.

They’re in swim, baseball, robotics, piano, and 6th-grade AP Calculus or whatever.

Do we wish they practiced outside of class? Sure.

But our job is to meet them where they ARE, not where we wish they were.

Here’s your retention challenge this week:

Look at your curriculum. Where can you simplify?

Not dumb it down, refine it.

Because simple scales, and fancy fails.

And a solid curriculum doesn’t just produce better black belts, it keeps students training longer. Which means… predictable revenue, happier families, and instructors who don’t want to rip their hair out teaching a billion different things.

Let’s level up the curriculum, and keep students for the long haul.