Martial Arts Curriculum

The rotating curriculum is a new way to approach studying martial arts that has been very effective at increasing student success in the classroom. This is how our system works.

Under a rotating curriculum system, all students of the same general skill level learn the same curriculum in a series of levels. A single lead instructor teaches the class and students learn together as a team, rather than in isolated pockets of instruction which you may have seen in the past. The problem with this system is there is no continuity to the classes, normally you need four of five different instructors who each take a small group of the same grade or you have one or two instructors trying to split themselves between several different groups. I have worked with both sets of curriculums and this way is by far the most effective. We will still have more than one instructor on each class but this time the student will learn the same as everyone else.

There are five levels in the Basic Cycle, four levels in the Intermediate Cycle and five levels in the Advanced Cycle; after the complete duration of each cycle, that cycle resets at the first level. So let’s say John joins, he will automatically go in to the Basic Cycle but depending at what level that everyone is up to in that cycle, for example he joins when everyone is up to yellow belt (level 2) he will be examined at the end of that cycle (3 months) on that level. When he completes level 3 (orange belt) and level 4 (green belt) and level 5 (blue and white belt) he then goes back to the level he hadn’t completed which was level 1 (white belt). He will be graded on this level as this was the one he missed, he won’t receive a white belt but instead a blue and white belt. He will then after completion of this cycle move into the Intermediate Cycle where he will join in the level at which everyone else is studying.

Won’t the orange belt (level 3) be too hard for a new child on the class?

No, because all five levels of the Basic Cycle are designed to be a general introduction to martial arts, all five levels are basic in nature so will be easily learned.

The curriculum cycles & levels under our system are:

The Basic Cycle, which is composed of white, yellow, orange, green and blue and white belt techniques.

The Intermediate Cycle, which is composed of blue, purple and white, purple, brown and white and brown belt techniques.

The Advanced Cycle, which is composed of brown belt 1st tab, 2nd tab, 3rd tab, 4th tab and black belt techniques.

It is very important to understand that our system separates belts from curriculum. As in other martial arts students will progress from white to black belt but we will refer to our system in levels and cycles.

The rotating curriculum helps the instructors lead classes in a smoother and more efficient way. It also creates a sense of teamwork among our students by working with everyone in class equally rather than just those students of the same belt rank.

How will a rotating curriculum help me as a student, or my child?

The rotating curriculum will help all students to move at a more regular pace, meaning that students will not lag behind their classmates, creating a positive feeling of inclusion and self-worth.

Instructors will be able to identify right away the students that need help. It also means that students will receive the same level of instruction from a consistent, recognizable instructor and will eliminate students being taught different things by different instructors.

It will help to develop more concrete, short-term goals for students. Students will learn new curriculum every few months, which will keep the study of Ju Jitsu and Kickboxing fresh and exciting for them.

Overall, it will streamline and simplify both the classroom and the learning process so that students receive adequate instructor attention and practice to assure their continued success.

Will the rotating curriculum system affect my progress as a student here?

No! In fact, it should help to keep all students on track and progressing through the curriculum much more smoothly than the way other schools teach. The instructors carefully track where each student is in their belt rank and will work with all students to prepare them to test for their next belt.

This system guarantees that the instructors are focused on exactly where you are as a student and that there are always other students learning the same things that can help you or work with you as a partner.

As always myself and my team are always on hand to answer any questions that you have, please don’t hesitate to call my mobile or speak to me at class times should you wish to go over this or anything else that concerns you or your child in anyway we are more than happy to help.

Carl Norman