It was that or close. KB and her team swiftly learnt how to deliver martial arts classes online. After more than two decades of teaching kickboxing classes in a room, surrounded by students, the solitary approach, no feedback, no sound except the instructor's own voice, was the immediate new norm. There was no time to get used to it, the KB teaching team just had to hit the ground running and deliver martial arts classes in this new format, or risk losing their membership.
Despite our best efforts, many people did leave, citing such reasons as: not enough space to train at home, need to be able to hit something, lost employment and so on. In fact, many of our departing members never even tried to give online a go before deciding it wasn't for them. Their prerogative, most people were instantly worried about what was ahead after all.
The true martial artists though, stuck around. Rather than stay fit, they got fitter than they've ever been, because for a sustained period, they did 'every call,' meaning they didn't have to hold the pads for their partner, as the online instructor held the pads for them every time. Consequently, they got into better shape, when others ordered more takeaways. More than that, they felt connected to a large group of positive people, in a confusing, worrying phase of life. For many, our classes shone a light through dark times.
Many members took new belts and progressed to the next level - for example, 3 members achieved Black Standard in Kickboxing and Kung Fu. That's a great number; we certainly didn't take our foot off of the accelerator, despite the circumstances. Now though, we have been given back the right to train together in a dojo. Kelly, KB said:
"It's full steam ahead! I am so grateful to have been able to steer the school through these choppy waters. Just like the student must make the most of any training environment, so must I as the instructor. Therefore, I kept a positive outlook throughout. That said, when it comes to teaching, I belong in the dojo, with my students alongside me, not cooped up in a screen miles apart.
So I am celebrating being back in the dojo. After running my own martial arts school since 1998 in Borehamwood and then from 2000 in London, I am cherishing the time we can spend together. We generate a collective energy which nourishes the soul. Long may it continue."
Would you like to come and feel energised by the teaching team at KB Fitness? If so…