Step #1 – Sign up

The first step in the journey is getting in touch with us, through our sign up form or by emailing Matt ([email protected]) or calling 01733 639192

Usually, Matt will then call you, to have a quick chat about what you’re hoping to get from training. As well as to understand when you want to train.

Anxious about phone calls? No problem! Send us an email, or mention in your sign up form that you’d rather not speak on the phone and we can communicate by text, email, or WhatsApp instead.

The next thing we will be trying to do is understanding when is a good time for you to start your trial. Every student gets their first 2 lessons free.

We will then confirm your trial session, and send you a text to confirm the details.

Any questions or queries between now and your first lesson, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us – we are here to help.

Step #2 – Your First Lesson

So, we are all booked in for our first lesson.

Normally Matt will try to get in touch with you on the day, just to make sure you’re OK and are ready for your first lesson.

We realise, especially for those who find new experiences tricky to navigate, it can be a daunting day. We are here to help. Anything you need, or anything we can do to make life easier, just let us know.

A few examples of things we can do to help (but this isn’t exhaustive, the only limitation is our collective imagination!).

• Meet you in the car park and walk with you to the Dojo
• Find you a buddy to look after you through your first session
• Talk you through what to expect during the session
• Brief you before each segment of the lesson, so you understand what is coming

Here are some quick bullet points, to help you feel prepared

• Arrive about 10 minutes early. This gives you chance to meet the instructors and to settle in before everybody else arrives
• Wear comfortable clothes that you can safely exercise in (nothing with zips etc) – tracksuit bottoms or leggings are usually a good idea, and a t-shirt. Training can get pretty warm, so we’d usually advise against hoodies
• Bring some water – training is thirsty work. Before training starts it’ll also give you something to hold and fiddle or “stim” with
• We train barefoot, this is for safety reasons. If you can’t train barefoot, then some grippy socks are perfectly acceptable
• Remember, everybody in the dojo, students and instructors alike, want your first lesson to be as amazing as possible – we all want each other to succeed

Step #3 – After Your Trial

You’ve done your trial lessons and are raring to go! There are a couple of jobs to do now, but nothing to worry about;

1. We will send you a link and a PIN to fill in your details and emergency contacts etc through our student management platform, DojoHub
2. We will also organise your payments and/or funding as appropriate. Normally payments are handled through our secure card payment provider Stripe
3. You will also gain access to various member’s only areas, such as our Discord Server, WhatsApp and Facebook Groups – there are a bunch of useful resources in here

At some point you will want to sort some other things out, and we’ll guide you through this process;

1. Your registration, license, and insurance
2. Purchasing your first Karate-gi (or Gi for short – your training uniform)
3. Purchasing some mitts and a gumshield for sparring

We’ll talk to you in class about all these things, none of them are required immediately.