How to Run a Successful Martial Arts Summer Camp
Martial arts camps not only bring in necessary additional income but also provide a vehicle for gaining new students and keeping current students interested and involved. In addition to the camp at your school, you can contact private schools, YMCA’s, country clubs, etc., that run summer camps. Typically, running three camps every summer can gross revenues of about $10,000-$12,000 from June through August. Here’s how to do it!
Step One: Plan Your Time
Figure out the best week or weeks to run your camp. Generally, the second or third week of August is best. This is when summer activities are winding down, and the kids are home driving mom crazy while school is a few weeks away. Look at your schedule and block out four hours after the noon hour, usually an unproductive part of the day for most schools. Schedule your camp so that your regular students can stay for their class—Mom is happy, and your attendance stays up.
Step Two: Create Your Curriculum
Create a curriculum that is different and exciting to your camp participants. Don’t just do martial arts and expect a big turnout the following year! Your curriculum must be appealing to your campers and, most importantly, their parents.
On a sheet of paper or schedule pad, mark 15-minute intervals down the left side of your page. To the right of each 15 minutes, place the activity, including breaks. It is very important that you account for every minute. Do not leave any blanks!
Start the day with a fun warm-up. Try to stay away from the same old “Jumping jacks—ten down the first row.” Use music, use props, get creative! The rest of the day should be filled with martial arts (one hour max), character education, aerobic kickboxing, circuit training, conflict resolution, games, contests, musical forms, creative combinations, and other fun activities. Careful planning for each day is essential.
Step Three: Market Your Camp
When it comes to marketing, put on your thinking cap. You have a ready-made market right in your school. Most of your camp participants will be your current students. Ask your students to bring a friend to summer camp (give them a few brochures to give to their friends). You’ll be surprised at the response.
Leave brochures where moms frequent, such as beauty shops, tanning parlors, preschools, daycare centers, grocery stores, dry cleaners, etc. Networking works! Avoid using newspaper, radio, or TV to advertise your camps.
Step Four: Sign Up Campers
Sign-up forms with payment in advance are crucial to your planning. You will need to prepare for awards, prizes, T-shirts, snacks, and various supply items. One week prior to your camp, send out letters to campers and parents describing your curriculum, drop-off, and pick-up times, and other pertinent details. Require a waiver and medical releases as well as emergency numbers.
Success Starts on the First Day
Set the tone immediately. Have everyone sit in a straight line and introduce themselves. Explain your rules: no running, no talking when you are talking or teaching, and stay away from mirrors and windows. Simple yet effective rules set the tone for a fun and organized camp.
Hand out a different camp T-shirt each year. Hold a “design our camp T-shirt contest” well in advance and the winner gets a free T-shirt. Ensure that you start your curriculum on time and stick to your schedule. Include a couple of 15-minute breaks for snacks and drinks. Provide handouts about home rules, conflict resolution, character education, etc.
A Lasting Impression on the Final Day
The final day needs to be the best and most memorable for the campers. After all, you want as many non-students to continue at your school as possible and build repeat business for next year’s camp.
Have a tournament and graduation on the last day. Judge creative combinations, simple board breaking, and fun sparring with the counselors and yourself.
Send invitations home with the kids a few days before the last day.
Have all campers demonstrate what they learned as a graduation.
They all receive a nice frameable certificate and those who have never experienced martial arts at your school receive a gold belt with a white stripe down the center (a non-rank at my school).
Make it fun, exciting, and memorable to create great word-of-mouth advertising.
Finally, hand out an invitation to a “Bring A Friend” class scheduled within the next two weeks following the camp.
By following these steps, you can create a successful, profitable, and memorable martial arts summer camp that keeps students engaged and attracts new enrollments.