Martial arts school website: what parents look for and how to show it

A parent looking at a martial arts school's website wants a few things fast. What ages do you teach, and when is my child's class? What does it cost, and is there a contract? Can we try a class? Who is teaching, and is my child safe there? Adults ask the same, minus the safety question.

In October 2026 we read 34 independent school websites in 10 states: karate, taekwondo, judo, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and kung fu schools. Almost all offered a way to try a class. Few posted a price, said how to cancel, or told parents how children are kept safe.

Your member software (Zen Planner, Gymdesk, Kicksite, Spark Membership, MyStudio or another) runs enrollment and billing. Your site states the schedule, the price and the terms, introduces your instructors, and sends people to the right next step.

Say where you are, and make your phone a tap

Only 12 of the 34 sites had a tap-to-call number on the first phone screen. Several typed it as plain text.

1. Click Business info in the left menu, fill in your address and phone number, and under Regular hours set when someone is at the door.
2. Add an Open today section near the top of your home page and an Hours & location section to your contact page, then click Publish.
3. For a closed day, click We’re closed today in the Today panel. See Close for today and Announcement bar.

Show your classes by age and level, in words

Three schools hid their schedule behind a form, and others used a calendar widget or a PDF. A parent, and a search engine, can only read what is in text. The best schedules were split by age and belt: "Little Dragons (ages 4 to 6)", "Juniors, white to green", "Teens and adults".

1. Click Lists, then Edit events, then Add event. Type the Event name (like "Little Dragons, ages 4 to 6"), the Date of the first class, Starts at and Ends at.
2. Under Repeats, pick Every week, and add Skipped dates for holidays. Type a Category like "Kids" or "Adults", and the instructor's name in Led by (optional).
3. Add an Events section to a "Class schedule" page. It shows each class once, with its pattern ("Every Tuesday · 4:30pm – 5:15pm"). See Events.
4. Say the youngest age you take, which class a beginner joins, and whether a parent may watch.

To take trial and class sign-ups on your site, the Bookings & RSVPs add-on adds spots and a waitlist: turn on Take sign-ups on this site on the event. See Take sign-ups for an event. If your member software already books classes, add its link in an Embed code section instead (see Add embed code), and don't book the same class in two places.

Put your prices on the site, with every fee

Only 5 of the 34 sites posted what lessons cost per month. Others emailed the price after a form, or put it behind a button. Searches like "how much does karate cost per month" are common, so answering plainly stands out.

1. Click Pages, then New page, and make a page called "Tuition" from the Pricing or menu template. See Add a page.
2. Add a Packages section. For each program, fill in Name, Price, a Price note like "per month", and under What’s included, what a student gets.
3. Put every extra in the Description or Fine print: registration, uniform, belt testing, family discount. Some schools said the uniform was included; most never said.
4. Point each plan's Button at your sign-up: under Goes to, choose Another website… and paste the link your member software gives you.

Don't sell tuition through payment links or the online store: your software ties payments to attendance.

Offer a first class, and say what happens after

26 of the 34 sites offered a free or low-priced start, and most never said what comes after. If a card is taken, say the price, the start date and how to cancel before it starts.

1. Make a page called "Try a class" from the Basic page template: what the offer is, how long it lasts, what to wear (no uniform needed), and what a first class is like.
2. Add a Booking section. Set Booking service to This site (Bookings add-on) or Other, and paste your trial link. See Take bookings on your site and Connect a booking calendar.
3. Point your Header button (under Menu) at it, with Button text like "Try a free class".

Test every button. And don't write "limited spots" on an offer that is open all month.

Say whether it renews, and how to cancel or pause

Seven of the 34 sites said "no contract" or "no commitment". None of the pages we read said how to cancel, yet people search for a school's cancellation policy by name.

Put these in your Fine print and FAQ: whether it is month to month or has a term; whether it renews by itself and on what day the card is charged; how to cancel or pause (online, by phone, in person), the notice you need and when billing stops; and any fee. Add a "Member login or cancel" link: Menu, then Add footer link, Another website…. See Change your menu and footer links.

Know the rules before you post your terms

This isn't legal advice, and rules vary by state, so check yours. The federal rules on automatic renewals and the FTC's reviews rule apply here as they do to a gym; see the gym guide for the details.

What is specific to martial arts: several states' health club laws name martial arts schools. New York's, Massachusetts's and Washington's say so in their text, and New Hampshire has a whole chapter for martial arts schools, covering registration, a surety bond, contract length and automatic renewal. Those laws can limit how long a contract may run, give a student a few days to change their mind, and require a bond. We didn't check every state. Ask your state attorney general's consumer office or a lawyer whether yours applies before you post terms.

Two more points. A trial that bills a card afterward needs its price and cancel steps shown first. And a money-back guarantee has to show its conditions next to it, like "attend twice a week for 30 days".

Introduce your instructors, with their rank and who awarded it

12 of the 34 sites stated a rank or title like "master", "grandmaster" or "6th-degree black belt". Half of them named no organization. No state licenses black belts, so a rank means as much as the group that gave it.

1. Click Lists, then Edit team, then Add person. Fill in Name, Role (like "Head instructor") and a clear Photo.
2. Type the rank in Credentials, with the organization and the year: "4th-degree black belt, Kukkiwon, 2016". Say who taught you and how long you've taught.
3. Write a Short bio, then add a Team section to your home page or an "Instructors" page. See Your team.

Claim only the rank you hold. Don't write "licensed" or "certified" without naming who licensed or certified you.

Tell parents how you keep children safe

Only one of the 34 sites said its instructors pass a background check. None said who is in the room, whether parents can watch, or how pickup works, though this is the question parents are asking.

In an FAQ and on your Try a class page, say what is true:

• Whether instructors are background-checked, and by whom. Say it only if it is so.
• Whether an adult is always in the room, and whether parents can watch or stay.
• How pickup works, and who a child can leave with.
• What you do about bullying and rough play in your own class.
• If you belong to a national governing body such as USA Judo or USA Taekwondo, its safe-sport rules apply to your instructors.

Say what you teach about bullying (staying calm, walking away, telling an adult), not that lessons will stop it.

Waivers, and permission for photos

Only one of the 34 sites mentioned a waiver. Say so on your Try a class page: "Every student signs a waiver, and a parent signs for a child."

1. Click Pages, then New page, and pick Activity waiver or Waiver for a child. Change What they agree to to fit your school.
2. Have a lawyer in your state check the wording. A parent's signature may not bind the child in every state.
3. Under Lists › Appointments or Events, open the class and choose the page under Form they sign (optional).

For photos, make a Photo release page the same way, and rewrite it for a parent signing for a child. Don't post a child's photo or name, here or in a newsletter, without that permission. See Signed forms and waivers.

Don't collect health information on your site: a child's ADHD, medications or allergies belong on paper or in your member software. See Don't collect health information.

Be careful what you promise

The FTC treats a testimonial with unusually big results as likely deceptive, and a guarantee must show its conditions. For a child's program, steer clear of "stops bullying", "treats ADHD", "guaranteed confidence" and "100% safe". Say what you teach and quote what parents said.

Don't offer a free class or uniform only for good reviews. If you have a toolbar on your site that says it makes the page accessible, don't call the site "compliant": the FTC acted in 2025 against a company that claimed that.

Belt tests, tournaments and events

Only two of the 34 sites published what testing involves. Say how often students test, what they need first, and the fee: "three months and 24 classes between tests" was the clearest rule we saw.

1. Add each test or tournament as an event in Lists › Events, with the Date, Starts at, Where, Price and a Category like "Belt tests".
2. For sign-ups or a paid entry, turn on Take sign-ups on this site, set Spots, and turn on Take payment when they sign up. Click Publish.
3. Add an Events section to a "Belt tests and events" page, with Only these categories set to your category.

Birthday parties, camps and after-school

Seven of the 34 sites offered birthday parties, and two showed a price ($299 and $349). Make a "Parties" page from the Basic page template with what is included, how long, the price, the notice you need, and a Booking section or a Form for a request. Do the same for camps, with dates and ages. A deposit goes in the Bookings add-on under Take a deposit.

Sell uniforms and gear

Four of the 34 sites had a shop. Uniforms, belts, patches and protective gear suit the Online store; see Sell products with the online store. Stripe, which takes the payments, restricts real swords and other weapons, so leave weapons out of your store.

Class packs (like "10 classes for $140") come with Bookings; say when a pack expires, or choose No end. See Class packs. Gift cards and coupons are their own add-on; see Gift cards and coupons and Check people in with a QR code.

Show your reviews

23 of the 34 sites showed reviews; only 5 showed a rating with its count.

1. Add your best recent Google reviews to your Reviews list, with the date and source.
2. Add a Reviews section to your home page and your rating and count to your Highlights, like "4.9★ · 120 Google reviews".
3. Paste your Google review link into Leave-a-review link in Business info.

See Reviews and Ask customers for reviews.

Photos and tips

Take your entrance and sign, the training floor from the doorway (empty, so a nervous beginner sees it), each instructor in uniform, a class from behind or at hands and feet, the waiting area where parents watch, and your rank certificates. Free photos has good ones for general pages, but a stock child isn't your student, so don't caption it as one. See Free photos.

Add an FAQ section with the questions above, and use Suggest questions to draft more. See Use suggested questions. Give your home page a search title with your town and style, like "Taekwondo school in Duluth, MN". See Set a page's search title and description.