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Awesome instructors and place to train for kids in the area If you live in the Saint Pete's area this is where to bring your kids for not just the best martial arts but life training Skillz!
We signed our 5 year old up for the free trial over the summer to try out something new and keep him active during the summer. He absolutely fell in love with it and asked if he could go every day! The curriculum is perfectly geared toward each particular age group. The instructors are so engaging and committed. The skills and confidence our son has gained just in a few short months are priceless. Our summer activity has quickly become part of our regular year round schedule and I foresee him continuing for years to come. OTM rocks!!
No better place than OTM for brinhing the best out of your child. The instructors are some of the best and the owner Melody Shuman is the most knowledgeable in child neuroscience. Many martial art facilities around the world look to her and use her Skillz methods for teaching children. AAA++++++
The best money that our family has invested in the development of our child! As an early childhood educator, I am very picky about extra curricular activities! On the Mat is the model for positive reinforcement! They treat everyone like family! We are so grateful that we are there and only wish we had found them sooner!
The best customer service ever, Melody Shuman and her staff go out of their way to over deliver
Just started but I can tell the school is amazing and the staff are very nice and attentive! My daughter seems to love it too!
Our family can't say enough about On The Mat! Master Melody and her awesome team of Ninjas are like a parent's secret weapon. Our son goes to practice Tae Kwon Do, he ends up learning about character, respect, self-control and other priceless virtues! The family environment and friendships fostered at this club have added a beautiful dimension to each of our lives. I have as much fun catching up with friends each week as Robert Paul has on the Dojo. We are grateful to be apart of such an amazing program.
Parents are an essential element to their child’s success in anything. The enthusiasm and support, or lack thereof, of a parent can make or break a child’s accomplishments. In SKILLZ martial arts, it is even more essential that parents be involved as part of the teaching team since the SKILLZ system applies child development and […]
Hey Parents, I wanted to share some great tips on the Parent SKILLZ strategy: EDUTAINMENT. As I posted last week, “Be the parent your child needs you to be.” Children hardly ever embrace the concept of learning. As a parent, this can be very frustrating because our primary role is to teach children skills necessary […]
Hey Parents, Mr. Andrew here and I wanted to share some great tips on the Parent SKILLZ word: PROMPTING. As I posted last week, “Setting your child up for daily successes is easier than trying to punish poor behavior.” Sometimes children make poor behavior choices simply because they are not paying attention. Other times they […]
Easy and Vital Tips to Stay Safe on Halloween Ghosts, Goblins and Witches, oh my! The Halloween season brings a lot of fun memories for people. They can find their favorite characters or alter egos and dress up as other personas for a night. Taking children around the neighborhoods for candy at night has become […]
Guest Post from Master Melody Shuman: One of the biggest concerns from parents during the back-to-school season is bullying. Some 160,000 kids skip school every day because they fear of being attacked or ridiculed by bullies. The good news is that these disturbing statistics can be limited with the proper education. As an educator that […]
Hey OTM Families! By now summer is in full swing and we hope that everyone is taking advantage of our summer camps here at On The Mat! If you are looking for something fun to keep your ninja occupied this summer feel free to find us at the front desk or give us a call […]
Hey Basic SKILLZ Parents, Today I wanted to spend a few moments and talk about “Focus”. Not only is this one of our Basic SKILLZ ninjas skills that they practice in class but it is also a skill that they are still learning to cultivate. Focus is an important skill to master in order to […]
Hey Core SKILLZ Families! I wanted to take some time and explain why practicing at home is so valuable! Here are some of the benefits of carving some time out and practicing at home! The average 7-9yr old tends to struggle with sequences of moves that require the use of fine motor skills. Our school […]
Protect Your Heart with Martial Arts Valentine’s Day has just passed, but February is still all about the heart. Every year, the American Heart Association celebrates Heart Month to raise awareness about heart disease and heart health. What you may not know is that martial arts are great for the heart. In fact, the cardiac […]
How to Avoid Being a Victim of Bullying Bullying has become an epidemic in recent years. Yes, there have always been bullies, and yes, those bullies have always caused serious and lasting damage to their victims; however, bullying in the 21st century has changed – and not for the better. According to Pacer’s National Bullying […]
Does your Early or Basic SKILLZ ninja have a hard time making good decisions? That’s OK! Often times the Early and Basic SKILLZ ninjas may find it difficult to follow the rules. The good news is that they are not doing this on purpose. After years of working with this age group and observing the […]
Happy Holidays Core SKILLZ Parents! The holidays are quickly approaching and our staff here at On The Mat hopes it is the best ever! It is super easy to get lost in the moment and forget to practice our martial arts over the holiday break. But if we can remember to do so, we are […]
Hey Basic SKILLZ Parents! Today I wanted to talk about how we can use some of the SKILLZ lessons our ninjas learn in class at home. Being a ninja is something that you never really take off. Thus, it is important to practice our karate moves at home! It is also just as important that […]