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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.
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!
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!
The best customer service ever, Melody Shuman and her staff go out of their way to over deliver
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!
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++++++
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!!
We are currently faced with all sorts of unknowns most, of which, are completely out of our control. And while we cannot dictate how others choose to move forward, what we can do, as parents, is prepare our own families for what may lie ahead. Currently, the most pressing matter is preparing children to return […]
As we continue through the current pandemic and re-opening efforts show real challenges, school districts everywhere are trying to devise the best plans for children, teachers, and staff to return. And while there will be no perfect solution for each family, parents must consider all the information and choose the option that works best for […]
As we continue to navigate the unchartered waters of the current pandemic, many are looking to the future and what it holds. And while it’s hard to predict how long our current daily life modifications will last, what we do know is that the experience of this trauma will have personal changes that could last […]
We are all human and our responses to our current situation vary. Some have hunkered down and sorted through their new reality in a way that has motivated them to complete tasks and put new goals in place. Others have become increasingly overwhelmed and feel like they have no control over their lives at all. […]
As the pandemic carries on, our coping skills are starting to unravel. For many people, this has become the ultimate emotional test. As we continue to maintain our distance from each other, not only have our social lives been halted, but our emotional support is wavering as well. And while we have been living this […]
The news can be full of scary stories and information, especially for children. Our current situation has brought about even more concern for everyone in the world. If adults are feeling panicked, imagine how children must be feeling. And no matter the age, children can be emotionally affected by the news and begin feeling anxious […]
Let’s face it, conflict is hard and is bound to happen no matter what ground rules are put into place. Whether it’s on the playground or right in our own homes, children will clash. And while it can create challenging situations, it is a normal event that occurs between children. This is why conflict resolution […]
Proper Warmup – The Key to Sports Injury Prevention Children and teens are involved in a myriad of physical activities and sports. And whether they are at a competitive or recreational level, the basic physical requirements are the same. In order to achieve optimum training levels, it’s important that the exercises prepare the athlete for […]
We live in a competitive world and most parents would jump at the chance to give their child every advantage imaginable. The world can also be unkind and, as parents, we feel a need to protect our children from everything possible. And yes, parents are supposed to help and protect their children but when does […]
School Readiness – What Teachers Really Look For When we hear the term “school readiness,” the first thing most people think of is children knowing academic basics that will help them meet the demands of the classroom. And while these cognitive skills are important, teachers feel that skills in the other areas of child development […]
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 […]
For many people, martial arts is one unified style, which they call “karate,” and includes learning a variety of self-defense moves. When students decide to change martial arts schools, they are often told they must “start over” at white belt. And while it is important for a student to learn all lower rank information of […]
During the school season teachers, assistants, and counselors are focused on helping your children learn and grow. But what happens during the summer season when these people are not around? It makes sense that as a parent you would want your child to maintain some level of growth and development over the summer in order […]
All parents want the same thing…for their child to be a positive member of society and experience success. And while these are important things, they often come through a push to achieve and be the best in everything. Unfortunately, this is frequently done through comparing their children to others. This, however, often leads to stress […]
Children between the ages of 3 and 4 are at a very unique growth period in their lives. They are growing at a rapid rate in all areas of development and are discovering new things daily, while also learning how to cope with new challenges.Additionally, they are in pursuit of autonomy, which can lead to […]
Realistic Behavioral Expectations What to Expect from 18-36 Months Children between the ages of 18 and 36 months are at an exciting growth period in their lives. Parents and caregivers observe leaps and bounds in the development of these children and are excited to see all their skills progress. However, as with any growth, […]
A Supplemental Resource for Families Coping with Oppositional Defiant Disorder All children act out from time to time. However, children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), as defined by the Child Mind Institute, “have a well-established pattern of behavior problems that are more extreme than their peers.” Children with ODD display aggressive behaviors and have a […]
Is It Rude, Is It Mean, Is It Bullying? As they say, kids will be kids. And yes, children and teens can be unkind to their peers and feelings get hurt. The problem is when these behaviors become common and target the same person repeatedly. This is when kids being kids begins to cross […]
SUMMER is almost OVER! If you’re like many of the parent’s I’ve spoken with this week then you’re probably just as shocked that the summer has FLOWN by! And that means BACK TO SCHOOL season is COMING. Let’s get REAL for a second. Back to school means new clothes, new books, utensil, and all those […]
Back to School Tips for Parents Summertime is coming to an end, and with that comes all of the back to school anxiety and jitters that are common amongst children. Your child may experience common physical effects of anxiety associated with back to school time including symptoms from stomachaches to sleeping problems. They will also […]
Grade school can be quite the experience for any child. It is a place where a child not only learns academically but one where a child must learn to socialize and function in the world. Unfortunately, there are a lot of negative experiences that a child may have when going through school. Whatever those experiences […]
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 […]
Jump to 00:10 to see how a Black Belt Ninja tie his/her black belt. Jump to 02:50 to see how an under black belt or a Color Belt Ninja tie his/her belt. Jump to 04:20 to see how an instructor or a parent would tie a younger ninja’s belt. We hope this helps! Mr. Clayton […]
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, Our goal here at OTM is to help every ninja become a better version of themselves! We use the latest technology and curriculum backed by years of research and development via our SKILLZ children’s curriculum to assist us in accomplishing our goal. We are also driven to go above and beyond to […]
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 Early SKILLZ Parents! Whether you are new to SKILLZ or have been part of our family for a while I am sure you have laughed and enjoyed our Early SKILLZ classes just as much as we have! It goes without saying that for a LONG time in our industry this 3-4yr old age group […]
Hey SKILLZ Parents! Did you know our classes here at On The Mat include the internationally acclaimed SKILLZ curriculums? SKILLZ provides our staff with the knowledge gained from many hours of childhood research and development in the martial arts. With this knowledge we are able to gauge our expectations for our students more precisely than […]
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 […]
Hey Basic SKILLZ Parents! Our staff at On The Mat hope to share one of the many ways our Basic SKILLZ program help prepare kids to work together in a team and as a team… By reinforcing their ability to show good TEAMWORK! In class we work of different types of TEAMWORK including: sportsmanship, group […]
The top 2 MUST have qualities in our Instructors First off, I would like to thank you for being a part of the OTM Family! Without you we would not have the sense of community that allows our ninjas to thrive. We understand that there were many options for you to choose from when it […]
Greetings OTM Families! I would like to take a moment and talk about Testings! What is testing? Testing is a celebration of a student’s hard work. The event itself is a culmination of their effort and the reward for learning to overcome challenges. The “Test” is actually nothing more than performing the skill stripe requirements […]
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 […]
Greetings Families! We spend a lot of time developing great technique and fitness during our martial arts training. The more we train the stronger we get but it is important to remember that flexibility plays an important role in our health and well-being! Physically, increased flexibility will improve our range of motion in our joints […]
Greetings On The Mat Families Let’s talk about some of the top benefits for practicing Martial Arts! As you know, we are not a “traditional” Martial Arts school in that we train our students in Age Specific Martial Arts. This allows us to use systems that integrate science and psychology into our curriculums via the […]
At On The Mat, Our Mission is to create an exciting experience for every student, every class! Our classes are taught using innovative, age-specific Martial Arts programs for our youth students called SKILLZ! These programs allow us to target each student’s stages of development even more than before! Through scientific research and psychological developments, the […]
Hey SKILLZ Parents! Did you know our classes here at On The Mat include the internationally acclaimed SKILLZ curriculums? SKILLZ provides our staff with the knowledge gained from many hours of childhood research and development in the martial arts. With this knowledge, we are able to gauge our expectations for our students more precisely than […]