The Top 3 Martial Arts Franchise Opportunities in the UK

Martial arts are a form of physical activity that is popular among both adults and children. There are many different types but the top martial arts franchises promote living in harmony and aim to give those who practise martial arts the ability to physically defend themselves. As well as improving physical fitness, martial arts have also been found to boost emotional wellbeing and to lower physical aggression in children and adolescents.

No matter the varying reasons behind attending martial arts classes, they are hugely popular in the UK, with more than 100,000 people practising martial arts on a monthly basis. However, martial arts are most popular among young children, and last year almost 10 percent of children between the ages of five and 10 participated in martial arts activities every month.

Why do people love martial arts?

Martial arts bring unique benefits to different people; for example, a young woman might attend a martial arts class in order to gain the skills needed to defend herself if attacked, while many parents enrol their young children onto martial arts courses to instil values of amity and reconciliation in them.

There are many different variations of martial arts, which include:

• Karate (empty hand)
• Muay Thai (Thai boxing or kick-boxing)
• Tae Kwon Do (foot hand way)
• Wing Chun (forever spring)
• Silat (to fend off)
• Aikido (the way of harmonious spirit)
• Judo (gentle, soft way)
• Yaw-yan (dance of death)
• Jeet Kune Do (way of the intercepting fist)
• Jiu-jitsu (the soft, pliable method)

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• The Best Around-The-Clock Fitness Franchises in the UK
• How to start an outdoor fitness business

Martial Arts Franchises

Many franchises have taken advantage of the popularity of martial arts in the UK, providing classes for all age groups to learn the ancient art. If you’re interested in starting your own franchise, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved with. Let’s take a look at some of the options.

1. Matt Fiddes

Matt Fiddes runs his own global fitness empire, which consists of more than 700 schools stretching across the world. This is a multi-million-pound martial arts franchise and claims to be the biggest martial arts brand in the world. Matt Fiddes doesn’t just offer martial arts tuition – his programme also covers dance, pilates and performing arts.

Matt Fiddes offers a variety of classes for different demographics, including ‘Mighty Matts’, which fosters respect and confidence in young children, teaching them basic self-defence skills, and a junior programme for children aged 7-11, teaching physical fitness and confidence, and potentially improving academic performance.

There are also family classes, which work on confidence, self-defence and weight control, and ‘Ladies Only Kickboxing’, which helps women improve their fitness, confidence and personal safety. Those interested in joining Matt Fiddes in his success should get in touch via his website.

2. Kung Fu Schools

Founded in 2006, Kung Fu Schools has centres around London and in eastern England, in Crawley, Croydon, Sutton, Peterborough and Hastings. Despite having fewer franchises than Mat Fiddes, this martial arts brand is committed to offering the best quality martial arts and self-defence training in the business.

As a result of its dedication, Kung Fu Schools is the only martial arts organisation outside of China to be labelled as a ‘Confucius Classroom” by the Confucius Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This demonstrates that Kung Fu Schools is closely tied to Chinese culture and tradition in its teaching of activities relating to health and wellbeing, providing an authentic experience to class attendees. In this vein, the business also offers Mandarin classes for children.

Opening a Kung Fu Schools franchise can be extremely profitable, and franchisees can also control their franchise location, working hours and salary. After investing in the business, franchisees can expect to receive an operations manual, equipment, training in Kung Fu, and support with the running of the business, including accounting, staff recruitment and marketing. Franchisees will be kept in-the-know by regular site visits, webcasts and group meetings.

There is also the opportunity to make additional earnings by offering private tuition, hosting parties and selling merchandise. Franchisees need not have experience in martial arts, but should be confident, self-motivated and reasonably fit.

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3. Premier Martial Arts Franchise

This is a successful martial arts franchise based in the US. It was launched in 2004 in Tennessee by Barry Van Over and now has nearly 100 sites across the US. Providing classes for children aged four all the way up to senior citizens, Premier Martial Arts focuses on self-defence, fitness and life-lessons.

The franchise is proud to offer a different environment to what might be expected from the average martial arts school, locating its classes in easy-to-find, clean, bright and beautiful spaces that smell “like fresh linen”.

Franchisees will work under the business’ leaders, Barry Van Over and Myles Baker, and benefit from their wealth of experience helping over 100 martial arts schools see success, accumulated over two decades. The Premier Martial Arts business model works to maximise its revenue potential, so franchisees can expect a good return on investments.

A site of just 1,20-1,600 square feet will need to be sourced, before a franchise fee of £26,295 and a total investment of between £94,315 and £151,335. Investors will also need to have a net worth of at least £247,900.

Other fitness franchise opportunities at Point Franchise

While Point Franchise doesn’t currently work offer any franchises that work specifically with martial arts, there are a number of fitness franchises in our directory that could offer investors an attractive business opportunity. Let’s take a look at a couple of them.

Sportscool!

If you join Sportscool!, you’ll be part of a franchise that provides sports and physical education to primary schools in the UK. The business has spent 10 years developing and perfecting its model and strategies so franchisees can build a profitable unit. So, if you want to help inspire young children to stay physically active and gain confidence in sports, consider joining Sportscool! today.

To become a Sportscool! franchisee, you’ll need to make a total investment of £19,995, and you can expect to turn over around £190,000 after two years of operation. In fact, the franchise is enthusiastic to make sure franchisees are making a six-figure salary within just three years.

During the set-up period, you’ll be granted a territory of up to 300 schools, which is twice the size of many franchise competitors. This means you should set up your first five schools in the first year. Sportscool! also has a franchising team of experts that are on hand to provide training and support throughout your contract term.

Tatty Bumpkin

If you’re after something a little different, why not look into the innovative franchise, Tatty Bumpkin? This business runs yoga classes for children up to seven. Using movement, music, storytelling and breathing and relaxation techniques, Tatty Bumpkin teaches yoga and creativity skills which will stay with the children for life. Classes are run in nurseries, schools and can even take the form of children’s parties.

Tatty Bumpkin benefits from over 14 years of experience in the business. New franchisees have the opportunity to earn around £60 per class and hiring teachers to run classes within the franchise branch will further cause the earning potential to grow. However, the franchisee decides to run their business, a minimum investment of £10,000 will be required to get the process started.

Become a franchisee in the sports sector

Sports have always been a popular pursuit – especially among young people. Today, in the midst of the healthy living movement, as more and more people aim to maintain high fitness levels and eat a nutritious diet, sports are more popular than ever.

Fitness traditions from all over the world are finding their place in our day-to-day lives, from Indian yoga to Asian martial arts. There is increasing demand for a wide range of different fitness and sports classes. Therefore, whether you opt to open a martial arts franchise with one of the successful businesses we’ve highlighted, or start a different franchise, there is plenty of scope to make a good profit from a rewarding career.

Running a franchise is a great way of entering the sports sector. You’ll get all the necessary training you need, as well as the rights to use a proven business model that works time and time again. Here at Point Franchise, we make it easy for you. Take a look below at all the different franchises we offer:

• Gym franchises
• Football franchises
• Outdoor fitness franchises
• Yoga franchises
• Weight loss franchises

Either click on the links above to find the franchises that operate within the sectors or browse opportunities yourself on our website. You’ll be able to filter your options by region, sector, investment cost and popularity to find the ideal one for you.

To find out why now is a great time to invest in a sports franchise, read our article: 5 Reasons Why Now's The Time To Open A Fitness Franchise.