Dubai: The Warrior Academy, one of the region's largest martial arts organisations, has announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art 3,784 sq ft dojo in Arjan, Dubai, following a phenomenal four years of growth in the Middle East, the firm said in a media release.
The new facility, which caters to children from two to 17, is the third branch of the martial arts academy, which helps to build strong values and life skills for its students. The world-class team, made up of former martial arts world champions, is also looking to expand the operation across a further nine cities in the GCC over the next three years, the academy said.
As part of the opening, the Warrior Academy announced the launch of its Confidence Accelerator Programme, an award-winning transformational martial arts programme that offers a dedicated developmental plan, aiming to significantly improve a child’s confidence in under 30 days. According to the academy, the programme is delivered by a team of world-class instructors, consisting of national, European and world champions, as well as personal trainers to prominent families in the UAE and Jordan, the objective of the Confidence Accelerator Programme is to serve as a guide for parents and educators seeking to nurture well-rounded, confident, and socially responsible individuals.
Designed in conjunction with world-leading behavioural psychologists, the Confidence Accelerator Programme is the brainchild of founder and serial entrepreneur Sebastian Bates, a two-time best-selling author, extreme sports athlete, and philanthropist, according to the media release. Bates coined the initiative based on his book, ‘The Warrior Method’, focusing on the three ‘C’s’ of developing Confidence, Conduct and Concentration in young people, it further added.
The Arjan dojo, where the Programme will be available, will become one of the only dedicated Character Development Centres in the Middle East, holding classes, hosting workshops and embodying the Academy’s community values that go beyond simply physical training and focus on mental and emotional development.
As a testament to the success of the programme, parents have reported on average seeing their child’s confidence grow by 82% within a year of attending the Warrior Academy, it says. A further study saw 100% of parents see an improvement in their child’s focus, resulting in an average improvement in exam grades of a staggering 23.3%. Furthermore, nine out of 10 parents said that their stress levels at home had been drastically reduced due to their child’s noticeable improvement in behaviour.
The programme launch in the UAE follows a new study from the Warrior Academy showing the concerns 1,000s of parents face on a day-to-day basis. The top challenges parents face include spending enough quality time as a family, reducing the stress of managing a busy family, improving their child’s behaviour/confidence and concentration, and supporting them through difficult transitions (such as changing schools).
“A child’s character is their confidence, their ability to rise to challenges, leave their comfort zone and set their own goals; it’s their concentration and ability to focus, it’s their conduct, integrity and moral compass,” commented Sebastian Bates, Founder of the Warrior Academy.
“We’ve seen that parents often struggle to improve their child’s concentration at home, and this can affect school, and grades and have a knock-on effect on their confidence and even behaviour. Through the Confidence Accelerator Programme, we’ve seen huge improvements in students by utilising meditation and mindfulness, using sequencing in our exercises to improve engagement, developing attention to detail and rewarding concentration in class.”
“We’re incredibly proud to be launching the programme as part of our new dojo in Arjan, Dubai. There’s been a lot of requests from parents and our students to open another facility, so we’re proud that we’ve found a great spot. With 800 parents on the waiting list for our new academy even before opening, we’re excited that due to the high demand, we are opening up another 100 places over the Summer from today! We’re looking forward to welcoming a whole new set of students through our doors so we can help develop some ‘black belt’ confidence,” continued Bates.
At the Warrior Academy, the instructors, who are experts in anti-bullying and developing confidence in children, practice Freestyle Taekwondo, a popular martial art that originated in Korea and has become a global phenomenon. However, Taekwondo is much more than just a physical sport, it can also have a significant impact on a child’s character development, helping them to build confidence, discipline, and focus. It also promotes physical coordination and strength and can help children overcome fears and build self-esteem.
The Programme is available now and parents are encouraged to visit the website or their local Warrior Academy dojo to find out more.
